This fall, one of the Rockets' most-decorated athletes, a medalist in track & field and cross country, plans to continue making strides in athletics and academics at Ball State.
by Dan Chamness
At one point during the last 18 months, recent Tolono Unity graduate Emily Decker did not know if she wanted to continue her collegiate athletic career in cross country and track and field.
But, the Ball State University coaching staff can be very convincing.
Sentinel/Clark Brooks
Unity's Emily Decker crosses the finish line of the Class 2A 1600m Run. The senior earned a medal, finishing fourth in Class 2A with a time of 5:02.99. With several options to choose from, the Rockets' four-year varsity runner decided to continue her running career at Ball State.
"I chose Ball State because they really made me feel wanted," said Decker of the Muncie, Indiana-based school. I did not know for sure if I wanted to continue, but the coaches and my future teammates understood my apprehension about competing in college."
Indiana State University and Illinois State University, also NCAA Division I teams, also showed interest in the multi-sport Rocket athlete.
"Since I was undecided for a bit, it limited the number of schools that I spoke with," said Decker. "I am currently on a training plan that my coaches at Ball State (Adrian Wheatley, Rachel Nichwitz) have sent me. I am trying to stay fit mentally and physically. Right now, I am running six days a week. I also cross train, usually biking. I also lift weights three or four times a week."
Decker put herself on the map of any college watching the state finals in either cross country or track from her freshman year. She would help Tolono Unity win three cross country state championships in the Illinois High School Association Class 1A Finals. They were second during her senior season.
Two of those state title wins were in dominating fashion. As a sophomore, she finished 19th and was the second scoring runner. The Rockets would win by 101 points, scoring only 84 points. Chicago-based DePaul College Prep finished with 185 points to take second. They would make it a three-peat in 2023, scoring 109 points to win by 48 points. Anna-Jonesboro took second with 157 points.
"When we won my freshman year, it was pretty sweet, because no one expected us to win," recalled Decker.
Three years and approximately six months after helping the Lady Rockets earn a trophy every year of her career in cross country, she would be instrumental in helping them earn their first track trophy of her career. They would finish second in the state in the IHSA Class 2A Finals. The only girl's team in the state of Illinois in Class 2A Division was fellow Central Illinois team, Normal University High. Unity would finish with a total of 49 points, while University High had 64.
Personally, Decker entered the track state finals her senior year with a medal count of six, three in cross country and three more in track and field. By the time the state meet was over at 5 p.m. on May 24, Decker had upped her career medal count to nine. She would not only collect her fourth consecutive medal in the 3,200-meter relay, as the Rockets started their running day with a state title in the event. Individually, she would finish third in the 3,200-meter run and fourth in the 1,600-meter run as a senior.
While most of the athletes on the Ball State women's cross country team are from the state of Indiana, there is one from Illinois currently on the team in Batavia's Jenna Schifferer, who is slated to return for her senior year. There is no men's cross country team at Ball State, only a women's team. The same for track as the Cardinals only have a women's team.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
Decker runs with the main pack in the title race of the 1600m run at the 2025 IHSA state meet.
Of the 12 runners contributing on varsity for the Ball State cross country team, only four were seniors. Eight are slated to return.
In 2024, in the sport of cross country, the BSU Cardinals finished seventh of the 12 teams in the Mid-American Conference. They would finish 17th of the 32 teams in the NCAA Division I Great Lakes Regional. In the winter of 2025, they were fourth of the dozen teams in the MAC Indoor Championships. In outdoor, they finished eighth.
"I am eager to run those collegiate distances and also try out some different events," said Decker. "The 3,000-meter steeplechase is an event that looks cool and I might try that. I have always liked the further distances and I am eager to see how I do at them."
The daughter of Bill and Julie Decker of Philo will be seeking a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education. Besides her athletic exploits in running, she was also a member of the Lady Rocket basketball team and was a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). At Unity, she has received an academic letter for all four years for her achievements in the classroom.
"The entire community was geared toward helping us succeed," said Decker. "That is what I will miss the most. The unwavering support from everyone, the community, my teammates, the entire school and the coaches. I can't imagine anyplace being more supportive overall."
