COLLEGIATE PERSONAL BESTS: 600m – 1:26.97*, 800m – 1:57.65*, 1000m – 2:38.45*, 1500m – 4:05.81*, MILE - 4:37.57, 4K (XC) – 14:12.8, 6K (XC) – 19:51.2
*denotes school record
CAREER RECORDS, AWARDS, AND NOTES
RECORDS:
9x Penn State school record holder
- Indoor 600 (1:26.97)
- Indoor 800 (2:01.77 – NCAA No. 21 all-time)
- Indoor 1000 (2:38.45)
- Indoor DMR – 800m leg (10:49.05 – NCAA No. 7 all-time)
- Outdoor 800 (1:57.65)
- Outdoor 1500m (4:05.81)
- Outdoor 4x1500 (17:09.59 – NCAA No. 8 all-time)
- Outdoor SMR – 800m leg (3:42.35 – NCAA No. 18 all-time)
- Outdoor 4x800 (8:18.43 – NCAA No. 8 all-time)
AWARDS:
- 3x First Team All-American (’24 i/o 800, ‘26 outdoor 800)
- 2x Second Team All-American (’25 indoor 800, '26 indoor 800)
- 5x Big Ten Champion (indoor 600, i/o 800, ‘26 indoor 800m, '26 outdoor 800m)
- 4x Mid-Atlantic Region Women’s Track Athlete of the Year (’24 indoor, ‘25 indoor, '26 indoor, ‘26 outdoor)
- 4x All-Big Ten First Team ('24 indoor, '24 outdoor, ‘26 indoor, ‘26 outdoor)
- 2x All-Big Ten Second Team ('23 Indoor, '25 outdoor)
- 1x Big Ten Women’s Track Athlete of the Year (’24 indoor)
- 1x Big Ten Women’s Track Athlete of the Championships (’24 indoor)
- 2x Big Ten Women’s Freshman of the Year (’23 i/o)
NOTES: Ran second-fastest NCAA outdoor 800m time in history on June 13, 2026, at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Initially set Penn State outdoor 800m school record at the 2024 Australia National Championships.
Outdoor 2026
Season: Was the NCAA runner-up in the 800 meters, recording the second-fastest time in NCAA outdoor 800m history…Won the Big Ten Outdoor title in the 800 meters..broke the 1500m record and helped break the Sprint Medley Relay and 4x800 program records...
Virginia Challenge (4/17-18): Won the 800 meters in 2:02.65 and broke the school 1500m record in 4:05.81...Penn Relays (4/23-25): Competed in the 4x800 relay and sprint medley relay, helping break both program records...Big Ten Outdoor Championships (5/15-17): Won the 800-meter final in 2:01.77 after finishing second in the preliminaries, earning her first Big Ten Outdoor title...NCAA East First Rounds (5/27-30): Advanced to the NCAA Championships in the 800 after winning in 1:59.60...NCAA Outdoor Championships (6/10-13): Finished runner-up in the 800 meters, running a personal-best, program best, and NCAA second-fastest time of 1:57.65...
Indoor 2026
Season: Earned Second Team All-America honors in the 800m…Won the Big Ten Indoor title in the 800m...
Nittany Lion Challenge (1/17): Won the 1000m posting the program record and career best in 2:38.45...Penn State National Open (1/30-31): Won the 800m in 2:00.01...PSU Sykes & Sabock Challenge (2/7): Helped the 4x400 relay to a first-place finish in 3:37.67...Husky Classic (2/13-14): Won the 800 meters in 1:59.22 and competed on the distance medley relay that captured sixth place...Big Ten Indoor Championships (2/26-28): Captured the conference title in 2:00.55, while helping the distance medley relay to a third-place finish...NCAA Indoor Championships (3/13-14): Earned Second-Team All-American honors in 2:03.81...
Cross Country 2025
Season: Competed in four events in the cross-country season...
Paul Short Run (10/3): Ran 21:39.0 in the 6K...Nuttycombe Invitational (10/17): Recorded a 22:23.1 finish in the 6K...Big Ten Championships (10/31): Finished 84th in the 6K with a time of 21:43.3...NCAA Cross Country Championships (11/22): Earned a spot on the NCAA Championships roster...
