MARQUETTE, Mich. - After their first indoor meet in December at the UW-Oshkosh Early Bird Invite, the Northern Michigan Track and Field Team will be back in action this weekend, taking part in the Karl Schlender Invitational hosted by UW-Whitewater on Saturday, January 24th.
Field Events will begin at 12 p.m. ET, while the track events will kick off with the 60m Hurdles at 1 p.m. ET.
Follow the Action
Follow @NMU_Track_Field and @NMU_Wildcats on X for updates leading up to and during the events.
Last Time Out
The 'Cats opened their indoor season with two victories and 17 top-five finishes at the UW-Oshkosh Early Bird Invite on December 6th.
Northern's victories came from
Kaitlin Smith in the pole vault and from
Teiolla Harvey in the weight throw. Northern also added four second-place finishes, six third-place, two fourth-place, and three fifth-place finishes.
Overall, the Wildcats showed early-season depth across both track and field events, with standout performances in sprints, hurdles, and throws.
Last Season at The Karl Schlender Invite
Notrhern also competed at the Karl Schlender Invite last season, placing second of eight teams.
NMU collected a total of 154.5 points. Host UW-Whitewater took top honors with 171.5 points. Northern had six first-place finishes, six runner-up placements, and two third-place finishes.
On the track,
Emma Sweeney captured first place in the 3000m (10:44.95), with
Anya VanSweden also reaching the podium, while
Crystal Walker finished second in the 60m hurdles (9.16). NMU added three runner-up finishes in the mid-distance events from
Beverly Harper (600m),
Lola Korpi (800m), and
Lamar Gordon (mile). The Wildcats won the 4x200m relay in a school-record time of 1:44.64 and the distance medley relay, while finishing second in the 4x400m.
In the field events,
Alayna Vandegriff earned her first career victory in the triple jump,
Crystal Walker claimed gold in the long jump, and NMU placed second and third in the pole vault.
A Word From Coach Jenny Ryan
"We have a big group of new freshman student-athletes, especially on the track and field side. We are working to figure out the relays and figure out what events each of our athletes will be in. Now, it feels like a short season in a way because it's just six weeks long in a row, and you have to figure everything out in the six weeks. You have to train enough and be ready to perform in the competitions."
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