Sophomore From Ann Arbor Uses Late Burst To Win NXN Title; Wayzata Girls Win Second National Championship

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

John Nepolitan Photo

RESULTS/RACE VIDEOS

PORTLAND -- Natasza Dudek wandered around the finish area after winning the Nike Cross Nationals girls championship and then saw her older sister, Zofia, and ran over to her for an emotional and tearful hug. 

The sophomore from Ann Arbor, Mich., the Midwest regional champion, overtook leader Jaelyn Williams of California and sped through the final 200 meters go win in 16:50.1 on Saturday at Glendoveer Golf Course. 

Dudek made it a second national championship for the family. Zofia Dudek won the 2019 Foot Locker national title. 

"It means the world to me," Natasza Dudek said. "I'm so happy that (Zofia) supports me so much and that she came here today."

By two kilometers, Dudek, Blair Bartlett of New Jersey, the Northeast regional champion, Wlliams, and Wayzata's Maddie Gullickson, the Heartland champion, broke away from the field as a four-some.

Within half a mile, Gullickson fell back and the race was down to three. Williams surged at 3k and tried to break Bartlett and Dudek by taking a five-second lead. 

The final stair-step hills 200 meters from the end is where Dudek and Barlett caught Williams and drove past her. Dudek had enough in reserve to crest the final hill in first and sprinted for the finish tape. 

"The terraces I knew were going to be tough, but I thought they would go by fast. I knew it was going to be a quick climb and a sprint to the finish," Dudek said. 

Bartlett, who finished second, will take the free pass to compete for the U.S. at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, Fla. Dudek, like her older sister, competes internationally for Poland. 

Wayzata, one of the nation's perennially premier programs, added a national championship to the one it won in 2013. 

Twelve years ago at Portland Meadows, Wayzata ended a streak of Manlius NY championships. On Saturday, Wayzata put a momentary stop to Colorado domination of NXN, edging Niwot CO by just five points, 142-147. 

"It's awesome that we have a legacy and tradition of excellence of team and we've been able to build off of that as we've taken over the program the last few years," coach Kalsey Beach said. "I think this is amazing and sets the tone for all of our younger athletes of how we step up, how we fill shoes, and how we take care of each other." 

Wayzata was led by Gullickson's seventh-place overall finish and won with a senior-laden team that had moved its way up, year by year, from 21st place in 2023 and ninth last year. 

Wayzata's point total was the highest in the 20 years of Nike Cross Nationals, a testament to the depth of this year's field. 

The team overcame the loss of Miley Clark, who fell and did not finish the race. She was carried off the course and taken to the medical tent. Clark was the team's No. 3 runner at the Heartland regional. Team depth made up for the loss.

Niwot's runner-up finish was its third in the past four years.  The team finished third in the NXR Southwest regional.

Union County of New Jersey became the first team from the Northeast to make the top-three and stand on the podium, with 174 points. 

Lone Peak of Utah, one of the pre-meet favorites, finished fourth with 178 points and South Denver of Colorado was fifth with 198. 

Three from the high-altitude states of Colorado and Utah was to be expected after the recent success of those two states at the meet. 

Wayzata emerged as a national championship contender after impressive group efforts at the Minnesota state meet and the NXR Heartland regional.