Indoor 2025
Season: Earned Second-Team All-American honors in the 800m…Finished runner-up at the Big Ten Indoor Championships in the 800m... ran career best mile time...
Boston University Sharon-Colyear-Danville Season Opener (12/7): Competed in the mile run with a career-best time of 4:37.57...Nittany Lion Challenge (1/18): Won the 1000 meters in 2:39.86 and placed third with the 4x400 relay...Penn State National Open (1/31-2/1): Won the 800 meters in 2:01.14...Boston University David Hemery Valentine Invitational (2/14-15): Ran 2:05.62 in the 800 meters...Big Ten Indoor Championships (2/28-3/1): Finished second in both the preliminaries and final of the 800 meters, earning a silver medal with a time of 2:03.29...NCAA Indoor Championships (3/14): Competed in the 800-meter preliminary round...
Cross Country 2024
Season: Qualified for the NCAA Cross Country Championships…Recorded top-25 finishes at both the Big Ten Championships and NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships.
Nuttycombe Invitational (9/27): Finished in the 6K with a time of 20:50.8...Princeton Fall Classic (10/18): Competed in the 6K, running 20:17.8...Big Ten Championships (11/1): Finished 22nd in the 6K with a time of 19:51.2...NCAA Mid-Atlantic Region Championships (11/15): Earned a 22nd-place finish in the 6K with a time of 20:34.9... NCAA Cross Country Championships (11/23): Competed at the NCAA Championships in the 6K with a time of 20:29.1...
Outdoor 2024
Season: Claimed fifth in Division I in the 800m, the highest-ever finish by a women’s 800m runner in Penn State history…Won the outdoor 800m Big Ten title with a meet record mark…Set Penn State records in the 800m, SMR, and 4x1500m relay.
Pepsi Florida Relays (3/29-30): Took down the Penn State school record in her 800-meter opener, going 2:01.17 for second overall…Also clocked the fifth-fastest 1500m in school history with a 4:14.75, also good for second place. Australia National Championships (4/14): Lowered her Penn State school record with a 2:00.70 in the 800m finals…Is the only woman in school history to record a sub-2:01 time in the event. Penn Relays (4/25-27): Set a pair of school records at the Penn Relays…The team of Kitching, Maddie Ullom, Kileigh Kane, and Florence Caron posted a 17:09.59 in the 4x1500m, the fifth-fastest mark in NCAA history…Also ran the 800-meter leg on the SMR school record-setting squad that posted a 3:44.66, the No. 18 mark in NCAA history…Big Ten Outdoor Championships (5/10-12): Recorded a pair of point-scoring results at the conference meet…Won the 800m title with a meet record-setting 2:02.54, nearly two seconds ahead of the second-place finisher…Also ran in the 4x400, helped Penn State’s team record another point with an eighth-place finish in 3:39.18. NCAA East Region Prelims (5/22-25): In her second consecutive first round appearance, Kitching advanced to the 800m quarterfinals in 2:04.12 and then punched her ticket to the NCAA Championships with a 2:01.43, winning her heat on both occasions. NCAA Outdoor Championships (6/5-8): Advanced to the 800-meter finals with a 2:01.47 in the semifinals…Crossed the line in fifth place in the 800-meter final with a 2:01.05…Became the highest-finishing women’s 800-meter runner in Penn State history.
Indoor 2024
Season: Finished fourth in the country in the 800m as a sophomore, collecting First Team All-America honors…Claimed Big Ten titles in the 600m and 800m, earning herself Big Ten Women’s Track Athlete of the Championships honors…Set Penn State school records in the 600m, 800m, and DMR in an otherworldly indoor season.
