STRENGTH OF CHARACTER

Share this article with a friend.

January 22, 2025

For information on admission to Notre Dame Prep, please click here. 

Former Notre Dame Prep running wunderkind included in inaugural class of school's Athletic Hall of Fame.

On Friday, Feb. 7, Notre Dame Prep will induct its first class into the Athletic Hall of Fame, which features alumni, an administrator and coach, and a longtime parent volunteer and supporter. The inaugural class for the year 2024 includes Bobbie Bieszki NDP'00, Molly Coldren NDP'08, Mike Durkin, Nathan Mylenek NDP'16 and Betty Wroubel.

As we get closer to that special night, we are profiling each inductee, one at a time, beginning today with Nathan Mylenek NDP'16.

A 2016 graduate of Notre Dame Prep, Mylenek was the 2014 MHSAA state champion in the 3200m run and earned seven first team All-State honors in cross country and track and field. He also garnered 11 varsity letters at Notre Dame Prep and six Spirit of the Fighting Irish awards. In track and field, he was a two-time Oakland County champion, a six-time regional champion and established four Notre Dame Prep school records. 

Following high school, Mylenek competed in cross country and track and field at the University of Iowa, twice being named a NCAA D1 All-American and earning five All-Big Ten honors. He was a three-time Big Ten champion, four-time NCAA D1 National Championship qualifier in cross country and track and field and established three Iowa school records. In addition, Mylenek earned the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award, achieved a Team USA silver medal at the 2017 Pan-Am U20 Championships and was a 2023 USA Track and Field Championships qualifier.

Dr. TJ Kulick, current NDP math teacher and Mylenek's cross country and assistant track coach at NDP, said his former student is a natural and certainly belongs in the inaugural class of NDP's athletic hall of fame.

"Based on his achievements as a runner, Nathan has the qualifications to be in any school’s athletic hall of fame, but at Notre Dame Prep, we expect more than just results on the field," said Kulick. "It’s the strength of his character that makes Nathan an excellent candidate to represent Notre Dame Prep as he embodies the school’s mission of being a Christian person, upright citizen and academic scholar."

An induction ceremony for the inaugural class, which coincides with the 30th anniversary of Notre Dame Prep, will be held at halftime of the NDP boys varsity basketball game against Genesee Christian School on Friday, Feb. 7, with tip off at 5:30 p.m. Following, the NDP girls varsity basketball team will take on Genesee Christian School at 7 p.m.

A meet and greet will be held in the athletics triangle following the induction. The Notre Dame Prep athletic booster club will also be hosting a basket raffle throughout the evening with proceeds benefiting Notre Dame Prep athletics and the hall of fame.

For the Notre Dame Prep Athletic Hall of Fame's Class of 2025, nominations are due by May 1, 2025. Please click here for more information. 

 

For information on admission to Notre Dame Prep, please click here.

Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org

About Notre Dame Preparatory School
"At Notre Dame Prep, we inspire our students to become the best versions of themselves. We challenge them through an experience of academic excellence, focused on active, project-based learning. We invite them to explore a world of opportunities beyond the classroom. We guide them as they grow in spirituality within a community strong in its Catholic and Marist identity."

Notre Dame Preparatory School is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. Notre Dame Preparatory School's upper school enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame Prep's middle and lower schools enroll students in pre-kindergarten through grade eight. All three schools are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDP is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the National Association of Independent Schools. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School, visit the school’s home page at www.ndprep.org.