Despite competing without five athletes due to illness, Northern Michigan’s track & field team delivered one of its most balanced performances of the season Saturday at the W-C-W Meet, earning five first-place finishes and finishing just 5.5 points shy of the team title.
The Wildcats totaled 112.5 points to place second overall behind Wayne State (118), while squeaking past Saginaw Valley State’s 104.5. The narrow margin made the result even more notable considering the missing lineup.
“We had a lot of podium finishes across the board,” head coach Jenny Ryan said. “It was really tight scoring. We had five kids that were sick that didn’t travel, and one of them likely would’ve won an event or two. So to be only five and a half points out of winning it, I was happy. It showed that we’re strong in pretty much every event.”
Distance events set the tone early. Sophia Potter captured the 3,000-meter race in 10:16.74, while Dani VanLente claimed the 5,000-meter title in 18:13.14. Celia Wallace added a personal-best 18:35.76 to place third in the 5K. In the 800-meter run, senior Beverly Harper ran a personal-record 2:13.84 to finish second, and Ashley Choponis posted her own PR of 2:17.35. Madi Szymanski took second in the mile with a time of 4:57.16, with Ella Debruyn finishing fifth.
The sprints and hurdles added critical points to keep NMU in the running. Crystal Walker placed third in the 60-meter hurdles (8.93) and later secured a victory in the long jump with a mark of 5.34 meters. Lily Phillips finished fifth in the hurdles (9.26) and fourth in the 300 (41.62). In the 400, Lana Mac placed fourth in 1:00.77, followed by Taylor Rodgers in fifth with a personal-best 1:02.40. The 4×300 relay team of Truckey, Phillips, Campbell, and Harper added a third-place finish in 2:52.82.
In the field events, Danielle Lund delivered a standout performance with a personal best throw of 12.60 meters to win the shot put. Alizabeth Little and Teiolla Harvey both finished inside the top five. Alayna Vandegriff claimed first in the triple jump (11.34m), while Allison Schinke recorded a personal best of 10.44 meters for third. Kati Smith cleared 3.32 meters in the pole vault to finish second. Rodgers added another personal best in the high jump at 1.52 meters. Lund later placed third in the weight throw with a PR mark of 15.62 meters, and Harvey and Little again finished inside the top five.
Ryan noted that Walker’s steady progression has been another positive sign as the postseason approaches.
“Crystal is slowly moving up,” Ryan said. “Her marks aren’t quite at the highest level yet, but at each meet she’s getting stronger and doing better.”
With two weekends remaining before the GLIAC Championships, the focus now shifts toward health and preparation. The Wildcats will split competition next weekend, sending part of the squad to Minnesota while a distance medley relay group heads to Grand Valley for one of the largest meets in the country, where they will look to strengthen their case for national qualification.
“Obviously, get healthy,” Ryan said. “But it’ll be a great chance for them to step up against a top field.”
