OLYMPIA, Wash. -- Alauna Carstens (Jr.) of The Evergreen State College has been selected for the third time during the 2025 season as the Cascade Collegiate Conference McDonald's Women's Cross Country Runner of the Week, presented by Urban Edge Network. This week's award was received after Carstens set the Evergreen record and CCC record while winning the women's 6-kilometer race at the Linfield George Oja Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 18. She also registered the second-fastest time ever for an NAIA runner in a women's 6-kilometer cross country race.

Carstens also received the award after winning the 6-kilometer women's race at the PLU Invitational on Sept. 20 and by placing third at the 50th Annual Charles Bowles Willamette Invitational on Oct. 4.

At the George Oja Invitational, held at the Oak Knoll Golf Course near Independence, Oregon, Cartens took first place with a time of 20:15.20. She broke her own school record of 20:48 by about 33 seconds. Carstens set the previous record at last year's George Oja Invitational. This year's women's race included 352 athletes. Carstens won the race by eight seconds over the second place finisher.

"Alauna just was absolutely outstanding!" said Evergreen Head Cross Country and Track and Field Coach Joel Pearson. "It was a massive personal record and course record, and she led from the start ,while going through the 5k in 16:53. What a performance!"

"Alauna's race is the kind of race you dream about," noted Evergreen Assistant Cross Country and Track and Field Coach Katie Burnett. "She took it out in the lead from the start. Unshackled by doubt, she flew and never looked back."

It was the seventh time that Carstens has been chosen as a CCC Athlete of the Week since the start of the 2025 calendar year. She received the honor a total of four times between indoor track and field and outdoor track and field this past winter and spring.

This week's honor is her fourth CCC weekly award in cross country. Prior to earning the honor three times this fall, she was chosen CCC McDonald's Women's Cross Country Runner of the Week once in 2023.

Evergreen is scheduled to return to the Oak Knoll Golf Course for the CCC Cross Country Championships on Friday, Nov. 7. The meet will begin at 10 a.m. PST.