Northern Michigan University heptathlon athletes Eva Zonca, left, and Natasha Nowakowski stand together around the time their event was held at the GLIAC Championships at Grand Valley State that took place in May 2024. (Photo courtesy NMU)

MARQUETTE — The women’s track and field team from Northern Michigan University starts today in what has become an annual tradition for these Wildcats — a trek to Southern California for a few days packed full of outdoor meets.

NMU splits its team up so it can compete in four meets today, then two each on Friday and Saturday in the greater Los Angeles area.

At today’s Bryan Clay Invitational at Azusa Pacific University in Azusa, seniors Madi Szymanski and Sophia Potter are scheduled to take part in the 10,000-meter run, while at the Leopard Invite at the University of La Verne in a city of the same name, senior Dani Van Lente runs the 3,000 steeplechase.

Meanwhile, at the Pacific Coast Invite at Long Beach State in Long Beach, senior Teiolla Harvey is entered in the javelin, Marquette product and NMU junior Baux Truckey in the 400 dash and sophomore Alayna Vandegriff in the triple jump.

Rounding out Northern’s participation today, Manistique graduate and NMU sophomore Danielle Lund goes to the Cal State L.A. Twilight Open right in Los Angeles for the discus and shot put.

The meets in Azusa and La Verne continue Friday, while on Saturday, the Azusa meet wraps up and Long Beach will host the Beach Invite.

On Friday at Azusa, Szymanski, Potter and Van Lente will run the 5K, with Vandegriff joining them for the triple jump. Then in La Verne that same day, Wildcats sophomore Ella DeBruyn and freshman Ashley Choponis run the 1,500.

Saturday’s competitors include, at Azusa, Harvey in the javelin, Lund in the shot put and discus, Truckey in the 200 and DeBruyn, Choponis and junior Lamar Gordon in the 1,500.

At the Beach Invite, senior Beverly Harper is scheduled for the 800.

Fans can visit https://nmuwildcats.com/coverage for coverage from all five meets, or visit the NMU athletics website at nmuathletics.com and look under the women’s track and field schedule for links to individual meets of live video, live results and a preview.

In last year’s meets in Southern California, Northern brought 11 athletes spread around four meets as five personal records were set just on the first day by Van Lente and Emma Sweeney in the 3,000 steeplechase, Skylar Grubb by 30 seconds in the 10,000 to finish runner-up, and Harper and Gordon in the 800.

Crystal Walker was in the 100 hurdles and long jump, while Vandegriff was sixth in the triple jump.

In the final two days, NMU added three more PRs and a victory for eight total wins on the trip, also setting several NCAA Division II national meet provisional qualifying marks.

Vandegriff won the triple jump, while Grubb, Van Lente and others had strong 5,000 performances with multiple PRs. And Gordon shaved almost 10 seconds off her PR in the 1,500.

Last weekend at the UW-Oshkosh Titan Invite, Northern secured nine wins for a total of 25 top-five finishes.

Wins included Anya VanSweden in the 3,000 steeplechase, Harper in the 800, Truckey in the 200, sophomore Madalyn Agren in the 5,000, freshman Maya Woods in the 400 hurdles, Lund in the shot put and hammer throw, freshman Alyssa Tumminaro in the pole vault and junior Eva Zonca in the seven-event heptathlon.

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