Use the fields below to perform an advanced search of The Daily News's archives. This will return articles, images, and multimedia relevant to your query. You can also try a Basic search
1000 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
We know it’s easy to be distracted and miss important announcements from Ball State’s Communication Center! No worries — Ball State Daily has you covered! This week, read about a new class, Women’s Week celebrations, and opportunities to participate in an academic study.
CLEVELAND — For the second time in four years, the Ball State Cardinals are competing for the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championship. The Cardinals fought in an incredible game against Kent State, coming out on top 70-53.Here are three takeaways.Big first quarter sets the toneBall State came out of the gates with a different kind of focus and the energy could be felt from up in the media seating balcony. The first quarter was all Cardinals, with Kent State knocking down just three buckets. The Cardinal offense was dropping shots left and right, the bigs were grabbing boards and the ball was moving around on offense seamlessly. Kent State came out in a zone on the first set, but Madelyn Bischoff hit a three-ball that quickly got the Golden Flashes out of it. From then on, the Kent State defense went man-to-manIn the opening frame, Ally Becki had eight points on 3-for-3 shooting and two three-balls. Lachelle Austin was 2-for-5 and hit a step-back trey as well. Madelyn Bischoff picked up where she left off Wednesday with an opening possession three to get the Cardinal faithful on their feet.Ball State was an impressive 7-for-13 as a team from the field and 4-for-8 from deep, which is one of its best numbers of the season. The Cardinals knocked down both of their free throws, and played clean on their defensive end, not sending a Golden Flash to the line for free throws.The Cardinals held a slight advantage in rebounds, at 10 to 6. NINE of Ball State’s rebounds came on the defensive end of the floor, allowing zero Kent State second-chance points. The energy — and 12-point lead — was enough to propel the Cardinals to victory. Ball State led for the entire game and Kent State did not hold a single lead. It was early, but it seemed like the Golden Flashes were already far too out of it to come back, and they were.Cardinals defense controls the contestFrom the opening tip, the Ball State defense was STIFLING. From watching them all season, it was visibly the hardest defense the Cardinals have played all season.At the first timeout, Kent State had three points and was 1-for-6 from the field. Six minutes passed, and the Golden Flashes hit just one bucket. The defense was aggressive, and the double teams came down to the Kent State bigs at the right time.The presence of MAC Defensive Player of the Year Marie Kiefer was felt. She had two steals and her length created difficult shots. The in-your-face style of the guards created opportunity and forced Kent State mistakes. Kent State still scored its fair share of points, but the Cardinals forced them late into the shot clock and made them take unwanted shots. Pairing the aggressive guard play, active hands and paint length, Ball State was able to take advantage of their defense with 22 points off turnover.Becki held Kent State's fourth-leading scorer Dionna Gray, who was 0-for-4 from the field in the first, with incredible defense throughout the game. Gray finished with four points and was 2-for-11 from the field.The defense was dominating all game and held the MAC’s second-ranked offense — averaging 73.7 points per game — to 53 points.Kent State is second in the MAC in three-point percentage at 36.1 percent, and it shot 23.5 percent today. The Golden Flashes lead the conference in threes per game at nearly eight, but the Cardinals limited them to four. Kent State scored just six points off turnovers and did not have a single fast break point, Ball State had 13. Five Cardinals poked at least two balls loose from the Kent State offense.When Kent State’s shooters had Ball State guards with hands in their faces, they had to find their bigs. When the ball got down low, the Cardinal bigs stuffed them and double teams came. It was seriously impressive to see the defense come together as well as it did.Lachelle Austin steps up to the stageThe Eastern Michigan transfer has had her struggles over the last month. Since Feb. 5, Austin has been in double digits four times, and has not been able to score in games against Western Michigan and Bowling Green.She started the MAC slate averaging almost 13 points per game, but sizzled off to 10.0 heading into the tournament. She had been dishing out the ball well and was still playing extremely strong defense. Against Western Michigan two days ago, Austin shot 3-for-11 from the field and 1-for-6 from deep for seven points. But in the semifinals, she came out on fire.She shot 8-for-11 from the field and knocked down four deep balls. She scored 21 points today and added two assists, three rebounds and two steals. She was six points off her career high of 27, she scored at Eastern Michigan. Her performance brought some of the spotlight and pressure off of Becki and she required just as much attention on defense. Austin putting an incredible game together was a sight to see, and she has deserved it. She reached 1,000 career points earlier this season and her total points today was a Ball State career high.Ball State will play the winner of Toledo and Buffalo March 15 at 11 a.m. for the MAC Tournament title. The game will be broadcasted on national television on CBS Sports Network.Contact Logan Connor via email at logan.connor@bsu.edu or via X @_loganconnor.