CHARLESTON - Unity's Emily Decker runs her second lap of the Class 2A 1600m Run during the prelims at the 2025 IHSA Girls Track and Field State Finals on Friday. Decker advanced to the championship race after finishing seventh out a field of 30 with a time of 5:04.23. She will also run in 3200m Run and in the 4x800m relay for the Rockets on Saturday at O'Brien Field. .::. More IHSA state track photos and stories .::.
Unity's Damian Knoll is tagged out on a play at second base by a Hoopeston Area player during the Rockets' first game of the season. Later, the junior smacked a 3-RBI triple in the bottom of the 5th innning to make the score 11-1 and secured his team's first victory of the season.
Delicious veggies and more, FFA plant sale starts on Monday
Looking flowers or vegetables for your garden this spring?
Tomorrow at 9am the next round of the St. Joseph-Ogden FFA Chapter will be open for business. Orders for available plants must be done online after it goes live tomorrow at https://my.cheddarup.com/c/st-joseph-ogden-ffa-chapter-greenhouse. Buyers can set a pick-up time to collect their purchase.
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Over the past 13 months unemployment rates nearly doubled their pre-pandemic levels reported in February 2020, the prospect of starting a new career after age 50 may seem unrealistic. However, industry experts say that it’s actually a great time for those in this age bracket to consider making the leap.
More Americans suffered extended power outages in 2020 than any year since Superstorm Sandy struck the New York area in 2012, according to Generac, owners of Power Outage Central, a real-time outage tracking service that monitors outages throughout the United States.
Back in November of last year, power was out for about three hours in the south part of Champaign and another area covering Campustown.
Baker sets hurdles PR, SJO girls snag 9 first at home meet
The St. Joseph-Ogden girls track team took first place in nine events in a home dual meet against Eureka last Thursday.
Haleigh Maddock turned in a 31.10 in the 200m Dash. She was followed over the finish line by teammates Yamilka Casanova (32.32) and Jayci Hayes (32.48) to secure the top three spots on the podium.
Joining the tech workforce is easier than you might think
More than 12 million people are currently employed in tech-related occupations in the U.S., either as information technology (IT) professionals or employees of technology companies. Yet employer demand for tech workers is still strong in many markets and industries, including technology, financial services, manufacturing, retail, healthcare, government and education.
Tech jobs in Champaign County are plentiful at the moment. Technology Services at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is currently accepting applications for three positions on their Managed IT Services teams. Four days ago, Revature was seeking software developers and Niemann Foods advertised an opening for a Network Administrator with a starting pay at $40K annually.
BLOOMINGTON - Members of Unity's 4x400 relay team pose after running their race at the Illinois Top Times Indoor Championships on Saturday. Running in the Class 2A race, the squad finished two seconds behind Normal U-High and Mt. Zion at 4:12.04 in fifth place. The quartet is composed with Josie Cler, Ashlyn Denney, Grace Wherely, and MacKenzie Pound. Cler, Denny, and Pound also ran in the 4x800 race taking the meet title.
BLOOMINGTON - Unity's Emily Decker keeps a steady pace in the 3200-meter run at the Illinois Top Times Indoor Championships on Saturday. The Ball State signee set a school record with a time of 10:57.37, placing fourth. She also finished fifth in the mile run.
URBANA - The Illini Prairie Conference presented its boys' basketball all-conference team this week. Teams members are selected by coaches from each of the member teams. St. Joseph-Ogden center Tanner Siems and Coleton Langendorf from the conference champion Unity Rockets received votes to earn First-Team status.
See the complete list below of this year's all-conference players.
