Growing up in a family of athletes, freshman track and cross country runner Marissa Dailey is destined to uphold her family’s reputation.

Marissa’s outstanding running ability is no surprise, her father was a collegiate runner at Eastern Michigan, eventually making it all the way to the Olympic Qualifiers; her mother, also, ran at a high level at Southern Michigan.

Her older brother, junior Drew Dailey, has also contributed to her success. Together, the two take time to fine tune their techniques and strategies.

“Our parents made us train over the summer together, and before races I would give her tips on what to do,” Drew said.

Overall, her hard work has paid off, as she earned spot on varsity women’s cross country team, placing ninth in the State Regional Races; 20TH in the State Championship, the first finisher from our school. She also finished fifth in the county race, the second finisher from our school.

Dailey planned on running cross country in her freshman year, but she never knew her she’d love it enough to run track and field in the winter and spring.

“I knew going into this year I’d be running cross country, but I didn’t realize I’d like it enough to run all three seasons,” she said.

Head track and cross country coach Chad Boyle will work with her for all three seasons, already praising her for her work ethic.

“She’s really good at paying attention to all things she needs to do, and she works really hard, and she’s really competitive,” Boyle said.

In the upcoming winter meets, Marissa will be running the mile in hopes of leading Dulaney to another cross country Regional championship.