High School

Pella (Iowa) distance standout Marissa Ferebee makes history

Ferebee put her name in the Iowa cross country history books Thursday, becoming the second girl to record a time under 17 minutes

Dana Becker

Pella's Marissa Ferebee runs the 3A 3000 meter final during the Iowa high school state track and field meet at Drake Stadium on Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Des Moines.
Pella's Marissa Ferebee runs the 3A 3000 meter final during the Iowa high school state track and field meet at Drake Stadium on Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Des Moines. / Lily Smith/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK

Marissa Ferebee put her name in the Iowa cross country history books Thursday, becoming the second girl to record a time under 17 minutes.

Ferebee, a defending state champion from Pella, set a record with a clocking of 16:38 in winning the Gilbert Invitational. The event was held at the Iowa State University course.

The mark topped that set by Paityn Noe from Gilbert of 16:48 at the 2022 state meet in Fort Dodge. Noe now competes for the University of Arkansas.

Ferebee, a junior, will next compete on Monday, Sept. 16 in Ballard.

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Dana Becker
DANA BECKER

Dana Becker has been a sports writer in Iowa since 2000, writing for The Fort Dodge Messenger, Mason City Globe-Gazette, Cedar Rapids Gazette and others. Dana resides in northcentral Iowa and started as a writer with SB Live Sports in 2022 focused on the state of Iowa. Along with providing coverage of football and wrestling, Dana also spotlights cross country, swimming, basketball, track and field, soccer, tennis, golf, baseball and softball. He began writing for High School on SI in 2023.

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