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Historic Sporting Events
First African American Olympic gold medalist was a Penn grad
John Baxter Taylor Jr. of Philadelphia, a superstar on Penn’s track & field team in the early 1900s, won gold at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.
Two more Quakers competing in Tokyo Olympics
A former Quaker and an incoming Quaker are competing in the Olympics in Tokyo, giving Penn a total of eight athletes participating in the Games
Meet the Penn athletes competing in the Tokyo Olympics
Six Quakers are going for the gold in the Olympic Games, representing the United States, Canada, Jamaica, Bermuda, and Taiwan/Chinese Taipei.
Alexis Borden’s perfect game
The 2015 alumna, the most decorated pitcher in Penn softball history, threw the first perfect game in school history in May of 2012.
Alumnus Sam Mattis punches ticket to Tokyo
The 2016 grad earned a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team by finishing third in the discus at the Olympic Trials over the weekend.
Jake Cousins is Penn’s first big league pitcher in 30 years
The 2017 alumnus made his MLB debut for the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
By the Numbers: Penn in the NCAA Tournament (Women)
In celebration of the return of the NCAA Tournament after last year’s was canceled by COVID, Penn Today reflects on the Quakers’ appearances in the Big Dance.
By the Numbers: Penn in the NCAA Tournament (Men)
In the spirit and excitement of March Madness, Penn Today takes a look at the history of the Quakers in the NCAA Tournament.
The mother of women’s sports at Penn
In 1921, Margaret Katherine Majer became the first coach of women’s athletics teams at Penn. She is recognized as the founder of women’s sports at the University.
Justin Watson wins Super Bowl with Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2018 alumnus Justin Watson won the Super Bowl on Sunday with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, joining 1999 alumnus Jim Finn as the only former Penn football players with Super Bowl Rings.
In the News
Voices of Penn’s basketball past reflect on the Quakers’ present challenges
The 1979 Final Four team was honored on last month at the Palestra as part of Penn’s annual basketball alumni weekend.
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Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe are more relatable when they turn backs on Saudi money
Peter T. Struck of the School of Arts & Sciences says that the most highly paid athlete in history was Gaius Appuleius Diocles, a chariot racer in ancient Rome.
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Wharton sophomore climbs world’s tallest volcano on a bike
Wharton School second-year Ryan Torres from Barcelona biked up the world’s tallest volcano in the Andes mountains during Winter Break, breaking the world record for highest altitude reached on a bike.
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Star USA player Christian Pulisic cleared to play against Netherlands after game injury
John Vasudevan of the Perelman School of Medicine says that Christian Pulisic’s “contusion” is a fancy word for a bruise to the bone or soft tissues, with recovery usually taking between one to three weeks.
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Meet the Phillies’ ballgirl who is also helping save lives
A profile examines Cailyn Chow of Penn Medicine, a lifelong Phillies fan who’s now a ballgirl for the World Series.
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Peggy Kowalski, who may have spent more hours in the Palestra than anybody ever, retires
For many of the last 38 years, as Penn Athletic’s director of special events, Kowalski has to be on the short list, maybe even at the top of it, for people who spent the most combined lifetime time at the Palestra and Franklin Field. Her earliest work days were as an undergrad selling tickets and answering to her boss who was also her father, and in honor of the two, the front lobby box office will be named the Donohue-Kowalski Box Office.
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