Mounds View freshman Linnea Ousdigian is generally not one to stop and smell the proverbial roses at the end of a race.

“She’s like all business,” Mustangs coach Ian O’Neill said. “She races hard to the finish line whether she’s ahead by 10 seconds or two minutes.”

But Wednesday was different, for obvious reasons. As she approached the finish line to claim her first Nordic individual state title at Giants Ridge in Biwabik, Ousdigian did indeed take a moment to savor the achievement. She sported a big smile as she finished the race with a winning, two-race pursuit time of 27 minutes, 43.8 seconds — five seconds clear of Highland Park’s Hanna Koch.

“It was just kind of crazy. Everybody was cheering,” she said. “You’re the first one across the finish line, and everybody is watching you.”

It’s likely a feeling she won’t forget anytime soon.

“For the first time all year actually, she really enjoyed the moment,” O’Neill said. “Today was really fun to see her be able to enjoy it, and that brings joy to me and the whole team, so it was an unbelievable moment.”

The moment capped an unbelievable feat. The goal discussed by Ousdigian with her coaches was to try to finish in the top seven to earn a spot on the podium. She ended up claiming the very top spot on said podium, which was a surprise to many. Though O’Neill suggested maybe it wasn’t to the freshman.

“In the back of her mind, she’s usually looking higher, because she’s clearly capable and just loves competing,” he said. “I’ve known what she was capable of for a long time. So nothing that she does shocks me.”

Not even erasing a 17-second deficit after the morning classic race. The freestyle is Ousdigian’s strength — she’s an excellent skate skier. When she finished fourth in the classic in the morning session, she felt she had a chance to at least finish top two, if not a spot higher.

“I was like, ‘If I could get first, I’ll go for it.’ But I wasn’t really sure,” Ousdigian said. “I was just planning to go after it and see if I could get (Koch). I passed her a little bit before halfway of the second lap. I just decided to go for it and passed her.”

What makes Ousdigian so special in the freestyle technique, O’Neill noted, is her motor.

“She flies up and over the hills. There’s a lot to Linnea the racer that shines through in skate, and it’s just clear how much she loves to compete,” he said. “So we knew that she had her sights set on trying to get that No. 1 spot, and she was going to give it her all to do that.”

Koch’s second-place finish was the junior’s second straight top-five finish. Central freshman Elsa Lindfors placed seventh.

Duluth East leads the team race ahead of Thursday’s team sprints. Highland Park, which also had a 21st-place finish from Alex Pundsack — is in fourth. Stillwater, which had a pair of top-20 finishes from Bailey Holmes and Stella Powell — is in sixth.

Ousdigian admitted she never thought she would be able to win a state title as a freshman. She placed 32nd a year ago as an eighth grader. She noted she didn’t have good runs that day.

Certainly the opposite was true Wednesday. Part of that is due to the strides she’s made as a skier in the last year. O’Neill noted how much Ousdigian’s technique and fitness continues to improve with age.

“It feels like the sky is the limit for what she’s capable of,” O’Neill said.

Especially given how she is able to perform on the biggest of stages. Any nerves Ousdigian encountered Wednesday, she said she turned into excitement.

“She loves every aspect of what it means to be a good Nordic racer. She loves to train, she loves to ski, she loves the competition, and no moment is too big for her,” O’Neill said. “She wants to be in those positions, and that’s not something that you’re going to see that often for a ninth grader. And that’s something she strives for. She like lives for those moments and enjoys them, which is cool to see as a coach. I don’t need to worry about if she’s nervous. She’s excited for the opportunity. The moment wasn’t too big for her. She saw that she had a chance, and she seized it.”