A pack of Northern Michigan University runners keep pace during a past Wildcats’ outdoor meet. (Photo courtesy NMU)

MARQUETTE — With most of the action taking place today and Friday, the three-day-long conference championships in outdoor track and field started for the women’s team at Northern Michigan University on Wednesday.

The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships are taking place at Grand Valley State in downstate Allendale, with Wednesday afternoon only including part of the women’s seven-event heptathlon.

The rest of the that multi-event event kicks off this morning, with track races today commencing at 2:30 p.m. and field competition at 3 p.m. Friday gets going with some field events going as early as 10 a.m.

Fans can follow @NMU_Track_Field and @NMU_Wildcats on X for updates leading up to and during events, or visit the Northern athletics website at nmuwildcats.com and look under the women’s track and field schedule for links to live video, live results and a preview.

At last year’s GLIAC Championships, the Wildcats earned their first-ever runner-up finish in the women’s meet, scoring 125.5 points as Wayne State was third with 108. Grand Valley State rolled by everyone else with 287.

This was NMU’s highest ever finish in the 22-year history of Northern competing at the GLIAC indoor and outdoor finals.

In addition to two Wildcats winning events, NMU attained nine finishes on the top-three podium while setting three school records and four NCAA Division II national meet provisional qualifying marks.

Now-senior Teiolla Harvey threw a Northern record 40.86 meters (134 feet, 3/4 of an inch) in the javelin to win that event as now-fifth-year senior teammate Wilme Els also made it on the podium in second.

Now-fifth-year Crystal Walker was runner-up in the long jump with another school record, this one of 5.93 meters (19-5 1/2) to beat her own record.

Also in second place was now-junior Kaitlin Smith in the pole vault after she cleared 3.64 meters (11-11 3/8), while now-junior Natasha Nowakowski was third in the heptathlon that included her winning that event’s shot put and becoming only the fourth NMU athlete to make the podium in this seven-way event.

Most recently this spring, the Wildcats finished second among 11 schools at the St. Norbert Invitational in suburban Green Bay, Wisconsin, on Saturday, Wisconsin-Oshkosh edging NMU 188.125 to 183.

Northern piled up 10 event victories, led by three wins from Manistique graduate and NMU sophomore Danielle Lund in throwing events, including breaking her own school record with 13.75 meters (45-1 3/8) in the shot put. She also won the hammer throw with 52.54 meters (172-4 1/2) and discus with 45.21 meters (148-3 7/8).

Marquette product and NMU junior Baux Truckey sprinted to a pair of wins, the 100 in 12.27 seconds and the 200 in 24.87, while senior Paige Anderson won the 1,500 in a personal best 4:56.52.

In addition, sophomore Anya VanSweden won the 3,000 steeplechase in 10:40.61 and sophomore teammate Celia Wallace was right behind her as runner-up in 10:44.05.

Freshman Lily Phillips took the 400 hurdles in 1:03.97, Harvey won the javelin with a heave of 36.44 meters (119-6 5/8) that won by more than two meters, and sophomore Meadow Ptak took the high jump by clearing a personal-best 1.57 meters (5-1 7/8).

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.