The 2025-26 prep sports season is in the rearview mirror, but before focusing on 2026-27, it’s a good time to look back on memorable individual performances from the female athletes throughout the state.
Some are outgoing seniors who ended their careers in style, while others are going to be returning for more next year.
Here are our top five, with an emphasis on multiple-sport athletes.
1. Sadie Dykstra, Yale
Dykstra just finished her senior season and had a career that was the ultimate maximization of the high school sports experience.
The 6-foot Dykstra was a member of the volleyball, basketball and track and field teams her entire high school career, spanning 12 sports seasons.
For the volleyball team, Dykstra had 366 kills. During the basketball season, Dykstra averaged 22.5 points, 9.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 4.2 steals to earn first-team all-state honors in Division 2. In her career, Dykstra finished with 1,811 points, 829 rebounds, 303 steals and 296 assists.
While a productive volleyball and a Division I prospect as a basketball player, her specialty was track and field. She showcased her versatility by placing in four events at the Division 2 state meet, finishing second in the 100-meter hurdles (14.73), third in the 300 hurdles (44.81), fourth in the high jump (5-4) and sixth in the long jump (17-4¾). In 2024 as a sophomore, Dykstra won state titles in the long jump (18-0½) and 300 hurdles (45.0).
Next year, Dykstra will run and jump for Michigan’s track and field team.
2. Natasza Dudek, Ann Arbor Pioneer
The sophomore turned in the greatest individual performance ever at the Division 1 state cross country finals in November with a run that turned heads among the running community nationally. Dudek won the title with an unbelievable time of 16:09.5, shattering the previous record of 16:28.5 set by Rachel Forsyth of Pioneer in 2023.
To put Dudek’s performance into context, Forsyth’s run broke the original record by 23.6 seconds and it was thought she would have the record for a long time.
By the time her high school career ends, she might threaten to break the 16-minute barrier.
Dudek went on to win the Nike Cross Nationals individual title in December. Dudek also claimed an individual title in track, winning the 3,200 meters at the Division 1 state meet on May 30 with a time of 10:15.25.
3. Mya Hemmer, Ishpeming
The Upper Peninsula has produced plenty of great athletes over the years, and 6-foot-2 Hemmer was another one. Hemmer was a two-sport standout, first earning first team Division 4 all-state honors as a middle blocker in volleyball, a sport she’ll play in college this fall at Baylor.
Hemmer then was a terrific interior player for Ishpeming’s Division 4 state championship team in girls basketball, nearly recording a triple-double (18 points, 17 rebounds, nine blocks, six steals) in the championship game win over Portland St. Patrick. It was the second state title in three years for Ishpeming. In basketball, Hemmer averaged 15.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game and was named first team all-state in Division 4.
4. Mallory Woiteshek, Grand Haven
A junior who has committed to play volleyball at Michigan State, the 6-foot-3 Woiteshek was first team all-state in Division 1 after a terrific fall. In her third year on varsity, she finished the season with 601 kills, 341 digs and 74 aces. Woiteshek is third all-time in school history with 1,538 kills to help Grand Haven win 36 games.
That was just the start.
In the winter, she also was first team all-state in basketball, helping Grand Haven advance to the Division 1 state quarterfinals. Woiteshek was one of the best interior players in the state, averaging 15.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.9 blocks per game.
During a regular-season win over eventual Division 1 state champion Muskegon, Woiteshek recorded a triple-double with 17 points, 16 rebounds and 12 blocked shots.
5. Gabby Gojcaj, Utica Eisenhower
It was a memorable year for Gojcaj, who first was a senior captain for Eisenhower’s girls basketball team that reached the Division 1 state semifinals for the first time since 1982. Helping to lead a sophomore-laden Eisenhower team, Gojcaj finished averaging 11 points, seven rebounds and four steals per game in being named first team all-Macomb County.
Gojcaj followed that up by being first team all-state in Division 1 for the girls soccer team, which was unbeaten in the regular season. One of the state’s top goal scorers, Gojcaj scored 26 times for Eisenhower and was the leading scorer for the team each of the last three seasons.
Gojcaj will play soccer in college at Detroit Mercy.
Keith Dunlap is a freelance writer.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: A look back at the top 5 Michigan girls high school athletes from 2025-26
Reporting by Keith Dunlap, Special to The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Keith Dunlap, Special to The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
