Linnea Ousdigian defends Pursuit championship; Minneapolis Washburn wins team title

Mounds View sophomore Linnea Ousdigian doesn't necessarily enjoy leading a race, though you wouldn't know it by the final results of the Minnesota State High School League's Nordic Ski Racing State Meet. 

Ousdigian captured her second consecutive Girls Pursuit Championship at Giants Ridge in Biwabik on Thursday with a combined time of 32:24.4.

“In the (Freestyle) I was just trying to go as hard as I could and in the Classic I was just trying to make sure I didn’t get passed,” Ousdigian said, “I don’t like the feeling of being chased.”

She was pursued until the end as Della Bettendorf of Proctor/Hermantown pulled within 15 seconds to secure the silver medal. Lila Golomb of Wayzata finished third, 45 seconds off the lead. Evie Malec of Minnetonka and Chloe Angerman of Minneapolis Washburn rounded out the top five.

Angerman and Washburn earned the team title with 363 points, 14 more than runner-up Minnetonka. Ciara Thatcher also achieved a top-10 Pursuit finish for the Millers, placing eighth. Nell Gardner and Eve Gardner were sixth in the Sprint Relay on Wednesday.

St. Paul Highland Park, Duluth East and Proctor/Hermantown were also top-five teams.