Kelli Blake joined the Lobo family in August of 2026, serving as an assistant coach for distance.
Blake arrived in Albuquerque after serving as Caltech’s head men’s and women’s cross country and track & field coach from the fall of 2021 through the spring of 2026.
Under Blake’s leadership, Caltech’s men’s and women’s cross country teams recorded their highest Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and NCAA West Region finishes in four decades.
“I’m incredibly thankful to Coach Gauson for the opportunity to join such an amazing program,” Blake said. “The commitment to excellence and the people within this department make it a special place – I’m looking forward to embracing this new challenge, building relationships with our student-athletes and staff, and continuing to grow while contributing to the success of the Lobos!”
Three Caltech runners qualified individually for the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships five times during her tenure, with four athletes qualifying for Regionals eight times on the track.
Caltech’s track & field program also established school records in 17 events and produced more than 120 performances that rank among the top 10 in program history. Luke Lamitina earned First Team All-America honors at the 2026 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Blake and assistant coaches Wyatt Meyring and Anna Valentine were named the 2023 SCIAC Men’s Cross Country Coaching Staff of the Year. She was also selected by Caltech’s undergraduate community as a recipient of the 2023 Associated Students of the California Institute of Technology Staff and Service Impact Award.
“Kelli brings extensive experience as a head coach, recruiter and athlete developer,” Gauson said. “Her leadership, versatility and proven track record of developing successful programs is a perfect fit for us.”
Before taking over at Caltech, Blake spent five seasons as an assistant coach at her alma mater, Washington University in St. Louis.
During her time with the Bears, Washington University won the first NCAA Division III indoor and outdoor women’s track & field national championships in program history during the 2016-17 season. Blake also helped the women’s cross country team win the 2018 NCAA Division III national title.
In 2019, she coached the Washington University men’s 4x400-meter relay team to a runner-up finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships and a national championship outdoors.
Washington University’s women’s cross country and track & field teams finished on the NCAA podium in every season from 2016 through 2019. The Bears also won four NCAA Division III Program of the Year awards, which recognize cumulative national championship performance across cross country, indoor track and outdoor track.
Blake primarily coached the Bears’ sprinters, but also worked with each of the program’s event groups and served as the track & field program’s primary recruiting coordinator.
She previously spent two seasons as the head cross country and track & field coach at Fontbonne University, where she helped develop the program’s power-event athletes and oversaw the breaking of 17 school records.
As a student-athlete at Washington University, Blake earned NCAA Division III All-America honors as a member of the distance medley relay in 2008. She returned to the NCAA Championships in the event in 2010. Blake earned a master’s degree in coaching and athletic administration from Concordia University Irvine.