Dolan and group of Penn runners pick up end of season awards from Ivy League

After top performances at the 2019 Ivy League Cross Country Heptagonal Championships this past week, a number of runners from Penn men’s and women’s cross country have been rewarded with All-Ivy honors.

For the second time in four years, coach Steve Dolan was named Ivy League Coach of the Year. Entering his eighth season at Penn, Dolan has been named Coach of the Year six times for his work with cross country and track.

Junior Anthony Russo, who came in second place overall in the men’s race, was named first team All-Ivy. Senior Will Daly was the next Quaker to finish, coming in 10th place overall. Daly and junior Ryan Renken, who finished 14th, both earned second team All-Ivy honors. Juniors Daniel Cohen and Alex Roth both finished in the top 20, securing the men a first-place finish overall.

The Quakers’ first place finish is their second in four years and fourth overall. 

This is the second consecutive year that Russo has received All-Ivy recognition. Finishing 10th at Heps last year, Russo was named to the second team. 

Only the second Quaker to finish in the top four since 1991, senior Maddie Villalba captured fourth place in the women’s race, earning first team All-Ivy status. Sophomore Ariana Gardizy and senior Nia Akins came in 13th and 14th place, respectively, which garnered them second team spots.

This year marks the first time in program history that three runners have earned All-Ivy honors for the women’s team, though it is the eighth year that more than one runner has received the distinction overall.

With junior Melissa Tanaka placing 24th and freshman Jessica Riedman in 34th, the Quakers were able to slide into the top three, placing third overall but level on points with second-place Harvard.

With the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional taking place on Nov. 15, these Quakers and more will hope to qualify for Nationals the following week in Terre Haute, Ind.