ASHLAND, Ore. – The Evergreen State College had a strong first day at the 2025 Cascade Collegiate Conference Track and Field Championships presented by U.S. Bank on Friday, May 9 at Southern Oregon University. Alauna Carstens (Jr.) and Izabelle Trefts (Jr.) each won an event.

Carstens was victorious in the women's 10,000-meter run with a time of 37:36.40. She won by just under 10 seconds over Damaris Kibiwot from Lewis-Clark State College, who placed second in 37:46.07. Molly Connor from College of Idaho was third at 38:09.13. Carstens, Kibiwot, and Connor battled for most of the race.

Trefts (Jr.) took first place in the women's 5,000-meter race walk in 23:55.48. She also registered All-Conference honors. Second place went to Grace Wong from the University of British Columbia, who was timed at 27:12.08. Chantell Dass from UBC was third at 28:33.98.

The wins earned All-Conference honors for Carstens and Trefts. Both qualified for the 2025 NAIA Track and Field Championships in their respective events earlier this season.

Also on Friday, River Scheuerell (Sr.) of Evergreen placed third in the men's 5,000-meter race walk with a time of 26:13.92. He was named All-Conference. His time is ranked 20th in the NAIA this year.

Max Baeder (So.) placed ninth in the men's 10,000-meter run. He earned a time of 32:43.67, which ranks third on Evergreen's all-time list.

In the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase, Rowan Hicks (So.) represented Evergreen. He completed the race in 10:49.96.

Abigail Strickland (Sr.) of the Geoducks set a school record in the women's hammer throw with a distance of 42.14 meters (138' 3"). She won the first heat and placed 10th overall out of 22 athletes in the event.

Claire Ryan (So.) also competed in the women's hammer throw. Her top effort covered 35.28 meters (115' 9"). In the men's hammer throw, Paul Stewart (So.) was marked at 38.27 meters (125' 6").

"So many congratulations to Abigail on the school record in the hammer and the rest of the family today in Ashland," Evergreen Head Cross Country and Track and Field Coach Joel Pearson commented. "It was a great day to be a Geoduck! I was proud of Max for pouring his heart in the 10k with the third-best time in school history!

"I'm so thrilled for Alauna and Izabelle!" Pearson added. "Those two prepared amazingly well for the championships and seeing them perform well was just awesome!"
 
"It was so exciting watching these athletes compete today!" said Evergreen Assistant Cross Country and Track and Field Coach Katie Burnett. "For Alauna and Izabelle it was a great prep for nationals. For Abigail, it was incredible watching her finish her collegiate hammer career with a school record! Max ended the night well and I know this experience will help him and the others prepare for next season to be even stronger."

The CCC Championships will conclude on Saturday, May 10. Action will begin at 10:30 a.m. PDT.