Northern Michigan University’s Dani Van Lente makes a splash after coming over a hurdle and into a water hazard during the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Leopard Invitational held in La Verne, Calif., last Saturday. (Photo courtesy NMU)

MARQUETTE — Select members of the women’s track and field team at Northern Michigan University will join the rest of their teammates in Wisconsin today after about a dozen of them competed in five meets in the Los Angeles area last week.

The St. Norbert Invitational will be held in the Green Bay suburb of De Pere, with field events commencing at 10:30 a.m. EDT and track events at 12:30 p.m. EDT.

This is the Wildcats’ final meet before the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships set for Wednesday through Friday at Grand Valley State in Allendale.

After the GLIACs, there may be one more meet between May 7-9 for those trying to set NCAA Division II national meet qualifying times or distances, but nothing has been set yet on the Wildcats’ schedule.

The NCAA Outdoor Championships are on the docket for May 21-23 in Emporia, Kansas.

For today’s meet, follow @NMU_Track_Field and @NMU_Wildcats on X for updates leading up to and during events. Or visit the Wildcats athletics website at nmuwildcats.com and look under the women’s track and field schedule for links to live results and a preview.

At the St. Norbert Invite last year, which was also the final meet before the GLIAC finals, Northern had 14 podium, top-three finishes, including seven wins and four runner-up finishes to go with 10 personal records.

Ella DeBruyn, then a freshman, won the 1,500-meter run in 4 minutes, 48.61 seconds, while another 2025 freshman, Anya VanSweden, made the top five in 4:57.12.

The Wildcats’ 4-by-100 relay was third in 50.91 seconds.

Wilme Els, now a fifth-year student, won the javelin by nearly four meters with a throw of 39.41 meters (129 feet, 3 5/8 inches), while then-freshman Alayna Vandegriff was second in the triple jump with a leap of 11.84 meters (38-10 1/8).

Then-junior Teiolla Harvey was third in the shot put with a heave of 11.96 meters (39-2 7/8), the same place taken by now-fifth-year Crystal Walker in the long jump with a leap of 5.52 meters (18-1 3/8).

Last week in California, Northern’s top highlight was Manistique product and Wildcats sophomore Danielle Lund winning while breaking a 16-year-old school record in the shot put with 13.69 meters (44-11) at the Cal State-Los Angeles Twilight Invitational. She was also second in the discus with another personal record, 44.99 meters (146-7 1/2).

At another meet in the L.A. area, junior Lamar Gordon just missed Northern’s record in the 1,500 in 4:35.60, also a personal record while missing the school mark by less than a tenth of a second.

Sophia Potter was sixth in her 10,000 race and Harvey ninth in the javelin.

In another meet, DeBruyn was third and freshman Ashley Choponis seventh in the 1,500, while Dani Van Lente was 10th in the 3,000 steeplechase.

In Long Beach, senior Beverly Harper was 12th in the 800.

Story contents based on a Northern Michigan University Sports Information press release previewing the meet. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee’s email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.