Illini Prairie Conference Final Standings
1. Tolono Unity 8-1 / Overall: 23-9
2. Bloomington Central Catholic 8-1 / Overall: 22-12
3. St. Joseph-Ogden 7-2 / Overall: 21-9
4. Monticello 5-4 / Overall: 18-14
5. Pontiac 5-4 / Overall: 11-18
6. Illinois Valley Central 4-5 / Overall: 13-19
7. Rantoul 4-5 / Overall: 13-19
8. Paxton-Buckley-Loda 3-6 / Overall: 14-15
9. Prairie Central 1-8 / Overall: 8-24
10. St. Thomas More 0-9 / Overall: 11-20
First Team
Kayshaun Manney, Central Catholic, So
Ike Young, Monticello, Sr
DJ Davis, Rantoul, Sr
Tanner Siems, St. Joseph Ogden, Sr
Coleton Langendorf, Unity, Jr
Tyler Cole, PBL, Jr
Second Team
Trey Eller, Central Catholic, Sr
Coy Taylor, St. Joseph Ogden, Sr
Brady Ward, IVC, Jr
Cayden Masching, Pontiac, Jr
Dane Eisenmenger, Unity, Jr
Brayden Henry, Unity, Jr
Honorable Mention
Will Vogel, Central Catholic, Sr
Cole Yates, IVC, Sr
Simon Zimmerman, Prairie Central, Sr
Jayden Rice, Rantoul, Sr
Parker Fitch, St. Joseph Ogden, Jr
Owen Yeager, St. Thomas More, Jr
Johnson, Pontiac, Sr
SJO's Addison Brooks earned a spot on the IPC Second Team her junior year.URBANA - The Illini Prairie Conference presented its girls' basketball all-conference team this week. Teams members are selected by coaches from each of the ten teams. This year's IPC First Team is comprised of two outstanding freshman players. Two players from Central Catholic and two from IVC were named to the top team this season.
Bloomington Central Catholic won the league title, finishing with a perfect 9-0 record.
See the complete list below of this year's all-conference players.
Illini Prairie Conference Final Standings
1. Bloomington Central Catholic 9-0 / Overall: 24-9
2. Illinois Valley Central 8-1 / Overall: 20-11
3. Pontiac 6-3 / Overall: 15-17
4. Monticello 6-3 / Overall: 20-11
5. St. Joseph-Ogden 5-4 / Overall: 12-17
6. Tolono Unity 5-4 / Overall: 14-17
7. Prairie Central 3-6 / Overall: 12-21
8. Paxton-Buckley-Loda 2-7 / Overall: 4-27
9. Rantoul 1-8 / Overall: 4-26
10. St. Thomas More 0-9 / Overall: 5-24
First Team
Karissa Cook, Central Catholic, 9
Emme Hurie, Central Catholic, 11
Anna Foster, IVC, 10
Alayah Nelton, IVC, 9
Megan Allen, Monticello, 12
Trinity Miller, Pontiac, 11
BLOOMINGTON - Unity's Phoenix Molina pulls Lockport's Rebekah Ramirez arm while looking for a takedown in their 235-pound match at the IHSA Girls' Individual Wrestling State Finals at Grossinger Motors Arena on Friday. Molina advanced to the division's consolation quarterfinal after pinning Ramirez in the first period at 1:04. She will face DeKalb's Aarianna Bloyd tomorrow for spot in the semifinals.
CHAMPAIGN - Orion's Maddux Anderson dumps Unity's Hunter Eastin to the mat during their Class 1A 190-pound quarterfinal match at the IHSA Individual Wrestling State Finals on Thursday. Anderson, who advanced to Friday night's quarterfinals won the match by major decision, 16-2. See more Sentinel state wrestling coverage here.
Rybak wins state track title, next stop Notre Dame
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
Father McGivney's Elena Rybak and St. Anthony's Isabella Keller embrace after running in the Class 1A 1600m Run on Saturday at the Illinois High School Association's Girls Track & Field State Finals.
Learning by leading: Building teen entrepreneurship and real-world business know-how
Already on Tiktok or Instagram? Teens can get real-world skills by blending business and their social media platforms into a unique venture this summer where they can learn valuable business experience as entrepreneurs.
by Dan Chamness
Unity's Damian Knoll is tagged out on a play at second base by a Hoopeston Area player during the Rockets' first game of the season. Later, the junior smacked a 3-RBI triple in the bottom of the 5th innning to make the score 11-1 and secured his team's first victory of the season.
