PASADENA, Calif. — Following a summer of rigorous training and significant miles, the men's cross country team posted an impressive 2022 campaign that saw both team and individual records broken, with one Beaver earning a spot at the NCAA Nationals Championships. The team — under the direction of head coach Kelli Blake — performed well throughout the season, though they took a significant step up in their two postseason championship meets.

The team ran its first standard-length race of the season at the Sep. 17 UC Riverside Invitational, where the group posted a 17th-place performance in the Open 8K that saw teams from Divisions I through III competing. Junior Kyle Lethander led the way for the Institute, posting a time of 26:25.3.

The Beavers returned to action just a week later for the yearly Cougar Challenge at CSU San Marcos, where the top-seven Caltech men finished in a combined 2:18:47, averaging 27:45 over the difficult 8K course. Junior Joey Litvin led the charge for the team with a time of 26:50.7 to finish in the 68-point position.

The team wrapped up its regular season at the Pomona-Pitzer Invitational in early October, where the group beat out SCIAC-foe Cal Lutheran to place in the top ten of teams. Litvin again led his teammates, completing the 8K-long course at 25:51.2 place 22nd overall out of 163 finishers.

The squad would then prepare for the ever-important SCIAC Championships in Claremont, where the men strived to grab personal bests and place strongly in what is an incredibly talented conference. By the end of the 8,000-meter-long race, the group proved their hard work had really paid off after months of training prior to and during the season: the team placed fifth, matching its highest finish at the meet in recent history.

Litvin again led the charge for Caltech, this time in personal record-breaking fashion; averaging 5:10.2 per mile, the standout crossed the line at a blazing 25:42.3 to finish 16th overall among 155 runners. Sophomore Rohun Agrawal crossed second for the Beavers, posting a season-best 26:07.7 to place 24th. Senior Kyle Piper came in at 27:21.2 to finish 53rd. Junior Kyle McCandless also earned a personal-best, crossing in 27:23.5 to place 57th. Rounding out the top five was senior Gaurav Phanse, who finished just over two seconds later (27:25.7, 60th).

Despite their impressive result versus SCIAC teams, the group was hungry for more as they geared up for the Nov. 12 NCAA West Regional in Spokane, Wash. There, the men made history, posting the fastest team average for an 8K in Caltech history (26:04).

The group's blistering time not only earned them the school record, but also an exceptional ninth place finish among the 22 teams. After getting beat by Redlands at the SCIAC Championships two weeks earlier, the Beavers finished ahead of the rival Bulldogs to finish fourth overall among the SCIAC programs.

But that wasn't the only history made: individually, Litvin cemented his name in the program record books as he posted the fastest 8K time in school history, running 24:50.3. The junior broke the record by over 37 seconds and topped his own record set at the SCIAC Championships by nearly a full minute. The Pennsylvania native placed 11th among 160 finishers and averaged 4:59.8 per mile.

Agrawal also recorded an outstanding individual race. The sophomore ran the second-fastest time in program history — behind Litvin's no. 1 achieved a few seconds earlier — to finish 25th overall with a 25:12.2. Piper (26:38.6, 81st), McCandless (26:43.0, 85th), and sophomore Miles Jones (5:25.3, 97th) finished third through fifth for the Beavers. All five student-athletes recorded personal bests on the day. Litvin and Agrawal won All-Region honors for their performances.

"This team continued to believe in each other," said Blake of the group. "We couldn't be prouder of them."

The team had capped its year off with a special performance as they entered the offseason, though Litvin had one meet remaining as he qualified and competed at the NCAA Div. III National Championships. There, he placed 118th — the second-best finish in Caltech men's cross country history.

It was a memorable season for the Beavers, who elevated themselves to new heights in the most important meets of the season, breaking history in the process. The group returns its top-five finishers from the regional meet and will add a solid crew of new talent this fall.

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