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2026 Cross Country Roster
Kelli Gaffney

Kelli Gaffney Season 2026

HometownTemecula, Calif.
Previous SchoolCal Poly

Prior to ASU (Cal Poly)
2025-26 (Junior, Cal Poly)

  • Made her second consecutive NCAA West Preliminary appearance in the 10,000m, placing 31st in 34:16.86 on May 28, 2026.
  • Captured her first career Big West title in the 10,000m, clocking 37:04.66, while also placing second in the 5,000m in 16:15.11, the 10th-fastest mark in Cal Poly history. She scored 18 points at the conference meet and became a three-time All-Big West honoree.
  • Ran a personal-best 33:49.78 in the 10,000m at the Bryan Clay Invitational on April 16, the third-fastest mark in Cal Poly history and fastest by a Mustang in 36 years. The performance improved her previous best by more than 23 seconds.
  • Ran a then-personal-best 16:15.77 in the indoor 5,000 at the Husky Classic, strengthening her hold on the No. 2 indoor mark in Cal Poly history.
  • Competed at the NCAA Cross Country Championships on Nov. 22, 2025, placing 177th in 20:25.8. She became the first Cal Poly woman to compete at the NCAA Championships since 2018 and was the lone Big West women's runner to qualify for the national meet.
  • Qualified for her first NCAA Cross Country Championships after placing 16th at the NCAA West Regional on Nov. 14, running a 20:07.5 in the 6K to earn All-West Region honors. She improved 76 places from her 92nd-place regional finish the previous season and became Cal Poly's highest women's finisher at the meet since Peyton Bilo placed ninth in 2016.
  • Placed third at the Big West Cross Country Championships in 20:58.3, earning her first career All-Big West cross country honor and helping Cal Poly capture its fourth consecutive conference championship.
  • Opened her junior cross country season by winning the Gaucho Twilight individual title on Sept. 19, completing the 6K in 21:14.7 and leading Cal Poly to the team victory.

2024-25 (Sophomore, Cal Poly)

  • Made her first career NCAA West Preliminary appearance in the 10,000m on May 29, 2025.
  • Became the first Cal Poly woman to qualify for the NCAA West Preliminary in the 10,000m since the current regional format was adopted in 2010. She entered the meet seeded 44th in the West.
  • Earned her first career All-Big West track honor after placing third in the 5,000m and fourth in the 10,000m (35:36.98) at the Big West Championships. She scored 11 points as Cal Poly finished second in the women's team standings.
  • Ran a  34:12.89 in the 10,000m at the Bryan Clay Invitational, placing seventh in her heat. The performance was the fourth-fastest 10,000 in Cal Poly history, the program's fastest in 35 years and ultimately secured her first NCAA West Preliminary berth.
  • Posted a nearly 39-second personal best in the indoor 3,000m, clocking 9:43.43 at Cal Poly's 2025 indoor season opener in Seattle.
  • Made her first NCAA West Regional cross country appearance on Nov. 15, 2024, placing 92nd in 21:22.0 as Cal Poly finished eighth overall and as the top Big West program.
  • Ran a then-personal-best 20:35.8 in the 6K to place 12th at the Big West Cross Country Championships, serving as Cal Poly's fifth scorer as the Mustangs captured their third consecutive conference championship.
  • Finished 106th in 21:29.48 at the Sean Earl Lakefront Invitational in Chicago on Oct. 4.
  • Ran a then-6K personal-best 20:37.5 at the UC Riverside Invitational on Sept. 21, placing 27th and helping Cal Poly finish second as a team.

2023-24 (Freshman, Cal Poly)

  • Competed in both the 1,500 and 5,000 at her first Big West Track & Field Championships, placing 14th in the 1,500m (4:40.89) and 20th in the 5,000m (17:52.39) as Cal Poly captured the women's team championship. The Mustangs' victory completed a historic sweep of the men's and women's Big West track titles after also sweeping the conference cross country championships.
  • Ran a personal-best 4:35.53 in the 1,500 at the Fresno State Invitational on April 27, placing fourth in the invitational section.
  • Competed in the 5,000m at the Leopard Distance Carnival on April 13, finishing in 18:10.51.
  • Made her collegiate track debut during the 2024 indoor season after being listed as a freshman distance runner for Cal Poly.
  • Joined Cal Poly's cross country program as one of nine women's newcomers in fall 2023.
  • Made her collegiate cross country debut at the Big West Preview on Sept. 1, 2023, running unattached and placing 15th overall in the 5K