5/25
Historic Sporting Events
Men’s tennis team advances to first NCAA tournament
Men’s tennis team advances to first NCAA tournament
The Quakers have earned an at-large bid and will take on Virginia Commonwealth University on Friday in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Thomas concludes spectacular season with national title
Thomas concludes spectacular season with national title
The senior won gold in the 500 freestyle at the 2022 NCAA Championships, making her the first female swimmer in school history to win an individual national title.
Penn vs. Cornell used to serve up Thanksgiving specials
Penn vs. Cornell used to serve up Thanksgiving specials
Penn and Cornell face off for the 127th time on Saturday at Franklin Field. Forty-three of the first 45 meetings were held on Thanksgiving Day.
Penn put on a show at the 1900 Olympics
Penn put on a show at the 1900 Olympics
Thirteen Quakers competed in the Games, which were held in Paris, and returned with 20 medals in track & field events.
First African American Olympic gold medalist was a Penn grad
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
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
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
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
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
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.
In the News
Philadelphia Inquirer
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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Philadelphia Inquirer
Memories of Kobe Bryant: He was a star even among the biggest stars
The Lower Merion High graduate looms large in the Philly community and around the world, as fans share memories from the Palestra to Beijing.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
Olympic champion Greg Bell returned to Penn Relays with plenty of memories
88-year-old Greg Bell was one of the top athletes of his era. Competing for Indiana, he broke a Penn Relays record and captured four individual titles—three in his specialty, the long jump—from 1956 through 1958. Returning to Franklin Field in 2019, he carried his Olympic gold medal from the 1956 Melbourne Games, which he won seven months after his first Relay record.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
Usain Bolt remembers his historic 2010 Penn Relays performance: ‘There was a great atmosphere’
No matter where his life and his pursuits take him, the Jamaican icon always will remember his performances at the Penn Relays and what the carnival has done to help young Jamaican athletes get noticed by U.S. colleges.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
Forty years after his memorable race, Renaldo Nehemiah to return to Penn Relays
It has been 40 years since Renaldo Nehemiah created one of the most indelible memories in the history of the Penn Relays with his history-making 44.3-second anchor leg for Maryland.
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ESPN
The Ivy's last stand: Penn's 1979 Final Four run marked end of an era
An Ivy League team in the Final Four? Yep. Coach Bob Weinhauer’s basketball team didn’t seem to belong— the Quakers came from a bookworm conference that didn’t, and still technically doesn’t, allow athletic scholarships. Somehow, they found a way to accomplish a ludicrous goal and advance to the Final Four. It’s a feat no Ivy team has accomplished since.
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