Out of several Penn sports teams, Penn men's lacrosse might have the biggest game of all, taking on Princeton in both teams' Ivy opener.
Credit: Pranay VemulamadaIt is easy to forget — given Penn men’s basketball recent ascension to Ivy League champs and March Madness — that a number of other teams are in the thick of their seasons right now, battling for similar glory.
Outside of the basketball programs, seven other Penn squads will be searching for wins this weekend.
Baseball, after securing its second win of the season over University of South Carolina Upstate, will face Fairleigh Dickinson University in Brooklyn in a short two-game series. After a rough start to the season, with only two wins in 11 games, the Quakers (2-9, 0-0 Ivy) hope to get some momentum as conference play approaches.
Welcoming alumni for a day dedicated to fun and intramural competition, men’s heavyweight rowing will be holding their annual Stan Bergman Class Day — renamed last year after the former head coach, thanks to an alumni-funded endowment in his name. Multiple alumni will speak on their Penn rowing experiences and then alumni and undergraduate races will follow.
Visiting the Blue Devils in Durham, No. 9 Penn women’s lacrosse will play No. 19 Duke — but unlike their male counterparts, the Quakers will be the favorite. The Quakers (6-0, 1-0) are undefeated this season, led by attack Gabby Rosenzweig who currently sits at 22 goals, with the closest margin of victory being five goals. Though Duke (5-2, 1-1 ACC) is strong as always, Penn can get yet another non-conference win here.
Women’s rowing, unlike men’s, will face some real competition this weekend in Delaware and at St. Joseph’s. In its last race in November at the Rivanna Romp, Penn took home fifth place, and the team had been consistently finishing in good standing in the fall. The team will look to continue its success in the opening races of the spring season.
Similar to baseball, softball has been struggling against strong southern competition this season, winning only two of its first 12 games. The Quakers (2-10, 0-0) have only faced non-conference foes and will begin Ivy play this weekend in a doubleheader versus Columbia. The Lions (5-10, 0-0) haven’t been having a great season either, so this set of games might yield some good competition.
Women's tennis will welcome city rival Temple University this Saturday during a season marked by inconsistency. Coming off of a streak of four losses, the Quakers (5-8, 0-0) will look to bounce back against a similar middle-of-the-pack Temple team at home. This matchup is the second-to-last meeting before a string of Ivy matches to end the season, so the Quakers will look to figure out how to overcome opponents at a more consistent rate.
The final team competing this weekend, men’s lacrosse, has the most important contest of all, starting Ivy League play against rival Princeton this Saturday. Since beating then-No. 1 Duke, the Quakers (3-3, 0-0) have fallen out of the top 20 NCAA rankings, losing their last game against No. 4 Villanova at home. Penn, facing a Princeton team (3-2, 0-0) that has been similarly inconsistent, will be wanting to develop a more potent game plan before facing the remainder of a tough Ivy League schedule.
Though things didn't go as planned for men's basketball in Wichita, there are plenty of other teams who could make up for that loss with a bundle of wins this weekend.
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