University of Pennsylvania - Penn Women's Cross Country

Moose Akanno joined the Penn staff in the spring of 2020 as an assistant coach and was promoted to an Associate Head Coach position in 2023. Currently he serves as the lead on men's sprints, men’s and women's horizontal jumps, and women’s multi events.   Penn has won three Ivy Heptagonal titles during Akanno’s tenure, the women winning the team championship in the 2022 outdoor season and then sweeping the indoor and outdoor crowns in 2024. His athletes currently hold six program records, he has coached two relay groups to program marks—the men’s indoor and outdoor 4x400—and three of them have won individual Ivy Heptagonal titles.   Entering the 2024-25 track seasons…   Performer Lists Under Akanno   *INDOOR 60: Dimitri Nicholson, 1st (6.71)   *INDOOR 500: Ryan Matulonis, 1st (1:01.22); Alec Jackson, 3rd; 1:02   *INDOOR LONG JUMP (W): Victoria Aygin, 1st (6.11)   *INDOOR TRIPLE JUMP (W): Victoria Aygin, 1st (12.67) Tumi Onaleye, 2nd (12.66)   *OUTDOOR 200: Devante Heywood, 7th (21.08)   *OUTDOOR 400: Nayyir Newash-Campbell, 4th (46.66)   *OUTDOOR LONG JUMP (W): Camille Dickson, 1st (6.21m); Daniella Oyenuga, 2nd (6.12)   *OUTDOOR TRIPLE JUMP (W): Tamara Grahovac 2nd (12.90)   *OUTDOOR HEPTATHLON: Haley Rizek, 1st (5,377 points)   Individual Ivy Heps Champions Under Akanno 2024 Indoor   *Dimitri Nicholson (60)   *Ryan Matulonis (500) – also named Outstanding Track Performer of the meet 2022 Outdoor   *Victoria Aygin (Triple Jump) Before joining the staff at Penn, Akanno was an assistant director for his alma mater, the University of Connecticut. He directed all aspects of the Huskies' sprints, jumps and multi-event programs while also developing strength & conditioning programs for all speed and power events. Akanno had countless career highlights with UConn that included coaching two NCAA All-Americans, 34 NCAA qualifiers, a Southeast Asian Games champion, a Philippines national record holder(400) and the fastest 4x100 relay in the New England area. He has helped the Huskies to 15 school records, eight American Athletic Conference (AAC) championships, 120 all-conference selections, and an AAC team championship in 2015 when he was included among the Coaching Staff of the Year. Akanno came to Penn with previous Ivy League experience, spending four years at Dartmouth College before his return to UConn. Working with the Big Green's sprints, jumps and multi-event programs, he coached an NCAA All-America, 12 NCAA qualifiers, and 14 Ivy Heptagonal champions including Janae Dunchak who won four straight pentathlon titles. Overall, Akanno guided student-athletes to 24 school records and 46 All-Ivy selections. Akanno was named an assistant coach for the United States National Team’s vertical jumpers and decathletes at the 31st Summer World University Games in 2020 and 2021. Prior to coaching, Akanno was a four-year letter winner at UConn and was a part of Huskies teams that won three Big East Conference Championships. A captain his junior and senior season, Akanno was an eight-time All-East Performer in heptathlon, triple jump, and long jump. Akanno graduated from UConn with a specialized degree in Exercise Science and Psychology with a concentration in sports psychology.  

