Kate Baranski joined the VU coaching staff after she graduated in the fall of 2025. Returning to work with the program she had joined after coming to VU as a multi-sport athlete, Baranski works with the cross country team and with track and field for the long-distance events.
Baranski vaulted quickly up the cross country ladder, as she won her first career race at the VU Invite in 2023. After that, the awards piled up, as she was a Golden State Athletic Conference runner and a two-time selection for the Pacific West Conference. She qualified for the NAIA National Championship in 2023 and was a captain her final two years. During the spring semesters, Baranski was a four-time All-Conference placer for VU in the GSAC and qualified for the NAIA National Championships all four seasons. Entering the 2026-27 school year, Baranski holds the school record for the indoor mile and was a member of the record-holding relay teams for the indoor and outdoor 4x800m relay and the indoor Distance Medley Relay. She also did not let graduation cap her running career, as she ran the Huntington Beach Surf City Marathon in February of 2026 and was the second female to cross the line in a time of 3:02:37, beating the remaining 618 females in the field.
