It’s baaack. A summertime tradition has returned, the 50 Tickets to Brooklyn. These lists celebrate the top 50 returners – based on a concoction of the ’25 XC season, projected improvements, the ’26 Track season, and a tiny bit of my own input.
Enjoy!
Many of these photos are sourced from either MLive or Miles Postema. Any others will find credit in the caption.
| Grade | Name | Time | Team | Rating | Meet | Date | Year |
| 10 | Natasza Dudek | 16:09.5 | Ann Arbor Pioneer | 189.8 | D1 State Finals | 1-Nov | 2025 |
| 10 | Natasza Dudek | 16:16.9 | Ann Arbor Pioneer | 186.4 | Region 5 | 25-Oct | 2025 |
| 10 | Natasza Dudek | 16:47.5 | Ann Arbor Pioneer | 184.2 | SEC Championship | 16-Oct | 2025 |
| 10 | Natasza Dudek | 16:44.1 | Ann Arbor Pioneer | 188.6 | Portage | 4-Oct | 2025 |
| 10 | Natasza Dudek | 16:11.1 | Ann Arbor Pioneer | 189.3 | Otsego Bulldog | 27-Sep | 2025 |
| 10 | Natasza Dudek | 16:57.0 | Ann Arbor Pioneer | 177.7 | SEC Red 2 | 25-Sep | 2025 |
| 10 | Natasza Dudek | 16:29.4 | Ann Arbor Pioneer | 185.9 | Jackson | 20-Sep | 2025 |
| 10 | Natasza Dudek | 17:02.1 | Ann Arbor Pioneer | 191.3 | Spartan | 12-Sep | 2025 |
| 10 | Natasza Dudek | 17:14.0 | Ann Arbor Pioneer | 172.0 | SEC 1 | 9-Sep | 2025 |
| 10 | Natasza Dudek | 17:05.5 | Ann Arbor Pioneer | 181.5 | John Bruder Classic | 3-Sep | 2025 |
| Grade | Name | Time | Team | Rating | Meet | Date | Year |
| 9 | Natasza Dudek | 17:04.1 | Ann Arbor Pioneer | 172.3 | Division 1 State | 2-Nov | 2024 |
| 9 | Natasza Dudek | 17:28.0 | Ann Arbor Pioneer | 166.0 | Region 5 | 26-Oct | 2024 |
| 9 | Natasza Dudek | 17:50.0 | Ann Arbor Pioneer | 161.7 | SEC Championship | 17-Oct | 2024 |
| 9 | Natasza Dudek | 17:46.6 | Ann Arbor Pioneer | 163.1 | Portage | 5-Oct | 2024 |
| 9 | Natasza Dudek | 17:24.1 | Ann Arbor Pioneer | 167.3 | Otsego Bulldog | 28-Sep | 2024 |
| 9 | Natasza Dudek | 18:04.2 | Ann Arbor Pioneer | 164.3 | SEC Red 2 | 24-Sep | 2024 |
| 9 | Natasza Dudek | 17:27.4 | Ann Arbor Pioneer | 168.5 | Jackson | 21-Sep | 2024 |
| 9 | Natasza Dudek | 18:06.3 | Ann Arbor Pioneer | 168.2 | Spartan | 13-Sep | 2024 |
| 9 | Natasza Dudek | 18:27.3 | Ann Arbor Pioneer | 159.6 | SEC 1 | 10-Sep | 2024 |
| 9 | Natasza Dudek | 18:22.4 | Ann Arbor Pioneer | 157.5 | John Bruder Classic | 4-Sep | 2024 |
Personal Records
5k (XC) – 16:09
800m – 2:11
Mile – 4:42
2 Mile – 9:52
5k (Track) – 16:18
Accolades
XC
NXN National Champion
Brooks National Champion
Division 1 State Champion
2x Region 5 Champion
2x SEC Red Champion
Track
Division 1 State 3200m Champion
New Balance Outdoor 4xMile Champion
3rd Place – New Balance Outdoor DMR
4th Place – New Balance Outdoor 4×8
3rd Place – Brooks PR 2 Mile
MITS/MITCA Indoor State 1600m Champion
3rd Place – New Balance Indoor 3200m
5th Place – New Balance Indoor 4xMile
4th Place – Millrose Games Mile (HS)
Her Championship Season
Two charts, times and ratings. The first one shows all the sub-18’s at MIS over the past 26 seasons (2000 to 2025). The second one shows all the >150 ratings over that time period.
Natasza’s Division 1 win was a record breaker and it wasn’t even close. One of only six girls to cross the line under 17:00, joined by Pioneer alum Rachel Forsyth in the sub-16:30 club, and all alone by herself, 19 seconds clear of Rachel with her 16:09.5
Two ratings stand out above anyone else – Megan Goethals and Dudek. Goethals, who won FootLocker as well in 2009, battled one of the worst weather days in MIS history en route to her 16:54 (188.7 rating). Those tough conditions usually enhance the rating for the top individuals, so perhaps Natasza’s 189.8 is a bit subdued.
Speaking of national championships, Natasza’s season extended much beyond MIS. She found herself in an unfamiliar position late at NXN, having to come from behind, winning the championship in the final stretch. Our first NXN champion from Michigan. A week later in San Diego, the race played out slightly differently, though Dudek still had to rely on her toughness late in the race. She made a move at 4k, gapping the field, driving the pace, but still couldn’t shake her competitors until the final meters, where she ultimately came home as Michigan’s 3rd Brooks/FootLocker Champion.
If that’s her sophomore rendition, we’re in for a treat over the next two seasons.
Michigan XC Speed Ratings 