CALIFORNIA – On day two of three for the NMU Track & Field team on the West Coast, the Wildcats had eight individuals in competition with one podium finish from Ella DeBruyn.  

On Thursday, seven members competed across four meets in the greater Los Angeles area. The team secured a victory and several other strong performances on the day, including a new school record from Danielle Lund in the shot put. 

Arguably the largest outdoor track & field gathering of the season, several meets in The Golden State's southern region attract top athletes from all across the country. A total of twelve NMU athletes will be competing in over fifteen events throughout the weekend. 

Bryan Clay Invitational - Azusa, California (Thursday and Friday)
On Friday, three 'Cats competed in the 5000m across three separate races. Sophia Potter finished in 17:19.08, Madi Szymanski at 17:31.53, and Dani VanLente crossed at 18:18.53. 

Beverly Harper and Lamar Gordon each competed in the 800m. Harper finished 57th in her race with a time of 2:11.81, while Gordon's 2:14.41 was good for 49th in her race. 

Alayna Vandegriff was the lone field competitor for NMU on Friday. In the triple jump, her distance of 11.31m was 21st of 37 scorers. 

On Thursday, Potter and Szymanski each raced in the 10000m. It was an impressive outing for Potter as she crossed the finish line at 36:12.57 for sixth place in her race of 28 competitors. Szymanski ran in a separate race, clocking in at 37:31.57. 

Leopard Invitational - La Verne, California (Thursday and Friday)
In the 1500m, Ella DeBruyn ran a personal best time of 4:35.60 to take third place amongst 71 runners. Ashley Choponis also impressed, crossing at 4:40.83 for seventh. 

With a time of 11:21.56, Dani Van Lente was 10th in the 3000m steeplechase on Thursday. 

Cal State LA Twilight Invitational - Los Angeles, California (Thursday)
Danielle Lund was the sole NMU participant on Thursday in LA, as she finished first with a distance of 13.69m in the shot put, which was her new PR, along with a school record mark. It broke the record of 13.38m from Angela Leckson in 2010. In the discus, she hit another PR of 44.99m for second place. 

Pacific Coast Intercollegiate - Long Beach, California (Thursday)
The Wildcats had strong performances in Long Beach on Thursday as Teiolla Harvey finished 15th in the javelin throw with a distance of 35.11m. In the 400m, Baux Truckey finished 36th in a field of over 60 with a time of 57.53. Alayna Vandegriff also competed in the triple jump. 

Up Next
NMU will look to finish up a successful road trip on Saturday when seven athletes will be competing at either the Bryan Clay or Beach Invites.