Cross Country Uses Record Setting Performance to Pace Themselves to 13th Place Finish

Friday, October 2

South Bend, Ind.

Ball State University

Joe Piane Invitational

Photo by: Jake Dickman — Ball State Athletics

Cross Country Uses Record Setting Performance to Pace Themselves to 13th Place Finish

October 02, 2026 | Cross Country

Final Results

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Sophomore Emily Decker recorded the third-fastest 5K time in Ball State program history as the cross country team finished 13th in the Joe Piane Invitational.

The Illinois-native's time of 17:29.78 was good for 8th place in the race and is just six seconds off of the all-time program record set by Katie Nowak in 2000. Next for the Cardinals was fellow sophomore Sadey Seyferth in 48th place, who for the second meet in a row set a new PR by nearly a minute with an 18:16.5.

The freshman invasion followed the two sophomores with Carla Rodriguez in 65th, Abra Mills in 121st and Ava Dickenson in 131st. Season debutants Tori Jackson and Kendyl Thrasher followed just 13 and 19 seconds behind Dickenson in 145th place and 156th place respectively.

Finally for the Cardinals, freshman Gemma Pusateri and senior Elaina Lahmers came across the line within a second of each other in 191st and 192nd.

Next up for the team is the Under Armour Pre-Nationals in Terre Haute on Oct. 16.