MUNCIE, Ind. – The Delta Eagles have officially put themselves on the map by making school history to win back-to-back-to-back sectional championships.
Muncie, Ind – The Ball State Spike ball club aims to shine light on a sport that has not been around for long.
CLEVELAND — On the third day of the Daily News sports team’s journey to the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Tournament, the crew enjoyed their second off day from coverage. The day began with coffee and breakfast in the hotel. Following that, the team headed to the Cleveland Aquarium to view a wide range of underwater creatures. Fish, sharks, turtles, frogs and much more were on display. Sports editor Zach Carter enjoyed the moment, but as an avid fisherman, wished he had packed a fishing rod when seeing a few largemouth bass and channel catfish in a tank.
CLEVELAND — Ball State women’s basketball dominated its opening round contest against Western Michigan with an 82-53 win. The No. 1 Cardinals will now face the No. 4 Kent State Golden Flashes for a shot at the program’s first Mid-American Conference (MAC) Tournament title since 2009.Kent State beat No. 5 Miami 68-61 in the quarterfinals to advance to the semifinals. The season record for the Cardinals against Kent State is 1-1, with a road win and home loss.Here are three keys for Ball State against Kent State.Control the boardsIn the home loss Feb. 22, the Cardinals were out-rebounded heavily by Kent State. The Golden Flashes had out-rebounded the Cardinals 22-13 in the first half, and held a 42-29 advantage for the game.When Ball State gets going on the blocks, and grabs boards, the Cardinals play better basketball. It is an obvious thought, but when the Cardinals get boards, they turn into second chance points and put-backs. With the size in the paint for Ball State, grabbing offensive rebounds turns into points on second opportunities. In the Cardinals’ opening MAC Tournament game against Western Michigan, Ball State grabbed 44 rebounds — nearly 20 more than the Broncos — and scored 19 second chance points. Kent State is a team that also controls the glass, bringing down 48 boards against Miami (OH) in the tournament quarterfinals. Kent State did not capitalize on as many offensive boards though, scoring just 10 second chance points. Part of that is due to them shooting 40 percent from the field, knocking down 20 of 50 shots.On the defensive side, Ball State reeled in 31 boards against Western Michigan. The Broncos only scored four second-chance points. Limiting those second-chance opportunities and getting the ball down the floor will be a major part of the Cardinals’ success against Kent State.Do not live and die by the threeIn the game against Western Michigan, Ball State shot below 35 percent from deep. Kent State is a team shooting 36 percent from deep this season. If the Cardinals and Golden Flashes turn the game into a shootout, I do not like the Cardinals’ chances.Ball State has looked its best when the ball goes through the bigs. Getting the ball in the paint and playing physical has been the m.o. of this Ball State team all season. In the first game against Kent State, Jan. 15, the Cardinals shot 32 percent from deep and Kent State shot 30 percent. Ball State’s best three-point shooter, Ally Becki, is shooting 40.5 percent from deep. The next best shooter, Madelyn Bischoff, is shooting 34.0 percent. In the Golden Flashes’ opening game against Miami (OH), they shot 41.2 percent from deep.Both teams play through their bigs and if they do against each other, fans are in store for what could be an incredible basketball game. Ball State scored 38 points in the paint against Western Michigan and hit just seven of its 22 shots from deep.Kent State also hit seven threes in its opener, but took five fewer shots than the Cardinals. Although the Cardinals were able to dominate the game against the Broncos while struggling from deep, they hit timely shots and converted big threes in big moments. Lachelle Austin hit a big bucket at the halftime buzzer to extend the lead to 18.Ball State can shoot the ball well, but limiting