Kat grew up in the Twin Cities area and attended Lakeville South High School in Lakeville, Minnesota. She competed in cross country, track and field, Nordic skiing, and bowling in high school, but truly excelled at the middle distances in track. She garnered six All-State honors and represented her team at state in individual events (800m, 1600m) and relays (4X400m, 4X800m). She finished high school with PRs of 2:10.8 in the 800m and 5:04.16 in the 1600m.

Kat committed to Oklahoma State University where she studied marketing while competing for the Cowgirl cross country and track teams. During her first season with the team, she managed a second place finish in the 1,000m at the 2016 Big 12 Indoor Track and Field championships. She experienced consistent growth throughout her years at OSU in both cross country and track, bettering her PRs each year and running in both NCAA Division 1 Cross Country and Outdoor Track and Field National Championships. She completed her collegiate eligibility with six All-Big 12 honors.

Kat joined Minnesota Distance Elite in the summer of 2025. She wasted no time in putting up strong performances with a 3rd place finish at the Mini-Apple Night of Miles, crossing the finish line in a PR of 4:43. She plans to focus on the middle distances on the track for a few more years before exploring longer distances and the roads.