Joe Klim joined the Penn track & field programs as an assistant coach ahead of the 2012-13 season, specializing in jumps and multi-events. In March 2021, he was elevated to the position of Assistant Director of Track & Field. Following the 2024 indoor season, Klim was honored as the USTFCCCA Mid-Atlantic Region Men’s Assistant Coach of the Year. Overall, he has coached 11 athletes to a total of 16 Ivy Heptagonal individual championships and seven athletes to 14 NCAA Championships qualifications including six first-team All-America performances. Klim’s athletes also hold program records in all four pole vault sections, three of the four high jump sections, and the men’s indoor heptathlon.   In the summer of 2024, a pair of Klim’s pole vaulters, Jimmy Rhoads and Scott Toney, competed at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore.   Penn’s women have won eight Ivy Heptagonal team titles during Klim’s tenure at Penn, four each in indoor and outdoor. That includes indoor/outdoor Heps sweeps in 2018, 2019 and 2024. Entering the 2024-25 track & field seasons…   Performer Lists Under Klim   *INDOOR HIGH JUMP (M): Maalik Reynolds, 1st (2.24m); Kampton Kam, 2nd; Mike Monroe, 4th; Thomas Pitt, 7th; Mark Hellwig, 9th   *INDOOR HIGH JUMP (W): Anna Peyton Malizia, 1st (1.81m); Olivia Welsh, 2nd; Addie Renner, 5th; Sarah Lavery/Samantha Strydesky/Noel Jancewicz, t-9th   *OUTDOOR HIGH JUMP (M): Mike Monroe, 3rd; Kampton Kam, 4th; Thomas Pitt, 7th; Conrad Moore, 10th   *OUTDOOR HIGH JUMP (W): Anna Peyton Malizia, 1st (1.84m); Sarah Lavery/Claire Moreau, t-2nd; Adie Renner, 4th; Noel Jancewicz, 7th; Samantha Strydesky, 10th   *INDOOR POLE VAULT (M): James Rhoads, 1st (5.58m); Scott Toney, 2nd; Sean Clarke, 3rd; Nathan Fisher, 4th; Caleb Johnson, 6th; Payton Morris, 7th; Benedikt Sachta, 9th   *INDOOR POLE VAULT (W): Evangeline Thomson, 1st (4.00m); Nicole Macco, 2nd; Molly Minnig, 3rd; Natalie Ilieva, 4th; Meghan Hart/Abby Norwillo, t-5th; Kai Eisenhardt, 7th; Zoe Early/Katie Schroeder, t-8th   *OUTDOOR POLE VAULT (M): James Rhoads, 1st (5.62m); Scott Toney, 2nd; Sean Clark, 4th; Nathan Fisher, 6th; Payton Morris, 8th   *OUTDOOR POLE VAULT (W): Natalia Ilieva, 1st (4.22m); Molly Minnig, 2nd; Nicole Macco, 3rd; Evangeline Thomson, 4th; Abby Norwillo, 6th; Meghan Hart, 7th; Michelle Rubinetti/Zoe Early, t-9th   *INDOOR HEPTATHLON: Evan Lee, 1st (5,507 points); Andrew Colbert, 5th; James Mirfield, 7th; Demetri Whitsett, 8th   *OUTDOOR DECATHLON: Evan Lee, 8th; Andrew Colbert, 9th; Demetri Whitsett, 10th   *OUTDOOR DISCUS (M – coached in 2021): Chudi Ikpeazu, 2nd   *OUTDOOR HAMMER (M – coached in 2021): Campbell Parker, 10th   *OUTDOOR SHOT PUT (W – coached in 2021): Morgan Johnson, 6th   *INDOOR PENTATHLON (W – coached from 2013-16): Noel Jancewicz, 3rd   *OUTDOOR HEPTATHLON (W – coached from 2013-16): Noel Jancewicz, 2nd   NCAA Qualifiers Under Klim   *James Rhoads (4th in indoor pole vault in 2024) – first-team All-America   *James Rhoads (6th in outdoor pole vault in 2024) – first-team All-America   *Scott Toney (5th in indoor pole vault in 2024) – first-team All-America   *Scott Toney (13th in outdoor pole vault in 2024)   *Kampton Kam (16th in indoor high jump in 2024)   *Scott Toney (22nd in men’s pole vault in 2023)   *Sean Clarke (13th in men’s pole vault in 2019)   *Anna Peyton Malizia (3rd in women’s high jump in 2019) – first-team All-America   *Anna Peyton Malizia (NH in women’s high jump in 2018)   *Sean Clarke (15th in men’s pole vault in 2017)   *Mike Monroe (20th in outdoor men’s high jump in 2015)   *Maalik Reynolds (7th in outdoor high jump in 2014) – first-team All-America   *Maalik Reynolds (10th in indoor high jump in 2014)   *Maalik Reynolds (6th in outdoor high jump in 2013) – first-team All-America   Individual Heps Champions Under Klim 2024 Outdoor   *James Rhoads (men’s PV) – Scott Toney 2nd 2024 Indoor   *Kampton Kam (men’s HJ)   *Scott Toney (men’s PV) – James Rhoads 2nd 2020 Indoor   *Caleb Johnson (men’s PV) 2019 Outdoor   *Anna Peyton Malizia (women’s HJ)   *Sean Clarke (men’s PV) 2019 Indoor   *Anna Peyton Malizia (women’s HJ)   *Nathan Fisher (men’s PV) 2018 Outdoor   *Mike Monroe (men’s HJ)   *Anna Peyton Malizia (women’s HJ)   *Sean Clarke (men’s PV)   *Nicole Macco (women’s PV) 2018 Indoor   *Anna Peyton Malizia (women’s