rushed shots and taking good looks will be important. Madelyn Bischoff is one of the best spot up shooters in the MAC. With her feet set, it feels like Bischoff knocks every deep shot down. It will be interesting to see how many threes go up for the Cardinals.Mid-season Becki needs to be backThe MAC Player of the Year had her struggles from the field over the last few MAC games. To open the season, Becki played as if she was the best player in the conference, and arguably the best player in Mid-Major basketball.To open the season, Becki was in double-digits in eight of nine games. She scored seven against top-15 North Carolina and eight against No. 11 Ohio State a few weeks later. From Dec. 11 to Feb. 15, Becki was not below double-digit point totals in any game.From Feb. 19 to now, Becki was below double-digits FIVE times. During a seven-game stretch, Becki was scoring in the single-digits more often than she had prior on the entire season.BUT… She did set the Ball State career assists record. She DID lead the MAC in assist to turnover ratio. She DID rank seventh in the nation in assists per game. She WAS the eighth player EVER to have 1,500 points, 700 rebounds and 600 assists in her career.Sure, the point totals dropped over a couple of weeks, sure she was not draining threes left and right, sure she was not dropping SportsCenter Top 10 plays daily. But she was a walking highlight reel. She was dropping dimes behind the back and across the court. She was getting the ball to MAC Second Team selection Alex Richard who averaged 16.3 points per game — which was sixth in the MAC — and she was playing lock down defense.One thing is for sure, Ally Becki is one of the best players to ever play for Ball State University and her performance against Kent State will be a focal point. No matter what, teams prepare for Becki, the media — national and local — want to talk to her, fans come to watch her play and it is all for good reason.The last two seasons, the lights in Cleveland have been bright and the Cardinals have not stepped up. This season could be the difference, and I do not want to say her performance will decide whether or not Ball State wins, but I like the Cardinals’ chances a whole lot more when she does.It is not completely up to her, as players like Richard and Bischoff have been getting their footing as of late. Richard, the most consistent shooter on the team and arguably the MAC, along with the three-point shooting of Bischoff make up for Becki’s point totals being lower. She finds her teammates and gets them wide open and good looks.Ball State will play Kent State March 14 at 10 a.m. from Rocket Arena. The winner of that game will play in the MAC Women’s Basketball Championship game March 16 at 11 a.m. against the winner of Toledo and Buffalo.Contact Logan Connor via email at logan.connor@bsu.edu or via X @_loganconnor
MUNCIE, Ind. — Color, texture, patterns and silhouette. These are all elements of fashion that the fashion industry studies club, or FISC, believes creates a cohesive outfit.
MUNCIE, Ind. – The Muncie Wastewater Treatment Plant does much more than filter dirty water. What may be left unknown is all the hard work they put in when it comes to increasing biodiversity.
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to allow restrictions on birthright citizenship to take effect partly while legal fights play out.
Muncie, Ind. — 2025 marked the start of a new political year, with President Donald Trump retaking office alongside many new governors across the country. With a red wave sweeping across the country, a majority of the election results ended in favor of the republican party, with Indiana bringing in republican governor Mike Braun.
Tonight: Another peaceful night with temperatures in the low 50's with mostly clear skies. Lower cloud coverage for the evening/early Friday morning will bring about great viewing conditions for nighttime total lunar eclipse (Blood Moon). It will be partially covered by 1:09 a.m. before transitioning into full coverage at 2:26 a.m. Perfect weather this evening with soft breezes tonight.
