Natasza Dudek was used to winning -- and mostly winning big this cross -- country season. But her biggest win on Saturday was a come-from-behind effort.

Thanks to a late surge to pass the leader and then holding off another runner, Dudek claimed the Nike Cross Nationals (NXN) individual title with a 5-kilometer time of 16:50.1. She collapsed in exhaustion after crossing the finish line at Glendoveer Golf Course in Portland, Ore. with a winning margin of just 1.6 seconds.

“It was incredible,” Dudek said in a video interview with NXN following the race. “I had no idea that I was going to end up winning. I really just took finishing on empty to heart. I really just gave it my all.”

Dudek, a sophomore standout from Ann Arbor Pioneer, made a surge to the lead past leader Jaelyn Williams of

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