Kameron Burmeister

MARQUETTE — The Northern Michigan University women’s track and field team travels to the western suburbs of Chicago in Naperville, Illinois, for the Dr. Keeler Invitational at North Central College on Thursday and Friday.

This is its last opportunity to improve their national standing in events for the NCAA Championships, which is May 24-26 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

NMU has athletes ranked in the top 50 in the country in seven events. The top 20 in individual events, top 16 in combined events and top 14 in relays receive automatic bids to the NCAAs. After that, enough provisional qualifiers are invited to set the field at 377 total athletes, according to a news release from NMU.

Senior Kameron Burmeister of Menominee leads Northern with a pair of provisional qualifying times, ranking 13th nationally in the 10,000-meter run and 15th in the 5,000.

But the overall top-ranked Wildcat is another senior, Ine Mylle, who has a provisional mark with the 11th-best triple jump leap that she set at the GLIAC finals a week ago with 40 feet, 6.75 inches.

An NMU nordic skier in the winter, senior Vivian Hett joined the team when that season was over and ranks 27th nationally in the 3,000 steeplechase. She was runner-up at the GLIAC meet in the event.

Northern’s 4-by-400 relay of sophomore Sydney McPeters and juniors Lynsey Collins of Escanaba, Paige Dutcher and Shayla Huebner of Marquette is 32nd. Their 3:49.15 clocking at the Grand Valley State Al Owens Classic is the top time in program history.

At middle distances, senior Kieren Becker is 37th in the 1,500, while Huebner is 40th in the 800, both NCAA provisionals.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.