Traditions are funny. Teams often start their seasons against the same opponent every year, and sometimes without good reason. But Penn swimming is breaking the mould with their first meet this year — and breaking out of their comfort zone in the process. For virtually as long as time itself, the Quakers have started their season with a dual meet against Columbia.

Penn Women’s Distance Swimming looks to build on last season’s success and has plenty of reason for optimism The Penn Women’s Distance Swim Team reached nearly unprecedented levels of success for the program last year, and come into this season overflowing with optimism and ready to meet the heightened expectations. It is no fluke that Mike Schnur was selected to be the 2016 Ivy League Women’s Coach of the Year.

Football’s Sam Philippi, men’s soccer’s Dami Omitaomu, and field hockey’s Alexa Hoover were all recognized for spectacular performances that propelled their respective teams to victories this past week.

The men’s cross country team started Postseason racing with a bang on Saturday, as they captured their first Ivy league title in 43 years.

It happens all the time in the movies: the hero achieves the ultimate triumph for her team when all else seemed lost.

The adage normally goes that you win some, and you lose some. But when you are Penn women's soccer, apparently you also tie some. After 110 minutes, there was nothing to separate the Quakers (9-3-3, 2-2-2 Ivy) and Brown (8-2-5, 3-1-2), as the two teams fought to a 1-1 draw this Saturday at Rhodes Field. The day started off with a Senior Day pregame ceremony honoring Penn's six seniors, where the players were recognized on the field with their families for their contributions to the program.

On a chilly night in Philadelphia, the Brown Bears began their hibernation. Just a few hours after their gridiron counterparts fell to the Ivy-leading Quakers on Franklin Field, Brown men’s soccer came up just short in a match that featured some exceptional strikes on goal.

Call it halloWeekend now. After losing four of their last five Ivy matchups, Penn volleyball busted out of their rut in a big way, picking up victories over both Harvard and Dartmouth on the road. The 3-0 win over Harvard (6-13, 4-6 Ivy) was especially meaningful as it marked the first season since 2010 where Penn (10-12, 5-5) won both matchups with the Crimson.

Home is where the wins are. Penn rowing made waves Saturday and Sunday at the Head of the Schuylkill Regatta.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, as far as Ivy League cross country teams are concerned. This Saturday, two dozen of Penn’s fastest men and women will be making the short trip up to Princeton’s West Windsor Fields for the annual Ivy League Heptagonal Championships.

It seems that the Quakers have run into a hiccup on their path of development. Hopefully a Halloween road trip weekend can scare them into shape. Staring down yet another middle of the pack Ivy finish, Penn volleyball will try to finish strong in the second half and put a scare into their Ancient Eight counterparts ahead of them in the standings. The last time the Quakers (8-12, 3-5 Ivy) tangled with the two northeastern schools, it resulted in a 2-0 homestand for Penn as they eked out a close five-set victory over Dartmouth (8-11, 1-7 Ivy) before taking down Harvard (6-11, 4-4 Ivy) in four sets on national TV. Since that weekend, the Red and Blue have been reeling, losing four of their last five.

Home sweet home. After a long journey, Penn women’s soccer will come back to Rhodes one last time to wrap up their 2016 campaign.

Another big ivy weekend is upon us here to take place at Rhoad’s field for Penn men’s soccer.

On the heels of the Quakers' 2015-16 Ivy title, media voters unanimously predicted Penn would win the Ivy title for a third time in four years in the preseason media poll, which was released Tuesday.

Gut check. After enduring a heartbreaking 3-2 overtime loss to Ivy foe Yale this past Saturday, Penn Field Hockey (10-5, 3-2 Ivy) took down crosstown rival Villanova in dramatic fashion on Tuesday night, cementing a 5-0 record against Philadelphia-area schools this season. The Quakers did not get off to the start they wanted; the Wildcats scored a goal in both the 32nd and 33rd minutes of play to take a sudden 2-0 lead.

Despite what was described by Coach Fuller as “arguably the team’s best performance of the season,” the men’s soccer team still lost 1-0 to West Virginia (8-5-1) on Tuesday night. The Quakers (4-5-5) came into this game riding high after the decisive 3-0 victory against Yale.

A person like Van Dyke needs no artificial stimulant to prepare for an Ivy League matchup. She feeds off the pressure. But even for a tenured coach with her track record and experience, a little pre-match anxiety can show up every once in awhile.