Exactly one year after taking the helm of the University of Pennsylvania track & field programs, Steve Dolan announced his first official recruiting class on Friday as he welcomed 38 new Quakers (20 women, 18 men) to Philadelphia.

"It’s an exciting time for Penn Track & Field and Cross Country as we welcome this talented group of student-athletes to our program," said Dolan, who enters his second season as Penn's Director of Track & Field and Cross Country. "The Class of 2017 excels across a wide spectrum of events and will have a major impact on our future success. The University of Pennsylvania’s exemplary reputation as one of the nation’s top academic universities and our rich history in track & field helped us attract multiple state champions and high achievers from thirteen states. This should be a fun class to follow in the years to come."

Among the 13 states, the Quakers loaded up on local talent with 13 hailing from New Jersey, six from New York and another four from Pennsylvania. Members of the Class of 2017 will also come from as far away as California, Minnesota and Florida. In addition, the Red and Blue also got a pair of twins in distance runners Cleo and Clarrisa Whiting from Delta, Colo., and sprinters Aaron and Andrew Deiderich from Salina, Kan.

The Class consists of an even mix across events led by 11 distance runners (six women, five men) and eight middle distance athletes (four apiece). Six future Quakers will compete in the throws (two women, four men), sprints/hurdles (three apiece), and jumps (four women, two men), which includes a pole vaulter for each team. In addition, Emily Cahill and Noel Jancewicz will have a chance to specialize in the multi-events.   

The Class of 2017 joins a strong returning group that features 10 returning NCAA qualifiers, including All-Americans Maalik Reynolds (high jump) and Thomas Awad (5,000 meters).  The Quakers also return four All-Ivy honorees and the fastest woman in Penn history in two-time All-Ivy recipient, Heather Bong. 

The Quakers return to campus in the coming weeks and will begin the cross country season on Sept. 13 with the Big 5 meet in Philadelphia.