At the senior level she placed 4th at the United States Figure Skating Championships in 1957 and 1958, and won the silver medal at the 1959 event.

[1] Heiss was unable to compete in the 1959-1960 season due to an ankle injury, and enrolled at Michigan State University that fall instead.

While she announced an intention to return to competition after recovering from her injury, in the end she chose to concentrate on her studies.

During the 1950s, the skating Heiss siblings were featured in publications such as Life magazine.

[3] Like her sister Carol, Nancy Heiss was coached by Pierre Brunet during her competitive career.