CASPER, Wyo. (Wyoming News Now) – There’s just one more Wyoming News Now Prep Athlete of the Year, and she’s the only non-senior athlete to join the rest of the athletes. Not only is she a three-sport athlete, but she also brought home a state title in each of her sports. She helped Natrona win its first cross country state title since 2019, dominated Nordic skiing in the winter where she took first place in both races, and won her first individual state title in outdoor track and field where she took gold in the 3200-meter run. And to top it all off, her skiing skills have allowed her to compete not only nationally, but internationally as well. Ally Wheeler received our final Prep Athlete of the Year nomination, and we had the opportunity to sit down with her and reflect on her incredible junior year.

Below is the full transcript of the interview with Ally Wheeler (edited for clarity):

Nick Paniagua: Hello and welcome, I’m here with our final 2024 Wyoming News Now Prep Athlete of the Year, Ally Wheeler, who won three Sports 3 state titles in her penultimate and senior year. And Ally, thank you so much for being with us.

Ally Wheeler: Thank you for having me here.

NP: And just so you know, three athletes, three state championships in one season. Can you just walk me through last season, all three seasons you had in your junior year?

AW: Yeah, our cross team won the state championship even though we weren’t projected to win. Our second and third runners ran a really, really good race and I think they finished third and seventh. So it’s really cool to take home the state title and then in the ski season I finished first in both races. It was really cool to do that at home. And then in the track season, again, I wasn’t projected to win the 32 but I did it so that was another really cool thing as well.

NP: You know, in cross country, I think you sold yourself a little short because you ended up finishing second in that race. I mean, you had such a great season and you just ended it like that. I mean, what does it mean to you when you cross the finish line?

AW: I was just really happy to be able to contribute to our team placing. I was injured during the nationals so I dragged myself through the race but I was really happy that I decided to go.

NP: And did this injury ultimately affect your ski season, since the ski season started immediately afterward?

AW: No, I took a few weeks off and then everything was fine.

NP: Understood, and you know, skiing is your livelihood. That’s what you’re known for. Not only did you win both races at the state championships, but you won in Casper. I mean, what did that mean to you? What did that mean to you? To do that at home.

AW: It was really special. A lot of the kids from the hall came and watched a lot of my close friends. A lot of my teachers, some of our family friends, so it really motivated me to do my best.

NP: And another season, another state title for you in track and field, your first state title – an individual state title when you won the 3200 meter race, you and Maggie Matt. I’ve seen a lot of races and some of them just blend together, but this one I remember in particular is that the two of you were neck and neck until you pulled away in the home stretch. Can you walk me through that last lap again?

AW: Yes. Like I said, I didn’t expect to win because she was a few seconds faster than me in the regional races. So my plan was to stay behind her as long as I could. And if I was feeling good, I would pass her at the end. And that’s what I did. I thought she would catch back up but she didn’t, so I was pretty happy about that, but I just didn’t look back and went as fast as I could.

NP: So Wyoming obviously wasn’t the only state you skied in. You skied with the High Plains Ski Team in New York, but you even took it a step further, you skied internationally, I mean. Can you talk a little bit about how you were able to ski at such a high level that you could compete with people all over the world?

AW: Yeah. So that was a really cool experience. The first international race I qualified for was the Scandinavian Cup and that’s for everyone under 18 all over Scandinavia and I think Denmark and Iceland joined us so that was really cool. The snow is very different there. It’s really, really wet snow so you have to know how to race a little bit differently but that was really cool. I was sick during the race but I got 10th and then it was off to Slovenia for the Junior World Championships where most 16 year olds don’t go to the Junior World Championships so I didn’t really expect much. I did the 20k in the skate and got 24th so that was pretty cool.

NP: Just amazing results. All in all, and you know, I’m kind of curious, what have been the biggest takeaways for you, at least when you were skiing internationally, that you’re kind of carrying with you now as the next ski season approaches?

AW: Definitely the technique and aggressiveness that the older girls showed at the World Juniors, especially during the sprints. You have to be really aggressive at the start to get into the position you want to be in, so that’s definitely something I’ll be working on.

NP: Good. And one last thing for you. I mean, fantastic junior year and now you have one more year to go at Natrona. I mean, what are some of the goals you have for the upcoming year in all three sports?

AW: I hope that I can win the national championships again in all three sports, hopefully not be injured during the running season and can compete internationally again.

NP: All right, perfect, Ally. I mean, again, just a fantastic year for you. And here you are again. Our last Prep Athlete of the Year in 2024. Congratulations to Ally Wheeler. Thank you for being with us.

AW: Thank you for letting me be here.

All rights reserved.