Ball State University Athletics
The Exchange Zone — Ball State Track & Field/Cross Country Newsletter
October 09, 2026 | Cross Country, Track & Field
THE EXCHANGE ZONE – OCTOBER EDITION
COACH'S LETTER:
To our Ball State Track & Field and Cross Country alumni,
Welcome to the first edition of The Exchange Zone.
We started this newsletter for one simple reason: we want to do a better job of staying connected with the people who have been part of this program.
When you look at Ball State Track & Field and Cross Country today, you are looking at a program that has been shaped by generations of student-athletes and coaches. The people who came before us set records, won championships, built relationships, and established traditions that our current student-athletes get to be part of today.
I want our current team to understand that history and the people behind it. I also want our alumni to know what is happening with the program today and where we are headed.
That's what The Exchange Zone is about.
Throughout the year, we want to share more than results. We want to introduce you to our current student-athletes, reconnect with former Cardinals, share stories about where life has taken you, and give you a closer look at what is happening inside the program.
Most importantly, we want to hear from you.
Tell us where you are. Tell us what you're doing. Share your stories and memories. And when you have the opportunity, come back and spend some time with us.
Whether you competed here five years ago or fifty years ago, you are part of Ball State Track & Field and Cross Country. We want to make sure that connection continues.
I hope you enjoy the first edition of The Exchange Zone, and I look forward to reconnecting with many of you.
Chirp Chirp!
Adrian Wheatley
Head Coach Ball State Track & Field and Cross Country
ON THE COURSE:
The Cross Country team's season is well underway. So far, the Cardinals have competed in three meets and show promising signs ahead of championship season later this month and into next.
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The team has been led primarily by sophomores Emily Decker and Kaitlyn Kauppila. Decker set the third-fastest 5K time in program history at the Joe Piane Invitational on Oct. 2 with a blistering time of 17:29.78. Her time is just six seconds off Katie Nowak's record of 17:23.00 that was set back in 2000.
There is also a lot of excitement around this roster due to their youth. Of the 11 athletes listed on the roster, only four of them are true upperclassmen. Kendyl Thrasher, Maci Hoskins and Elaina Lahmers—who transferred in from the University of Kentucky—are seniors, and Tori Jackson is the lone junior on the team. The other seven runners consist of Decker, Kauppila and sophomore Sadey Seyferth, and true freshmen Abra Mills, Carla Rodriguez, Ava Dickenson and Gemma Pusateri.
The team has posted finishes of 3rd at the Sam Bell Invitational, 6th at the George Dales Invite and 13th at the Joe Piane Invitational. Despite being projected to finish in 10th place in the Mid-American Conference, the Cardinals have already bested multiple MAC opponents such as Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan who were ranked ahead of Ball State.
On the topic of rankings, the team earned their first ranking in the Great Lakes Region since 2024 and their highest since 2021!
AROUND THE OVAL:
While the Track & Field season may not have officially started with any meets, fall training is fully underway for the athletes! This group is predominantly underclassmen with lots of exciting potential that they hope to unleash come time for the indoor season.
ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT:
Emily Decker
Hello everyone, my name is Emily Decker! I am a sophomore from a small town called Philo, right by Champaign, Illinois. I'm a dietetics major and run for both the cross country and track teams, specializing in the 3k steeplechase and 5k in track.
I chose Ball State because of the team. This was the only school I visited that I really thought I would enjoy because of the girls. They make the hard parts of running long distance worth it.
So far, my favorite memory as a Cardinal was at Western Michigan a couple weeks ago. The whole team competed well and we placed well, which made the whole day fun and exciting.
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We could see the hard work we all put in the summer starting to pay off. Also, my teammate Kaitlyn and I ran side by side the whole race and we kept moving up on the rest of the other runners. It's a lot more fun to pass other runners with a teammate than by yourself, it makes you and your teammate feel powerful.
I have grown in confidence since I've come to Ball State. I no longer count myself out of the race before it even begins but rather encourage myself now to go with the front pack. Along with that my faith in God has grown immensely as I have seen the way he is working in my life as a college athlete.
This year I am working on maintaining a high GPA along with breaking the 3k steeplechase school record. Last season as a freshman, I set the second, third and fourth fastest times in program history.
Representing Ball State cross country and track and field to me means being a leader on and off the course. As athletes we learn about failure and pressure at much higher levels than others, and I hope to show others how to act gracious throughout it all.
I want the alumni to know that the program is continuing to build. Everyone on the team has goals they want to accomplish and are continuing to work towards them. We are also learning each day how to be better teammates, friends, athletes, students, and all the other roles that we each hold by supporting each other to be our best.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW:
Jessica Velez, Class of 2025
Hello! My name is Jessica Velez! I attended Ball State from 2021 to 2025 as a distance runner! I ran most distance events ranging from the 1600 up to the 10K. I currently live in South Bend, Indiana, where I work as a dining and business reporter for the South Bend Tribune.
A lot has happened in the year since I've hung my spikes. I moved away from my family in Indianapolis and took a job as a bartender in a city I'd only ever been to for racing purposes. That bartending job led to freelancing for the local newspaper and ultimately securing a job as a reporter, which, if you don't know, isn't a very easy job to come across these days. I've built a lovely home with my boyfriend in South Bend, and over time, found friends who make the city feel even more like home.
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To me, it's very clear that running has shaped the very fiber of my being into what it is today, and my time at Ball State is honestly to thank for that. This may sound ridiculous, but every time I feel nervous to do something new, I remind myself that I once ran an entire 10K on a track with just one other person (my lovely friend and teammate Jenna). How could anything ever be more daunting than that? Running challenged me in a way that makes me feel invincible now. Waking up for work every day at 8 a.m. is nothing when you used to wake up at 6 a.m. Interviewing a politician is a walk in a park in comparison to some of the workouts Coach Ramos and Coach Rachel put me through. And that's not to scare anyone away from experiencing what it's like to be a college athlete. The truth is running at Ball State helped me overcome a sense of anxiety that used to follow me everywhere. Now, it's just background noise in a life that I look forward to living.
