Evergreen

Katie Burnett enters her fourth year as an assistant cross country and track and field coach for the Geoducks in 2026-27. She is an instrumental part of coaching and recruiting for the program that has achieved four national champions, one collegiate record, 18 All-American honors, 27 National Qualifiers, and a Team USA qualifier. Serving as one of the recruiters for Evergreen, Burnett has contributed to the program’s growth each recruiting year, with the addition to the roster size of over 55 student-athletes. While serving on the Geoduck staff, Burnett has continued to train as a professional athlete under Joel Pearson. Burnett hopes to qualify for the 2027 World T&F Championships in Beijing, China.
 
As a professional athlete, Burnett has broken national records at 11 distances, currently holds 9 American records, 5 masters American Records, and a World T&F Record. She competed for Team USA 18 times, and placed fourth (London), 17th (Doha), and 32nd (Tokyo) in the World T&F Championships. The Bellevue, Washington, native qualified for the 2012, 2016, 2020, and 2024 Olympic T&F Trials. More impressively, the bronze medalist at the NACAC Championships has competed internationally in 17 countries, including the United Kingdom, Italy, Russia, Qatar, Oman, and China.

In college, Burnett had a standout athletic career at William Penn University, located in Oskaloosa, Iowa. While with the Lady Statesmen, she qualified for nine NAIA National Championships events with three being in the javelin, two in the 5,000-meter race walk, and four in the 3,000-meter race walk. She is a seven-time NAIA All-American with all of her appearances being top-five performances at the national championships level with the 3,000m race walk (2nd-2011, 2nd-2010, 5th-2009, and 5th-2009 outdoors), 5,000m race walk (3rd - 2011, 4th - 2010) and 3rd in the 2011 javelin. She also set three school records in the walks and javelin while at William Penn. Prior to attending William Penn, Burnett threw the javelin for University of Arizona.

Burnett graduated magna cum laude from William Penn with a bachelor's degree in biology in 2011. She was inducted into the William Penn Athletic Hall of Fame.

As a student-athlete at Desert Ridge High School in Mesa, Arizona, Burnett was a multiple-time state track and field qualifier, highlighted by a fourth place finish in the high jump. During her time in high school, she also was a seven-time USATF Junior Olympic National Qualifier, with three of those resulting in All-American honors.
 
Burnett started her coaching career at Mountlake Terrace High School as an assistant coach under Joel Pearson in 2018. That fall, the boys’ cross country team placed fourth in the WIAA 2A State Meet. Katie served as the Hawks Head Cross Country Coach from 2021-23, as she coached six student-athletes to the WIAA State Championships.
 
She has personal bests in the race walking events at multiple distances:  Mile - 6:50, 3,000 12:58, 10,000 - 46:12, 50,000 - 4:21.51. Burnett resides in Olympia.