Written By: Trudi Sharpsteen '85

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Katharin Roth is yet another hugely deserving Lair of the Legend Hall of Famer, helping put Cal on the map as a dominant women’s soccer program and with her commitment to passing her love for sport to so many kids through her lifelong career in teaching physical education and coaching.   Katharin remains a committed alumni with her love for the program and with so many of her lifelong friends being Cal soccer alumni. She remains an amazing athlete, an amazing person, an incredible mother, contributor to her community and steadfast friend to so many. She is dedicated to inspiring kids.She is one of my oldest friends and has touched my life with her friendship and kind heartedness in ways she cannot know – many, many others would say the same.

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Katharin was a huge reason we made it to the Final Four, an All American, All Conference and All Region player, NCAA All Region Team and a nominee for the Cal Women’s Soccer Athlete of the Decade and was a Lair of the Legends Inductee in 2019 – one of her most proud accomplishments. She led us as a Team Captain with her passion for the sport and for competing.  Katharin has her National B coaching license - coaching both boys and girls of all levels taking great pride in guiding them to the next level. She holds several teaching, coaching and physical training credentials – easy to get the sense that she is all about athletics and sport.  Beyond being an incredibly talented soccer player, Katharin became a hugely accomplished runner after college still holding her age group record at the (very hilly – ugh) Big Sur Marathon which she ran in 2 hours 57 minutes.  She also won quite a few 50ks and her dad joined her in running the Western States Century.Yes – her dad loved her that much!

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Katharin’s experience at Cal was a rich contributor to her strong character, love for the sport and desire to pass it on. Katharin’s goal is to help students find the joys of physical activity, to learn and succeed in developing both fine and motor life skills, to understand and appreciate the connection between the mind and body, and to ultimately find a love for lifetime wellness. She sees Physical Education as the perfect venue to teach 21st century skills including collaboration, risk-taking, creative and critical thinking, communication, civic responsibility, and community involvement. She loves helping children - especially those who clearly haven’t had opportunities to learn about physical activity and sport – develop a love for sport and physical activity, and the “ah ha” moments in kids when they accomplish something athletically. She loves seeing the joy from kids who just love to play – just as she did.

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Beyond Katharin’s incredible tangible accomplishments noted above, she would say that her greatest life achievement is raising two outstanding children – Stella and Lucas – with her husband David of 31 years. The Roth family is just a joy to be around and call friends. Stella and Lucas are delightful with an incredible moral compass and a civic mind towards community and others. Most of us alumni think of David as a great friend along with Katharin. They are a part of the Cal soccer family and lift us up. Katharin’s greatest assets from Cal Soccer are the best friends that she has made for life – she would say that the program and the sport provided the platform for much her life.

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Her advice to upcoming Baby Bears is “don’t blink, be present”. Being a part of the program and team can be some of the most momentous and precious times of your life. We hope everyone can both take away amazing attributes, friends and life lessons and also contribute as Katharin has.