Manistique’s Lund wins shot put, third in weight throw
UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – The Northern Michigan track & field team competed at the W-C-W Meet on Saturday, delivering five first-place finishes and nine additional podium performances.
The Wildcats placed second overall with 112.5 points, finishing just ahead of SVSU (104.5). Wayne State captured its second W-C-W title with 118 points.
On the Track
Distance events highlighted the day for NMU, beginning with a win from Sophia Potter in the 3,000 meters. Potter crossed first with a time of 10:16.74.
Dani VanLente followed with a victory in the 5,000 meters, finishing in 18:13.14. Celia Wallace placed third in the event, posting a personal-best time of 18:35.76.
Beverly Harper earned a runner-up finish in the 800 meters with a personal-record time of 2:13.84. Ashley Choponis also recorded a PR, running 2:17.35 to place sixth.
The mile run saw Madi Szymanski claim second place in 4:57.16, while Ella Debruyn added a fifth-place finish with a time of 5:03.77.
In the 60-meter hurdles, NMU placed two athletes inside the top five. Crystal Walker finished third with a time of 8.93, followed closely by Lily Phillips in fifth at 9.26.
Phillips also placed fourth in the 300 meters, clocking 41.62.
Two Wildcats earned top-five finishes in the 400 meters, led by Lana Mac in fourth at 1:00.77. Taylor Rodgers followed in fifth with a personal-best time of 1:02.40.
The 4×300 relay team of Baux Truckey, Phillips, Kanya Campbell, and Harper rounded out the track results with a third-place finish in 2:52.82.
In the Field
NMU opened the field events with a victory from Crystal Walker in the long jump, winning with a mark of 5.34 meters.
Danielle Lund added another first-place finish in the shot put, throwing a personal-best 12.60 meters. Alizabeth Little placed third at 12.27 meters, while Teiolla Harvey finished fifth with a mark of 11.76 meters.
The Wildcats continued their success in the triple jump, where Alayna Vandegriff earned a win with a leap of 11.34 meters. Allison Schinke joined her on the podium, placing third with a personal-best mark of 10.44 meters.
In the pole vault, Kati Smith led NMU with a second-place finish after clearing 3.32 meters. Vandegriff also cleared 3.32 meters, finishing fourth based on attempts.
Taylor Rodgers highlighted the high jump for the Wildcats, placing fourth with a personal-best height of 1.52 meters.
Lund capped her day with a third-place finish in the weight throw, posting a PR mark of 15.62 meters. Harvey and Little also placed inside the top five with throws of 15.58 and 14.81 meters, respectively.
