OLYMPIA, Wash. – The Evergreen State College athlete Alauna Carstens (Jr.) has been selected as the Cascade Collegiate Conference McDonald's Women's Cross Country Runner of the Year presented by the Urban Edge Network for the 2025 season. She was chosen in a vote by the CCC head coaches.

"Alauna worked very hard this summer and fall in preparation for her cross country season, said Evergreen Head Cross Country and Track and Field Coach Joel Pearson. "I am very excited for her to receive this award! Very deserving. Congratulations to Alauna!"

Carstens won the CCC individual championship at Oak Knoll Golf Course near Independence, Oregon, on Nov. 7. She claimed the title with a time of 20:49.60 as she won the women's 6-kilometer race by 45.2 seconds. She earned All-Conference honors for the second time. She placed fourth in the CCC at the 2023 Championships before sitting out the 2024 cross country season to prepare for the NAIA Marathon Classic, where she took first place.

Two weeks after winning the CCC championship this fall, Carstens earned fourth place in the women's race at the 2025 NAIA Cross Country National Championships as she finished the race in 21:02.1. She became a cross country All-American for the second time. She earned 15th place at the 2023 NAIA Championships.

Overall, Carstens has been an NAIA All-American six times. In addition to her two cross country All-America performances, she has earned All-America honors in NAIA indoor track and field in 2025 (3,000-meter run, 3rd place), NAIA outdoor track and field in 2024 (5,000-meter run, 7th place) and 2025 (10,000-meter run, 8th place), and the NAIA Marathon Classic in December of 2024 (1st place).

This season was very successful for Carstens. In addition to claiming the CCC individual title and earning All-American at the NAIA Championships, she placed first at the PLU Invitational (6k, 21:19.9) on Sept. 20, was first at the Linfield George Oja Invitational (6k, 20:15.20) on Oct. 18, and took third place at the 50th Annual Charles Bowles Willamette Invitational (5k, 16:59.40) on Oct. 4. Carstens set the Evergreen women's cross country record for a 6-kilometer race at the George Oja meet. It was the second-fastest time in NAIA women's cross country history.

"Alauna had an outstanding cross country season, and this award is well earned for all that she put into it," said Evergreen Assistant Cross Country and Track and Field Coach Katie Burnett.