Walker Hits Provisional to Highlight W-C-W Home Track Meet

MARQUETTE, Mich. (WLUC) - The Northern Michigan University women’s track and field team welcomed the Wayne State Warriors and the Saginaw Valley Cardinals to the dome on Saturday for the W-C-W (Wildcat-Cardinal-Warrior) meet, the ‘Cats first home meet since 2020. Five separate Wildcats finished atop the podium in their respective events, Highlighted by Crystal Walker hitting the provisional mark in the Long Jump with a distance of 5.65m. As a team, the ‘Cats finished second with 63 points, behind Wayne State with 67, and ahead of Saginaw Valley with 54.

List of Podium Finishes:

5000m Emily Sterling and Talon Prusi finished third and fourth for the ‘Cats, posting times of 18:47.81 and 18:48.49 respectively, earning their club a combined three points.

300m Akirah Venerable earned silver in the 300m with a time of 41.88 and earned her club three points.

600m Beverly Harper got bronze in the 600m after she posted a time of 1:41.50, earning her club two points.

1 Mile Gianna Hoving earned a podium finish of second place and three points in the mile run after she posted a time of 5:15.64.

400m Ciara Ostrenga claimed bronze after her time of 1:02.04 in the 400 meter, claiming two points for her club.

55m Hurdles Ellyse Wolfrath claimed gold in the 55m hurdles after she posted a time of 8.17, earning her club five points.

55m Jahtivya Williams earned a podium finish of second place after posting a time of 7.35 and earning three points. Ellyse Wolfrath came in fourth with a time of 7.39, earning one point.

800m Beverly Harper was the highest-placing ‘Cat, finishing fifth with a time of 2:27.98.

200m The Wildcats claimed spots two, three, and four in the 200m and earned six total points among three student-athletes. Sydney Romps claimed silver with a time of 26.85, Jahtivya Williams earned bronze with a time of 26.86, and Ahna Larson finished fourth with a time of 27.27.

3000m Madi Szymanski dominated the 3000-meter run, earning first place and five points with a time of 9:59.76, a whole 30 seconds faster than second place. Skylar Grubb also found herself on the podium with a third-place finish of two points after a time of 10:39.00.

4x400m The team of Roman Menhart, Ciara Ostrenga, Elliott Smith, and Paige Anderson finished third with a time of 4:23.12.

Weight Throw Alizabeth Little was the highest finishing ‘Cat, placing seventh with a distance of 12.60m.

Shot Put Adelyn Sanders was the highest-finishing Wildcat, placing sixth with a distance of 10.07m.

Long Jump Crystal Walker hit the NCAA provisional mark after she earned gold in the long jump, leaping a distance of 5.65m and earning five points. Akirah Venerable finished second with a distance of 5.39m, earning her club another three points.

Triple Jump Leah Root finished second and earned three points for the ‘Cats after she lept 10.85m.

Pole Vault The ‘Cats swept the podium in the pole vault, earning 10 points among the three athletes. Leah Root placed first at 3.50m, Emily Czeiszperger finished second at 3.35m, and Rebecca Lane rounded out the podium at 3.05m.

High Jump The Wildcats saw first and third-place finishes in the high jump, as Jaqueline Smith earned first place and five points with 1.61m, and Teiolla Harvey earned third place and two points with 1.51m.

The team will travel to Mankato, Minnesota on Saturday, February 11 to take place in the Minnesota State Indoor Challenge