Sports Briefs

M. Tennis team starts off season at home The Penn men's tennis team opens up the 2003 campaign Saturday against Lehigh and Swarthmore at 1 p.m. at the Robert P. Levy Tennis Pavilion. Tomorrow marks the season opener for all three squads. Third-year Penn coach Mark Riley hopes to get his team off to a good start. The roster is now full of his recruits, including eight sophomores and three freshmen. "We have a young team, and it is important to develop the feeling as a team on Saturday," Riley said. "We're a tight-knit group, and we all get along," senior co-captain Ryan Harwood said. "So that's what bands us together and makes us a better team." Riley is also looking for leadership from senior co-captains Andy Kolker and Harwood. Kolker is returning to singles play for Penn for the first time since suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament last year. Harwood will try to utilize his strengths this weekend, his serve and forehand. Riley anticipates using Harwood in both singles and doubles play. Riley is planning on taking advantage of his depth this weekend. He will mix up the lineup to give a number of players the opportunity to prove themselves. The Quakers are not very familiar with Lehigh, as they have not played the Engineers in the past couple years. However, Riley has deep respect for Swarthmore, as he said the Garnet Tide is a "well-coached team" and has remained one of the best Division III programs over the past 20 years. -- Ryan Howard Gymnastics starts Ivy slate against Yale The Penn women's gymnastics team opens the 2003 Ivy League season with a dual meet against Yale on Saturday. The Quakers have already topped their win total from last season, going 4-1 in non-conference meets to open the season. The Red and Blue have beaten James Madison, SUNY-Brockport, West Chester and Ursinus. The only team to best the Quakers so far this season is Towson. After a subpar season last year, confidence levels are high so far this year, especially with the win over James Madison. The Dukes were second in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference championships in 2002. Leading Penn into the meet at Hutchinson Gymnasium will be freshman Julie Kikla, who posted the highest finish of anyone on the Quakers team in the quad-meet last weekend. She had a 9.625 on the bars, placing fifth in the event. Additionally, sophomore Leah Moon opened the year with a strong first performance in the floor competition in the last meet, posting a 9.55. The Elis are led by Shoshanna Engel, who has a career-high of 9.85 on the uneven bars. The team was third in the Ivy League last season. The meet starts at 1 p.m. on the Quakers' home mats at Hutch. -- Daniel McQuade W. Fencing travels to Penn St. Multi-Meet Fresh from Winter Break, the Penn women's fencing team will lunge into its official season this Saturday at the Penn State Open in University Park, Pa. In this season's opener, the recently-ranked No. 10 Quakers will take a stab at the top collegiate competition, with teams traveling from across the region to compete. The Quakers are likely to have an edge on their competition this year, with almost the entire team returning from last year's No. 7 squad, as well as a handful of very impressive freshmen. Already, freshman Jean Goto shocked the field when she took first place in the epee at the Temple Open this fall. One player to look out for in the lineup is senior sabreist and team captain Christina Verigan, whose consistent play led her to a 33-19 record last year. Sophomore foilist Emanuelle Humblet had a team-high 41 wins last year and freshman foilist phenom Christina Kaneshige, who took third in the foils at the Temple Open, should also serve as a backbone for this depth-laden team. -- David Perkel

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