Hall of Fame
In her short tenure with the St. Kate's cross country and track and field teams, Kathryn (Jorgenson) Wagner '99 was a dominant force for the Wildcats at the conference, regional and national level. In her first season with the team, Wagner took second at the MIAC indoor meet in the 5,000 meter run and third in the 3,000 meter run. Then during the 1998 outdoor season she won her first MIAC title with a victory in the 10,000 meter run.
In the fall of 1998 Wagner recorded the highest finishes ever for a St. Kate's cross country runner. She finished fifth overall at both the MIAC conference meet and the NCAA regional meet. Kathryn's finish at the regional championships made her the first St. Catherine cross country athlete to qualify for an NCAA national meet. At the national meet she finished 86th overall against 183 of the top runners in the country.
Wagner then followed up her strong performance in cross country with an even more impressive showing on the track. During the 1999 indoor season she set school records and was the MIAC champion in both the 3,000 and 5,000-meter events. Wagner carried that success over into the outdoor season. She again set school records and won MIAC titles in the 3,000 and 5,000 meter runs, giving her six school records and five MIAC titles in less than two seasons.
For her efforts during her senior year of 1998-1999, Wagner was named the College of St. Catherine “Athlete of the Year." Upon her graduation she held the fastest times in St. Kate's school history for the 5K in cross-country, the indoor and outdoor 3,000 and 5,000 meter runs, and the 10,000-meters outdoors. Wagner excelled as a leader both, on her teams and in the classroom. Today she is a nurse and continues to run and live in the area.
