Not surprisingly, the Pella Cross Country teams find themselves earning more postseason recognition. For the second consecutive season, Marissa Ferebee of Pella was selected on the Elite All State Girls Cross Country Team by the Des Moines Register. Ferebee ran the fastest 5K in girls state history at the state meet on November 1st, winning her second consecutive 3A title. She will compete at Glendoveer Golf Course in Eugene, Oregon on December 7th at the Nike Cross Nationals after winning at the NXR Race in Sioux Falls and breaking that course record.

Teammate Elsie Brenneman also earned Elite All-State recognition, as her 17:58 was the 2nd best in all classes — second only to Ferebee. Both are eligible to be chosen as the All-Iowa Cross Country athlete of the year.

Siblings Ruth and Canaan Dunham both received Class 3A All-State honors from the Des Moines Register. The duo placed in the top three individually in those state races.

Pella Head Cross Country Coach Doug Cutler was once again recognized among the best from the Iowa Association of Track Coaches. Cutler won the head coach of the year for the Class 3A girls — mirroring the Class 3A championship won on November 1st. Cutler has been honored as an at-large coach nearly every season he’s been with the Dutch since he took over the Pella programs, including this fall on the boys, and was the state’s boys cross country coach of the year in 2009 and 2011. He was named Iowa’s Girls Coach of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) among their ninth annual national honors.

Doug’s teams have won six team cross country titles since moving to the Tulip City (2009, 2011, 2022 boys; 2022, 2023, 2024 girls), and he’s also been the assistant coach for Boys Head Coach Brent Van Hauen and the track and field championship teams in 2013, 2016, 2021, and 2023, as well as the 2018 Pella girls state team track title winners.