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Student Athletes

Three cheers for two Quakers
From left to right, Gracyn Banks holds a field hockey stick on her left shoulder while leaning against a goal at Vagelos Field; Jordan Obi goes up for the shot against King's College at the Palestra.

Three cheers for two Quakers

Gracyn Banks of the field hockey team and Jordan Obi of the women’s basketball team have been honored, in turn, by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association and Ivy League.
Killing time with Autumn Leak
Autumn Leak, holding a blue and white volleyball, sits on a bench outside of the Palestra. She is wearing a blue Penn volleyball shirt.

Killing time with Autumn Leak

The junior co-captain on the volleyball team chats about her role as an outside hitter, the art of the volleyball kill, overcoming anxiety, competing against her sister, and her plans for the offseason.
Penn men’s basketball players who sit for the national anthem explain their protest

Penn men’s basketball players who sit for the national anthem explain their protest

“We want people to notice,” says senior Lucas Monroe, a captain. “We want them to ask us about it. … People see us sitting for the flag. Obviously, some people don’t like it.” He means really thinking about it. “We see racial gaps in pretty much every aspect of life, whether that be the health care system, education, housing. So for us, it’s about bringing light to the fact that while the anthem says that America stands for freedom and justice and equality for all—the land of the free—we want to highlight the fact that it doesn’t always live up to that,” says Jelani Williams.

Penn guard Jelani Williams’ first college basketball home game was 1,795 days in the making

Penn guard Jelani Williams’ first college basketball home game was 1,795 days in the making

After suffering three consecutive ACL tears and enduring a canceled season last year, Jelani Williams, a fifth-year senior, played in his first collegiate home game this month, with an 85-57 win over Lafayette at the Palestra. Williams suffered a torn ACL for the first time as a senior in high school, and it would be nearly five years before he had the chance to play in a real basketball game again.

Padilla named Big 5 Player of the Week
At the Palestra, Kayla Padilla, wearing her blue Penn jersey, plays defense with her arms stretched out to the side. A teammate stands behind her.

Padilla named Big 5 Player of the Week

The do-it-all guard had 22 points, five rebounds, four assists, three blocks, and one steal in the women’s basketball team’s season-opening win against Hartford on Sunday.