Red and Blue in Review: Fall sports recap

The 2023 fall season was an action-packed one for the Red and Blue. Many teams improved from their previous seasons while others failed to match their successes from last year. This year was a down year in terms of titles, but there was still plenty of highlights that should get fans excited for the future. Here’s all you need to know about fall sports.

Football

After coming tantalizingly close to an Ivy title in 2022, Penn football again had its sights set on the crown this fall. But thanks to a variety of factors, most notably the team’s propensity for turnovers and inconsistent play, the season ended in disappointment.

The Red and Blue ultimately finished with a 6-4 overall record, going 3-4 against Ivy League opponents. In the four losses, the Quakers committed a total of 14 turnovers, and no game more typified that theme than the season finale against Princeton. The Quakers turned the ball over seven times, including a season-ending interception in the game's final minute.

But even in such a season, the Quakers had much to celebrate. Sophomore wide receiver Jared Richardson and freshman running back Malachi Hosley broke out as two of the conference’s premier skill players, with both being named First-Team All-Ivy and Hosley winning Ivy League Rookie of the Year. It will be a long winter as the Quakers process the shortcomings of the season that was, but there is plenty to look forward to in the season to come.

Sprint football

2023 marked a down campaign for Penn sprint football, which finished 2-4 overall and 1-2 in the CSFL South Division. While the Quakers are usually toward the middle of the pack nationally, this season saw a sharp decline, mostly due to a struggling offense.

Penn averaged just 13 points per game this season, and scored only seven each in losses against Army and Navy. Junior quarterback Ty Scherer completed just 44% of his passes, and the Quakers’ rushing offense managed under three yards per carry.

If the Red and Blue aspire to compete for a CSFL title in the coming years, they will need to find a way to compete with Army and Navy. The two service academies have dominated the CSFL for years, and Penn has not beaten either since 2017. When it comes to sprint football, the Quakers are still playing catch-up.

Men’s soccer

Coming off a record season for men’s soccer, this year was a slight step down, but the team’s performance was more than enough to secure a second-straight Ivy League regular-season title, finishing the season with a 7-3-6 regular season record while going 4-1-2 in Ivy League play.

This first-place finish in the regular season meant that Penn hosted the inaugural Ivy League Tournament, which would determine who would earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Unfortunately, the Quakers’ season ended in disappointment, with the team losing in a penalty shootout to Brown in the semifinals. 

Despite the less-than-ideal finish, many players were still recognized as some of the best in the conference. For the second year in a row, coach Brian Gill brought home the Ivy League Coach of the Year award. Senior goalkeeper Nick Christoffersen, senior midfielder Michael Hewes, and junior defender Leo Burney were named first-team All-Ivy while junior forward Stas Korzeniowski was named second-team All-Ivy, and junior defender Ben Do received an honorable mention.

With many of these key players returning next season, the Quakers are poised to stay a strong contender in 2024.

Women’s soccer

In coach Krissy Turner’s second year at the helm, the team showed marked improvement from what was ultimately a very disappointing 2022. The team finished the season with an overall record of 6-7-3 — doubling the number of wins from last year. Furthermore, Turner picked up her 300th win as a head coach in a 1-0 shutout of Lafayette, which was coincidentally the school where Turner started her coaching career. 

However, the team fell short in conference play, where it finished with a 1-4-2 record and missed out on a spot in the Ivy League Tournament. The lone Ivy win came against Cornell in the team’s last game of the season, where Penn came back in the second half for the Quakers' first conference win since 2021, and Turner's first since starting her Penn tenure. 

Senior defender Ginger Fontenot was named first-team All-Ivy while senior defender Maya Leschly was recognized with a spot on the academic team. Furthermore, the win against Cornell saw freshmen forwards Mia Fuss and Abbey Cook score their first goals for the program, displaying the team's promise as it heads into its third campaign under Turner. 

Field hockey

Penn field hockey opened 2023 with the toughest test imaginable: playing the reigning national champions in North Carolina. Though the Quakers lost that game, it ultimately served as preparation for an overall successful season.

Throughout the Ancient Eight slate, the Red and Blue firmly established themselves as one of the best the league has to offer. After earning a 5-2 conference record in the regular season, Penn drew Harvard — then ranked No. 9 nationally  — in the Ivy tournament semifinals, but ultimately fell 1-0. 

The Quakers faced a total of seven ranked teams in 2023, giving them one of the hardest slates in the nation. While Penn was winless in those contests, the matches against Louisville, Saint Joseph's, and Harvard were each decided by just a one or two goals. This ambitious scheduling is not only indicative of promise, but of the team’s ability to keep up with the best in the nation as well.

