Author: mixcspeedratings

Uncategorized

50 Tickets to Brooklyn: Girls #1

mixcspeedratings

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: Natasza Dudek
School: Ann Arbor Pioneer
Grade: 10th

Personal Records

5k (XC) – 17:04
800m – 2:15
1600m – 4:48
3200m – 10:03
5000m – 16:18

GradeNameTimeTeamRatingMeetDateYear
9Natasza Dudek17:04.1Ann Arbor Pioneer172.3Division 1 State2-Nov2024
9Natasza Dudek17:28.0Ann Arbor Pioneer166.0Region 526-Oct2024
9Natasza Dudek17:50.0Ann Arbor Pioneer161.7SEC Championship17-Oct2024
9Natasza Dudek17:46.6Ann Arbor Pioneer163.1Portage5-Oct2024
9Natasza Dudek17:24.1Ann Arbor Pioneer167.3Otsego Bulldog28-Sep2024
9Natasza Dudek18:04.2Ann Arbor Pioneer164.3SEC Red 224-Sep2024
9Natasza Dudek17:27.4Ann Arbor Pioneer168.5Jackson21-Sep2024
9Natasza Dudek18:06.3Ann Arbor Pioneer168.2Spartan13-Sep2024
9Natasza Dudek18:27.3Ann Arbor Pioneer159.6SEC 110-Sep2024
9Natasza Dudek18:22.4Ann Arbor Pioneer157.5John Bruder Classic4-Sep2024

Accolades

XC

3rd Place – 2024 Division 1 State
Region 5 & SEC Red Champion

Track

2nd Place – 2025 Division 1 State 3200m
4th Place – 2025 Division 1 State 1600m
2nd Place – 2025 New Balance Nationals 5000m
4th Place – 2025 Division 1 State 4×8
2025 SEC Red 1600m Champion
2nd Place – 2025 MITS 1600m & 3200m

Her Specialty

Endurance.

It’s amazing to me that with the longer the distance, the more Dudek seems to excel and endure.  

The greatest piece of evidence for that is on the track, where Natasza raced to times that aren’t necessarily suggested by her bests at lower distances. Her 1600m personal best is a 4:48, 72 seconds a lap. Four laps more, she’s run as fast as 10:03, only slowing down 13 sec. per mile, now at 75 seconds per lap. Moving up to the 5000m, she hung in there with the nation’s best in Philly, covering the distance in 16:18. The mile pace on that – 5:13, 78 seconds every 400m, once again barely even slowing down.

In order to redline for so long, one must have a tremendous amount of self-confidence and stubbornness, and those two traits undoubtedly helped Dudek navigate a freshman campaign at Pioneer. Top-5 finishes in all Michigan championship races on the track and grass. The top freshman time in 1600m, the best overall mark in the 3200m.

Natasza will be testing the limits of endurance for three more years we’re blessed to be witnesses.

Uncategorized

50 Tickets to Brooklyn: Boys #2

mixcspeedratings

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: Kyle O’Rourke
School: Milford
Grade: 12th

Personal Records

5k (XC) – 15:02
1600m – 4:19
3200m – 9:02

GradeNameTimeTeamRatingMeetDateYear
11Kyle O’Rourke15:11.1Highland-Milford211.0MITCA9-Nov2024
11Kyle O’Rourke15:02.0Highland-Milford213.3Division 1 State2-Nov2024
11Kyle O’Rourke15:45.7Highland-Milford203.1Region 726-Oct2024
11Kyle O’Rourke16:16.7Highland-Milford198.1LVC Championship17-Oct2024
11Kyle O’Rourke15:47.8Highland-Milford213.4Oakland County5-Oct2024
11Kyle O’Rourke15:08.7Highland-Milford215.1Jackson21-Sep2024
11Kyle O’Rourke15:51.8Highland-Milford217.4Averill7-Sep2024
11Kyle O’Rourke16:22.2Highland-Milford217.9Milford29-Aug2024
GradeNameTimeTeamRatingMeetDateYear
10Kyle O’Rourke15:17.3Highland-Milford207.2MITCA11-Nov2023
10Kyle O’Rourke15:22.4Highland-Milford206.9Division 1 State4-Nov2023
10Kyle O’Rourke16:10.3Highland-Milford206.9Region 727-Oct2023
10Kyle O’Rourke15:57.5Highland-Milford203.2LVC Championship19-Oct2023
10Kyle O’Rourke16:07.4Highland-Milford205.5Oakland County7-Oct2023
10Kyle O’Rourke16:13.1Highland-Milford201.3Linden Classic23-Sep2023
10Kyle O’Rourke16:00.4Highland-Milford211.5Averill9-Sep2023
10Kyle O’Rourke16:29.8Highland-Milford205.7Milford31-Aug2023
GradeNameTimeTeamRatingMeetDateYear
9Kyle O’Rourke16:22.3Highland-Milford185.2MITCA12-Nov2022
9Kyle O’Rourke16:55.2Highland-Milford181.3D1 State5-Nov2022
9Kyle O’Rourke16:49.8Highland-Milford189.4Region 728-Oct2022
9Kyle O’Rourke16:40.4Highland-Milford183.9LVC Championship20-Oct2022
9Kyle O’Rourke16:57.9Highland-Milford187.0Oakland County8-Oct2022
9Kyle O’Rourke16:24.7Highland-Milford191.1Ottawa Hills16-Sep2022
9Kyle O’Rourke19:27.9Highland-Milford145.4Averill10-Sep2022
9Kyle O’Rourke17:33.6Highland-Milford187.1Milford1-Sep2022

Accolades

XC

3rd Place – 2024 Division 1 State
10th Place – 2023 Division 1 State
2023 & 2024 LVC & Region 7 Champion
2024 Oakland County Champion

Track

2nd Place – 2025 Division 1 State 3200m
6th Place – 2024 Division 1 State 3200m
2023 & 2024 LVC & Region 9 3200m Champion
2024 LVC 1600m Champion

His Specialty

His toughness.

