Carstens captures state titles

Matt Baide | Jun 02, 20220

Matt Baide

Shelton's Alauna Carstens hugs Ellensburg's Kate Laurent after Carstens won the 1,600-meter race at the State 2A track and field meet Thursday at Mount Tahoma High School in Tacoma.

Matt Baide

Shelton's Alauna Carstens sits in third place during the second lap of the 1,600 meter race.

Shelton's Alauna Carstens ended her senior year with an exclamation point, winning the State 2A 1,600- and 3,200-meter races Thursday and Saturday at the state 2A, 3A and 4A track and field meets at Mount Tahoma High School in Tacoma.

Carstens competed in the 1,600-meter race Thursday and pulled ahead in the third lap and was able to narrowly edge Ellensburg's Kate Laurent at the finish line with a time of 4:58.34 to Laurent's 4:58.48. The time was a personal record and school record.

"It feels unbelievable," Carstens said Thursday after the race. "I'm really just feeling incredibly thankful for all the people that pushed me, especially my coach. He was really there throughout the whole thing since seventh grade telling me I could do this one day."

Laurent and Carstens sprinted down the home stretch to the finish line, with Carstens able to lean across the finish line to claim the victory.

"I thought I was going to get passed up, actually," Carstens said. "I was a little nervous that I took the lead too early but I just knew there was something in me that could win and I would have regretted it if I didn't."

Carstens said she executed her game plan for the race, wanting to tuck in and run under 2:30 for 800 meters and she did that.

"Third lap was just see whatever happens, I just wanted to stick with the top girls," Carstens said.

On Saturday, Carstens raced in the 3,200-meter race and won with a time of 10:44.46, setting a state 2A race record and edging out Laurent again, who placed second in 10:46.23. Shelton's Ali Clifton finished eighth in the race with a time of 11:37.37.

This is Carstens' first year qualifying for state and she made the most of it.

"It's so weird to come here for the first time and be a state champ," Carstens said. "I'm so thankful for everybody who pushed me to be here."

Shelton's Jaron Sartori finished in a tie for 14th in the high jump with a height of 5 feet, 8 inches.