New Quaker in town: Rich Bonfiglio

The team’s new coach has over a decade of experience at the collegiate level

Communication, competitiveness, and accountability — that’s the mantra Rich Bonfiglio preaches.

Penn men’s tennis has a new head coach, with Bonfiglio stepping into the role of Albert G. Molloy Head Men’s Tennis Coach after David DiLucia stepped down after just five months in the role. DiLucia was promoted to lead the team after assuming the role of assistant coach for five years, but Bonfiglio is new to Penn’s program and is motivated to hit the ground running.

“I’m very honored to be the Penn men’s head tennis coach,” Bonfiglio said. “Penn has a rich history on both the men and women’s sides of the Ivy league. Especially after last year, coming off of a historic season, finishing second and having Ivy League Player of the Year, there is a lot of momentum and excitement and I am excited to take the team further.”

Even though Bonfiglio is new to Penn, he has experience in the Ivy League, serving as an assistant coach at Columbia from 2019 until 2021. He also spent time as an assistant coach at USC, the University of San Diego, and Trinity. Before his coaching career, Bonfiglio was a student-athlete at Middlebury for two seasons before transferring to Trinity.

He hopes to draw from his past experiences to create the most productive environment for his team.

“One thing from my time at USC was that it all felt like a family,” Bonfiglio said. “Creating that family-type atmosphere is very important and I want to make sure the team continues to do their best on court, in the classroom and in the community — there’s no need to sacrifice on either end.”

He further stresses the importance of a familial environment and of building team spirit, particularly in tennis, which can be a lonely sport at times.

“Tennis … is a very individualistic sport and it’s really special to be able to build a community in college,” he said. “We have a lot of international students on the team as well, and bringing in that team aspect makes it a happy experience and almost a second home for them.”

This past summer, Bonfiglio was selected as a United States Tennis Association National Collegiate Coach and worked with elite college players from around the country, training them. When reflecting on the experience, he highlights their dedication and discipline, saying “the best players are putting in their all, not just on match days but also on a random Tuesday during practice. They have a discipline that carries into all aspects of their life.”

When asked about his aspirations for the years to come, he first focused on consistency. Last season, the Quakers finished second in Ivy League standings last season and earned its first ever bid to the NCAA Tournament. Penn was eliminated from both singles and doubles in the first round, but this only serves as encouragement for Bonfiglio to take the program to new heights.

“My hope is to be a consistent challenger for Ivy League champion and to regularly compete in the NCAA Tournament,” he said. “They did it last year, and I hope that we can maintain that run for the years to come.”

While the Quakers have been slow out the gate this season, with a 1-2 record so far, they will next play on Feb. 3 at the Hecht Tennis Center — where Bonfiglio looks to turn his hopes into reality.

5.Yale (10-10, 4-3)

The Bulldogs had a berth in the Ivy League Tournament last year but are at risk of missing out this year. A huge difference maker is the loss of senior forward Camilla Emsbo, who averaged 14.1 points and 10.2 rebounds per game last season, but was sidelined in October after a season-ending injury.

Against Princeton, Yale only scored 30 points, while letting up 79. However, the Bulldogs had a 71-70 victory over Harvard — when four players scored in double digits — and if they can find an offensive rhythm, they may sneak into that coveted fourth spot.

6.Cornell (9-11, 2-5)

Cornell’s offense has been cold all season, exemplified by their horrific 24% rate from long range. Their leading scorer of the season is senior guard Ania McNicholas, with only 11.1 points per game. Despite only winning two Ivy games, glimpses of a good team have shone through, such as for three quarters of the Big Red’s game against Penn. If Cornell finds a way to play four quarters of good basketball, they could climb the rankings.

7.Brown (8-11, 1-6) Brown scores 64.1 points per game, comparable with some of the top performers in the Ivy League, and junior guard Kyla Jones averages 17.4 points per game. But they cannot shoot from three, and their defense gives up an average of 74 points per game, including a whopping 94 against Columbia. What’s even worse is the lack consistency in Brown’s starting lineup, with no player having started all 19 games so far.

8.Dartmouth (2-19, 0-7)

Without a win after eight games of Ancient Eight play, Dartmouth looks poised to go backto-back at last place in the Ivy League. They had flashes of looking like a competitive basketball team, particularly in their matchups Penn and Princeton, where they went a combined 20-43 from beyond the arc. But their lackluster defense cannot force turnovers or turn them into points, and they lose each game by an average of 16 points.

5.Harvard (12-9, 3-4)

The Crimson have not been the same team they were for much of seven-time Ivy champion coach Tommy Amaker’s tenure. Looking lost in its recent trip to the Palestra, Harvard is in danger of missing the Ivy tournament. However, it would be foolish to count out any Amaker team only halfway through the Ivy season.

6.Dartmouth (8-13, 4-3)

Much like Brown, this is a team that struggled last year, but has shown the capability to hang with any team in the Ancient Eight. With the exception of an 11-point loss to Cornell and a 10-point victory over Columbia, all of its games in the conference have finished in single-digit margins. Much like the team itself, the leading scorer —sophomore guard Ryan Cornish — is easy to write off, but puts up big numbers and has kept the team in contention this year.

