Performance of the Week: Midland Dow's Victoria Garces
October 11, 2024
Victoria Garces ♦ Midland Dow
Senior ♦ Cross Country
The two-time MHSAA Finals top-five placer is undefeated in three races this season after winning last weekend's Saginaw Heritage Hawks Invitational by nearly 14 seconds with a time of 18:08.47. She opened her season Sept. 21 with a personal-record 17:17 to win the Gold championship at Cadillac's Veterans Serving Veterans Invitational, and that time remains the second-fastest in Lower Peninsula Division 1 this season.
Garces finished fifth at the LPD1 Finals at Michigan International Speedway as both a junior and sophomore, and she placed ninth in Wisconsin's Division 1 championship race as a freshman. She finished second in the 3,200 (10:21.85) and third in the 1,600 (4:51.28) at this past spring's LPD1 Girls Track & Field Finals, and she will continue her career next fall at Duke.
@mhsaasports 🏃♂️POW: Victoria Garces #crosscountry #HHDow #chargers #run #part1 #highschoolsports #tiktalk #interview #performanceoftheweek #mistudentaid #fyp #MHSAA ♬ original sound - MHSAA
@mhsaasports 🏃♂️POW: Victoria Garces #tiktalk #questiontime #qdoba #hearthands #emoji #gummyclusters #hawaiian #part2 #performanceoftheweek #mistudentaid #fyp #MHSAA ♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys - Kevin MacLeod & Kevin The Monkey
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MHSAA.com's "Performance of the Week" features are powered by MI Student Aid, a division within the Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP). MI Student Aid encourages students to pursue postsecondary education by providing access to student financial resources and information. MI Student Aid administers the state’s 529 college savings programs (MET/MESP), as well as scholarship and grant programs that help make college Accessible, Affordable and Attainable for you. Connect with MI Student Aid at www.michigan.gov/mistudentaid and find more information on Facebook and Twitter @mistudentaid.
Previous 2024-25 honorees
Oct. 4: Asher Clark, Bay City John Glenn soccer - Report
Sept. 26: Campbell Flynn, Farmington Hills Mercy volleyball - Report
Sept. 19: TJ Hansen, Freeland cross country - Report
Sept. 12: Jordan Peters, Grayling soccer - Report
Sept. 6: Gabe Litzner, Sault Ste. Marie cross country - Report
Aug. 30: Grace Slocum, Traverse City St. Francis golf - Report
(Photos courtesy of the Midland Dow girls cross country program.)
Performance of the Week: Ann Arbor Pioneer's Natasza Dudek
September 11, 2025
Natasza Dudek ♦ Ann Arbor Pioneer
Sophomore ♦ Cross Country
Dudek, who finished third at last season’s Lower Peninsula Division 1 Final as a freshman, opened her sophomore season with a win at the Shepherd John Bruder Classic in a race that also included last year’s Division 2 and 4 champions. Dudek won the race by more than 35 seconds in a time of 17:05.50 – 1:17 faster than when she won her race at Shepherd a year ago.
Natasza is following in the footsteps of oldest sister Zofia Dudek, who won the LDP1 Final in 2019 and has since gone on to earn All-America honors at Stanford and set Polish national records. In addition to Natasza’s stellar cross country debut last season, she also finished second in the 3,200, fourth in the 1,600 and ran on the fourth-place 3,200 relay at the LP Division 1 Track & Field Finals to conclude the spring.
@mhsaasports 🏃♀️➡️POW: Natasza Dudek #annarborpioneer #highschoolsports #performanceoftheweek #mistudentaid #MHSAA ♬ Bright and fun upbeat pops, Kids, Animals, Pets, Fun, Cute, Happy, Playful, Upbeat(1465232) - SAKUMAMATATA
@mhsaasports 🏃♀️➡️POW: Natasza Dudek #funfacts #tiktalk #performanceoftheweek #mistudentaid #MHSAA ♬ Girly and cute synth pop - SAKUMAMATATA
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MHSAA.com's "Performance of the Week" features are powered by MI Student Aid, a division within the Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP). MI Student Aid encourages students to pursue postsecondary education by providing access to student financial resources and information. MI Student Aid administers the state’s 529 college savings programs (MET/MESP), as well as scholarship and grant programs that help make college Accessible, Affordable and Attainable for you. Connect with MI Student Aid at www.michigan.gov/mistudentaid and find more information on Facebook and Twitter @mistudentaid.
Previous 2025-26 honorees
Sept. 4: Kate Posey, Big Rapids golf - Report
(Action photo by Nina Moore.)