Volleyball

Coming off of the program’s worst season to date, volleyball took a very small step in the right direction. After finishing Ivy League play with just one win last season, the team would manage to sweep Columbia for two conference wins in 2023. Overall, the team's 4-20 final record looks rough on paper but is still an improvement from 2022. 

Sophomore libero Abigail Reid has continued to grow into her role as a major contributor to the team while newcomers like freshmen outside hitter Zada Sanger and right-side hitter Bella Rittenberg made instant impacts. Furthermore, the team was competitive in most matches, which bodes well for the program’s development heading into next fall. 

Men’s rowing

Penn heavyweight rowing enjoyed a successful fall season, with several top finishes at premier regattas. In the second season under coach Al Monte, the Quakers were competitive at all three of their showings this fall, highlighted by a dominant performance at the Head of the Schuylkill where the crew recorded the fastest boats in four different categories.

On the lightweight side, the Quakers were also routinely toward the front of the pack, with top-three finishes at both the Navy Day Regatta and the Head of the Charles. Penn remains one of the strongest rowing programs in the Ivy League alongside tough competition like Harvard and Cornell. An excellent fall season bodes well for the team’s spring aspirations.

Women’s rowing

After a historic summer that included a trip to the NCAA National Championships, Penn women’s rowing picked up right where it left off this fall. The Quakers swept first place in all three women’s events at the season-opening Navy Day Regatta and also recorded a top-10 finish at the Princeton Chase.

The team coaching staff also recently added former Quaker Josie Konopka, who joined the team as an assistant coach this fall. With a recent graduate now helping the team, the Quakers hope to carry their momentum into another championship run in the upcoming spring season.

Men’s cross country

Penn started the season off very strongly, finishing second at the Lehigh Invitational, first at the Main Line Invitational, and second at the Haverford Invitational. 

Junior Dylan Throop led the team in several races, finishing in second place at the Ivy League Heptagonal Championships, earning himself First-Team All-Ivy recognition. In a meet that saw the team finish fifth out of eight teams, junior Luke Johnson and sophomore Sahil Dodda would finish 12th and 13th, respectively, on their way to second-team All-Ivy recognition. 

At NCAA Regionals, the Quakers placed eighth out of 26 total mens teams present, and Dodda leading the group with a 22nd-place finish. His time of 30:07.7 on the 10k course was a personal best that earned him an All-Region team selection.

Women’s cross country

Multiple program records were set by the Quakers this fall. Led by seniors Maeve Stiles and Liv Morganti, the team performed well at most meets this fall, including wins at the Lehigh Invitational and Haverford Invitation, and second-place finish at the Main Line Invitational.

Despite a slightly disappointing fifth-place team finish at the Ivy League Heptagonal Championships, the team bounced back at regionals, finishing third out of 27 to tie the best team finish at the event in program history and the best finish on the Lehigh course. Morganti finished fifth overall and set a program record with her time, securing a NCAA Championship appearance, where she would ultimately finish 144th out of 254 runners. Stiles also finished the season strongly, setting a career-best time while finishing eighth at regionals. 

Both Stiles and Morganti would be named to the All-Regional team along with sophomore Lily Murphy who came in at 20th at regionals. The team’s successes set the track and field team up well for its upcoming indoor winter season.

Men’s golf

It was a tale of two seasons for Penn men’s golf, which opened the season with two strong showings, including a third-place finish at the Temple Invitational fueled by strong performances from freshmen Hayden Adams and Max Fonseca.

However, the team slowed down in the second half of the season, finishing in the bottom three at its final two invitationals. Part of this can be attributed to improved competition, but Penn’s performance also declined as the course difficulty increased. With the spring season ahead, the Quakers will have plenty of opportunities to right their wrongs by the season’s end.

Women’s golf

After a disappointing 2022 fall campaign, Penn came out strong and showed plenty of improvement, showing that its Ivy League Championship from this past spring was not a fluke. After finishing in sixth place out of 15 teams the year prior at the Yale Fall Intercollegiate, the team would finish in second this year. The team capped off its fall season with a second-place finish at the Lady Blue Hen Invitational.

Sophomores Julie Shin and Bridget O'Keefe — who carried much of the burden from last season — continued to cement themselves as major contributors to the team. The immediate impact of freshmen Madeleine Zang and Maggie Ni bodes well for the team ahead of its spring campaign, where it’ll be looking to return to the NCAA tournament for the second straight year.