A summer tradition returns.
Hard to fathom that I’ve been penning these Summer Previews for now, 7 years. Just as in the past, I’ll have the 50 best returners, then as time rolls on, the Regional Previews and Top Ten Teams.
Differing from the past is the format. Individual posts for each region and ticket are a TON OF WORK. Instead, I’ll be knocking off the 50 Tickets with sets of 10 and Regional Previews by their division and gender. Hopefully with these methods, I’ll be finishing on time and actually spending effort detailing what could be some great regional battles.
Anyhow, starting with the girls (they run first this year), your 50 Tickets to Brooklyn. These celebrate our top-50 returners – based on the 2024 XC season, 2025 track season, projected improvement, and a tiny bit of my own opinions.
Enjoy!
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
(Also, first time ever that I’ve included Upper Peninsula folks in these! I know they’re not running at MIS, but they’re still representatives of Michigan)
Name: Natalia Guaresimo
School: Romeo
Grade: 12th
Personal Records
5k (XC) – 17:40
800m – 2:15
1600m – 4:56
3200m – 10:36
| Grade | Name | Time | Team | Rating | Meet | Date | Year |
| 11 | Natalia Guaresimo | 17:40.8 | Romeo | 160.1 | Division 1 State | 2-Nov | 2024 |
| 11 | Natalia Guaresimo | 17:58.1 | Romeo | 153.3 | Region 9 | 26-Oct | 2024 |
| 11 | Natalia Guaresimo | 17:48.9 | Romeo | 158.7 | Macomb County | 12-Oct | 2024 |
| 11 | Natalia Guaresimo | 17:54.2 | Romeo | 160.6 | Portage | 5-Oct | 2024 |
| 11 | Natalia Guaresimo | 18:51.3 | Romeo | 137.2 | MAC Red Championship | 25-Sep | 2024 |
| 11 | Natalia Guaresimo | 18:05.0 | Romeo | 156.0 | Jackson | 21-Sep | 2024 |
| 11 | Natalia Guaresimo | 18:17.0 | Romeo | 164.3 | Holly | 14-Sep | 2024 |
| 11 | Natalia Guaresimo | 19:20.3 | Romeo | 136.6 | MAC Red 1 | 4-Sep | 2024 |
| 11 | Natalia Guaresimo | 18:38.7 | Romeo | 160.4 | Early Bird Open | 29-Aug | 2024 |
| Grade | Name | Time | Team | Rating | Meet | Date | Year |
| 10 | Natalia Guaresimo | 18:05.8 | Romeo | 152.7 | Division 1 State | 4-Nov | 2023 |
| 10 | Natalia Guaresimo | 18:46.2 | Romeo | 153.6 | Region 9 | 27-Oct | 2023 |
| 10 | Natalia Guaresimo | 19:10.2 | Romeo | 131.3 | MAC Championship | 21-Oct | 2023 |
| 10 | Natalia Guaresimo | 18:05.3 | Romeo | 157.6 | Macomb County | 14-Oct | 2023 |
| 10 | Natalia Guaresimo | 17:59.8 | Romeo | 156.1 | Jackson | 23-Sep | 2023 |
| 10 | Natalia Guaresimo | 18:21.3 | Romeo | 158.6 | Holly | 16-Sep | 2023 |
| 10 | Natalia Guaresimo | 19:27.4 | Romeo | 144.5 | Averill | 9-Sep | 2023 |
| 10 | Natalia Guaresimo | 18:53.0 | Romeo | 153.0 | Lamplighter | 18-Aug | 2023 |
| Grade | Name | Time | Team | Rating | Meet | Date | Year |
| 9 | Natalia Guaresimo | 18:55.1 | Romeo | 133.0 | MITCA | 12-Nov | 2022 |
| 9 | Natalia Guaresimo | 19:27.5 | Romeo | 129.8 | D1 State | 5-Nov | 2022 |
| 9 | Natalia Guaresimo | 19:14.4 | Romeo | 125.9 | Region 9 | 29-Oct | 2022 |
| 9 | Natalia Guaresimo | 19:29.7 | Romeo | 124.4 | MAC Division | 22-Oct | 2022 |
| 9 | Natalia Guaresimo | 19:45.5 | Romeo | 124.2 | Macomb County | 15-Oct | 2022 |
| 9 | Natalia Guaresimo | 19:47.5 | Romeo | 118.2 | Jackson | 24-Sep | 2022 |
| 9 | Natalia Guaresimo | 20:11.4 | Romeo | 120.2 | Holly | 17-Sep | 2022 |
| 9 | Natalia Guaresimo | 21:09.0 | Romeo | 116.0 | Averill | 10-Sep | 2022 |
| 9 | Natalia Guaresimo | 21:39.8 | Romeo | 98.1 | Lamplighter | 19-Aug | 2022 |
Accolades
XC
6th Place – 2024 Division 1 State
7th Place – 2023 Division 1 State
2x Team State Champion
2024 Macomb County Champion
Track
10th Place – 2025 Division 1 State 800m & 1600m
8th Place – 2025 Division 1 State 4×8
5th Place – 2025 MITS DMR
Her Championship Season
Was a ferocious culmination to what’s been building over the past few years. She’s been featured here a few times, once focused on her astonishing early growth, the other amazed that it’s still progressing. With all that accelerated growth and continued progress, the payoff was bound to come.
For Natalia, that started in early October at Portage. The prior year, she had slipped under 18:00 at Jackson, but failed to get there the rest of the season. Her 17:54 on the rolling Portage hills was a return back to that form, a form she wouldn’t relinquish the rest of our regular season. A week later, a personal best and her first ever Macomb County win. Two weeks past, a chill sub-18 in preparation for State. Then at MIS, a masterpiece of a race. In true Romeo fashion, she laid back early, 11:32 at two, team state title likely in firm grasp, but individual glory lying ahead. Over the next mile, she caught 4, in 10th at three. Over the next tenth, she caught 4 more, a blistering 4:38 pace over those 172m, moved into 6th, and blasted through with a lifetime best – 17:40.
This fall, one more chance to prove she can keep it rolling.
Michigan XC Speed Ratings 