Ball State University Athletics
Friday, October 30
Kalamazoo, Mich.
Ball State University
vs
MAC Championship
Photo by: Jake Dickman — Ball State Athletics
October 28, 2026 | Cross Country
MUNCIE, Ind.—The Mid-American Conference Cross Country Championships are here as Ball State travels north to Kalamazoo, Michigan this Friday to compete. With temperatures dropping, leaves changing colors and the forecast calling for rain around the 11 a.m. ET race start, it is set to be classic cross country conditions.
This meet marks the second time this season the team has raced the course at Prairies Golf Course, having raced here in September for the George Dales Invite.
The Cardinals are led as they have been all season by sophomore Emily Decker. The Philo, Illinois native is coming off of a second-consecutive 6k PR at the Under Armour Pre-Nationals two weeks ago.
Joining Decker at Pre-Nats was junior Tori Jackson making her 6k season debut. Jackson, who missed the team's first trip to Kalamazoo due to injury, looks to make a big impact the second time around.
Friday's race will see several debuts of its own. Senior Maci Hoskins makes her return to racing after a lengthy time out due to injury. She will be joined by fellow senior Kendyl Thrasher making her 6k season debut after she, like Jackson, missed September's George Dales Invite due to injury.
The upstart freshmen Abra Mills and Carla Rodriguez are already making their mark on the team. Back in September, the duo finished third and fourth for the Cardinals on a day that saw the team beat out multiple MAC foes. They will be joined on the line by two other newcomers to the program for this year, senior transfer Elaina Lahmers and freshman Gemma Pusateri.
"We'll need to be patient at the MAC meet and keep competing when the race gets hard," said head coach Adrian Wheatley. "I'm proud of how far this team has come this season. We're training and racing better. When things haven't gone our way, we've learned from it and come back ready to work. That gives us confidence going into this meet."
This meet marks the second time this season the team has raced the course at Prairies Golf Course, having raced here in September for the George Dales Invite.
The Cardinals are led as they have been all season by sophomore Emily Decker. The Philo, Illinois native is coming off of a second-consecutive 6k PR at the Under Armour Pre-Nationals two weeks ago.
Joining Decker at Pre-Nats was junior Tori Jackson making her 6k season debut. Jackson, who missed the team's first trip to Kalamazoo due to injury, looks to make a big impact the second time around.
Friday's race will see several debuts of its own. Senior Maci Hoskins makes her return to racing after a lengthy time out due to injury. She will be joined by fellow senior Kendyl Thrasher making her 6k season debut after she, like Jackson, missed September's George Dales Invite due to injury.
The upstart freshmen Abra Mills and Carla Rodriguez are already making their mark on the team. Back in September, the duo finished third and fourth for the Cardinals on a day that saw the team beat out multiple MAC foes. They will be joined on the line by two other newcomers to the program for this year, senior transfer Elaina Lahmers and freshman Gemma Pusateri.
"We'll need to be patient at the MAC meet and keep competing when the race gets hard," said head coach Adrian Wheatley. "I'm proud of how far this team has come this season. We're training and racing better. When things haven't gone our way, we've learned from it and come back ready to work. That gives us confidence going into this meet."
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