In the middle of a pack of child, teen, and adult cross country runners, Nicole Carroll is difficult to see because she stands only four foot tall and weighs 50 pounds.

And when the race starts, no one can see the spirit of her dog that runs beside her.But many times when she finishes a race, spectators can clearly see her trademark, a blonde ponytail bouncing across the finish line as she breaks the tape to win first place.When Nicole was two-years old, she gave her mother a glimpse of what was to come."One day she just took off and bolted down the driveway toward a busy street in front of our house," says Barbara Carroll. "I tried to catch up to her, but I couldn't. I was scared and I screamed for her to stop and she finally did, right before the street."This third grade phenom from Jim Thorpe started to make a name for herself when she was is kindergarten. In her first half mile run for St. Joseph's school, she finished 19th out of 73 k-2nd grade runners, but since then her results have quickly gotten much better.One year later, Nicole won her first race against 43 boys and girls at the LaSalle Invitational in Reading. Then in 2012, she became the first runner in her school's history to go undefeated all year, winning all five of her co-ed races. But after stepping up to one-mile races, her parents noticed that although Nicole would sprint out to early leads, older and stronger runners would pass her at the end. So now she runs in 5k (3.1 mile) races and she has proven that her excellent endurance has contributed to many of her victories."Nicole is a natural," says her cross-country coach, Jim Rodgers. "She must get it from her dad who ran when he was in the marines. I try not to over coach her at this age, but I tell her to stay behind the leaders of the race and get close enough so as to touch them. And then I tell her to make her move. And so that she doesn't get burned out and bored, I have her run against seventh and eighth graders so that she stays challenged.""She never gets tired," says her father, Bill Carroll. "After a 5k race, she comes over to us and says, 'ok, what do we do now?'"After winning the 5K Rattlesnake Run at the Lehigh Gorge against boys and girls of her age group, Nicole also won the Bear Creek Benefit Run against women of all ages. Then, as the youngest runner in this year's Skills USA 5K Run at the Gorge, she was first in the female division which included several women in their twenties and thirties and ninth overall with boys and men included.Nicole's self-motivation comes from a slogan that she created when her dog, Shelby died over two years ago. One day she found Shelby's metal dog license in the back yard dirt of their new home in Jim Thorpe. This was an extraordinary moment for the Carrolls because Shelby had died at their previous home in Albrightsville and never had moved with the family to Jim Thorpe."Before each race I think of Shelby," says Nicole, "I say 'believe in yourself and run with his spirit.'"Perhaps her most impressive performance was in the Allentown Diocesan Championships, a race she didn't win. Competing against 96 third and fourth graders, Nicole was in the rear of the pack in the early stages of the race when a runner behind her stepped on the back of her foot. After crashing hard to the ground and falling behind almost all of the runners, she recovered her pace and managed to finish in seventh place.Though she's a star in sneakers, Nicole Carroll is no one hit wonder.Her 12 trophies and 20 medals include awards earned on the soccer field. She plays for the Carbon United U10 boys' team and she recently scored two goals in her team's 3-1 win. Nicole has also been accepted into the Lehigh Valley United Winter Select program that entitles her to advanced level training for elite team soccer participation.Fernando Carrizo, who coaches Nicole on the Carbon United team, says Nicole's greatest assets are her dedication and her determination."She's the first at practice, listens to all our instructions, and stays for extra training. In games, Nicole is relentless, especially against boys. She will get pushed down, but get up and use her speed and footwork to get back to the ball."Carrizo adds, "Mark my words. When she's gets to high school, she will be a very special player.""She's not overwhelmed by all the attention she's been getting," says her father. "In fact we think it drives her to compete even harder."Nicole holds her own opinions about being an athlete. Although she loves to run by herself, she also enjoys being on a soccer team."When I run I have to rely on myself," she says. "But in soccer, I have my team to help me win."Yet running remains her passion and she continues to get noticed. She has been asked to train with the Jim Thorpe High School cross-country team next summer at Mauch Chunk Park."And when she gets older, we are thinking about having her train for half-marathons," says Bill.While not practicing her cello or playing on her Ipad, this Principal's List Honor Student dreams of someday running in the Olympics. Even at age nine, that possibility may hold a probability."After she wins her races, people who don't even know Nicole ask to take a picture of them standing next to her," says Barbara. "They say that she's going to be somebody someday."That may come to be a fact, but the truth is that with all of her accomplishments so far, Nicole Carroll is already somebody today.