Tamara Bowie (Lansing, MI/Sexton) was named to the Kodak All-America Honorable Mention for the third successive season, after being named to the 2003 NCAA Division I Kodak/WBCA All-District IV Team. This marks the first time in school history that a Ball State athlete has earned All-America honors three times in a career.

Bowie was a four-year letter-winner for Ball State. She was named the 2003 Mid-American Conference Player of the Year for a second consecutive year.

Bowie had an impressive senior campaign, becoming the all-time leading scorer in November, 2002. She averaged 20.6 points, 1.9 blocked shots, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.8 steals per game for the season.

Bowie's career total of 2,091 points is the third highest total, male or female, in Ball State school history, and fifth all-time for women in the MAC.

Senior Patricia Soman (Arlington, VA/Bishop O'Connell) was named The Most Valuable Performer at the 2003 MAC Women's Indoor Track and Field Championships after winning titles in the long jump (20-53/4), triple jump (43-1), and the 4x400 relay (3:43.01). She also was second in the 60-meter (7.67) in March.

Soman became the first woman in Ball State's history to earn multiple all-America honors in an indoor season. She finished in eighth place in the long jump and triple jump at the 2003 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in February.

Her distance in the triple jump of 43-3 3/4 also was a Ball State indooor track and field record. For her efforts, Ball State earned two points in the championship meet, which placed the Cardinals 43rd in the meet.

Soman, who was honored four times during the indoor season as MAC Women's Indoor Track and Field Athlete of the Week, also was named MAC Scholar Athlete of the Week and Trackshark.com National Athlete of the Week during the 2003 indoor season.

For her accomplishments off the track, Soman earned All-MAC academic honors. The accounting major maintains a 3.78 GPA.

Eddie Faulkner has joined the football coaching ranks at Ball State. Faulkner will be administrative assistant.

A 1996 graduate of Muncie Central High School, where he was an all-state first-team selection, Faulkner played football at Wisconsin from 1996-00. The four-year letter-winner was a tailback for the Badgers, who won two Big Ten Championships and went to four bowl games.

After receiving his bachelor's degree in art history from UW, Faulkner was invited to participate in preseason play with the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers.

Faulkner got his coaching start last season at Anderson University where he was an assistant and worked with recruiting.

Four winter sports teams concluded their seasons by competing in Mid-American Conference Championships.

Gymnastics: The team concluded its season by placing seventh in the MAC Championships, hosted in Bowling Green, OH. The Cardinals tallied a team score of 190.125. Central Michigan won the MAC crown with score of 197.425.

Women's Swimming: The swimming team ended its season with a fifth-place finish at the MAC Championships in February with 312.50 points. Emily Aubie (Nepean, Ontario/John McCrae) earned All-MAC Honorable Mention honors for her performance at the meet.

Women's Track and Field: The team finished second at the 2003 MAC Indoor Championships. Leading the Cardinals was Patricia Soman with two first place finishes, in long jump and triple jump.

Crystal Winfrey (Columbus, OH/Columbus East) placed second in the 400 (55.25); Jill Scully (Valparaiso/Valparaiso) was sixth in the 3000 (9:58.49); and Stacey Ritz (Millville, OH/Talawanda) finished fifth in the 5000.

Men's Track and Field: The team finished the indoor season ranked seventh out of ten teams, with a score of 42 points, at the 2003 Indoor MAC Championships in February.

Women's Track: The women's track and field team placed four members on the MAC All-Academic Team. They are: Lindsay Keazer (West Lafayette/West Lafayette), who maintains a 3.87 GPA as an education major; Cheryl Beth (Glendale Heights, IL/Glenbard North), an accounting and finance major who holds a 3.75 GPA; Natasha Lothery (Indianapolis/Lawrence North), who maintains a 3.47 GPA as a biology major; and Katie Nowak (Parkesburg, PA/Coatesville Area), with a 3.47 GPA in exercise science...

Women's Basketball: Kate Endress (Evansville/Memorial HS) was named to the 2003 Academic All-MAC women's basketball team. Endress, an entrepreneurship major, has a 3.88 GPA...

Men's Basketball: Matt McCollom (Mt. Zion, IL/Mt. Zion) has been named Verizon Academic All-District V First Team. McCollom owns a 3.729 GPA as a business major...Theron Smith (Winter Haven, FL/Auburndale) has declared for the 2003 NBA Draft and will not return for his senior year.