Ball State University Athletics
Photo by: Heather Parker
Decker Set for USATF U20 Championships
June 17, 2026 | Track & Field
MUNCIE, Ind.— Freshman Emily Decker is set to compete in the 3000-meter steeplechase at the 2026 USA Track & Field U20 Outdoor Championships after a strong rookie campaign.
Decker, a native of Philo, Illinois, has already left her mark on the team in only her first season. When the freshman took to the starting line at the Wake Forest Invitational, she became the first Cardinal athlete to do so in the steeplechase in over two years. Not only that, but she posted the second-fastest time (10:39.69) in Ball State program history, missing out on the record by just five seconds in her first collegiate 3000m steeplechase event.
She promptly followed that time with a 10:42.44 at the Mid-American Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships a month later en route to a 10th-place finish. While not a personal record, that time now stands as the third-fastest in program history.
Decker is set for her third 3000m steeplechase Friday to cap her freshman year, this time in Eugene, Oregon at the USATF U20 Outdoor Championships. The race is set to go at 1:57 p.m. PST (4:57 p.m. EST).
Decker, a native of Philo, Illinois, has already left her mark on the team in only her first season. When the freshman took to the starting line at the Wake Forest Invitational, she became the first Cardinal athlete to do so in the steeplechase in over two years. Not only that, but she posted the second-fastest time (10:39.69) in Ball State program history, missing out on the record by just five seconds in her first collegiate 3000m steeplechase event.
She promptly followed that time with a 10:42.44 at the Mid-American Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships a month later en route to a 10th-place finish. While not a personal record, that time now stands as the third-fastest in program history.
Decker is set for her third 3000m steeplechase Friday to cap her freshman year, this time in Eugene, Oregon at the USATF U20 Outdoor Championships. The race is set to go at 1:57 p.m. PST (4:57 p.m. EST).
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