SEATTLE, Wash. --
Alauna Carstens (Jr.) from The Evergreen State College qualified for the 2026 NAIA Indoor Track and Field Championships with her time in the women's 3,000-meter run at the UW Invite on Friday, Jan. 30. Carstens and other Geoducks competed in the UW Invite on Friday and at the Mile City meet on Saturday, Jan. 31. Both meets were held at the Dempsey Indoor track and field facility on the University of Washington campus.
Carstens completed the 3,000-meter run in an NAIA "B" qualifying time of 9:52.49. She missed the "A" qualifying time by just 0.49. Carstens earned All-America honors at the 2025 NAIA Indoor Championships when she took third place.
Jonathan Van Pelt (So.) from Evergreen broke his own school record in the men's pole vault and took eighth place by clearing 4.35 meters (14' 3.25") at the WU Invite. His previous top mark of 4.05 meters (13' 3.50") was set at the UW Preview on Jan. 16.
Also at the WU Invite,
DeAndre Wright (Fr.) registered a time of 7.13 seconds in the 60-meter dash and finished the 200-meter dash in 24.13 seconds.
Jarvae Lindsay (Fr.) was timed at 7.51 seconds in the 60-meter dash.
The Mile City meet on Saturday featured several events and numerous competitors, with each race covering one mile. Carstens ran in the women's seeded mile run and registered a time of 5:04.59 for the Geoducks. She was just 0.59 away from the NAIA "B" standard.
In the men's seeded mile run,
Max Baeder (So.) completed the race in 4:32.21.
Jaydon Blackburn (So.) was timed at 4:48.23.
Top finishers for Evergreen in the women's open mile run were
Madison Palek (So.),
Sylvie Biesack (Fr.), and
Soleil Bianchi (Fr.). Palek was timed at 5:35.57. Biesack earned a time of 5:37.89, and Bianchi finished at 5:55.75.
The men's open mile run included a large contingent of Geoducks. Evergreen's top finishers were
Evan Williams (So.),
Jackson Rye (So.),
Osvaldo Calderon (So.) and
Nathaniel Sanchez (Fr.). Williams crossed the finish line in 4:36.26. Rye soon followed in 4:36.75. Calderon was time at 4:38.81, and Sanchez concluded the race in 4:40.23.
Evergreen's track and field teams will compete at the Corban Indoor/Outdoor #2 on Saturday, Feb. 7. The meet will be held on the campus of Corban University in Salem, Oregon.
