Decker picks the Hawkeyes

MARION - The University of Iowa track and field coaching staff envisions Amber Decker's future. And she likes the view.

'They say by my sophomore year, I can be running 2:07 or 2:08 (in the 800 meters),” Decker said Monday, when confirming that she has orally committed with the Hawkeyes. 'I'm just going to trust the process and let them help me get there.”

A senior at Linn-Mar High School, Decker will be a middle-distance runner at Iowa. She does not intend to run cross country.

Decker was a double-winner at the state meet in May, helping push the Lions to a runner-up Class 4A finish. She ran on state-champion 3,200-meter and distance-medley units, was on the runner-up 1,600-meter relay and finished fifth in the 800-meter run.

That was about the time she first had contact with the Iowa staff.

'I got a good vibe from them,” Decker said. 'I didn't feel like just another number. They want to help me develop.

'In the beginning, I thought the process was moving slow. Then once I had my official visit (in September), everything fell together.”

Decker, who intends to major in chemical engineering, said that 'between academics and athletics, (my education) should be just about all paid for” at Iowa.

She also considered South Carolina and Texas.

Decker will sign a national letter of intent in November.

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