The state’s returning Gatorade Runner of the Year, the 5-foot-5 junior won the Class 6A state meet for a second straight time this past season, clocking an 18:28.4 to finish 22.3 seconds ahead of her next-closest competitor and lead the Mountaineers to a third-place finish as a team. Nachtigal, who took first at the Class 7A state meet as a freshman, also won the Arkansas vs. Oklahoma All-Star Meet and finished sixth at the Missouri Southern Stampede this past fall.
Nachtigal has maintained a weighted 3.79 GPA in the classroom. She will begin her senior year of high school this fall.
A member of her local chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Nachtigal participated in a service-mission trip to St. Louis with her church, and she has volunteered locally at youth cross country meets.
