The 2022 NCAA College Cross Country Championships are set to begin tomorrow morning in Lansing, Michigan, and two Caltech student-athletes will be representing the Beavers on the national stage.

Graduate student Margaret Trautner (Houston, Texas / MIT) and Junior Joey Litvin (Ardmore, Pa. / Lower Merion) each qualified as individuals by finishing among the top seven competitors at the NCAA West Regional whose teams did not qualify for the National Championships.

The Beavers look to retain their momentum from a couple of breakout races at regionals, where they both earned All-Region Honors after surpassing their own personal record times, and Litvin posted the fastest 8K time in program history.

"Division III Cross Country Nationals is a celebration of fitness and a test of grit," Head Coach Kelli Blake said of the finale. "The fans are second to none and the atmosphere often resembles that of a massive party with crazy costumes and chanting." Asked about the weather forecast of snow with a high of 26 degrees, she confidently said "It's colder on Everest, so we should be fine tomorrow."

On the difference between competing as a team and running solo, Blake said there can be a tendency for one to take it easy when things start to hurt when running individually, and the key will be for the Beavers to tap into the bigger reason why they want to compete to the best of their ability. She feels they will find success by "running smart" in the first half and then tapping into that bigger sense of purpose in the second half.

Trautner will run in the women's race beginning tomorrow at 11 a.m. Eastern (8 a.m. Pacific), and Litvin will run in the men's race afterward at noon Eastern (9 a.m. Pacific).

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NCAA live video: https://www.ncaa.com/liveschedule

NCAA qualifiers: https://www.ncaa.com/live-updates/cross-country-women/d1/2022-college-cross-country-championships-schedules-times-updates