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Monday, April 7



Good morning, Penn.


Welcome back to Quaker Nation, Penn’s premier sports newsletter.

It’s been a busy week on the news side of the Penn sports world. In this week’s edition, we’re spotlighting coaching news from both Penn men’s and women’s basketball teams and an update on men’s basketball star Ethan Roberts. 

Without further ado, let’s dive into the latest stories from The Daily Pennsylvanian Sports:

New assistant in town: Sources confirmed to the DP that former Iowa assistant coach Tristan Spurlock will serve on men’s basketball head coach Fran McCaffery’s staff.

A legend departs: Penn women’s basketball associate head coach Kelly Killion, who has been with the Quakers for over a decade, is leaving Penn to lead American University women’s basketball as head coach.  

EBO stays: Leading scorer Ethan Roberts confirmed he will stay with the Quakers next season. 
 
Photo by Anjali Kishore
MEN'S BASKETBALL

Former Iowa assistant Tristan Spurlock joining Penn men’s basketball staff, sources confirm


Former Iowa assistant coach Tristan Spurlock will be joining head coach Fran McCaffery’s men’s basketball coaching staff, sources confirmed to the DP. After playing for Central Florida in college, Spurlock played professionally overseas before coaching at Iowa. His skill in player development and recruiting will be a major help to the program.
 
Photo by Nathaniel Sirlin
MEN'S BASKETBALL

Ethan Roberts to remain with Penn men’s basketball, forgo transfer portal


Junior guard Ethan Roberts — the Quakers’ leading scorer — has confirmed he will remain with the Red and Blue next season following Penn’s hiring of Fran McCaffery. Roberts put up an average of 16.8 points per game, good for sixth in the Ivy League. Roberts transferred to Penn after spending a year injured at Drake and playing at West Point during his freshman year.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

Coach Kelly Killion departs Penn women’s basketball to be American University’s head coach

 
Women’s basketball associate head coach Kelly Killion is leaving Penn after 11 seasons to become the women’s basketball head coach at American University. She began coaching for Penn in 2011 under Mike McLaughlin before leaving to coach at Sacred Heart and William and Mary until 2016, when she returned to the Red and Blue. 

WOMEN'S LACROSSE

No. 14 Penn women’s lacrosse upset by No. 24 Harvard in a 10-8 loss

 
The Quakers struggled to match Harvard’s level of play, losing in the rain 10-8. With 20 turnovers, the team was unable to maintain its momentum as the normally trustworthy grass turned into a slip-and-slide. The loss marked a huge upset in an up-and-down season for the Red and Blue.
Keep catching up on the latest Penn Athletics news →
Photo courtesy of the University of Pennsylvania men’s basketball team

Former Sports Editor Walker Carnathan discusses the historic hiring of Fran McCaffery and his potential to restore the Quakers to national prominence. The coach re-enters the Ivy League with the chance of being the biggest hire in Quaker history.
 
Photo by Weining Ding

MEN’S TENNIS
Matthew Rutter crossed oceans to lead Penn men's tennis

The junior tennis player has navigated the cultural and tennis differences between the U.K. and the U.S. in his journey to the top of the sport. Leading the Red and Blue, Rutter has taken his time abroad to explore not only athletics, but also his education and passions.
Photo by Anjali Kishore

WOMEN’S LACROSSE (6-4, 2-1 Ivy) narrowly lost to Harvard 10-8, its first Ivy loss of the year. [READ MORE]

MEN’S LACROSSE (4-7, 1-3 Ivy) lost 14-11 to Yale, their fourth loss in a row. Its final two matches, against Harvard and Princeton, are crucial for the team to secure its Ivy League Tournament spot. [READ MORE]

TRACK AND FIELD hosted the Transatlantic Series, where the team joined Cornell to compete against the United Kingdom's Oxford and Cambridge Colleges. The men continued their win streak, winning 13-5, and the women won 14-5.

MEN’S TENNIS (19-7, 1-2 Ivy) picked up one win and one loss this weekend, easily beating Dartmouth 4-0 before falling to Harvard 5-2.

WOMEN’S TENNIS (9-8, 2-1 Ivy) also walked away from the weekend with a win and a loss. It breezed through Hanover, beating Dartmouth 4-1, but struggled to keep its momentum in Boston, losing to Harvard 4-0.

BASEBALL (13-12, 7-2 Ivy) beat Lafayette 16-11 in the Liberty Bell Classic before facing off in a series against Princeton. It won all three games, the last going to 12 innings.

SOFTBALL (2-26-1, 0-12 Ivy) tied against Villanova 12-12 before losing to Harvard, with final scores of 3-1, 4-1, and 11-1. 

MEN’S HEAVYWEIGHT ROWING defeated Drexel in a scrimmage match on Saturday on the Schuylkill River, sweeping all five races.

MEN’S LIGHTWEIGHT ROWING fell to Harvard but defeated Cornell on Saturday, marking the second time in three years that the Quakers have won the Matthews Trophy.

WOMEN’S ROWING, the #12 ranked team, lost all 5 races to #7 Brown. It is now preparing for the Big 10 Invitational, which begins on April 18.

MEN’S GOLF tied for 14th place with UC Santa Barbara at the 54-hole Redhawk Invitational. Next weekend, it heads to the Princeton Invitational.

WOMEN’S GOLF is preparing for the Navy Spring Invitational, which begins on April 12.

STAT OF THE WEEK: Fran McCaffery, Penn men’s basketball’s new head coach, has a 548-384 overall record coming into his tenure. 
                                                                                                     READ THE LATEST →
Stay tuned for coverage on thedp.com and on Instagram, @dailypennsports.

APRIL 8
Baseball at Villanova
 

APRIL 11
Women’s tennis vs. Columbia
 

APRIL 12
Women’s lacrosse vs. Yale

 
Today's newsletter was copy edited by Nicholas Maharaj.
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