Roundtable: Which Penn spring sport is in the best Ivy title shape?

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This past weekend featured a full plate of action for Penn’s spring sports teams. From John Yurkow’s baseball squad picking up its 11th consecutive victory to the men’s lacrosse team staving off a comeback from pesky Brown, there have been plenty of highlights for the Red and Blue over the past few days. With the spring season far from over, some Penn squads are in better positions than others to compete for Ivy titles. But which team is in the best position? Our editors weigh in.

Sports Editor Riley Steele: When Yurkow was hired over the summer to take the reigns of Penn baseball, I don’t think anybody expected this kind of run from the team. In Yurkow’s first season as skipper, it was fair to expect considerable growing pains. And the Quakers experienced quite a few of them, dropping their first six games of the season and returning home from spring break with a 2-9 record. Since then, this team has been red hot. The Red and Blue have won 11 straight and 13 of 14 overall.

The Quakers' strengths were all on display this weekend. Led by Connor Cuff and bolstered by the addition of freshman Jake Cousins, a deep and experienced pitching staff gave up only 13 runs in four games. Rick Brebner bolstered his Ivy League-leading home run total to seven, and Austin Bossart and Mike Vilardo continue to produce for the Quakers. Now that the Red and Blue sit atop the Ivy League with an undefeated conference record, it’s time for the rest of the Ancient Eight to pay attention.

Sports Editor Ian Wenik: I’m going to pick a lacrosse team for this one, but it’s not going to be the men — it’ll be the women. See, the funny thing is that despite losing to then-No. 6 Northwestern on Sunday, 7-2, the Quakers actually moved up in the IWCLA rankings this week, up to the No. 9 slot. Entering the bulk of Ivy play sitting at 6-3, Penn’s only losses this season are to the No. 1 (UNC), No. 2 (Maryland) and No. 5 (Northwestern) teams in the country.

What does that spell for the Ivy League? Pretty bad news, considering that the Red and Blue are entering conference play with two wins in hand after toppling Harvard and Yale back during spring break. Making matters worse for the Ancient Eight is a sterling Quakers defense that has really buckled down after giving up 15 goals in that loss to Maryland — goalie Lucy Ferguson’s third Ivy Defensive Player of the Week nod is proof enough.

Senior Sports Editor Steven Tydings: No. 11 Penn men’s lacrosse doesn’t seem to be in position to win the Ivy League title but the Quakers’ postseason hopes are invariably intertwined with their Ivy performance. The Red and Blue sit at 2-2 in Ivy play, losing to arguably the two best teams — Cornell and Princeton — while pulling out key wins over No. 13 Yale and Brown. And the Quakers’ biggest test will be a matchup with Harvard at Franklin Field this Saturday as the Crimson come in with a 3-0 Ivy record.

At two losses, the Red and Blue aren’t likely to win the regular season title but a win against Harvard would go a long way to getting Penn into the Ivy League Tournament, which is a must. At least one win in that tourney is likely the barrier for entry to the NCAA Tournament, if not winning the Ivy League.

Penn’s senior leadership will be key down the stretch, whether it’s Brian Feeney in goal or Zack Losco in the midfield, as the Quakers pursue that elusive NCAA bid.