HJ) 2016 Outdoor   *Thomas Pitt (men’s LJ) 2015 Indoor   *Mike Monroe (men’s HJ) 2014 Outdoor   *Maalik Reynolds (men’s HJ) – also Outstanding Field Performer of the Meet Before joining the staff at Penn, Klim was the assistant coach for the Akron men's cross country and track & field team for two seasons. There, he coached the men's team to its first-ever Mid-American Conference outdoor team championship in 2008. Leading up to his years at Akron, Klim spent the 2005-06 season at Penn State University as a volunteer assistant with the women's track & field team. He was responsible for coaching the high jump and assisting with sprints, hurdles and jumps while with the Nittany Lions. Prior to Penn State, Klim spent nine years coaching at Bucknell University. As the associate head coach for men's and women's cross country and track & field, his teams earned 20 Patriot League team championships; three men's cross country, four women's cross country, seven women's indoor track and six women's outdoor track. His athletes broke 27 school records and achieved 171 top-10 performances during his time with the Bison. Klim's early career included stints as the head coach of the Elmhurst College cross country and track & field programs (1991-92), a graduate assistant at Campbell University (1992-94), and assistant and interim head coach at Emory University (1994-96). During that span, Klim had student-athletes qualify for NCAA Championship meets in 14 different disciplines with All-Americans in the high jump, triple jump, decathlon and 400. Klim received his undergraduate degree in marketing from Elmhurst College in 1991. He competed for the Bluejays' track & field team at the NCAA National Championships in the decathlon, 110-meter hurdles, 400m hurdles and javelin. In addition to his performances on the track, Klim was twice a CCIW all-conference selection and earned most valuable player honors as a member of the Bluejays' football team. In 1997, he was inducted into the Elmhurst College Hall of Fame for his athletic accomplishments. He earned his master's degree in physical education from Campbell University in 1994. Klim lives in Cherry Hill, N.J., with his wife, Nittaya, and their son, Andrew.  

Matt Gosselin returned to Penn in August 2019 as the program’s assistant coach for cross country and track & field. In 2021, he was promoted to the position of Associate Head Women’s Cross Country Coach/Assistant Track & Field Coach, and in July 2024 he was promoted to Head Coach of Women’s Cross Country/Assistant Track & Field Coach.   In his position on the staff, Gosselin oversees the women’s cross country program in the fall and the distance and middle-distance groups in the winter and spring.   The Penn women have won four Ivy Heptagonal team titles during Gosselin’s tenure, taking indoor titles in 2020 and 2024 and outdoor victories in 2022 and 2024. In addition, Olivia Morganti made history at the 2024 Penn Relays when she took first place in the steeplechase title, the first time a Penn woman won an individual event at the Relays.   The cross country team, meanwhile, had three women earn All-Ivy in both 2022 and 2023; tied the program’s best finish at the NCAA Regional each of the last two years (third) with seven women earning All-Region honors; and has had an individual compete at the NCAA Championships each of the last two seasons (Maeve Stiles in 2022, Morganti in 2023).   Gosselin’s athletes hold seven program records, six of them have totaled ten Ivy Heps individual titles and two relay wins, and four have raced to six NCAA Championship qualifications.   Entering the 2024-25 track & field seasons…   Performer Lists Under Gosselin   *INDOOR 800: Nia Akins, 1st (2:00.71); Bronwyn Patterson, 2nd; Melissa Tanaka, 3rd; Chloe Hassman, 8th   *INDOOR 1K: Bronwyn Patterson, 3rd; Katie DeVore, 4th; Chloe Hassman, 7th   *INDOOR MILE: Olivia Morganti, 1st (4:40.01); Bronwyn Patterson, 4th; Nia Akins, 5th; Maeve Stiles, 8th; Lizzy Bader, 10th   *INDOOR 3K: Olivia Morganti, 1st (9:12.56); Maeve Stiles, 2nd; Lily Murphy, 5th; Lizzy Bader, 8th   *INDOOR 5K: Maeve Stiles, 1st (15:55.03); Lily Murphy, 2nd; Ariana Gardizy, 5th   *OUTDOOR 800: Bronwyn Patterson, 2nd; Chloe Hassman, 4th   *OUTDOOR 1,500: Bronwyn Patterson, 3rd; Olivia Morganti, 5th; Melissa Tanaka, 6th   *OUTDOOR 3K: Ariana Gardizy, 10th   *OUTDOOR STEEPLECHASE: Olivia Morganti, 1st (9:57.94); Lizzy Bader, 5th   *OUTDOOR 5K: Lily Murphy, 1st (15:51.27); Maeve Stiles, 2nd; Olivia Morganti, 4th   *OUTDOOR 10K: Lily Murphy, 1st (32:40.92); Maeve Stiles, 2nd; Ariana Gardizy, 5th   NCAA Qualifiers Under Gosselin   *Olivia Morganti in the outdoor steeplechase (2023, 2024)   *Lily Murphy in the outdoor 10K and outdoor 5K (2024)   *Bronwyn Patterson in the indoor 800 (2023)   *Nia Akins in the indoor 800 (2020) – canceled due to COVID-19   Individual Heps Champions Under Gosselin 2024 Outdoor   *Bronwyn Patterson (800)   *Olivia Morganti (steeplechase)   *Lily Murphy (10K) 2023 Outdoor   *Maeve Stiles (10K) 2023 Indoor   *Bronwyn Patterson (800) 2022 Outdoor   *Bronwyn Patterson (800)   *4x800 Relay 2022 Indoor   *Maeve Stiles (5K) 2020 Indoor   *Nia Akins (1K)   *Nia Akins (Mile)   *Melissa Tanaka (800)   *4x800 Relay   Gosselin ran at Gonzaga University and racked up 12 varsity letters as a Bulldog in cross country and indoor and outdoor track & field and, at the time of his graduation, resided on the program's top 10 lists in the indoor and outdoor 800 and outdoor 1,500.   Upon graduation, Gosselin spent time as a volunteer assistant at his alma mater and Saint Martin's before making his first coaching appearance at Penn, joining the Quakers as a volunteer assistant for two seasons from 2013-15. For the 2015-16 season, Gosselin landed at Binghamton, where he spent a season as an assistant, helping the Bearcats' cross country teams to third-place finishes at the America East Championships. In his lone year there, athletes in his discipline captured a pair of conference titles and three runner-up finishes.   Following his stint at Binghamton, Gosselin returned to Philadelphia to serve as the assistant coach at La Salle, beginning in 2016-17 the season. In his time with the Explorers, athletes in his discipline accounted for nine Atlantic 10 individual champions.   Gosselin graduated from Gonzaga in 2012 with a bachelor's degree in human physiology.  

Steve Dolan was hired as the University of Pennsylvania’s Director of Track & Field/Cross Country prior to the 2012-13 season and oversees all aspects of the men's and women's track & field and cross country programs as well as serving as the distance coach for the men's program.   In addition to his duties coaching the Penn programs, Dolan is also the Frank Dolson Director of the Penn Relays, a position he added in October 2021.  Dolan has transformed the Quakers programs during his time in Philadelphia. Among the many accolades…   *Three of Dolan’s former Penn athletes competed for the United States at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris: Nia Akins in the women’s 800 (after winning that event at the Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore.), Sam Mattis in the men’s discus, and—mere weeks after graduating from Penn—Bella Whittaker who was part of Team USA’s women’s 4x400 and mixed 4x400 relay teams. In all, 11 current or former Quakers qualified for and competed at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials.   *Dolan’s athletes have accumulated 53 All-America certificates including 15 first-team honors. That includes a pair of NCAA champions—Mattis in the men’s discus in 2015 and Marc Minichello in the men’s javelin in 2022—and runner-up finishes by Akins in the women’s indoor and outdoor 800 in 2019.   *Penn has had a double-figure number of athletes qualify for the NCAA East Regional Championships every year Dolan has been in University City, including a record 28 qualifiers in 2024 (the fourth time since 2017 the Quakers have had more than 20).   *Dolan is a nine-time recipient of the USTFCCCA’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Coach of the Year honor during his time at Penn, earning it once for men’s cross country (2015), four times in women’s indoor track (2018, 2019, 2020, 2024), and four more times in women’s outdoor track (2017, 2018, 2019, 2024). *Penn has won 10 Ivy League Heptagonal team championships under his watch—two in men’s cross country (2016, 2019), four in women’s indoor track & field (2018, 2019, 2020, 2024), and four more in women’s outdoor track & field (2017, 2018, 2019, 2024). Dolan was named the Ivy League Coach of the Year by his peers following each of those wins.   *Penn’s teams have finished second or third at an Ivy Heps championship event 27 other times under Dolan, with eight second-place finishes and 19 third-place finishes.   *Penn student-athletes have totaled 115 individual titles and 20 relay wins across the Ivy Heps indoor and outdoor track & field championships since Dolan’s arrival.   *In cross country, Tom Awad won back-to-back Ivy Heps men’s titles in 2014 and 2015 while Ashley Montgomery posted the best Ivy Heps finish in women’s history when she was runner-up at the 2016 meet. Overall, the teams have earned 36 All-Ivy recognitions (21 men, 15 women) that includes 14 first-team honors (8 men, 6 women). The Penn signature red-and-blue-striped singlet has also beecome a fixture at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, highlighted by 2015 when the men earned their first team appearance since 1975 and a year later when the women made their debut as a full team.   *Dolan has coached two Penn relay groups to Championship of America wheels at the Penn Relays, the men's 4xMile in 2016 and the women’s distance medley relay in 2019. (That group made history as the first Ivy League women’s relay team to win a Championship of America wheel.) Prior to his arrival at Penn, Dolan coached three Princeton relay teams to CoA wins, twice in the men’s 4xMile and once in the men's DMR. At the 2024 Relays, Olivia Morganti made history as the first Penn woman to win an individual Championship of America title in a track event, taking first in the steeplechase. *The men's and women's track & field athletes under Dolan's supervision have combined to post program records in 70 different events. Prior to Penn, Dolan spent eight years at Princeton where he served as the head men's cross country coach and assistant men's track coach. Just prior to Dolan's arrival at Penn, he coached Donn Cabral to an eighth-place finish in the steeplechase at the 2012 London Olympic Games. He also guided Cabral to an NCAA title in the steeplechase - setting the American college record in the process. Under Dolan's leadership, the Tigers' distance runners set the standard in the Ivy League and excelled at the national level. He guided Princeton student-athletes to 21 All-America awards and coached 32 Ivy League individual champions. Dolan also helped lead the Tigers to five of the last six Ivy League Heptagonal cross country championships. While at Princeton, Dolan was honored as NCAA Regional Coach of the Year on four occasions. Prior to that, Dolan was named as the NCAA Division III Regional Coach of the Year 12 times as the head of the track & cross country programs at TCNJ. Dolan's ability to develop distance runners was never more evident than the 2011-12 seasons where he coached back-to-back Penn Relays champions in the 4xMile. Dolan's squad also won the Penn Relays DMR in 2012 to become the first Ivy school in 53 years to pull off the Championship of America relay double. In addition to the Relays success, Dolan coached four sub-4-minute milers and had an NCAA qualifier in every distance event which included an NCAA-leading 12 qualifiers. Before arriving at Princeton, Dolan was the Director of Men's and Women's Track and Cross Country at TCNJ for 11 years. Under Dolan's tenure, TCNJ became a national power. Dolan's teams and top individuals were regularly among the best in the nation. Dolan coached 66 All-America award winners that combined for 126 All-America citations. This group includes five NCAA champions. Dolan is a native of Bloomington, Minn. He received his bachelor's degree at the University of St. Thomas (Minn.) in business administration in 1992. While at UST, he was the 1992 NCAA Division III national champion in the decathlon and was runner-up in the event in 1991. Dolan set school records in the decathlon, pentathlon and javelin while at UST and was inducted into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998. He received his master's degree at TCNJ in athletic administration in 1994. Dolan and his wife, Nicole, have two children, Timothy and Sean. Tim ran for his father at Penn from 2018-22, while Sean enjoyed a decorated career running at Villanova that included seven All-America certificates and nine Big East championships from 2021-24.