Nittany Lion Challenge (1/13): Posted a 2:42.94 in the 1K in her season opener, the second-fastest time in school history behind Danae River’s collegiate record 2:38.58…Also ran the 4x400m relay, helping her team to a 3:41.10 time. Simmons-Harvey Invitational (1/20): Broke the 600m school record for the first time with a 1:28.18 event-winning effort. Penn State National Open (1/26-27): Set the Penn State record in the indoor 800m with a 2:01.77, the 21st-fastest mark in NCAA history…Ran the 800m leg on the first DMR team in school history to break the 11:00 mark. David Hemery Valentine Invitational (2/9-10): Finished sixth overall out of 300+ entrants in the 800m with a 2:01.84. Boston University DMR Challenge (2/16): Ran the 800m leg on the school record-setting DMR team that clocked a 10:49.05, the seventh-fastest time in NCAA history. Big Ten Indoor Championships (2/23-24): Lowered her 600m school record in both the prelims (1:28.02) and the finals (1:26.97) in her title-winning effort…Cruised to the 800-meter championship with a 2:04.08, crossing the line a full second faster than the second-place finisher…Kitching’s 20 points helped the Penn State women’s team to a second place finish in the conference…She earned Big Ten Women’s Track Athlete of the Championships for her outstanding performance in the middle-distance events at the conference championships. NCAA indoor Championships (3/7-9): Ran a 2:02.16 in the 800-meter finals, placing fourth in the country to collect First Team All-America honors.
Cross Country 2023
Season: Competed in six meets in her first cross country season with the Nittany Lions…Competed in the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships, helping the women’s team to qualify for the NCAA Cross Country Championships.
Dolan Duals (9/1): Clocked a 14:12.8 in the 4K and placed seventh. Spiked Shoe Invitational (9/8): Posted a 22:02.0. Lehigh Paul Short (9/30): Posted a 21:20.3…Placed 52nd and helped the women’s team finish fourth overall. Nuttycombe Invite (10/13): Clocked a 22:14.9. Big Ten Championships (10/27): Competed in her first Big Ten Cross Country Championships and finished with a 23:52.4. NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships (11/10): Set a personal best of 21:19.1 and placed 61st.
Outdoor 2023
Season: Big Ten bronze medalist in the 800…Qualified for her first NCAA Championships...
Pepsi Florida Relays (3/31-4/1): Clocked a season-best 2:04.33 in the 800, the fifth-fastest time in Penn State history, to finish fifth overall. Penn Relays (4/27-29): In the 4x800, set the Penn State school record with an 8:23.81 to win the Championship of America. Big Ten Outdoor Championships (5/12-14): Finished third in the 800 meters, earning her second Big Ten medal in 2023. NCAA East Prelims (5/25-27): Qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 800 in her first collegiate season. NCAA Outdoor Championships (6/7-10): Finished her first season as a Nittany Lion with her outing at the championship meet.
Indoor 2023
Season: Finished as the Big Ten runner-up in the 800 with her PR and the fourth-fastest time in school history.
Hokie Invitational (1/20-21): In her first collegiate competition, clocked a 1:30.22 in the 600, finishing fourth overall. Penn State National Open (1/27-28): Ran a 2:06.39 for fifth in the 800…Ran in the DMR and finished with the third-fastest time in Penn State history, along with teammates Zoey Goldstein, Maddie Ullom, and Kileigh Kane. Music City Challenge (2/10-11): Posted a 2:03.90 in the 800, her first time below 2:04 in college, to finish second overall in the event. Penn State Tune-Up (2/17): Set the third-fastest DMR in Penn State history, going 11:03.23 along with Goldstein, Rachel Gearing, and Kane. Big Ten Indoor Championships (2/24-25): Clocked a 2:03.70 for a silver medal in the 800, finishing behind Gearing for a 1-2 Penn State sweep in the event…Finished fourth in the DMR, clocking an 11:14.86.
BEFORE PENN STATE
HIGH SCHOOL PRs: 800m – 2:02, 1500m – 4:17
Attended Coffs Harbour Senior College where she was a two-time 800-meter Australian National Champion.
PERSONAL
Daughter of Tim and Heather Kitching…Both parents competed in track & field at Mount St. Mary’s…Has one brother, Jade…Hobbies include swimming, reading, and going to the beach…Enrolled in the division of undergraduate studies at Penn State…Chose Penn State because of its “…great middle-distance depth and great team atmosphere.”