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Penn to Open Quest for Fourth Straight Mid-Atlantic Title this Weekend at Home
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- The University of Pennsylvania Quakers will carry a 33-game division winning streak into this weekend's games at home as Penn will host Penn State University, University of Pittsburgh and West Chester University on Saturday, February 21 in the first Mid-Atlantic Division action of the year among the Northern teams.
A four-time division champion (2004, 2006-08), the Quakers are in the midst of a 33-game undefeated run in the Mid-Atlantic, including a 27-game regular season win streak.
The last time Penn dropped a game to a Mid-Atlantic rival occurred on April 5, 2005 when West Chester University upset the Quakers 9-8 OT in the second round of the division championship tournament. One needs to go back to February 27, 2005 for the last time the Quakers dropped a regular season game as Penn State stopped Penn 4-3.
This year, the No. 9 nationally ranked Quakers will strive for their fifth division title and another shot at capturing the program's first National Collegiate Club Championship in either men's or women's water polo.
The last three years, Penn has dramatically risen up the ranks at the National Collegiate Club Championship, placing 13th in 2006 at Northwestern University, sixth in 2007 at Williams College and fifth last year at the University of Oregon.
In 2009, Pennsylvania will seek to knock off fellow division contenders Duke University, James Madison University, University of North Carolina, Penn State, University of Pittsburgh, University of Richmond, University of Virginia, Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University (Virginai Tech) and West Chester for a shot at moving up four spots to the pinnacle of the club scene - the national championship.
Penn's quest begins at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday against Penn State before squaring off with Pittsburgh at 3:30 p.m.
In other action, Pitt meets West Chester at 12:20 p.m., West Chester takes on Penn State at 4:40 p.m. and Pitt will battle Penn State at 6:50 p.m.
The division race, which is led by Virginia following a 5-0 weekend by the Cavaliers against the Southern teams, heats up on March 20-21 at Virginia Tech when the entire division converges to decide who is the best before the division championship tournament on April 4-5 at Penn State.
Results and the upcoming division schedule are available online at the Mid-Atlantic Division page on the Collegiate Water Polo Association website.
