She won a bronze medal in the New Zealand secondary schools championships in Wellington at the weekend in the competitive senior girls 100m and spearheaded the school team that won gold in the 4x100m relay.
Last year, in Hastings, the Columba College relay team won the bronze medal and it was not going to settle for anything less this year.
The relay team of Renaye Flockton, Napper, Melissa Austen and Laura Saville are coached by the school's sports co-ordinator Shona Harvey and the hours of training paid dividends at the championships.
Napper is coached by Joan Merrilees and her daughter Megan Gibbons at the Taieri club and emerged on the national scene for the first time.
Another athlete in the Merrilees squad is George Woodhouse (Kavanagh College) who won a gold medal in the junior boys 100m in 11.47sec.
The success at the championships highlights the hard work done by Otago coachesOtago athletes won 28 medals in Wellington - 15 gold, seven silver and six bronze.
AWD athletes are now fully integrated into the athletic scene in New Zealand and they played a significant role in the Otago medal haul.
Nikitia White (Otago Girls') won five gold medals and Holly Robinson (Taieri College) three. Liam Smith (Lawrence Area School) won a silver medal in the AWD discus.
Caitlin O'Brien (St Hilda's) has competed in the shadow of school mate Rebekah Greene in the past but she emerged in her own right by winning a silver medal in the senior girls 800m.
Otago's continued success at national level over the last few years has not come from a few talented athletes. It is the result of hard work by coaches.
The most successful have been Jim Baird, the coach of Greene, Caitlin O'Brien and Andrew Whyte, Brent Ward and his stable of sprinters, and Raylene Bates with the AWD athletes and throwers.
There are also emerging coaches such as Richard Barker, the Merrilees family, Andrew Finnie and Mike Weddell who are starting to bring athletes into the limelight at national level.
The Otago medallists in Wellington were. -
Gold: Megan McPhail (Waitaki Girls') senior girls 100m (12.39sec, 200m (25.18sec); George Woodhouse (Kavanagh College) junior boys 100m (11.47sec); Andrew Whyte (South Otago HS) senior boys 400m (46.91sec, record); Rebekah Greene (St Hilda's) senior girls 1500m (4min 21.39sec, record), 3000m (9min 23.42sec, record); Columba College, senior girls 4x100m relay (Renaye Flockton, Sophie Napper, Melissa Austen, Laura Saville) 49.86sec; Nikita White (Otago Girls) AWD100m, 200m, 400m, shot put, javelin; Holly Robinson (Taieri College) AWD shot put (9.52m, record), discus (32.31m, record), javelin (25.89m, record).
Silver: Whyte, 100m (10.89sec); Caitlin O'Brien (St Hilda's), senior girls 800m (2min 14.13sec); Anna Kean (Otago Girls') senior girls 1500m (4min 42.64sec); Meg McKay (St Hilda's) junior girls high jump (1.59m); Sam Porter (East Otago) junior boys javelin (45.74m); Dean Rusbatch (Otago Boys') senior boys hammer throw (55.22m); Liam Smith (Lawrence) AWD discus (23.27m).
Bronze: Sophie Napper (Columba College) senior girls 100m (12.48sec); Gavin Stark (Blue Mountain College) senior boys 100m (11.14sec); Robert Jopp (John McGlashan) senior boys 200m (22.56sec); Chris McNoe (Otago Boys') junior boys 400m (52.35sec); Hamish Cooper (Otago Boys') junior boys 3000m (9min 30.16sec); Erin O'Brien (St Hilda's) open girls 2km walk (11min 44.26sec).
