Kelsey Dudziak, of Mount Greylock, ran middle and long distance events and also contributed to the team's cause by performing well in field events. Dudziak's all-around ability landed her an MVP award her senior year. Photo by Sean McLaughlin

Kelsey Dudziak is a two-sport standout at Mount Greylock High School — just don't ask her to make a choice.

Dudziak, who is the 2007 All-Eagle girls' track most valuable player, also played soccer for Greylock's tradition-laden program.

"I don't think I could ever choose" one over the other, she said. "I like things about both."

Dudziak was selected as the All-Eagle MVP on a vote of the league's coaches. She was a standout distance runner as well as a quality jumper.

"If you have a good race, it can make more of a difference. In soccer, you have to count on 10 other girls," she said. "In track, you can get five points all by yourself."

The Greylock senior competed in a league that had a lot of talented athletes, and she admitted that she wasn't expecting to be named the MVP.

"I was fairly surprised — my coach didn't say anything to me," she recalled.

Dudziak said that she truly enjoys the spirit of soccer, but added this about the track team.

"The track team is the best team I've ever been on," she said enthusiastically. "In track, everyone can run and push each other to run faster."

At Greylock, that comes naturally. As a distance runner, Dudziak frequently finished second on her team to standout Jackie Lemme. As a jumper, she would often finish in the top three.

In the final meet of the season, a tri-meet against Wahconah and Mount

"As we looked at (the MVP vote), that's what (the coaches) came up with. She's a great athlete in her own right," said Greylock girls' track coach Brian Gill. "Kelsey was very good in both (disciplines)."

One thing both sports have in common for Dudziak is the running. In track, it's obvious. Her midfielder position on the soccer pitch is the position that requires the most running, with overlapping coverage in the offensive and defensive zones.

"Kelsey's a soccer player who runs track," said Gill. "I think that's why I love track. If you're a competitor, that's the fun in track and field. It's the competitors who win you championships."

Gill said while he's had a lot of athletes do the soccer-track double, there haven't been too many who handle what Dudziak does.

"The tough double (in track) is the distance and the jumping," he said. "Jumpers and sprinters turn up more than distance runners and jumpers. You don't usually do distance with a sprinter/jumper. Kelsey never really got a chance to practice the jumping."

That's because distance runners have to put in their mileage every day, and frequently aren't available to do as much jumping practice as the sprinters and hurdlers. But that didn't stop Dudziak from being outstanding in her jumping efforts.

"Absolutely," said Gill. "She tied for the best high jump (5 feet) in the county. She hadn't done much work when she jumped five feet."

Ask the MVP what she likes to do most in track and she didn't have to think about it very much.

"I love running. In a lot of our workouts, you can see yourself progress. At the end of the season, your time drops," she said.

During the season, Dudziak has ran the 800 meters, her personal favorite, the mile, and the two-mile.

"Your first lap, you're testing the other runners," she said. "One thing our coaches always stress is working hard on the third lap of the mile. You're always going to push on your last lap.

"Once you get past that second lap," Dudziak added, "it goes by quicker than you think."

Not so in one of the other races in which Dudziak competes.

"The two-mile, you're on the track forever," she said with a laugh.

Gill said Dudziak runs anything from the 400 to the two-mile, and can be part of 4-by-400 and 4-by-800 relay teams.

"In soccer, the game is kind of stop-and-go. In racing, you can plan everything out," she said. "Running is 90 percent mental. You go through all these workouts, and then it's, 'let me show everyone what I've trained for.' "

The MVP will be heading off to Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn., in the fall. She said she plans to run track for the Division III program.

As a senior, Dudziak helped lead the Mounties to an undefeated season and the Berkshire County championship.

"This year, our captains wanted to try and win the county. Some of our kids took the brunt of that," said the Greylock coach. "She didn't get to run a lot of training runs. It was very important what she did for us in the jumps.

"She was one of the best if you look at her body of work," said Gill. "She clearly was one of our most valuable kids."