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Caltech seniors Rohun Agrawal (Cupertino, Calif. / Monta Vista), Sophie Dalfonzo (Fair Haven, N.J. Biotechnology & Rumson-Fair Regional) and Miles Jones (San Diego / Rancho Bernardo) received Cross Country All-Region distinction by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), the organization announced on Monday.
The three Beavers received the recognition for placing in the top 35 at the NCAA West Regional Championships this past weekend.
Agrawal posted a brilliant performance in the men’s race, crossing the line in 19th among 174 athletes. The veteran tackled the 8,000-meter course in a blazing 24 minutes and 51.1 seconds — the fourth-fastest 8K ever ran in Caltech history. Agrawal just missed out on his own school record time of 24:47.6.
The standout wraps up his career with not just the fastest 8K in school history but three All-Region nods and two All-SCIAC performances.
Jones followed Agrawal moments later with a 27-second personal record time of 24:56.6 to nab 25th. Jones caps off his cross country career at No. 3 all-time on Caltech’s all-time 8K leaderboard; he received All-SCIAC honors earlier this month.
The two Beavers’ excellent races helped the Caltech men’s team to a seventh place showing among the 24 teams present. The group collectively ran the fastest combined average 8K in Caltech history (25:25).
Dalfonzo, meanwhile, put in a superb showing in the women’s race; the senior cemented her name in school history with the program’s fastest-ever individual 6,000-meter time, crossing the line at 22:00.9 to nab 26th place out of 174 athletes.
The star’s program-record time smashed the previous record of 22:16.5 from 2019; she concludes her career with not just the 6K school record but two All-Region honors and four All-SCIAC nods. She is the first-ever Caltech women’s cross country athlete to secure All-SCIAC distinction in the sport across all four years.
Dalfonzo’s remarkable race helped lead the Caltech women to a 12th place finish.
The three athletes will now turn their attention towards the Track & Field season which kicks off Saturday, Jan. 25 at the CMS Outdoor Indoor Distances Meet.
For the full list of 2024 NCAA Division III All-Region award winners, click here. Find the full recap of Caltech’s performance at the NCAA West Regional Championships here.
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