High School

Record-setting day at the Iowa state cross country championships

Pella’s Marissa Ferebee sets all-course mark while Western Dubuque’s Quintin Nauman becomes second boy to go under 15 minutes

Dana Becker

Pella's Marissa Ferebee won her state Class 3A state cross country championship Friday, leading the Dutch to a third straight team title. Ferebee won her second title and broke the all-course record in the process.
Pella's Marissa Ferebee won her state Class 3A state cross country championship Friday, leading the Dutch to a third straight team title. Ferebee won her second title and broke the all-course record in the process. / X/IGHSAU

Thanks to ideal conditions and a fast course, records were shattered on Friday at the opening day of the Iowa state cross country championships held in Fort Dodge at Lakeside Golf Course and Kennedy Park.

Pella’s Marissa Ferebee earned her second consecutive title, setting a state meet and all-time best for any course in Iowa in the Class 3A race. Behind her performance, the Dutch easily earned their third straight team title, scoring the lowest total ever at state with 23 points.

Ferebee, who became just the second Iowan to crack 17 minutes earlier this year, went a blistering 16:30.9 to surpass the previous mark of 16:48.6. She led a 1-2-3 finish for Pella, as Elsie Brenneman was second and Ruth Dunham finished third. 

Harlan’s Lindsey Sonderman and Izzy Hardin from Maquoketa finished fourth and fifth overall. Sioux Center was second in the team standings followed by Mount Vernon-Lisbon, Solon and Winterset.

In the very next race, Western Dubuque’s Quentin Nauman became just the second boy runner to break 15 minutes, defeating defending race winner Canaan Dunham of Pella. Nauman, a junior, went 14:59.6, winning by 17 seconds.

Caleb Ten Pas from Des Moines Christian was third while Gilbert’s Jacob Tallman and Logan Bleich rounded out the Top-5. Behind Tallman and Bleich, the Tigers won team gold, as Carson Squiers gave them three in the Top-10 by placing sixth.

Gilbert finished with 33 points, 45 ahead of Des Moines Christian. Pella was third, Decorah finished fourth and Mount Vernon-Lisbon was fifth.

Ankeny’s Ethan Zuber repeats in 4A

For the second year in a row, Ankeny’s Ethan Zuber handled the best runners in 4A, winning gold once again. The senior went 15:01, topping Jaden Merrick of Cedar Falls by almost seven seconds. 

Iowa City Liberty’s Keegan Decker, Slader Buckheister from Cedar Rapids Kennedy and Owen Marett of Des Moines Roosevelt completed the Top-5.

Cedar Falls, with four in the Top-20, topped West Des Moines Dowling for team gold. Cedar Rapids Prairie was third, Dallas Center-Grimes finished fourth and Norwalk was fifth.

Sophomore Piper Messerly of Dallas Center-Grimes locked up her first state title, winning the 4A girls race in 17:58. She finished almost four seconds ahead of runner-up Anika Mohrhauser of Ankeny Centennial, with Charlee Gall of Cedar Falls, Nakia Olivierre from Waterloo West and Evie Henneberry of Dubuque Hempstead rounding out the Top-5.

Pleasant Valley’s overall team depth helped them to gold, as the Spartans saw three in the Top-10 and had all five in the Top-25. Johnston was second followed by Dubuque Senior, Ankeny Centennial and Dallas Center-Grimes.

The 1A and 2A state events take place Saturday.

Published
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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