The Evergreen State College senior Izabelle Trefts won her third NAIA title in the women’s 3,000-meter race walk at the 2026 NAIA Indoor Track and Field Championships Friday in Gainesville, Florida, while setting the NAIA record and the national collegiate record.
Sophomore Madison Palek from Evergreen also 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 championships in 13 minutes and 11.95 seconds. 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 in South Carolina in 2023. On Friday, Trefts won the race by over a minute.
“What an incredible race by Izzy,” Evergreen head cross country and track coach Joel Pearson said in a release. “We knew the challenges ahead would make chasing the national record harder, with her lapping the entire field, but she did it anyway. Her composure all week and during today’s competition shows why she is the best collegiate race walker ever. I am so incredibly proud. Izabelle Trefts, national record holder, national champion.”
In addition to winning three NAIA championships in race walking, Trefts has been an NAIA All-American four times. She took second place in the 5,000-meter race walk at the 2025 NAIA Outdoor Track and Field Championships to earn All-American in a second event.
Palek finished fourth as she lowered her personal record by 64 seconds with a time of 15:13.77 in her first NAIA championship appearance. She recorded her first All-American honor in her first year of race walking.
“I am in awe of Maddy,” Pearson said. “What a perfect race for her. She followed her race plan perfectly, had a personal best by 64 seconds, and had amazing form racing today. We decided during our trip to Nebraska that our goal was to be an All-American, and that she did.”