Severe Thunderstorms are possible across East Central Indiana late Friday evening and into the early morning hours on Saturday.
Editor's Note: Xavier University is in Cincinnati, Ohio. Not Fort Wayne as the article originally stated.
MUNCIE, Ind. — After losing their last home game 69-67 to the Central Michigan Chippewas last Tuesday, Ball State Men’s looks to improve on the little things that contribute to cutting the nets in March.
MUNCIE, Ind. – Spring is around the corner, and you know what that means? The beautiful trees are blooming.
CLEVELAND — Senior Ball State women’s basketball guard Ally Becki has been carving up defenses and clamping down opponents for the last four years with Ball State women’s basketball. This year has been no different. She averaged 13.9 points per game, was named the Mid-American Conference’s (MAC) Player of the Year and helped the Cardinals become MAC regular season champions for the first time in 22 years. Yet, her impact doesn’t stop on the court. It is all around campus. “To have her in my sights just makes me so much more proud to be a woman, and to be here at Ball State,” senior Ball State band member Olivia Sloniker said. “To have her be the best at Ball State … She's kicking butt everywhere she goes. It warms my heart.”Let’s stay with the on-court aspect for a second. Becki is the Cardinal’s all-time leader for assists (707) and is the No. 6 player for all-time points scored (1,638) Let’s just admit it, she’s good. Really damn good. While I watched her a few times this year and have read about her via coverage from Daily News beat reporters Elijah Poe and Logan Connor — well done this year, gentlemen — watching her play in the Cardinals’ first game of the MAC Tournament reminded me how dominant she is.Her insane ball handling, no-look passes, lockdown defense … Again, she’s awesome. But it’s how she carries herself. When I asked Becki about the quote from Sloniker, the Cardinal was honest about being seen as more than just a basketball player. “That means a lot, especially hearing that from the band. They do an amazing job,” Becki said. “They come out here and they perform as well as we do, and so it's good to have support like that. You guys, too. I saw you walk into the stadium today. “It's an all-around team effort, and to be able to kind of hear everyone say I kind of made an impact, it means a lot to me, because after this, basketball is almost over for me. So any way I can impact the game, but also the community or anything like that, means a lot to me.”While Becki’s stardom in the MAC and around Delaware County is noticeable — if you haven’t noticed it or heard anything about her, well, I can’t help you — she’s right about the team aspect. This roster, which is led by five seniors, is what helps make Becki who she is. She’s playing with her friends and has said so multiple times over the last four years. With her career with Ball Stat winding down, where does she rank as an athlete at the university, let alone a women’s basketball player? To me, she’s one of the best. But as Babe Ruth says in the baseball film “Sandlot,” there are heroes and legends. Heroes are remembered and legends never die. Ball State Athletics knows her worth to the team, program and community.“Special athletes come along every so often, and Ally, she has been the epitome of consistency with how she prepares, how she plays, how she leads on the floor and she's cheerful and she also makes you proud the way she carries herself,” Ball State director of athletics Jeff Mitchell said. “When you have those abilities [and act the right way], it makes a huge difference. You make a decision as a fan that you want to go to Worthen Arena and watch Ally Becki and it becomes an easy decision.”With the state of college athletics, she could have left and tried to find something bigger and better. Yet, she stayed. While I think the guard is indeed both a hero and legend to Ball State women’s basketball and the university as a whole, there is one question that remains. Will the No. 0 jersey be hung up in the rafters of Worthen Arena with Ball State men’s basketball icons Bonzi Wells and Ray MacCallum?I think it’s an obvious answer, and to Mitchell, I believe he does too. “I think she's well on her way,” he said, smiling. Contact Zach Carter via email at zachary.carter@bsu.edu or via X @ZachCarter85.
