The Ball State University track and field team rode home from the Mid-American Conference Championships with two heavy awards weighting down their bus.
Cardinals junior Ali Bishel and fifth-year senior Amber Williams collected two out of the possible three honors received at the conclusion of the invitational held in Kent, Ohio, this weekend.
"Our girls are training daily with two of the best athletes in our conference," coach Randy Heisler said. "As coaches we want Ali's and Amber's mentality to be contagious and rub off on to the other girls."
Bishel was named the Women's Most Outstanding Track Performer for her first-place finish with a time of 9:43.23 in the 3,000-meter race. Bishel also challenged the seconds on the clock with her 5,000-meter race at a 16:39.80 time adding 20 points to Ball State's score sheet.
"During her outdoor season Ali developed a stress fracture," Heisler said. "We didn't know about it until it was too late. She was off the radar for a little bit. People were asking about her as if she disappeared. After her first race at the MAC, I don't think there will be questions like that anymore."
Williams was named the Most Valuable Performer for the third time. She also won this award after redshirting last season as she attempted to qualify for the 2008 Summer Olympics.
She sprinted three personal bests with a tally of 30 points, making her the leading individual scorer of the meet. Her first-place triumphs in the 60-meter hurdles and 60-meter dash were both Kent State Fieldhouse records and NCAA provisional times.
"I'm really pleased with Amber," Heisler said. "She went from being redshirted to not running well to not running with the team on a daily basis. Coach Nix and I were concerned. Sometimes a good athlete has a down season and never bounces back. Well, Amber bounced back to say the least."
The Cardinals and Miami University had a shared score of 73 points to tie for third place while the University of Akron won with a mark of 110 points.
Though both Bishel and Williams were bestowed with the honor of being a part of the All-MAC First Team, their weekend plans differ for this weekend's competition.
Bishel will compete in the Alex Wilson Invitation for her last chance to qualify for the NCAA Championships. Williams will stay in Muncie in an effort to get ready for the NCAA Championships in March.
Conference honorsBall State runners Amber Williams and Ali Bishel received two of the four MAC awards at the conference championship meet during the weekend.
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