Submitted by The Evergreen State College
The NAIA Championships were held at the Alachua County Sports & Events Center.
Trefts Sets National Record, Wins Third NAIA Title in Race Walk
Izabelle Trefts (Sr.) of The Evergreen State College won her third NAIA title in the women’s 3,000-meter race walk at the 2026 NAIA Indoor Track and Field Championships on Friday, March 6 while setting the NAIA record and the national collegiate record. Madison Palek (So.) from Evergreen finished in fourth place in the race walk.
Both Trefts and Palek were named NAIA All-Americans for their efforts. Trefts won this year’s NAIA indoor race walk championship in 13:11.95. It was the fastest 3,000-meter women’s race walk time in NAIA and collegiate history. Trefts previously won the NAIA indoor race walk championship for Evergreen in 2025 after winning the NAIA indoor title while competing for Columbia College (S.C.) in 2023.
On Friday, Trefts won the race by over a minute. Ashlyn Poulin from Southeastern University (Fla.) took second place in 14:15.58. Third place went to Heather Durrant from University of the Cumberlands (Ky.) with a time of 14:20.10. Palek was fourth in 15:13.77, as she lowered her personal record by 64 seconds. Leah Kuhn of Benedictine College (Kan.) placed fifth at 15:45.41, just in front of Anna Hart from William Woods University (Mo.), who claimed sixth place in 15:45.62.
Godinez Clinches All-American at NAIA Championships
The Evergreen State College wrestler Horacio Godinez (So.) clinched All-American honors with his efforts in the 141-pound weight class on the second day of the 2026 NAIA Men’s Wrestling Championships, Friday, March 6 at the Heartland Credit Union Arena. Godinez won two consolation matches and took one loss in consolation action on Friday. He will compete in the battle for seventh place on Saturday, March 7. The top eight wrestlers in each weight class will earn All-American.
Horacio Godinez (So.) from The Evergreen State College took eighth place in the 141-pound weight class to earn All-American honors as the 2026 NAIA Men’s Wrestling Championships concluded on Saturday, March 7 at the Heartland Credit Union Arena. Godinez, seeded #15, was defeated in the seventh place match by #3-seeded Sammy Shires of Cumberland University (Tenn) 6-1 on Saturday. The top eight finishers in each weight class were named All-American.
Godinez is the first Geoduck to be named an All-American in men’s wrestling since Evergreen added the sport prior to the 2023-24 season. He is also the first Evergreen men’s wrestler to compete at the NAIA Championships.
Carstens Earns Second Place in NAIA Indoor 3,000-meter Run
Alauna Carstens (Jr.) from The Evergreen State College took second place in the women’s 3,000-meter run on the final day of competition at the 2026 NAIA Indoor Track and Field Championships on Saturday, March 7. The NAIA Championships were held at the Alachua County Sports & Events Center.
It was the second consecutive year that Carstens completed the NAIA indoor 3,000-meter race among the top three finishers. She earned third place at the NAIA Championships. Carstens was an All-American in the event both years.
The women’s 3,000-meter run on Saturday was won by Ellen-Mary Kearney from Milligan University (Tenn.) with a time of 9:45.69. Kearney also won the NAIA 3,000-meter championship in 2025. This year, Carstens followed in second at 9:51.95, just six seconds behind Kearney.
