Pocatello head cross country coach Shannon Whitmer loves this kind of story.

    Whitmer can coach all-stars. She can work with kids who show up at Pocatello High School as some the best and mold them into state champions.

    But not all her athletes arrive as a finished product, and for Whitmer, the ones who stick it out, who improve steadily despite setbacks, those are some of the most rewarding.

    Dallyce Wheatley stuck it out. For three straight years Wheatley missed qualifying for the state cross country meet — barely.

    But Wheatley is a runner. It’s what she does. So she never stopped, kept working and had a career season as a senior.

    On Wednesday, Wheatley signed a National Letter of Intent to run cross country and track and field for Arizona Christian University.

     For her coach, it’s everything hard work and dedication can lead to.

    "Sometimes kids come in and they’re No. 1 or No. 2 all the way through, and it’s maybe a little easier,” Whitmer said. "For Dallyce, she had to work hard. … She’s one that really, truly does love running. So I think she’s going to really enjoy going on and competing at the next level.”

    Home of the Firestorm, Arizona Christian is a private school in Phoenix, Ariz., competing in the Golden State Athletic Conference of the NAIA. Wheatley chose Arizona Christian because it aligns with her own religious beliefs, and because it’s so close to home — sort of.

    Wheatley’s parents, Rachelle and Kory, moved down to Arizona for a job last year. Wheatley has stayed with her aunt. There was no way, Wheatley said, she was going to miss out on her final year at PHS.

    “It was hard because my dad, he’s a runner,” Wheatley said. "He was a big part of my running career. So that was a little bit different.”

    Kory is a two-time winner of the Pocatello marathon. Even with her dad and mom hours away, though, Wheatley had her best season at Pocatello.

    Wheatley took sixth overall in the 4A 5th District cross country meet and the Indians edged seven-time defending champion Preston by one point for the conference title. It was a season of redemption for the Pocatello girls, who, the year before, had one lone runner qualify for state.

    At the Idaho 4A state cross country meet, Wheatley’s time of 21 minutes and 6.69 seconds came in at 19th overall, making Wheatley a member of the 2013 all-state team. The Indians took third overall.

    "I really wanted to finish my senior year here,” Wheatley said. "All my friends were here and most of my family.”

    Added Whitmer: "She made the decision to stay, ... partly because of our family, our cross country family, and it definitely paid off for her.”