Northern Michigan University junior Maya Hunter chips onto the green during a women’s college golf meet held earlier this season. (Photo courtesy NMU)

MARQUETTE — Junior Maya Hunter will be the Northern Michigan University representative at an NCAA Division II Women’s Golf Championships regional tournament next week.

Hunter will take part in the East Regional at Prairie View Golf Club in Carmel, Indiana, from Monday through Wednesday, May 6-8.

She will be joined by a number of GLIAC golfers — the entire Grand Valley State and Ferris State teams, along with Saginaw Valley State’s Brooke Herbstreit and Wisconsin-Parkside’s AJ Powell.

Hunter had an exceptional season for the Wildcats, including her first collegiate individual title at the Lewis Flyer Invitational and a tie for sixth-place at the GLIAC Championships held about 10 days ago in downstate Augusta.

“We’re really excited to get things going,” Northern women’s golf coach Ben Johnson said in an NMU Sports Information release about the news. “Maya is a hard-working, driven player who deserves this opportunity. I know she’s going to make the most of it.”

Hunter led the Wildcats at the 2023 NCAA regional tourney, finishing tied for 24th with a 54-hole score of 227, which tied her for the third-best 54-hole score in program history.

During that event, she tied for second on par-3s, averaging 2.92 strokes and shooting 1-under-par, along with making eight birdies to land in a tie for 10th in that category.

At the East Regional, team and individual competition will be conducted together as 15 full teams and six individuals not affiliated with those teams, including Hunter and the other two GLIAC individuals, competing. The other three regionals will also have a half-dozen individuals along with nine or 12 teams.

Every golfer will play 54 holes, with the top five golfers (or three in one of the other regionals), along with two individuals from schools not advancing their team, going on to play at the NCAA D-II Championships scheduled for May 21-25 at Orange County National Golf Center in Orlando, Florida.

The total number of golfers at the finals will be 98.

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