In honor of soon-to-graduates, many of whom did not compete in their senior seasons, here's a look at the athletes who had the greatest impact on their winter sport teams. (Wrestling Jon Errico Photo from Jon Errico)
Credit: Ilana Wurman , Son Nguyen, Tamara Wurman, Dominic Lim, Samantha TurnerWhile it didn’t end as abruptly as last year's season did, this year’s athletics season was marred by cancellations and a lack of competition.
For many of Penn’s graduating seniors, this meant that they had no traditional senior night. In honor of these soon-to-be graduates, here’s a look at some of the seniors from winter sports that impacted their respective programs the most.
Basketball
Eddie Scott, a 6-foot-6 guard for Penn men’s basketball, left a significant mark on the program during his time with the team.
During his freshman year, Scott played in just nine games due to injury, but had a breakout performance in a quadruple-overtime game at Monmouth in which he went for 21 points and 13 rebounds.
In his junior year, Scott made 11 starts and averaged 4.8 points and 3.2 rebounds per game while also earning 22 total assists and nine steals on the season. Although the 2020-21 season was canceled, the Bowie, Md. native was named a team captain.
A superstar for Penn women’s basketball in every sense of the word, center Eleah Parker was a dominant force during her time with the Quakers.
She hit the ground running, as she helped the team earn a Big 5 championship in her freshman year, earning an Ivy League Rookie of the Year award by a unanimous vote in the process as well as Big 5 Rookie of the Year and second-team All-Ivy.
Parker’s sophomore season was somehow even more impressive than her first. She was named Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year for her play on that side of the ball as well as Big 5 Player of the Year and first team All-Ivy. In doing so, she led the Red and Blue to an Ivy League regular season title.
In her junior season, Parker again won Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year and was yet again awarded first team All-Ivy. After not being able to play her senior year with Penn, Parker will finish her college basketball career with the University of Virginia this upcoming season.
Volleyball
Throughout all of her time with Penn volleyball, outfielder Parker Jones was a cornerstone of the program.
Her freshman year was arguably her best, as she led the Ivy League in total kills (319), started every match and played in every set, and was awarded second team All-Ivy.
She continued this momentum into her sophomore year, finishing with over 200 kills for a second straight season. Additionally, she was named an honorable mention for the All-Ivy teams.
Jones served as co-captain and team captain in her junior and senior years respectively. In her junior season, Jones led the Red and Blue in both kills (224) and points (245.5), and unfortunately, her senior season was canceled like many others.
Swimming and Diving
During her time with Penn women’s swimming and diving, Anderson Myers was a steady competitor in the Ivy League and set program records in the process.
In her first two years, Myers was an honorable mention for CSCAA Scholar All-America and qualified for 11 Ivy League Championships qualifiers at the same time.
Her junior year was marked by a win in the 100-meter fly at the Miami Invitational as well as an Ivy Championships in which she set the 200 fly program record with a 1:58.19 swim.
Just like his female counterpart, Sean Lee of Penn men’s swimming and diving set the school record in the 200 fly with a time of 1:45.20.
Aside from his record-breaking 200 fly time, Lee also became the Ivy League Champion in the 400 free relay during his sophomore year, which was Penn’s first-ever win in the event.
Lee’s junior year only saw more accolades and success, as he qualified in five different events for the Ivy League Championships, finishing fourth in one and fifth in two others.
Wrestling
During his time with Penn wrestling, Jon Errico was a valuable component of the program.
In his freshman year, he led his class with 14 wins. He then followed that up by achieving fourth place at Keystone Classic in 2018. Before he could continue his burgeoning sophomore year success, he suffered a season-ending injury, forcing him to miss the remainder of the year. He finished with a 4-4 record.
The last time Errico saw action was in the 2019-20 season, where he posted an 11-8 record and secured pins in duals against Duke and Long Island University.
Although the 2020-21 Penn wrestling season was canceled, Errico was named as one of the three team captains.
Fencing
Going 115-65 in her career as a Quaker, Miranda Gieg shined brightly for Penn women’s fencing.
In her sophomore season, she helped the Red and Blue to a top-three finish at the Ivy League championships and earned a second team All-Ivy nod for her performance overall on the season.
During her junior year, Gieg again garnered a second team All-Ivy nod and netted the best winning percentage of her career at 67.2%.
On the men’s side, Michael Li earned an All-America mention in each of the three years he was able to compete for Penn.
He entered the program as it was at a high point and only furthered its forward momentum. In his freshman year, he helped the Quakers to their third-straight Ivy League title and aided the team in finishing eighth at the NCAA championships.
For his performance in both his sophomore and junior years, Li earned second team All-America each season, and he finished his Penn career with a cumulative record of 142-80.
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
Donate