By Journal Sports Staff

MARQUETTE — The Northern Michigan University women’s track and field team has been named an All-Academic Team for the 2021 season by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

The Wildcats amassed an overall grade-point average of 3.41 to earn an honor that was announced recently. There were 130 NCAA Division II teams honored for the past season, including nine from the GLIAC.

To earn the award, all student-athletes on the team must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0, with transfer and graduate students only allowed to includes grades earned at their current institution.

Earlier in July, NMU announced its indoor and outdoor schedules for the 2021-22 season that begins with a one-day event at Wisconsin-Oshkosh on Dec. 11.

That opens the indoor season which concludes at the GLIAC Indoor Championships in late February and NCAA D-2 Indoor Championships about two weeks later.

After Oshkosh, the Wildcats are off for more than a month before they return for the Doug Hansen Open at Saginaw Valley State at University Center between Bay City and Saginaw on Jan. 21. That’s followed a week later at the two-day Jet’s Pizza Invitational, also at SVSU, on Jan. 28-29.

Two regular-season meets open February with the W-C-W Tri Meet, again at SVSU, on Feb. 4, before the two-day GVSU Big Meet at Grand Valley State in Allendale on Feb. 11-12.

The GLIAC indoor meet brings NMU back to GVSU on Feb. 26-27, while the NCAA indoor meet is March 11-12 at Pittsburg State in Pittsburg, Kansas.

After several weeks off, the outdoor season kicks off on April 2 at the Big Blue Alumni Invitational at Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois.

Northern will be at a meet each weekend in April, including the Golden Grizzlies Invitational at Oakland in downstate Rochester on April 8-9, the Al Owens Classic at GVSU on April 15-16, the GINA Relays at Hillsdale on April 22-23 and the St. Norbert College Invitational in De Pere, Wisconsin, on April 30.

Despite the outdoor season seemingly winding down, May will also be a busy month for the Wildcats.

The GLIAC Outdoor Championships will be held at GVSU from May 4-6, while the North Central College Last Chance meet will be held at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois, on May 12-13.

The North Central meet is a “last chance” for athletes to qualify for the NCAA D-2 Outdoor Championships, which will be held back at GVSU in Allendale from May 26-28.

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