Courtesy of the Big Sky Conference.

To anyone who knew her, she was a free spirit.

Marching to the beat of her own drum, Northern Arizona's Johanna Nilsson won four NCAA individual titles. Those titles rank sixth on the Big Sky Conference's list of "25 Greatest Female Moments."

Nilsson, a native of Kalmar, Sweden, was a standout distance runner for the Lumberjacks. She competed in cross country from 2002-03, and 2005. She competed in track and field from 2003-06.

Arkansas and Indiana were two great states for Nilsson. In Fayetteville, Ark., Nilsson won her first NCAA title at the 2003 Indoor Track and Field Championships.

In the prelims of the mile, Nilsson won her heat with a time of 4 minutes, 38.44 seconds but finished second overall to Mississippi State's Tiffany McWilliams, who had a time of 4:38.11. The next day in the finals, Nilsson went out and won with a time of 4:32.49. McWilliams was second with a time of 4:36.51.

Nilsson captured her second NCAA title in 2005. But this time it would come on the cross country course in Terre Haute, Ind.

On Nov. 21, 2005, Nilsson became the Big Sky Conference's first and to date only individual women's cross country champion. The pace was fast on the LaVern Gibson Championship Course so fast, in fact, that Nilsson set a course record with her winning time of 19:33.9.

"I felt really good after the first 2K," Nilsson said after the race. "I did not want to break away as early as the pack separated, but it ended up working out for me. I had no idea about the lead that I had going into the home stretch. I just wanted to finish hard and give it my best."

"Johanna is in phenomenal shape," said John Hayes, head cross country coach at the time at Northern Arizona, after the race. "We knew all along that Johanna had the ability to win this meet and she proved to everybody what she can do. I am extremely proud of all of our girls and how they performed this season. They worked hard and it paid off for us today. This is a great indication of where we want this program to go. This is a young team that has an even more promising future."

As a team, the Lumberjacks finished 12th.

The only other NCAA cross country champion from a Big Sky school came in 1986 when Northern Arizona's Angela Chalmers won. At the time, Big Sky women's teams competed under the old Mountain West banner.

After the NCAA Championship, Nilsson competed in the SPAR European Cross Country Championship. She finished third for Sweden.

After coming back from Europe, Nilsson geared up for the indoor season. It was there she won her third and fourth NCAA championships.

At the 2006 NCAA Indoor Championship in Fayetteville, Ark., Nilsson won the prelims on Friday in the mile with a time of 4:40.11. Villanova's Marina Muncan was second at 4:42.85.

Nilsson came back the next day and won the finals of the mile with a time of 4:37.78. Florida State's Natalie Hughes was second with a time of 4:40.18.

That same day, just 90 minutes after winning the mile, Nilsson competed in the 3,000 meters. She won with a time of 9:06.61. Providence's Mary Cullen was second with a time of 9:10.22.

After her dominating wins at the indoor NCAA's, Nilsson redshirted the outdoor season to get ready for the European Championship in Sweden that summer.

But one day, Nilsson voluntarily chose to walk away from the sport. She never ran a competitive race again.

Johanna competed at NAU with her sister Ida. Between the two, they won a total of six national titles, 19 all-America honors, 11 Big Sky indoor championships and 12 outdoor championships. Sadly, Johanna left this world on June 25, 2013.

"Johanna had an outgoing personality and always made her teammates smile," said Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Eric Heins after her passing. "She was an amazing runner and had a huge heart for everyone around her."

"Johanna was a very vivacious and caring young lady with a passion for running," said former head coach Ron Mann, who coached Johanna during her first NCAA Championship title. "She was a joy to coach."

Johanna was inducted into the 2011 Northern Arizona Hall of Fame. Ida was inducted in 2010.