Several athletes from the women’s track and field team of Northern Michigan University traveled to a pair of meets over the weekend for a chance to qualify for the NCAA Division II Championships to be held in Kansas in two weeks.

But their hopes were dashed even as one field athlete won her event in Joliet, Illinois.

That means the season has ended for the Wildcats as the nationals are the only meet left on the calendar.

The pair of Wildcats who hit the road for the weekend meets were sophomore Danielle Lund and senior Beverly Harper.

Beverly Harper

Lund, a Manistique High School graduate, had the most chances, competing in a total of three events at the Fighting Chance Meet at the University of St. Francis in northern Illinois on Friday and at the Last Chance Meet at Grand Valley State in downstate Allendale on Sunday.

Harper competed in one event at the Fighting Chance Meet.

Each was trying to come up with performances that would qualify them for the nationals, where only a limited number of entrants in each event from across all of Division II are invited.

At St. Francis, Lund won the women’s hammer throw with a fling of 52.92 meters, or 173 feet, 7 1/2 inches. Harper competed in the 800-meter run with a time of 2 minutes, 16.58 seconds.

Then at Grand Valley, Lund placed fourth in the shot put with a heave of 13.46 meters (44-1 7/8) and seventh in the hammer with 43.43 meters (142-5 7/8).

Lund’s winning hammer throw on Friday was just over two feet ahead of runner-up Maelie Hope of Aquinas and more than 10 feet ahead of any of the other 14 competitors.

Though the qualifying times and distances weren’t listed, apparently they didn’t meet the top-flight standards to get invited to nationals.

However, NMU Sports Information noted in its report on the meets that the weekend should provide invaluable experience for Lund in the future.

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