Oakland County folks know it well, the rugged Possum Hollow track, with its famed double hill in the final stages of the race. Many dread the course, Kyle has made it his home. And it’s a perfect encapsulation of his abilities as a runner. Over the past two years, Milford has raced seven times (at least on athletic.net, the LVC doesn’t always put meets on there and I don’t blame them) on the hallowed grounds, and Kyle has usually thrown out an impressive performance.

Following a freshman spring where he established himself as one of the better runners in the ’26 class, Kyle spent his first two meets lowering his course PR (16:49). He shaved nearly 50 sec. off by his 2nd meet, a typically hot affair at Averill, earning wins in both races. At Oakland County, he was 2nd behind Solomon Kwartowitz, then redeemed himself with a win in Region 7.

As a junior, he was able to lower things even further, breaking 16:00 at Averill, then ripping a 15:47 for an Oakland County win. Only two notable losses on the course over two years, a record that goes hand in hand with what he’s accomplished on less gruesome layouts. Two All-State finishes, including a 3rd place finish in 2024. A personal best of 15:02. Back-to-back wins in both conference and regional meets.

2025 will feature a strong diet of possum and Kyle will be stronger for it.

Uncategorized

50 Tickets to Brooklyn: Girls #2

mixcspeedratings

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: Emma Hoffman
School: Otsego
Grade: 12th

Personal Records

5k (XC) – 17:22
1600m – 4:52
3200m – 10:17
5000m – 16:42

GradeNameTimeTeamRatingMeetDateYear
11Emma Hoffman17:31.0Otsego163.3Division 2 State2-Nov2024
11Emma Hoffman17:51.7Otsego159.1Region 1326-Oct2024
11Emma Hoffman19:22.7Otsego130.8Allegan County18-Oct2024
11Emma Hoffman17:25.3Otsego165.9Wolverine Conference15-Oct2024
11Emma Hoffman17:22.5Otsego167.8Otsego Bulldog28-Sep2024
11Emma Hoffman18:11.5Otsego166.5Spartan13-Sep2024
11Emma Hoffman17:45.0Otsego166.7Shamrock3-Sep2024
11Emma Hoffman17:53.4Otsego170.2SW Rustbuster28-Aug2024
11Emma Hoffman18:18.8Otsego166.7St. Joseph20-Aug2024
GradeNameTimeTeamRatingMeetDateYear
10Emma Hoffman18:31.3Otsego143.9Division 2 State4-Nov2023
10Emma Hoffman18:56.6Otsego135.8Region 1328-Oct2023
10Emma Hoffman19:42.3Otsego125.9Allegan County20-Oct2023
10Emma Hoffman18:18.9Otsego138.7Wolverine Conference17-Oct2023
10Emma Hoffman18:48.5Otsego141.8Portage7-Oct2023
10Emma Hoffman18:03.8Otsego154.1Otsego Bulldog30-Sep2023
10Emma Hoffman18:33.7Otsego144.8Jackson23-Sep2023
10Emma Hoffman19:12.9Otsego146.0BS Shamrock5-Sep2023
10Emma Hoffman18:31.0Otsego144.0SW Rustbuster30-Aug2023
GradeNameTimeTeamRatingMeetDateYear
9Emma Hoffman18:27.8Otsego149.1D2 State5-Nov2022
9Emma Hoffman18:38.9Otsego141.4Region 1329-Oct2022
9Emma Hoffman19:11.2Otsego138.9Wolverine Conference18-Oct2022
9Emma Hoffman18:48.0Otsego140.3Portage8-Oct2022
9Emma Hoffman18:34.9Otsego144.4Otsego Bulldog1-Oct2022
9Emma Hoffman18:34.7Otsego142.1Cougar Falcon24-Sep2022
9Emma Hoffman19:08.4Otsego143.5Spartan16-Sep2022
9Emma Hoffman19:09.6Otsego137.5SW Rustbuster31-Aug2022
9Emma Hoffman20:18.9Otsego127.7St. Joseph23-Aug2022

Accolades

XC

2nd Place – 2023 & 2025 Division 2 State
17th Place – 2024 Division 2 State
2023 & 2024 Allegan County Champion
2024 Wolverine Conference Champion
2024 Region 13 Champion

Track

2025 Division 2 State 1600m & 3200m Champion
Unbeaten Outdoor Season
3rd Place – 2025 MITS 3200m
4th Place – 2025 MITS 1600m
6th Place – 2024 Division 2 State 1600m

You Know I Dig Her Improvement

And between her sophomore and junior years, the improvement was out of this world. Between the track and the grass, she left hardly a stone unturned, setting PRs and winning titles.

Embracing an uptick in training during her junior summer, Hoffman sped out of the gate with a win at St. Joseph, her fastest opener yet. The next race was another first, a sub-18, one of many she’d put together over the course of the year. More wins throughout September paved the path towards her biggest breakthrough, 17:22 at her home invite, a massive 20+ second personal best. She’d match that level a few more times over the course of the year – most notably a 17:31 finish at State, a venue where she’s always performed her best.

Digging into the nitty gritty of the times, the track is where we can objectively see the development. Concentrating mainly on the longer distances, Hoffman was able to slip under 5 min. for the first time ever (5:02 to 4:52) and rip through her 3200m best (10:50 to 10:17). Both led to a new, rarely seen, level of competition, a season where Emma didn’t face a single defeat. Not at the GR Elite Challenge, Distance Night, regional or conference, and lastly, not at D2 State.

Your defending D2 1600m and 3200m champion, improving by leaps and bounds, seeking more.