#99 - Dudek, Garces Win Nationals!

And Track is Back!

December 11, 2025

Inside This Issue

Dudek’s Win A First For Michigan

In a dazzling race on a soft, damp course, Pioneer soph Natasza Dudek became the first Michigander ever to win the NXN title. Previously, the highest finish ever for an athlete from our state came in 2024, when both TJ Hansen and Victoria Garces earned runner-up honors.

Dudek led much of the early stages, but had close company. At 3K, California Jaelynn Williams broke away and built a lead of about 40 meters. However, when the finish neared and the brutal uphill “terraces” loomed, Williams hit the wall. Dudek led the charge past her and stormed to the finish in 16:50.1. That was the fastest MI time ever on the course, bettering Garces’ 17:13.4 from last year.

Emma Hoffman became the fourth Michigander in history to make the top 5, running a well-paced effort to clock 17:16.7 in 5th. In 17th came Romeo’s Annie Hrabovsky, leading her squad (called Bruce Township for MHSAA purposes) to a 8th place finish with her 17:44.6. Our third individual qualifier, Katie Berkshire of Gaylord, finished 24th in 17:49.9. The Pioneer girls (running as Ann Arbor Stadium) placed 18th with 367 points.

Interviews by RunMichigan

Garces Takes U20 Crown

Midland Dow alum Victoria Garces, now a frosh at Duke, returned victorious to the course where she placed 2nd in the NXN as a high school senior. This time, she stayed with the lead pack, moving into the lead before the 5K (17:40.4). Then she crushed the final K more than 13 seconds faster than her closest pursuer to take the win in 21:07.0.

Garces, the first Michigander to win the title since Shannon Osika in 2012, told RunMichigan’s John Brabbs, “It was so fun.” The whole interview is here.

Unfortunately, Garces will not be competing in U20 race at the World XC in Tallahassee next month. The way the U20 category works is that to be eligible, an athlete has to remain under-20 for the entire calendar year. Garces’ birthday is today (HAPPY BIRTHDAY!) and she will turn 20 on December 11, 2006. That means she is about three weeks too old to compete in U20 next year. Not a worry. We’ll be seeing a lot more of her in the years to come.

Other Michiganders at the USATF XC Championships (held on the same day, same site as NXN):

  • Marshall alum Jack Bidwell, now running for Michigan, placed 8th in the U20 8K in 25:45.2, just missing a World berth (top 6).

  • Algonac/MSU alum Morgan Beadlescomb placed 9th in the Open Men’s 10K in 30:15.9. Coldwater/GVSU alum Shuaib Aljabaly was 24th in 31:03.9.

  • Hanson’s Megan O’Neil, an alum of Chippewa Hills & CMU, placed 40th in the Open Women’s 10K in 37:33.7.

Blackwell Has Banner Season!

Oak Park alum Jaydin Blackwell has plenty to celebrate after being named the USATF Para Male Athlete of the Year for 2025. The honor is fitting, after his best season ever. From the USATF release:

Blackwell delivered a historic double of the T38 100m and 400m at the 2025 World Para Championships. The defending Paralympic champion won his third consecutive World title in the T38 100m with a 10.70 American and Championships record. He followed with a dominant win in the T38 400m, breaking his own T38  world record in 48.00 — more than a second ahead of the field.

“Twelve years ago, I put on my first pair of spikes with one mindset that I would race up against anyone, any place, any time,” Blackwell shared. “And that same [mindset] still stands true today. And for the years to come, I want to elevate what it means to be a para track athlete.”

Earlier in the season Blackwell lowered his world record with a 48.26 performance at the World Para Athletics Grand Prix in Cali, Colombia. He left New Delhi a six-time Para World Champion since earning his first title in 2023.

Too Early For Track? Nah…

Some highlights from the past weekend.

  • Olivia Millen (Salem/MSU) placed 5th in the elite mile at BU in 4:38.40, passing 1500 in a PR 4:13.94.

  • Sarah Forsyth (Pioneer/MSU) placed 7th in the mile in a PR 4:43.33.

  • Rachel Forsyth (Pioneer/MSU) was 13th in the 3000 (9:01.64).

  • After a redshirt year, Thomas Westphal (Anchor Bay/MSU) is now really showing what he can do. He had a solid XC season, and at BU he ripped a 7:52.18 for 3000.

  • Sophie Novak (Lake Orion/Notre Dame) ran 15:53.31 for 5000.

