Northern Michigan University’s Sydney Romps, who was with the Wildcats last spring, competes in a hurdles event at Grand Valley State in Allendale during the outdoor 2022 season. (Photo courtesy NMU)

MARQUETTE — The Northern Michigan University indoor and outdoor track and field teams will begin a more-than-six-month-long season in early December, not finishing up until either the Last Chance Meet in mid-May or NCAA Division II Championships just before Memorial Day.

Each of these NMU women’s sports has essentially the same roster, starting with the indoor season in the late fall and winter before transitioning outdoors around the start of spring. Each has its own NCAA D-II Championships, too.

The indoor season opens with the Wisconsin-Oshkosh Early Bird Invitational on Dec. 7 in the Badger State, the only meet before the Christmas holidays.

In all, the indoor regular season includes a half-dozen meets in three states, while the outdoor regular season campaign is composed of five weekends in four states — which could turn into six weekends in five states — with a multiple-meet weekend included during mid-April in Southern California.

The Wildcats won’t have a home meet this season like they have had indoors in the Superior Dome during a number of past seasons.

Instead, they’ll stay relatively close to home for indoor meets, heading downstate for three straight weekends, but not until seven weeks after the aptly-named Early Bird Invite.

Northern travels to the Mike Lints Alumni Meet at Grand Valley State in Allendale on Jan. 25, then twice to the Saginaw-Bay City area right after that — the Jet’s Pizza Invite hosted by Saginaw Valley State in University Center on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, then the WCW Tri-Meet also at SVSU on Feb. 8.

The “WCW” stands for the mascots of the meet’s three cohosts, which includes NMU — the Wildcats, SVSU Cardinals and Wayne State Warriors.

Northern completes its indoor regular season with meets at the Mankato Indoor Challenge at Minnesota-Mankato in Mankato, Minnesota, on Feb. 14-15 and the Parkside Classic at Wisconsin-Parkside in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Feb. 22.

Then comes the GLIAC Indoor Championships, this season scheduled for University Center and SVSU on March 1-2, before the NCAA Division II Indoor Championships in Indianapolis on March 14-15.

The Wildcats get a barely two-week break before heading into fresh spring breezes to open the outdoor season on March 28-29 at the Redbird Challenge hosted by Illinois State in Normal, Illinois.

Then comes the Golden Grizzly Invite at Oakland University in downstate Rochester Hills on April 5. Oakland at one time — about 30 years ago — was a member of the GLIAC before bouncing up to NCAA Division I.

In case spring comes slowly to the Midwest, NMU gets to bask in the warmth of Southern California for an extended weekend.

The Wildcats go to the Cal State-L.A. Twilight Open hosted by NCAA Division II Cal State-Los Angeles from April 10-12.

While in that area, Northern will also participate in the Beach Invite at Long Beach State in Long Beach, California, on April 12-13, simultaneously taking part in the Bryan Clay Invite hosted by Azusa Pacific in Azusa, California.

With their tans in order, the Wildcats return to finish the outdoor regular season in the Midwest, starting on April 18-19 with the Elaine Leigh Invite, also hosted by Oakland in Rochester Hills.

Then comes the St. Norbert Invite hosted by St. Norbert in De Pere, Wisconsin, on April 26 before the GLIAC Outdoors Championships at GVSU in Allendale from April 30-May 2.

A last chance meet — a final meet that gives athletes a last chance to qualify for the NCAA nationals — will likely be held somewhere in the Midwest around May 8-10, about two weeks before the NCAA D-II Outdoor Championships set for Pueblo, Colorado, from May 22-24, ending two days before Memorial Day.

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