ASHVILLE, N.C. – Madison Palek (So.) from The Evergreen State College took third place and earned All-American honors in the women's 5,000-meter race walk at the 2026 NAIA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, on Thursday, May 21 at Karl Straus Track. Palek held third place throughout the race.

"I'm incredibly proud that I got to finish this season with a third place finish," Palek said. "There were many hours of hard work and a lot of lessons learned. I couldn't be more grateful for my coaches who have supported me through everything. I'm excited to see what next year will bring."

Palek registered a time of 25:30.95 on her way to third place. The race walk champion was Heather Durrant from the University of the Cumberlands (Ky.) with a time of 24:32.23. Ashlyn Poulin of Southeastern University (Fla.) was second in 24:45.07.

Following Palek was Leah Kuhn of Benedictine College (Kan.), who finished fourth at 27:25.01. Chantelle Dass from the University of British Columbia (B.C., Canada) placed fifth at 27:30.48. The top eight finishers earned All-American recognition.

"I am exceptionally proud of the composure of Maddy leading up to this week. Her training has gone great and she executed her race plan to perfection to earn bronze," Evergreen Head Cross Country and Track and Field Coach Joel Pearson said. "What a great day to be a geoduck!"

The 5,000-meter race walk and most of Thursday's NAIA Championships schedule was delayed by about three hours due to torrential rain. When the race walk got underway, Durrant and Poulan battled for first place and second place, with Durrant taking the lead for good after 4,200 meters. Palek quickly gained a hold on third place when the race started and maintained third place the rest of the way.

"The rain and storm delays couldn't stop Maddy from conquering her first outdoor national championship," Evergreen Assistant Cross Country and Track and Field Coach Katie Burnett noted. "She raced smart and was rewarded with a third place finish."

Palek was an All-American for the second time. She also earned All-American honors with a fourth place finish in the women's 3,000-meter race walk at the 2026 NAIA Indoor Track and Field Championships on March 6 in Gainesville, Florida.

Evergreen tied for 39th place out of 75 teams that scored in women's competition at the 2026 NAIA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Palek's third place result gained the Geoducks six points.

Photo Below:  Madison Palek (third from left) with her third place award in the NAIA women's outdoor 5,000-meter run. Photo by Katie Burnett. Other photos also by Katie Burnett.