  • Taylor Pangburn (Grand Ledge/MSU) ran 16:07.70.

  • Koby Fraaza (Gull Lake/GVSU) opened up with a 13:52.89 at Allendale.

  • Brooke Bowers (Forest Hills Central/GVSU) vaulted 13-8.25 for the D2 national leader.

  • Malachi Mosley (East Kentwood-UM) opened his college career with a 47.45 for 400 at Notre Dame.

  • Kayenn Mabin (Kalamazoo Central/EMU) hurdled 7.76 at GVSU, ahead of Logan Allen (OLSM/MSU) who ran 7.77.

  • Ben Haas (Clarkston/Hillsdale) is currently No. 2 in D2 with his 69-11.75 weight throw.

  • Erika Beistle (Big Rapids/GVSU) threw the shot 53-11.75 for the D2 leader.

  • Emma Stewart (Salem/Siena Heights) has the NAIA lead in the vault at 12-6.25.

Stiverson Crushes Shot Record

Addy Stiverson has wasted no time this season. After deciding to leave basketball behind and concentrate more on throwing, the Montrose junior opened up with the farthest throw in Michigan history, reaching 53-3.5 at the Grand Valley MITS meet. Her 6-throw series: 48-4.75, f, 51-5.25, f, 53-3.5, 51-4. Her official winning toss added 17.5 inches to the record 51-8 she threw last March at the SVSU Invitational. She also had the No. 3 and 4 throws in state history in her series. She missed the national record for 16-year-olds by a quarter inch. Watch the record throw.

Is there more there? Well, one of her fouls was measured at a big 54-1, and the only reason she fouled was that while watching it to see how far it went she lost her balance and fell out of the ring. Watch the big foul here.

Stiverson won over Charlotte Martin’s PR 42-0.75; the Warren Cousino junior’s big throw would be headline material in a universe with Stiverson not in it. Martin won the weight with a big 49-6.25.

In other events, 9th-grader Eliza Schwass (Ludington) won the 1600 in 4:46.87 over El McMahon’s 4:53.56 and came back with a 2:12.54 win at 800. Seniors Izzy Robbins (Grand Haven) and Katie Blue (Grand Ledge) both cleared 12-6 in the vault.

Bobby Jazwinski produced a monster 4:11.72 in the 1600. East Kentwood’s Shukuru Makechi blistered 7.89 in the hurdles, for No. 14 in state history. Reece Emeott won the vault with a 15-6, over Sean Cinzori’s 15-0.

Other Things

  • The Turkey-Thon vault competition at the Vault Barn (11/22) produced some great clearances. Katie Blue got over 13-0 for the win, with Evie Mathis at 12-6. Odin Gulledge won the boys competition at 15-0.

  • The Ugly Sweater Vault: One of the highlights of the holiday season will take place December 20th at the Vault Barn. Registration at landonathletics.com

  • A few Michiganders qualified for the Olympic Trials at the California International Marathon in Sacramento on Sunday. Nathan Martin (Three Rivers/Spring Arbor) placed 12th in 2:12:53. Jennifer Pope (Pinckney) was 29th in 2:35:47.

  • And we missed one: Alyssa Penning McElheny (GR Christian/Calvin) placed 5th at Indy in 2:34:28.

  • Donald Scott: The 2-time triple jump Olympian who competed for Eastern Michigan is back in the state now, as an assistant coach at Madonna.

  • Other States: In the “they-do-things-differently” department, the state of Texas has banned foreign exchange students from varsity sports at the high school level. I don’t know if there’s any sentiment like that in Michigan, but in many decades of my involvement in the sport, exchange students are a subject that I have never heard a complaint about.

  • MITS Track: Note that this coming weekend will be a busy one, with meets at 5 sites. Here’s the full schedule.

  • Grand Slam Track: I admit I’ve had past experiences that made me distrust one of the principals in the “big money” track venture, so I haven’t been terribly surprised to see it all implode. This morning comes news that the organization has declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy. One thing I haven’t seen mentioned yet is the F-word. Hypothetically, if you got athletes to sign on by telling them that you have the financial resources and commitments to pay them, and it turns out that you were misrepresenting the truth, could that possibly lead to fraud charges? Stay tuned.

  • End of Year Charitable Giving: Keep in mind that Michtrack is a federally approved 501c3 and that donations to keep our historical work going, as well as this newsletter, are tax deductible. For how to give, visit here.

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