CLAREMONT, Calif. (Oct. 30, 2021) - History was made at the 2021 SCIAC men's and women's cross-country championships as Caltech registered its best-ever finish of third place for the women's team while the men's team finished seventh.

Led by an 11th-place finish from graduate student Margaret Trautner (Houston, Texas / MIT), who covered the 6k course in 22.31.7 - just one minute behind the first-place runner - the Beavers' female runners were buoyed by terrific races from Sophia Dalfonzo (Fairhaven, N.J. / Rumson Regional), and Isabella Zuniga. Lauren Garriques (Lake Forest, Ill. / Lake Forest) and Katy Chu (Los Gatos, Calif. / Saint Francis), who rounded out the top-5 times for Caltech, with a combined time of 1:57:47.2, finishing only behind Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges and the host, Pomona-Pitzer Colleges.

The men were led by a 43rd-place finish from Joey Litvin (Ardmore, Pa. / Lower Merion) who completed the 8k course in 26:58.8. Litvin's terrific run was followed by solid efforts from Kyle Lethander (Oakwood, Ohio / Oakwood) and Kyle Piper (Lafayette, Colo. / Centaurus), Kellen Rodriquez (Fairmont, Minn. / Fairmont) and Rohun Agrawal (Cupertino, Calif. / Monta Vista). The top five times for the men's program of Caltech totaled 2:16:35.1, helping the team finish ahead of conference foes Whittier College and California Lutheran University.

 

For Head Coach Kelli Blake and the team members, this meet showcased the grit and determination that has driven the team's student-athletes throughout the season. The success the team has seen from this meet highlights the potential, with the next opportunity for the team to represent the Institute taking place in Claremont, Calif. at the NCAA West Regionals, on Saturday, Nov. 13.