Caitlyn Rogers – Women's Cross Country 

Sophomore runner Caitlyn Rogers is relatively new to the world of cross country, which means her national-qualifying performance last season is just the beginning for what she can do this fall. 

Rogers graduated from North Branch High School in 2019, only a couple years after she joined the school's track team. 

"During my sophomore year I started track out of the blue. I was just looking for something to do in the spring," she said. "I ended up qualifying for states [in the 3200-meter relay] and so I thought running might be a good thing to get into."  

The fall of her junior year, then, presented a tough decision: cross country or volleyball?  

She chose to continue running, even after years of volleyball practices, games, and tournaments. 

"I like how it's more individual. I can just go out and run every day, but with volleyball, you need a team to practice," she said.  

During her junior season, she saw great success as she improved her time by more than two minutes. She went on to earn several All-Conference and All-Region awards during her high school career as well.  

As she began her college career, she was always steady and consistent, which she said she found to be a positive thing after coming off a knee injury during her senior year of high school. 

"I actually got a knee injury my senior of high school, which was only my second year. I damaged the cartilage in it," she said. "So, my freshman year was pretty steady and injury free." 

Not only was her freshman year as a Skipper injury free, but it also held on of Rogers' favorite memories: running at the NJCAA National Cross-Country Championship. 

"At regionals I finished in the top 15, so we got to go to New Mexico for the national meet," she said. "I didn't expect to make it, but that was one of my favorite memories."  

With that taste of success, Rogers is preparing for her sophomore season with hopes of further improvement and staying injury free. 

Rogers is taking her general education classes at SC4 with plans to transfer to a four-year institution to study medical science. 

"I want to be a physician's assistant," she said. "My brother got sick when I was younger, so that kind of inspired me to want to work in the medical field. He got a virus that damaged his brain and now he has epilepsy." 

Since that time, her brother has gotten better and is doing well.  

"That was a scary time for our family, and I just always looked up to the doctors there," Rogers said. "I want to work with kids as of right now, but I still have a long way to go."