Abbey Nechanicky answers to various nicknames in the company of her talented Wayzata cross-country teammates: Abs. Dabbers. The Gail.
The last one comes from her full birth name, Abigail, and sounds like a moniker out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise. Which works, because Nechanicky's distance-running performances are getting less mortal with each race.
Call her The Gail of November after breezing past the competition to win the Class 3A state meet at St. Olaf College in Northfield. Or call her the Star Tribune Metro Girls Cross-Country Runner of the Year for dominant finishes throughout the fall season.
"It's crazy to see how she is a superstar," said older sister Riley Nechanicky, a former Providence Academy runner who watched as Abbey blossomed from a below-average training partner of a runner into one of the state's all-time best.
The sisters are working together again as co-authors of their "run.fast.eat.broccoli" Instagram account. They discover and share recipes for healthier meals, unlike the chicken nuggets and French fries of Abbey's youth.
Sharing her passion for cooking, Nechanicky hosts occasional team dinners on weeknights and weekend brunch after long runs.
"She is an amazing cook," Trojans teammate Grace Weber said.
To satisfy her sweet tooth, Nechanicky enjoys chocolate lava cakes and Trader Joe's Peanut Butter Cups. On race days, she stuffs herself with the competition.
She went 7-0 in races this fall, eclipsing the 17-minute mark in each of the last four races. The unprecedented streak concluded with the Class 3A individual title in a record time of 16 minutes, 47.7 seconds.
She led Wayzata to the team title, joining Teegan Anderson, Grace Mignone, Maddie Gullickson and Alyson Kleyman as the Trojans' five scoring contributors.
"It's my last cross-country race on Minnesota soil," Nechanicky told reporters afterward. "So I wanted to leave my mark and be with my team."
She and Wayzata made an impression outside Minnesota's borders. Nechanicky, who committed to Colorado, won the Nike Cross Country Nationals Heartland Regional race and paced Wayzata's team victory Nov. 13 in Sioux Falls, S.D.
She placed fourth and the Trojans ninth at the Nike Cross Country National championship meet Saturday in Portland, Ore.