I'm extremely proud of both of my jobs. I still bartend twice a week and work full-time as a journalist. I spent a long time in college worried about whether my dream post-grad job would ever come, and somehow, I ended up with two completely different jobs that I love.
I like to think that I carry a little piece of my old teammates with me in spirit. Some of them are still sending me silly memes on Instagram once a week and others I haven't spoken to in years, but there's something about running that creates soul ties in a way. I could write forever about the little things every teammate or coach has ever taught me, but I think the best way to encompass it all would be to say that being a part of Ball State's Cross Country and Track & Field teams taught me acceptance, vulnerability and grit. Those key lessons now translate into my reporting, my relationships and, of course, my post-grad fitness journey.
I saw the cross-country team just a few weeks ago when they raced at the Joe Piane Invitational at the University of Notre Dame. Admittedly, I missed the entire race because of breaking news, but regardless, I had a few people ask me if life gets better after the initial first few months of the post-collegiate running funk? The answer is it does. It just might take some time.
But I guess I hope my Cardinal family knows that one of my favorite memories I have in South Bend happened well before I moved here and largely had to do with the amazing teammates I got to visit the city with.
You never really know where this life is going to take you, but sometimes the universe leaves you a little clue in the form of a flat golf course that is sneakily hard anyway and a photo in front of Touchdown Jesus.
BEYOND COMPETITION:
Maci Hoskins
My name is Maci Hoskins, I'm a senior here at Ball State. I have the good fortune to serve several roles in our athletic department including Vice President of BSU's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), and one of Ball State's two representatives on the Committee of Student-Athletes for the MAC. I have also previously served as the 1-MAC intern for the conference, and as Co-Associate Editor of Ball Bearings, BSU's student-run magazine.
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My role with SAAC has allowed me to engage with both other athletic teams and athletic department staff that I otherwise would not have the chance to collaborate with. We are the primary decision-makers in community service opportunities, as well as MAC initiatives like the annual Canned Food Drive and Mental Health Awareness Week.
Representing BSU at the conference level has been such an honor and unique experience. I have access to the behind-the-scenes of some of the recent landmark decisions from the conference and NCAA. From speaking with conference commissioners to contacting Senators in support of the Protect College Sports Act, I have enjoyed the perspective shift and reminder that student-athletes are still at the center of each decision.
I have learned that leadership looks differently in every setting. The core of leadership is utilizing my own voice to lift the voices of my peers. I am grateful to have several mentors that exemplify the many aspects of leadership.
I feel so much more prepared for my life after BSU, including pursuing a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree, and life in the work force. These opportunities have exposed me to working with several groups of people toward a common goal. I have learned to lead by example, to delegate, and to recognize the strengths of each member of a group.
I think it's essential for student-athletes to push outside the comfort zone of their sport. These opportunities have been some of the most gratifying experiences during my time at BSU, and they have given me a new sense of confidence as I move into the next stage of my education. I believe looking outside the bubble of our own sport makes student-athletes more empathetic, better communicators, and more well-rounded.
I would advise my teammates to say yes to every chance they have while on this campus. I don't believe in having regrets, so take every opportunity to try something new, no matter big or small.
LOOKING AHEAD:
Looking at the remaining Cross Country schedule, the Cardinals have two more meets in the month of October.
The first meet is the Under Armour Pre-Nationals hosted by Indiana State on Oct. 16. Pre-Nationals is certain to be one of the biggest meets of the year considering the Lavern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course is set to host the NCAA National Championships about a month after the meet.
Teams from all around the country will descend on Terre Haute, Indiana giving the Cardinals an opportunity to run against the best of the best. Any alumni in/around the Terre Haute area are not going to want to miss this one.
The other meet in the remainder of October is the MAC Championships in Kalamazoo, Michigan on Oct. 30. The same course as the George Dales Invite, championship weekend for the MAC will be electric as the Cardinals look to prove the preseason rankings wrong.
We would love to see any and all alumni of the program come out to show their support!
FROM THE ARCHIVE:
Since a new entry into the top-five 5K times in program history was recently set, we thought it was only right to look back on Katie Nowak's record-setting performance in 2000.
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As just a sophomore, it was Nowak who was leading the Cardinals to their then best-ever finish of second at the MAC Cross Country Championships in Three Rivers, Michigan. She would cross the line in a lightning-fast 17:23.00 to finish in 3rd place, shattering the school record.
The record-setting time saw Nowak advance to the NCAA Great Lakes Regional meet alongside six teammates. She would place seventh in the race, making her the first Ball State women's athlete to qualify for the Women's NCAA national 6K meet in Ames, Iowa. She would finish 44th out of 252 runners on a day that featured 18º weather.
While it may have been the team's best finish to that point at a MAC Championship, there was no doubt a bit of disappointment. That's because they fell just one point short in a shootout with Central Michigan 78-79.
Not to worry though, as the team would only have to wait three more years for the program's lone women's MAC cross country title, eventually reaching that precipice in 2003.
STAY CONNECTED:
Going forward, The Exchange Zone will be posted on the first Wednesday of every month. It can be found on this same story as we will create a running thread above all previous editions.
If you would like to be featured on an upcoming edition, please feel free to fill out the Alumni Questionnaire under the More+ tab of the Track & Field homepage on the ballstatesports.com website!
Thank you everyone! Go Cardinals! And CHIRP CHIRP!