Most wins in program history, 15 players with over 1,000 points scored, 2024-25 Mid-American Conference (MAC) regular season champions, 11 trips to postseason tournaments, eight 20+ win seasons, 41 all conference selections, three Freshman of the Year winners, three Defensive Player of the Years, two Sixth Player of the Years and two MAC Player of the Years. That is just a list of some of the things Ball State women’s basketball head coach Brady Sallee has done in his time with Ball State University. If you ask him, though, he would most likely say it was not him at all, it was all his players. In fact, I am positive he would. Answers to questions like that are exactly what make Sallee special. He has built a family culture where everyone in the program is playing for each other. Over the past three seasons, I have been in countless interviews with Sallee and his players, and not one time have I heard someone take all the credit for anything positive. Game-winning shot? A teammate created that. Shooting at a high percentage? The teammates found them when open.Sallee winning coach of the year? He told others it should have been the staff of the year. The records speak for the culture he has built. You do not win that many games and have all those accomplishments without having everyone from the last person on the bench to the key starter buying in. Talking about buying in, he kept four seniors at Ball State in the era where any of them could have transferred out. Seniors Ally Becki, Marie Kiefer and Madelyn Bischoff stayed at Ball State for four complete seasons. Becki has been a starter since day one. She has had the clips, stats, hype and more to easily transfer to a bigger school. But she stuck with Sallee and Ball State. Kiefer and Bischoff might not have the same stats as Becki does, but their importance to the Ball State women’s basketball program is the main reason they were able to win a MAC regular season title. And the fourth player of the ‘Core Four,’ he was able to snag in the transfer portal, that being Alex Richard. She has been able to become one of the most efficient players for Ball State and is consistently scoring in double digits. Being able to retain players speaks to the type of recruiter he is. He knows what players he wants, and although he has admittingly said it does not always work out, it sure has as of late. The fact that Sallee was able to recruit, coach, keep and win with those four players is a testament to the coach and person he is. He has also retained associate head coach Audrey McDonand-Spencer for his 13 years at Ball State. If you ask Sallee, she would be just as accountable for any win the Cardinals have as he is. Although the illustrious trip to the NCAA tournament has evaded Sallee in his time at the helm, the Cardinals are right in the thick of the fight this year. Sallee is vocal during games and is never afraid to fight for his players on ANY call. He has built a culture of winning, and his players are completely bought in. Without the wins and records, the culture alone gives reason for people to truly believe that Sallee is an all-time Cardinal. Contact Elijah Poe via email at elijah.poe@bsu.edu or on X @ElijahPoe4.
CLEVELAND — Ball State women’s basketball kicked off its Mid-American Conference (MAC) Tournament journey March 12 with a first-round victory over Western Michigan. Though Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio is a neutral site, the Ball State bench sat in front of a crowd of Cardinal fans, the Ball State band, Code Red dancers and cheerleaders. “You've got not just 14 players in this thing. You've got your administrators, you've got your band, you've got your cheerleaders, you've got your fans [and] a lot of family,” Ball State head coach Brady Sallee said. “It takes it all to have a program like we have, and we're really proud of our program. The Cardinals have been in the MAC Tournament every year since the conference decided to only allow the top eight teams in the event in 2020. However, some fans have been to the tournament multiple times and others have made it since it was first held in ‘The Land’ 25 years ago. “They need our support, both home and away,” Ken Briner said. “...