Note: These grades were decided upon by the sports staff at The Ball State Daily News.
Cross CountryGrade: C
Without injured seniors Rose Lehe and Amanda Ponsot for a majority of the season, the Ball State University cross country team was led by freshman Sara Kehe. Kehe's highest finish of the season was second place at the Falcon Invitational, and she also finished first among Ball State runners in all the meets this season. In addition to the injuries, the Cardinals were without a head coach for the Mid-American Conference Championship Meet and the Great Lakes Regional Meet, when Todd Lane resigned from his position in late October to accept a job at Miami (Florida) University. Overall at the MAC Championship Meet, the Cardinals finished in fifth place and also placed 13th at the regional meet. The team's best finish this season was a pair of second places at the Bronco Invitational in September and the Falcon Invitational in October.
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This season the Ball State University women's volleyball team ended up with a record of 12-17. It was the first season in coach Randy Litchfield's 18-year career as Ball State's head coach that the team did not end up with at least a .500 record. The team finished sixth overall in the Mid-American Conference regular season matchups with a record of 8-8. The Cardinals won their first game in tournament play against the University at Buffalo, and then fell short to Bowling Green State University at Toledo, Ohio during the team's second tournament game. Senior Amanda McCormick officially ended her senior season setting the MAC single-season record for digs with 852, which was a MAC and Ball State University record. She also ranked second in digs per season in the NCAA, right behind Paula Gentil from Minnesota, who had 924 digs in her 2004 season.
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In a season where expectations were higher than in previous years, Ball State came out of the gate 1-4. Included in that was a 24-23 loss to Indiana in which the Cardinals blew a 16-point lead and a 29-24 loss to I-AA North Dakota State. However, the Cardinals finished strong, winning their last three Mid-American Conference games and nearly upsetting then-second ranked Michigan at the "Big House" on Nov. 4.
Positives:1. Nate Davis: The true freshman quarterback made national headlines with his play against Michigan and Toledo on national television. He finished with 1975 yards passing and 18 touchdowns. He also finished the regular season 21st with a 147.3 rating.2. All-Conference recognition: Six players earned All-MAC honors this season. Brian Jackson won the MAC Special Teams Player of the Year award and earned second team all-conference. Punter Chris Miller was named to the first team and safety Erik Keys, wide receiver Dante Love and defensive end Cortlan Booker were second team honorees. Tight end Darius Hill was an honorable mention.
Negatives:1. Defense: Ball State finished 115th in total defense this season. That includes a 353-yard rushing performance from Northern Illinois' Garrett Wolfe and North Dakota State's Steve Walker throwing for 451 yards. 2. Players arrested: Freshmen Eulas Taylor and Brandon Houston were arrested in connection for stealing laptops in the Woody and Shales halls. Taylor played in six games and recorded 17 tackles.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Field HockeyGrade: B
After starting the season 1-9, the Ball State University field hockey team won its next five games, for the team's longest winning streak since 1999. The Cardinals finished the Mid-American Conference regular season tied for second place with a 6-4 record and advanced to the MAC Championship Game against Ohio before losing to the Bobcats in overtime. This season was the first time since the 1999 season that Ball State had a winning record in conference play and moved beyond the second round of the conference tournament. Forward Lindsay Quay led the Cardinals with a career-high 14 goals and was named the MAC Player of the Year. In addition, Quay finished her four-year collegiate career in sixth place on the Ball State all-time scoring list with 37 career goals.
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The Ball State University soccer team locked up the Mid-American Conference regular season championship with a 4-2 victory against Miami (Ohio) University. The victory improved the Cardinals' record to 13-3-3. However, the season ended prematurely. The No. 1 seeded Cardinals lost 2-1 to Miami, the same team they beat three days earlier, in the first round of the MAC tournament. Three Ball State players were recently named to the Academic All-MAC team, including Amy Holst who was also named to the Second Team Academic All-American team. Emily Rein led the Cardinals with 22 total points (nine goals, four assists). Meanwhile Cardinal goalkeeper Rachael Murphy held opponents to a 1.05 goals per game average. The Cardinals return eight of 11 starters next season.
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