PASADENA, Calif. — After months of training and preparation, the women's cross country team made history in 2022 as they broke program records and nabbed outstanding results, with one individual qualifying and competing at the NCAA National Championships. Under the leadership of head coach Kelli Blake, the new team reached new heights and posted one of the strongest seasons in the history of the program.

The squad began its season off strongly as the group posted a third-place finish at the Redlands Invitational in early September after logging big miles in training over the summer. The team — which rested two of its top runners — edged out the host school by two points, scoring 95 points in the 4,500-meter race.

Caltech's next competition came at the UC Riverside Invitational in what was the group's first race with the complete roster. The Beavers placed sixth among 27 teams in the 5,000-meter race to finish ahead of several impressive squads. Sophomore Sophie Dalfonzo led the way for Caltech, placing 24th overall with a time of 18:42.7 across the race's 5,000 meters. In a meet that saw 254 finishers, the Beavers put their first five runners in the top-80.

From there the group competed at the annual Cougar Challenge, where they placed ninth in its first 6K of the season. Dalfonzo again led the way, posting a 22:45.2 to lead the charge for the Beavers. The group finished second among the five SCIAC schools participating.

In its final regular season meet of the season, the group ran the Oct. 8 Pomona-Pitzer Invitational, finishing eighth among the 14 squads. Graduate student Margaret Trautner placed first for the team, posting a 23:16.1 on way to a 32nd-place finish out of 144 runners.

The team spent the next few weeks training for the SCIAC Championships, a key meet where the group believed they could top their earlier performances. Come Oct. 29, the squad did just that, posting a collective third place to tie the program's highest-ever finish at the conference championship meet. Trautner again led the charge for the Beavers as she averaged 6:08.1 per mile on way to a time of 22:52.6 and 13th place. A whole crew of Beavers were not far behind, with first-year Gigi Pistilli crossing the line at 23:01.4 (15th), followed 3.4 seconds later by graduate student Maria Carilli (16th). Sophia Dalfonzo crossed just 2.4 seconds after Carilli to finish 18th. Rounding out the top-five for the Beavers was first-year Elisa Grillo, who ran a 24:14.4 to finish 41st.

It was a phenomenal race for the group, who was not finished improving, as they carried their momentum into the NCAA West Regional which served as the final team race of the season. The Beavers beat out a number of strong teams to place sixth overall — their highest regionals finish in school history.

Trautner led the pack with a personal-best time of 22:17.0 — just a half-second off from the all-time fastest time in program history — on route to 13th place out of 166 finishers. Carilli came in next, posting a time of 22:37.2 to put herself No. 4 all-time in the program record books. Dalfonzo, Pistilli and senior Lauren Garriques rounded out the top-five. Trautner and Carilli earned All-Region for their performances.

"Coming in knowing there were five nationally-ranked teams in front of us, the Beavers had big dreams for this one and gave it their all," Blake said of her team's performance at the meet. "It was so fun to watch this crew come together the past three months and compete for each other."

The season was complete for all Beavers except Trautner, however, who qualified for the NCAA Div. III National Championships by finishing among the top seven individuals at regionals who did not already qualify through a team. There, the star placed 88th — one of the best performances in Caltech history — to put a bow on an outstanding season and career.

The season proved a massive success for the program, who demonstrated its talent in a competitive and accomplished conference. While the Beavers lose a few significant performers to graduation, the team returns a strong group of returners in addition to some new additions from the class of 2027. The team will strive to again make some noise in the conference, region and nation.

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