The comparisons are obvious – it’s tough to ignore, really.
They are/were both freshmen, they each have older sisters who are amazing runners, and they usually cross/crossed the finish line all by themselves with no one close behind. And to even go there – comparing Natasza Dudek to Rachel Forsyth just proves how good Natasza Dudek is during her first year in cross country at Pioneer.
First of all, Rachel Forsyth is in the conversation for the greatest high school girls’ cross country runner in Michigan EVER. Forsyth, now at MSU, took her second victory lap last year at the State Finals with the fastest time ever recorded at Michigan International Speedway – a record-shattering 16 minutes, 28.5 seconds, breaking the course record by 25 seconds. As a freshman, she finished first in 17:55.60.
So saying another Pioneer freshman is on “course” to be in that elite company is remarkable. But consider this, Natasza just ran a PR time of 17:24.15 on Sept. 28. Rachel’s PR her freshman year was 17:25.61 at the Michigan Meet of Champions.
The numbers say it’s at least a fair race. What about the coach?
“It is kind of hard to compare Natasza’s freshman year to Rachel Forsyth’s freshman year, because Rachel’s freshman year was the Covid year,” says Pioneer Coach Nancy Shafer Boudreau. “That fall, we were only allowed to run dual meets and almost all of our races were on the Pioneer course which is not a very fast course.
“However, both won almost every race they entered. Both had older sisters who were extremely talented, so they both kind of knew what they were getting into. Both are very competitive, but also love the team aspect of cross country. I can’t wait to see what happens in the future!”
One thing you can’t debate is how good Natasza’s sister is and the influence she has had on her younger sibling.
While at Pioneer, Zofia Dudek won the 2019 D-1 state title with the third-fastest time in meet history. A two-time All-American (XC, 2022; Indoor T&F 2023) at Stanford, Zofie also was Pac-12 XC Freshman of the Year (2020-21) and is a two-time All-Pac-12 XC First Team (2020-21, 2022) selection.
She also holds the Polish record in the indoor 5,000 and the Polish under-23 outdoor record in the 5,000 and won the 3,000 meters at the 2019 European U20 track and field championships while competing for Poland.
And her kid sister couldn’t be more proud of her.
“Definitely,” said Natasza, following her win at the SEC championships on Thursday. “She is doing really well at Stanford and is very happy out there. She has given me a lot of great advice over the years and is always telling me to persevere and to never give up and that has really helped me push through and do my best in all my races. She always cheers me on and supports me in everything I do.”
And whenever they are together, Natasza always finds time to run with her big sister.
“I really like running with her,” Natasza says. “It’s a lot of fun. She is always giving me tips and advice and helps me with my form and it’s made a big difference.”
Natasza is the daughter of Maciej and Malgorzata Dudek. Maciej is an economics lecturer at University of Michigan and it wasn’t a given that the family would be back in Ann Arbor this fall. Let’s call it a pleasant surprise – for everyone!
“We had no idea Natasza would be back in Ann Arbor this year,” Shafer Boudreau said. “She was here from 2017 to 2021 with her family as her dad was a visiting professor at U-M from Poland. She ran with the Ann Arbor Track Club so we knew she was good. After the school year in 2021, she went back to Poland. Her sisters, Zofia and Ania, ran for us from 2017-2021 and were both very good and helped the team to several league, regional, & state titles.
“And we had no idea that Natasza was coming back to Ann Arbor until she arrived the first week of school. Because she had run for the Ann Arbor Track Club while in elementary school, she knew several girls on our team so she had a pretty smooth transition joining the team.”
Natasza has taken first place in five of her races this season, including Thursday’s SEC Red Championships at Hudson Mills. Her PR time (so far) came at the Otsego Bulldog Invitational on Sept. 28 where she placed second. She also ran second at the Jackson Invitational and the Portage Invitational. She lost to Helen Sachs (top rated girl in the state) twice and once to Lucy Cook (fourth rated in the state). So only the best of the best are getting the best of her – for now.
“This season is going really well and I’m so proud of how I’ve done so far because I’ve gotten a lot of PRs which is a lot of fun and motivates me to get the next one,” she says. “My teammates are amazing and they are always looking out for me and have been there for me during training and meets.”
But Natasza isn’t chasing Rachel Forsyth and she isn’t trying to step out of her sister’s shadow – she is a very well liked, humble, hard working ninth-grader who enjoys running and being around her teammates. And even though she makes it looks easy, her success is the result of putting in the work.
“It took me a little by surprise, and I wasn’t really expecting to do so well right away,” she says. “I was just trying to hang on and be with my teammates. But with all of the great coaching and support from my teammates I’ve been able to run this fast. I just want to stick with the plan and try to get more PRs. My dream is to be top 10 this year at the state finals. I’m very happy with my times and how things are going so far. ”
Natasza says she started running in fourth grade and has “just kept on going” ever since.
Where and how far she goes will be, as her coach says, exciting to watch.
