Following a 9th place finish in 2024 in one of the most wide-open Class 3A fields in recent memory at the state track and field meet, the Pella girls are aiming to push to the top of the podium in 2025.

That confidence is driven by the crop of athletes coming off of the threepeat championship cross country team and several other key returners on the oval and in field events. Pella is also bolstered by an incoming 9th grade class that won the 8th grade Little Hawkeye Conference title last spring.

Key returners:
Marissa Ferebee – 1500 and 3000 Meter State Champion, 4×800 – 3rd, Distance Medley – 10th
Lizzie Neumann – 4×400 – 6th, 4×800 – 3rd, 400 Meters – 15th
Ruth Dunham – 1500 Meters – 22nd; 3000 Meters – 10th
Raegan Snieder – 4×800 – 3rd, 800 Meters – 12th
Mara Schiebout – 4×400 – 6th; 200 Meters – 20th, Distance Medley – 10th
Katie Scheckel – Shot Put – 10th

Interview with Dak Rasmussen:

The Dutch will miss a few key contributors, including multiple time state qualifying sprinter Kamryn Long and state cross country runner-up Elsie Brenneman, both of whom are nursing significant offseason injuries and are not expected to compete.

The field of teams will remain balanced and competitive, led by defending champions ADM, who return nearly all of their scoring from their 2024 title team. The next three teams in the standings: MOC-Floyd Valley, Sioux Center, and Mt. Vernon, also field several athletes who competed at the Blue Oval last spring. Other contenders include Clear Lake and Maquoketa.

Pella opens the outdoor girls track and field season next Tuesday, April 1st at Waukee Northwest.