Patterson Sets PR and Finishes Second in 400m Hurdles at Jesse Owens Classic

Friday, May 1

Columbus, OH

All Day

Ball State University

Jesse Owens Classic

Patterson Sets PR and Finishes Second in 400m Hurdles at Jesse Owens Classic

May 01, 2026 | Track & Field

Jesse Owens Classic

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- In the first track event of the day, Ball State freshman Lia Patterson set a personal record in the 400-meter hurdles and finished in second place. Patterson clocked a 1:01.44 career best and the second-place finish remained Ball State's best of the opening day of competition at the Jesse Owens Classic, hosted by Ohio State at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.

Patterson led four Cardinals freshmen entered in the event, and senior Lindley Steele. Phaelin Jones' 1:07.55 was also a personal best.

Another personal record came in the hammer throw, as junior Sydney Miller bettered her previous best throw - just over 46 meters -- by almost three meters! Miller's 48.88m throw was good for 16th place.

The Cardinals finished the day with another top effort from their distance unit. After a record-setting evening two weeks ago at Wake Forest, Ball State had another pair of freshmen set personal records in the 5,000 meters. Emily Decker posted a time of 17:05.51 to finish 15th. Sadey Seyferth posted a time of 18:28.17.

Competition continues with field events Saturday at 10:30. Track events get underway at 1 p.m.

Results from the Jesse Owens Classic
Friday, May 1
400m Hurdles
2nd, Lia Patterson, Fr. -- 1:01.44 PR
8th, Lily Eagleston, Fr. -- 1:04.01
15th, Amina Hadziahmetovic, Fr. -- 1:06.44
16th, Phaelin Jones, Fr. -- 1:07.55 PR
17th, Lindley Steele, Sr. -- 1:07.83

1500m Run
9th, Sarah Mahnensmith, Sr. -- 4:31.91
11th, Kaitlin Kauppila, Fr. -- 4:32.17

200m Dash
14th, Trinity Bibbs, So. -- 24.88
26th, Savannah Lake, xx -- 25.76

5000m Run
15th, Emily Decker, Fr. -- 17:05.51 PR
39th, Sadey Seyferth, Fr. -- 18:28.17 PR

Hammer Throw
16th, Sydney Miller, Jr. -- 48.88m PR
28th, Malena Higgins, Sr. -- 41.45m
33rd, Ayla Rice, Jr. -- 36.40m

Long Jump
12th, Lindley Steele, Sr. -- 5.32m
13th, Kendra Keesling, Jr. -- 5.30m
15th, Anisa Barnett, Fr. --5.24m
17th, Kylee Marshall, So. -- 5.19m
20th, Taylor Hickman, Sr. --4.90m