Submitted by The Evergreen State College
The Evergreen State College honored its student-athletes for their accomplishments at the 2025 Athletics Banquet on Friday, May 30 at the Costantino Recreation Center. The top awards for 2024-25 were presented at the banquet, while graduating seniors and first-year athletes also were recognized.
Evergreen’s top awards were the Dig Deep Award, Male Athlete of the Year Award, Female Athlete of the Year Award, and the Career Achievement Award.
Dig Deep Award
The Dig Deep Award is a recognition of the athlete who has encapsulated the meaning of being a student-athlete at Evergreen. They were an active leader on their team and in the student body, as well as participating in student governance and excelling in classes.
Joshua Coetzee (Sr.) from the men’s soccer team received the Dig Deep Award. Coetzee was very active as a student-athlete at Evergreen, participating in student governing bodies, working as a student representative to the Board of Trustees, recording statistics at home athletic events, and competing as a defender in men’s soccer. His areas of academic focus are business management and computer science. He was named Academic All-Cascade Conference in 2024.
At Evergreen, Coetzee played soccer in 2023 and 2024. He saw action in a total of 27 games including 13 starts. As a senior, he played in 15 games and made 11 starts. He scored goals on headers against Rocky Mountain College and Southern Oregon University in 2024.
He approached all his commitments with a positive attitude. He was always volunteering his efforts and helping others. He was recognized on the soccer team for his exceptional leadership and unwavering friendship. He led the team by example through his hard work, skill, and determination.
Male Athlete of the Year Award
The Male Athlete of the Year Award is given to an outstanding athlete for their exceptional performance, excellence, and impact in and out of their respective sport(s) this year. Consideration is given to athletes who have also received conference, national, scholarly, and/or other special recognition. The winner must possess outstanding demonstrable character and sportsmanship in representing Evergreen.
Max Baeder (So.) from the men’s cross country and track and field teams was chosen for the Male Athlete of the Year Award. Baeder earned NAIA All-American in the marathon in December of 2024 in Sacramento, California, by finishing in eighth place with a time of 2 hours, 30 minutes, and 24. His time set the Evergreen school record.
He also set a Geoduck record in the men’s 6-kilometer cross country event with a time of 18:44.9 at the Green River Gator Invitational. He placed ninth in cross country at the Puget Sound Invitational. Later in the fall, he competed at the Cascade Collegiate Conference Cross Country Championships. This spring, he participated in the 5,000-meter run and the 10,000-meter run at the CCC Track and Field Championships. He placed ninth in the 10,000.
Baeder holds the second-fastest 5,000-meter run in Evergreen history and the fourth-best 1,500-meter run for the Geoducks. He also has achieved the fifth-best 8-kilometer cross country time in Evergreen history.
Female Athlete of the Year Award
The Female Athlete of the Year Award is given to an outstanding athlete for their exceptional performance, excellence, and impact in and out of their respective sport(s) this year. Consideration is given to athletes who have also received conference, national, scholarly, and/or other special recognition. The winner must possess outstanding demonstrable character and sportsmanship in representing Evergreen.
Alauna Carstens (Jr.) of the women’s cross country and track and field teams received the Female Athlete of the Year Award. Carstens was an NAIA All-American three times in 2024-25. She won the NAIA Marathon while setting the Evergreen record and the Cascade Collegiate Conference record in 2 hours, 47 minutes, and 4 seconds. It was the second fastest time in the 44-year history of the NAIA women’s marathon.
Carstens took third place in the 3,000-meter run at the NAIA Indoor Track and Field Championships with a time of 9:43.40. She placed eighth in the 10,000-meter run in 35:47.91 at the NAIA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. She was named the NAIA West Region Athlete of the Year in NAIA indoor track and field.
At the CCC Outdoor Track and Field Championships, she won the 10,000-meter run to earn All-Conference recognition for the third time in her career.
Carstens holds nine Evergreen school records. This year, she was named CCC Athlete of the Week a total of four times between indoor and outdoor track and field.
During, 2024-25, she was named Academic All-CCC in cross country and track and field, and was chosen as a Daktronics NAIA Scholar-Athlete in track and field. She will be nominated for Academic All-District honors from the College Sports Communicators.
Career Achievement Award
The Career Achievement Award goes to a graduating athlete, or an athlete who has been awarded a degree from Evergreen. The award honors their outstanding contributions and accomplishments throughout their athletic career. Athletes nominated in this category must have participated for a minimum of two years in at least one sport. They also need to have received conference or national recognition for their efforts in at least one sport.
Jalyn Sackrider (Sr.) from the women’s basketball, track and field, and volleyball teams was presented with the Career Achievement Award. Sackrider played four seasons of basketball, participated in track and field for three seasons, and competed in volleyball for one season.
