Last year, Mounds View’s Linnea Ousdigian had to rally from fourth place to win the individual pursuit state title via an impressive showing in her strong suit — the freestyle — to overcome the three skiers ahead of her and claim victory as a freshman.

This year, the roles were reversed. The freestyle was the first of the two races, allowing Ousdigian to open up a wide advantage. She led by 27 seconds heading into the classic race. That was right around the level of cushion the sophomore was hoping to have.

“Starting in the lead in the second race definitely made it more stressful in the second race, but it was also nice knowing that I already had a lead,” Ousdigian said.

Ousdigian took a savvy approach to the classic race.

“I definitely didn’t go all out from the beginning, versus if there was someone in front of me, I would’ve gone faster at the beginning, I think, and tried to catch them,” she said. “But I just tried to pace it well. …  I was just trying to make sure I kept my lead and did not fall.”

Mission accomplished on both accounts.

Ousdigian won her second consecutive state crown Thursday at Giants Ridge in Biwabik, with the sophomore completing the two-stage race in 32 minutes, 24.4 seconds — 15 ticks faster than Proctor/Hermantown senior Della Bettendorf.

While the 2024 victory will always hold a special spot in Ousdigian’s heart as her first title, she noted this one was special in its own way. This one came under the weight of significant expectations.

“I think I was a lot more nervous. I think I kind of liked it better when I was the underdog,” Ousdigian said. “I’m proud of myself, I guess, for dealing with that.”

And everything else that comes with becoming a relative household name within the Minnesota ski community. Mounds View coach Ian O’Neill noted many, many people approach the sophomore to offer their congratulations and just get a chance to be around her.

Everyone around Giants Ridge this week knew who she was.

“There’s a little bit more of a target on her back, there’s a little bit more conversation about her at the start line from other skiers,” O’Neill said. “That can be tough for some people, but she handles it all with a level of class, and having it not affect the way that she races is really impressive.”

It’s just one of the ways in which Ousdigian continues to grow. There’s a lot that goes into reaching and maintaining such a high level.

“The fact that she enjoys all of the aspects of it leads to her being able to continue pushing herself. She looks forward to when the first snow fall comes and she’s able to get out there,” O’Neill said. “And she revels in being able to train and push herself. As a skier, she has fantastic technique but being able to push yourself and enjoy the process is really how she’s continued to improve from year to year.”

It’s what makes her such a shining example for her Mustangs teammates. Mounds View reached this year’s state meet as a team, finishing 11th. Minneapolis Washburn won the team title, while Minnetonka was second and Highland Park was third.

The Mustangs appearance as a team was a feat in itself.

“I think she sort of resets the standard for what’s possible. There are times where if you don’t really see it day to day, if you don’t have someone out in front of you to look at, she leads by example and shows the rest of our team how to act and how to go about her business, both training and on race day,” O’Neill said. “Last week, when we were prepping for it, she was talking about how excited she was … I rarely have to build her up, because she has a really good head on her shoulders of how to approach a race.”

And the sport at large.

There was little time for Ousdigian to savor her victory. Because she got back home Thursday evening, threw in some laundry, then was set to pack her bags again Friday and fly out to Norway for a U-18 Nations trip. She noted her goals for that event aren’t nearly as loft.

Ousdigian simply wants to enjoy the trip and gain some valuable experience. She was confident one good night of sleep on Thursday night would be enough to recharge her batteries.

She also noted how important it was to her to still compete in Minnesota this week, even with her international obligations in front of her. The boys state champion, Hopkins Logan Drevlow — who also defended his crown Thursday as a sophomore — made the same decision with the trip to Norway on the near horizon.

“Both of them are phenoms. … It was cool to see their commitment,” O’Neill said. “Because, for a lot of kids, this is the pinnacle – the state meet. And they have other things they’re working through as they compete against world-level competition. But the fact they’re both here and prioritizing this thing I think is really cool for not only my team to see with Linnea … but also for all the other skiers who know that they have a lot going on, to see them still prioritize and care about this race.”

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