7.Brown (10-10, 3-4)

As was mentioned in the previous blurb, this is the part of the conference where little separates the next several teams. Brown has shown to be a competent team so far this year, hanging with upper-tier teams such as Yale and even taking down Princeton. With sophomore guard Kino Lilly Jr. — the third-leading scorer in the Ivy League — at the point, this is a team with the potential to take down anybody.

8.Columbia (6-16, 1-6)

New York has a knack for finding itself at the bottom of these lists.

Not unlike the NBA’s Western Conference, little separates the middle of the pack in the Ivy League right now. However, there is a clear floor, and that floor is found just north of Harlem. Unlike their women’s counterparts, the Lions have looked miserable this season, losing to Penn by nearly 30 at after a surprising win over Yale to open conference play.

“Experience of a lifetime”: Penn football alumni reflect on Ivy League Dream Bowl experience

Former Penn running back Isaiah Malcome was named MVP of the game

GRIFFIN BOND Sports Associate

Outside of the United States, the game of football commonly refers to players kicking a circular ball with checkered hexagons in hopes of putting it in the back of a net on either side of a field. However, on Jan. 22 in Tokyo, a completely different kind of football was played.

On that day, in Tokyo National Stadium — a 68,000seat venue built for the 2020 Olympics — five Penn football alumni helped lead the Ivy League to a 24-20 victory over all-stars from the X-League, Japan’s national football association.

The five former Quakers were among 52 athletes led by former Penn and current Columbia coach Al Bagnoli. It is not the first time the Ivy League has traveled to Japan to play football, as the Ivy Epson Bowl faced Ivy

League and Japanese all-stars against each other from 1989 through 1996. Former Penn running back Isaiah Malcome was named MVP of the game after rushing for 45 yards and a touchdown while adding another 40 yards through the air. But while he feels proud of his performance, the adventure was also important, calling “the opportunity to play in the Tokyo National Stadium where the Olympics were held, it’s a once in a lifetime experience.” Malcome wasn’t the only player from Penn to shine for the Ivy League. Former Quakers wide receiver Ryan Cragun and quarterback Ryan Glover linked up 10 times for 175 yards. Glover finished the day 18-28 for 274 yards and an interception. Tight end Shane Sweitzer added one reception for two yards, while cornerback

Jason McCleod helped hold Japan’s quarterbacks to a completion percentage under 50%.

Despite these efforts, however, the Ivy League struggled against the Japanese team, trailing until late in the fourth quarter until Glover had an 18-yard rushing touchdown to give the Ivy League a 24-20 lead, which they held.

“It was definitely a hard-fought game,” McCleod said. “I don’t think anybody expected to us win by only four points, but I won’t complain about that part. We definitely won.”

“Hats off to the Japan guys,” Glover added, “They were playing extremely hard in every level of the game, offense, defense, and special teams. I do think they caught us by surprise with their talent in a way and in their execution. I think they were a very disciplined team.”

Sweitzer was the only player to suit up for the Red and Blue in 2022, but all five said that when they heard about the opportunity from Penn coach Ray Priore, they were eager to put their name up for consideration to represent the Ivy League.

“It was pretty much a no-brainer for me,” Cragun said. “Right from the jump, I was pretty excited about the trip and ... was pretty adamant about going,” Sweitzer added.

For Sweitzer, who played his last season of Penn football this year, the Dream Bowl was a perfect way to end his career as a Quaker, calling the trip “a last hurrah to be able to use football this one last time to get to experience going to Japan. It was definitely something that I obviously have football to thank.”

Since the other four have not represented Penn for a season or two, the game was an opportunity to reconnect with former teammates. This was especially true for McCleod, who has several years of fond memories battling Cragun during practices at Franklin Field.

“My best experience through college, at least on the football field, is competing with him and seeing what’s working for me,” McCleod said. “If I tried it on him and it worked, I’m like, ‘Okay cool, I can do it on the field.’”

Cragun enjoyed reconnecting with his former teammates and catching passes from his old quarterback, saying “it was awesome playing in that stadium and playing again with all those guys that I used to play with.”

At the same time, while they reconnected with former teammates, they found themselves playing alongside athletes from other Ivy League schools — whom they had considered enemies for years.

“It was very perspective shifting; obviously, I see these guys in a different light,” McCleod said. “I see them now as brothers and teammates, but before, I saw everybody in the Ivy League as just about the worst person that I could come across.”

The players were also able to forge bonds beyond their own team. According to Malcome, despite a language barrier and the game’s competitiveness, both teams exhibited incredible sportsmanship.

The players were also grateful for the kindness of the Japanese people they met, with Sweitzer saying that “they appreciated us coming out there, and we also really appreciated the fact that they would host us.”

“It was a life-changing experience for me. From even the first time we pulled into the driveway on the bus, they came to the entrance to greet us,” Malcolme added. “The hospitality they showed us was second to none.”

In the days before the game, the team traveled around Japan — such as the U.S. Embassy, high schools, and colleges — where they met Japanese football players and ran training camps. As they worked to spread the game that many of them have played for most of their life, it gave the players a moment to reflect on their role as ambassadors.

“There were a lot of different people that I met that were curious and seemed very interested in American football,” Sweitzer said. He said that it was an honor “to represent American football the best I could and help accelerate that process of growing American football in Japan.”