PASADENA (June 19, 2020) – The Caltech women's cross country team and track & field teams have announced the Class of 2024 incoming recruits.
This year's class will add to the a distance group that put together the best season in the history of the women's cross country program behind standout rising seniors Claire Hu and Molly Crotteau. The Beavers took fifth at this year's SCIAC Cross Country Championships and seventh at the NCAA West Regional Championships just two weeks later, neither a feat which had been done before.
Alex Burr (Chicago, Ill. / Whitney Young)
Katelyn Chu (Mountain View, Calif. / St. Francis Mountain View)
Megan Robertson (Nashville, Tenn. / Harpeth Hall)
Margaret Trautner (Houston, Texas / MIT)
Alex Burr
Chicago, Ill./Whitney Young
Distance/Middle Distance
Burr is an accomplished distance runner with high-level high school experience under her belt. She is a former Illinois State Track & Field Championships qualifier, and finished in the top-10 at the Chicago City Cross Country Championships. On the track, she has posted times in the 800m, 1600m and 3200m races between indoor and outdoor seasons.
"Alex is an extremely committed runner and I think she's really going to thrive with our team," Raphelson said. "I look forward to helping her improve."
Katelyn Chu
Mountain View, Calif./St. Francis Mountain View
Distance
Chu has been a fixture on the St. Francis Mountain View cross country team in each of her four years in high school and will look to bring the same level of commitment and enthusiasm to Caltech. This year will be her first time, however, competing on the track & field team, where she will add upside and depth to the distance group. In her free time, Chu runs her own cancer research blog.
"Katelyn competed at a high level in cross country throughout her career but other commitments prevented her from competing on the track," Raphelson said. "She's looking forward to training and competing year-round for Caltech and I think we'll see her improve considerably as a result.""
Megan Robertson
Nashville, Tenn./Harpeth Hall
Throws
Robertson is a solid goalkeeping prospect for the Caltech women's soccer team, and her skill set transitions well as a throwing prospect for the track & field team as well. She brings with her some javelin experience and finished her high school career just outside the Harpeth Hall all-time top-10 shot put marks. Her natural athleticism and willingness to learn should allow her to quickly adapt to other throwing events as she progresses through her career.
"Megan is an athletic thrower with a versatile skill-set," Raphelson said. "She has a unique background coming out of high school with exposure to Javelin. She's also eager to add the hammer throw to her arsenal."
Margaret Trautner
Houston, Texas/MIT
Middle Distance
Trautner comes to Caltech readymade for the scholar-athlete experience after spending the last four years as a primary contributor to the track & field program at MIT. There, she became a two-time All-American in the distance medley relay and 800m events. She also received recognition for the NCAA Elite 90 during the 2018-19 season, an award reserved for individuals who have reached the pinnacle of competition at the national championship level in his or her sport, while also achieving the highest academic standard among his or her peers. Furthermore, she is a former Google Cloud First-Team Academic All-American, former MIT team captain and seven-time NCAA qualifier. She entered the 2020 Indoor NCAA Championships as the 3rd-seeded entrant in the mile. Though she had her senior year cut short due to the ongoing pandemic, she is set to spend her final seasons of eligibility within the Caltech program where she has a chance to leave a lasting impression.
"It's fair to say that Margaret feels she has unfinished business after how her undergraduate career concluded," Raphelson said. "We're looking forward to supporting her as she uses her final seasons of eligibility and we're excited to watch her race in a Caltech uniform."
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