In basketball, she was named First Team All-Conference in 2024-25, when she also earned CCC Co-Defensive Player of the Year honors. She was selected Honorable Mention All-CCC in basketball in 2023-24. She helped Evergreen qualify for the CCC Tournament each of the past three seasons, and was the Geoducks’ Most Valuable Player in 2024-25.
Sackrider played in 96 basketball games to rank third all-time at Evergreen. She ranks fourth in career scoring with 966 points and is second with 736 career rebounds. She set the Evergreen record with 190 career blocks, and also set the school records for blocks in a season with 71 in 2024-25 and blocks in a game with eight.
In track and field, she qualified for the CCC Championships in the discus throw in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Sackrider placed third in the CCC in the discus this spring with a school record distance of 40.82 meters (133′ 11″), as she earned All-Conference recognition.
In volleyball, she played in 19 matches in 2021 while competing in 63 sets. She earned 48 total blocks, including 13 solo blocks, and provided the Geoducks with 56 kills.
Sackrider earned Academic All-CCC honors three times in basketball, three times in track and field, and once in volleyball. She was chosen Academic All-District by the College Sports Communicators in basketball this year and will be nominated in track and field. She was named a Daktronics NAIA Scholar-Athlete in basketball and track and field in 2024-25.
Senior Recognition
Each graduating senior received a stole from Evergreen Athletics.
Women’s Cross Country: Olivia Pare, Tabea Shepler
Men’s Cross Country: River Scheuerell
Women’s Soccer: Amity Brookshire, Chloe Dolman, Iris Campesino, Cayla Muenchow, Peyton Rhyne, Brieanna Dell, Alex Olvera, Kaitlyn Hansen
Men’s Soccer: Alan Barragan, Joshua Coetzee, Raymundo Curiel, Adrian Fong, Brendan Gribek, Isaiah Luna, Emmanuel Nicasio, Kainoa Wong
Volleyball: Maloree Calzadillas, Marin Collins, Jessica Mitchell, Molly Packer, Lucendy Perez, Ashley Walker Campbell
Women’s Basketball: Maloree Calzadillas, Allison DeBerry, Honey Let Padasdao, Mikail Montez, Abby Mundy, Jalyn Sackrider, Thuyvi Tran, Sydney VanNess
Men’s Basketball: Nick Gutierrez, Jourdan Joseph, Daniel Thomas, Caleb Washington
Women’s Wrestling: Alexia Fabian, Nizhoni Tallman-Olney
Men’s Wrestling: Jeramias Sandoval
Women’s Track and Field: Corona Parker, Jalyn Sackrider, Abigail Strickland
First-year Participation Awards
Each first-year athlete received an Evergreen letter.
Women’s Cross Country: Mara Schwenneker, Madeline Morgan, Sherlyn Perales
Men’s Cross Country: Max Baeder, Jaydon Blackburn, Osvaldo Calderon, Luis Esquivel, Harlan Estrada, Rowan Hicks, Cooper Osborn, Atticus Pullis-Lauderdale
Women’s Soccer: Angela Celedon, Aidyn Fulton, Emma Stock, Macey Swensen
Men’s Soccer: Raine Fujimura, Alejandro Gallegos, Juan Mendez, Walton Nichols, Jonas Olvera, Connor Scanlon, Marvin Sea, Finley SchumacherSundberg
Volleyball: Bright Brubaker, Amaialyne Cepeda, Zofia Formella, Joy Miyazawa
Women’s Basketball: Kadance Blankers, Maloree Calzadillas, Amaialyne Cepeda
Men’s Basketball: Nate Behr, Gerald Boston, Solomon Campbell, Jemoi Davis, Bradley Graham, Nick Gutierrez, Zach Jefferson, Garret Long, Tyler No
Women’s Wrestling: Emma Desotell, Elexis Kalar, Karen Mariah Salas, Charlie White-Duringer
Men’s Wrestling: Hassan Rashid Abdi, Horacio Godinez, Ronnell Parker-Borrero, Orion Rhinehart, Isaias Rodriguez Troche, Caden Sullivan, Mason Townsend, Malachi Wallway
Women’s Track and Field: Viktoriya Dovhoruka, Katie Gresham, Madeline Morgan, Maddy Palek, Sherlyn Perales, Mara Schwenneker, Izabelle Trefts
Men’s Track and Field: Max Baeder, Jaydon Blackburn, Osvaldo Calderon, Luis Esquivel, Harlan Estrada, Kaleb Everson, Rowan Hicks, Charles Norris, Evan Williams, Marek Wynn
