LISBON, Portugal – Stanford freshman Charles Hicks and recent signee Zofia Dudek each placed fifth at the European under-20 cross country championships on Sunday.
Hicks was the top finisher for the Great Britain & Northern Ireland men's team, which captured the team crown with 25 points, to 38 for runner-up Norway. Stanford freshman teammate Ryan Oosting placed 61st for the Netherlands.
In the women's race, Dudek, who signed a National Letter of Intent last month for Stanford, helped Poland to sixth as a team.
Hicks was born in London and lived in England until age 12. His family settled in Jacksonville, Florida, where Hicks starred at The Bolles School.
Hicks, making his national team debut, covered the 6,225-meter (3.87-mile) course at Parque da Bela Vista Park in 19:05, with Norwegian international star Jakob Ingebrigtsen winning in 18:20. Oosting was clocked in 20:09.
Oosting is from Arlington, Massachusetts. His mother is Dutch and his father is half Dutch, and Ryan is a dual citizen of the U.S. and the Netherlands. Both Hicks and Oosting redshirted this fall for Stanford.
Dudek, an early leader, ran the women's race in 14:22 over 4,225 meters (2.62 miles). Italy's Nadia Battocletti won in 13:58.
Dudek grew up in Warsaw, Poland, and is a senior at Ann Arbor (Mich.) Pioneer High School. Her father, Maciej, is a visiting professor of economics at the University of Michigan.
A total of 602 runners from 40 countries competed in seven races – including senior, under-23, under-20 men's and women's races, and a mixed team relay.
Future Stanford runner Zofia Dudek leads. Photo by Getty Images.