The combination of losing two graduate assistants and a thinned communications branch of the Ball State athletics department left a couple sports lacking a sports information director this summer.
Those positions were filled last week from within the department when associate athletics director Joe Hernandez assigned the men's basketball and baseball programs to sports information director Matt McCollester. Hernandez filled McCollester's former position as a contact with the women's basketball program with Paula Haugn, who will be working with her first major sport in her two years at Ball State.
Hernandez said the need to maneuver sports information directors' became more important after Kit Stetzel and Tyson Matthews graduated this summer, thus ending their stints as a graduate assistants with the Cardinals' athletics department. Stetzel is currently working as an intern with the Oakland Raiders, while Matthews is looking for a job. After the move, Hernandez said, all the sports have contacts entering the upcoming year.
"I think the biggest thing was to realign the office so everybody had one of the four major sports," Hernandez said. "Everything now has an even balance now, and that's good for us to be able to do our jobs the best we can."
Former women's basketball player Lisa Rusche was added as a graduate assistant and will be the fifth member of the Cardinals communication staff. Rusche will serve as sports information director for the field hockey and softball programs.
McCollester has been the contact for the soccer and women's basketball positions during his previous two years at Ball State. He will continue working in his position with the soccer team.
Even though it will be difficult leaving a women's basketball program he has great passion for, McCollester said he's excited for the opportunity to work with coach Billy Taylor's men's basketball program this winter.
"I think this is the next, logical progression and a move I needed to make," McCollester said. "I've been in good positions with my women's teams, so it's not like I've been like, 'Next year I need to move to another program.' But I always had in my mind that I will be with the men's basketball program eventually. At this point I'm just ready to take the next challenge in my career with men's basketball and working with them to the best of my ability."
Although the move to the men's basketball program headlines the changes in McCollester's responsibilities, he said he's equally excited to begin working with the Cardinals' baseball team. McCollester played catcher in junior college and worked as the sports information director at Arkansas State before coming to Ball State. He also votes in the weekly NCAA baseball top 30 national poll that consists of baseball writers.
"One of my loves is baseball recreationally and watching it myself, and it's always easy to work with sports you enjoy," McCollester said. "Tyson was here when I came to Ball State, and he'd done a good job, so it wasn't fair for me to try to take it from him. Now that it's open, though, I was more than happy to step in."
McCollester said he will still follow the women's basketball program as a fan and assist Haughn with any questions she has regarding her new position. Haughn previously worked as a women's basketball contact with Western Michigan before coming to Ball State.
Haughn said she has the utmost respect for McCollester and the job he did with the women's basketball team.
"Matt is a great co-worker, and he took a lot of pride in what he did with the women's basketball program," Haughn said. "Hopefully I can do my job with the team up to the standard that he set."
The changes follow a line of moves that have been made this year to improve the Cardinals' athletics department. Athletics director Tom Collins said he doesn't anticipate anymore changes before the school year begins.
Meanwhile, Collins said he's looking forward to seeing his staff members shine in new roles within the athletics department.
"In some ways it moves them around, but I think they'll all do well jumping into their sports," Collins said. "I don't think we'll miss a beat here."
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