[The teams] like to see that support wherever they’re at.” Ken — a Ball State graduate — and his wife, Peggy, have been longtime supporters of the athletic program. The Briners Sports Complex in Muncie is named after them. The couple go to every home game for both the men’s and women’s Cardinal basketball teams. To them, it’s important to continue that support in the postseason. But it’s not just alumni and Ball State fans who are at the tournament supporting the Cardinals. Students are also in the arena. Senior Ball State band member Olivia Sloniker has been to Cleveland the last four years for the event. To her, the best part is supporting this women’s roster. “Every single year, every game, no matter if it’s a win or loss, the women come over to us and they chat with us and they play the fight song with us,” Sloniker said. “They give us something … We’ve brought posters that we've made, we bring our cameras and we do everything we can to support our women.” The players integrating themselves with the band and other campus groups is something that gives people like Sloniker pride in what she does. To her, the school is being represented by a team full of good people. “Just today when we walked in, they saw us, and they went, ‘Hey, band.’ And we got so into it,” she said. “Seeing athletes that appreciate the spirit, it makes your life, one, so much easier, two, so much better, and three, so much more enjoyable.” Ball State Athletics has noticed the support for this team specifically. Director of Athletics Jeff Mitchell was at the opening contest and said the support is because of what the program has become under Sallee and this group. “It means everything in terms of the type of community and fan support that we're building here at Ball State,” Mitchell said. “It’s certainly reflective of the type of program that our women's basketball team has here at Ball State. It's not a surprise for me to walk into the arena here in Cleveland and see all these Cardinals. “As I was coming into the arena, I got ‘Chrip, chirps’ and ‘Go Cards.’ It's awesome and I get excited thinking about it.” Ball State will play their next game Friday, March 14 at 10 a.m. They will face the No. 4 seed Kent State. Contact Zach Carter via email at zachary.carter@bsu.edu or via X @ZachCarter85.
Tonight: Tonight will be mostly clear throughout the night with a low of 50 and winds coming from the east at 5 mph.
Ball State women’s basketball sophomore Ashlynn Brooke is used to having things taken away from her. Lengths of her season at the high school level, a scholarship to play at her once-dream school, the end of her first season in collegiate basketball, and her second season of collegiate basketball were all taken away or prematurely ended due to her injury.Brooke has torn her ACL once and torn her meniscus twice, and she also had a tumor in her leg in middle school. But she had worked through lengthy rehab processes over and over again. Brooke has been able to work herself back to form from every situation. Ball State women’s basketball head coach Brady Sallee said her injuries are temporary; it is how she comes back from them that tells the story. “I think her story is going to be pretty cool,” Sallee said.Ball State women’s basketball's then-freshman Brooke went down just a minute into her playing time Feb, 21, 2024, during a game against Central Michigan. Brooke said she instantly knew something was seriously wrong. “I was just mad in general,” Brooke said. “… It never really hit me that I had torn it.” She had torn her ACL and meniscus in her right leg. Once she found out it was torn, she said teammates and coaches called her to tell her they were sorry. Brooke was in disbelief. Brooke was aware of the next steps, as all her injuries stemmed from just her left leg in high school. “[It was] honestly devastating. There were a lot of lows because the tricky part was the meniscus repair. You can’t walk,” Brooke said. “There were six weeks of me being in a locked brace, not walking. It was a tricky time.” To make things worse, her injury could not have come at a worse time, she said. The Ball State women’s basketball staff wanted to get her into surgery as soon as possible, but it did not work with the surgeon's schedule. Brooke went into surgery on March 11, 2024, and the next morning at 7 a.m., Ball State assistant athletic trainer Brad Bunten picked her up and got to work in rehab. The same day, the Cardinals departed Muncie and headed to Cleveland for the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Tournament. Bunten said Brooke worked with a physical therapist back home while the staff was away. Brooke has been away from the court for an extended period, but the sophomore grew up with the sport of basketball. Brooke’s father was a coach, and she also had three older sisters whom he coached. Brooke said she never got anything handed to her with her father as the coach; if anything, he made her work harder. “I miss playing for him because I would show up at school, and [my] dad's there and my family's there,” Brooke said. “My uncle is a math teacher at my high school. So my entire family was at my high school, and I got to see them every day.”While her dad no longer coaches, he is now the school's principal. Brooke played out her high school career at Pioneer High School in a “one stoplight” town