Gremban earns early-season honors; Smith sets career mark at NMU

Two Northland Pines graduates and former standout athletes are making waves this fall for their respective collegiate programs.

Nora Gremban, who has been in Madison for a mere few months only, has made herself known as a freshman member of the UW-Madison women’s cross country team. Also making noise again this fall in the Upper Peninsula is Jaqueline Smith, who last week eclipsed the mark for most kills ever by a Northern Michigan women’s volleyball player.

Beginning with Gremban, the former State champion dazzled in her first outing of the year with the Badgers, running to a second place overall finish in the season-opening Badger Classic in a 6K time of 21.13.2.

Following that outburst, she became the first Badgers female freshman ever to be named Freshman of the Week by the Big 10 Conference.

Following that race, she competed and placed fifth in the B race of Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational, running her 6K in 21:29.5.

WIsconsin will host a Pre-Nationals event, Oct. 19, prior to the Big 10 Championships scheduled for Nov. 1.

Smith shines

Senior outside hitter Jacqueline Smith set a Northern Michigan University (NMU) women’s volleyball program record that stood for over 30 years, becoming the Wildcats’ all-time kills leader in a 3-1 victory over the Lake Superior State Lakers this past Saturday evening. 

Smith, a fifth-year senior, notched 22 kills in the match, which is the second time she’s eclipsed 20 kills so far this season.

Needing nine kills to set the program kills record, Smith recorded seven in the first set and added another quick two in the second to break the previous mark of 1,664 set by Andrea Gommans. That record had stood since 1993.

Gommans mark was accomplished in four full seasons beginning in 1990 when the team she was on went 15-18 overall. The three seasons following NMU combined to go 99-14, capturing the 1993 NCAA Division II National Championship.

Smith’s career with the team has been nothing short of historic. She was named Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Freshman of the Year in 2021, leading the team with 242 kills. She was an All-GLIAC First Team selection the last four straight years, and was third in the country in Division II in kills her redshirt sophomore year (537).

So far this season the NMU team is 9-4 overall, is 5-1 in conference, and will continue conference play this Thursday at home against rival Michigan Tech.