Hall of Honor
Clearly one of the best athletes on campus in her era, Close ran her way to NAIA Championship titles in the 400-meter dash and 400-meter hurdles, earning All-America status in the latter as she placed sixth at the NCAA Championships. She is one of just two SCIAC champions in program history, having won the 400m hurdles as Caltech’s only participant at the conference meet over a seven-year span and earning the most points of any Caltech team until 1991. Close graduated with three Caltech records, including the 100-meter high hurdles, which she held for 11 years, and currently ranks fifth on the all-time list. She still holds the 400m mark (59.07) by more than a full second and the 400-meter low hurdles record (1:04.50) by nearly four seconds and is the only female recipient of the Goldsworthy Track Trophy for sportsmanship, team spirit and proficiency.