roughly ten minutes north of Logansport. Associate head coach Audrey McDonald-Spencer recruited Brooke starting in the eighth grade. Brooke went to an elite camp, and Brooke said it was an instant click. “They were one of my first ‘this is real’-type offers,” Brooke said. Brooke’s dream school was Purdue. Her parents, aunts, uncles and more all root for the Boilermakers. When Purdue women’s basketball made her an offer, she said it was almost like a dream come true since her family had been preaching “play at Mackey Arena” since she was ten. However, as Brooke went through injuries in high school, colleges dropped their offers. One of those schools was Purdue. “They did not even contact me,” Brooke said. Through it all, the Ball State staff reassured Brooke they had her back, always keeping their offer on the table. Sallee said he always tried to make decisions for the team where he could lay his head down at night. He said he knew Brooke was a Ball State type of kid.“If you take the injuries out of the equation, which none of us ever can, I think everyone would have seen it by now,” Sallee said. “It is still there. We just have to be patient.” Patience is what Brooke and Bunten worked on through their rehab session five to seven times every week since she was first injured over a year ago. Although she can get tired of training with Bunten regularly, Brooke said the pair has fun together. “He tries to see the positive side of things, but he has also been super respectful when he knows I am having a mental day,” Brooke said.Bunten said it is a hard task to have any athlete put full trust into a trainer, but Brooke went in full steam ahead and has seen the benefits from rehab. “Some of those early days we were spending an hour and a half, two hours just in one rehab session … That is five to seven days a week we are around each other,” Bunten said. “What has been good about it is that we are not having two-hour conversations just about her knee. The stuff we talk about every day makes it more enjoyable.”Sallee said it is a real mental grind to recover from an injury of that magnitude. Although the team has great doctors and trainers, the mental work is on the athlete. “Gosh, can you imagine the mind tricks that go on with something like this?” Sallee said. “We knew, just with the timing of everything last year, that losing [the 2024-25 season] was going to be a possibility.”Brooke said she and Sallee have had many discussions on whether to take a medical redshirt and continued to have conversations throughout the season. “He hears me out. He'd listen to me,” Brooke said. “It's the same thing with Brad. The three of us, we communicate.”Sallee said there was never really a time frame for Brooke to get back by a certain date. Instead, they focused on getting Brooke back to 100 percent. The classification of medical redshirts happens after the season, Sallee said. The staff documents how much playing time is given to each player, and that documentation is submitted to the NCAA. The classification for a redshirt or medical redshirt has to be submitted to the NCAA, and they then approve or disapprove. Sallee also said redshirtting gets looked at during the end of her eligibility. Ball State might apply now for the year, but it might not be granted until her normal four years of eligibility are up. “There is a lot of red tape that goes into it, but in her instance, it is just a matter of paperwork. She will get the year back,” Sallee said. “I think that was one thing for her. She wanted a full year, and she did not want to waste any more years. I certainly agree and back that up 100 percent.”Although Brooke has not been seen on the court during games this year for the Cardinals, she has been working daily on the practice floor to improve her game. She said she’s been able to play some scout team and participate in as much practice as she can — all the while she is still rehabbing her knee back to full health.The sophomore said she is trying to get better every day for the 2025-26 season ahead instead of lying back. Bunten said Brooke is still rehabbing by design, and he is working with her to stay on top of everything. He said she entered the “maintenance” part of rehab, where she has gotten to a good spot. Now, the focus is on staying on top of it to prevent something from ever happening again. “I don’t know that you could go through rehab any better,” Sallee said. “She’s worked so hard on the floor.”While injuries may have derailed her high school career, Brooke said she is currently finding her way to get back on track after dealing with an injury at the collegiate level. “There is not a day that goes by that I cannot wait to play,” Brooke said.Contact Elijah Poe via email at elijah.poe@bsu.edu or on X @ElijahPoe4.
