TACOMA, Wash. -- The Evergreen State College men's and women's track and field teams competed at the Peyton/Shotwell Invitational on Saturday, March 28 at the University of Puget Sound. Athletes competing for the Geoducks moved onto Evergreen's top 10 lists a total of 11 times during the meet. Overall, Evergreen athletes claimed 12 new top 10 results on Saturday, including Madison Palek (So.) at the UBC Open in British Columbia.

Highlighting Evergreen's top 10 performances at Puget Sound were four top 5 efforts. The top 5 results were earned by Haleigh Hanson (So.) in the women's discus throw, DeAndre Wright (Fr.) in the men's 200-meter dash, Jackson Rye (Jr.) in the men's 5,000-meter run, and Dani Buttrell (So.) in the women's 1,500-meter run.

Palek also moved into the top 5, as she earned the second fastest time in Evergreen history in the women's 5,000-meter race walk at the UBC Open, hosted by the University of British Columbia. Palek qualified for the 2026 NAIA Outdoor Track and Field Championships with an "A" qualifying time of 25:32.05. She also qualified for the 2026 Cascade Collegiate Conference Championships.

So far this season, Evergreen has qualified 10 athletes for the CCC Championships in a total of 11 events.

"I am excited about the progress we made at the University of Puget Sound," Evergreen Head Cross Country and Track and Field Coach Joel Pearson said. "Our event groups have been training hard as we move into the swing of the outdoor season, so coming out of yesterday with a dozen all-time Top 10 marks was pleasing. Overall, a strong day for the Geoducks!"

At the Peyton/Shotwell Invitational, Hanson registered a top mark of 36.15 meters (118' 7") in the women's discus, as she moved into third place on Evergreen all-time list. Hanson took eighth place in the event on Saturday.

Wright achieved a time of 22.79 seconds to grab fourth place all-time at Evergreen in the men's 200-meter dash. He placed 12th out of 40 athletes in the 200 at Puget Sound.

Rye moved into fourth place on Evergreen's list in the men's 5,000-meter run by completing the race in 15:41.62. Buttrell achieved a time of 5:03.52 in the women's 1,500-meter run, lifting her into fifth place all-time at Evergreen.

Up next for the Evergreen track and field teams will be the Whitworth Peace Meet on Friday, April 3 in Spokane, Washington. The meet will be held at Puryear Field/Boppell Track.