If Marissa Ferebee’s racing career ended last spring, it would have been among the greats in Iowa High School History. The good news for Pella fans is that she only hit the halfway point after leaving Drake Stadium last May.

An opening, record-shattering race to start this fall has the Pella coaching staff and the rest of Iowa with their eyes watching the remarkable progress of the rising star.

Marissa Ferebee has her sights set on history this year. Her time of 17:24 this past Saturday demolished the previous course record for the Cedar Rapids Prairie meet set by Marie Hostetler of 18:54.

Ferebee sits in rarified air and within arms reach of the best ever to do it in the state, and before the season, Head Coach Doug Cutler said the sky’s the limit for the junior, and she’s just getting started.

“She is ahead of where some very, very great Iowa distance girls were going into their junior year,” he says. “She could continue to improve and set some marks that should, quite frankly, astound and amaze people.”

Those who want to see the defending champion in action can do so locally at the Central College course this Saturday when Pella hosts their annual home cross country invitational. Marissa will have two cracks at the best times run by a girl in a 5K at Central College this month, previously set by Paityn Noe of Ballard of 17:28, set in 2022. The boys and girls will have two big races with all levels participating, starting at 9:00 Saturday morning.