Becki Named MAC Player of the Year, Kiefer Named Defensive Player of the Year, Sallee Named MAC Coach of the Year

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Ball State senior Ally Becki was named the Mid-American Conference Player of the Year while senior Marie Kiefer was tabbed the MAC Defensive Player of the Year and Brady Sallee earned MAC Coach of the Year, the conference office announced today.

Along with those accolades, Becki received First Team and Defensive Team All-MAC honors while Alex Richard garnered Second Team All-MAC accolades. Kiefer was also tabbed to the MAC All-Defensive Team.

This marks only the sixth time Ball State has had a MAC Player of the Year recipient, with the others being Nathalie Fontaine (2015-16), Kate Endress (2004-05), Tamara Bowie (2002-03 & 2000-01) and Jenny Eckert (1989-90). It is also only the third time in school annals that the Cardinals have received MAC Coach of the Year, Sallee joins Tracy Roller (2002) and Brenda Oldfield (2000).

"We are absolutely thrilled to see Ally get rewarded with MAC Player of the Year," Sallee said. "She would be the first to tell you that this is a team award, and she is correct, but the year she has had and the career that she has put together at Ball State deserves this award."

Becki earns postseason accolades for the fourth straight year. The senior guard is known as the Cardinals' play maker and recently became the program's all-time assists leader with 699. She ranks first in the MAC this season in assists (194), assists per game (6.3), assist/turnover ratio (2.20) and field goal percentage (47.1). Becki is also currently seventh nationally in assists (194) and assists per game (6.3).

The star-studded senior has earned MAC weekly honors three times this season and 10 times for her career. She enters this week's MAC Tournament just one assist away from becoming the seventh player in NCAA women's basketball college history to have scored 1,600+ career points, pulled down 700+ rebounds and dished 700+ assists. Becki has scored 1,624 points, totaled 716 rebounds and 699 assists so far for her career.

Thanks to Kiefer's defensive effort, this is the second-straight season a Cardinals player has earned the MAC Defensive Player of the Year. Kiefer joins Nyla Hampton who earned the award last season. Kiefer, who leads the league in blocks (58) and blocks per game (1.87), was also named to the All-MAC Defensive squad for the first time in her career. Kiefer recently broke the Cardinals' single-season record for most blocks (58) and enters the MAC Tournament as the Ball State women's basketball all-time blocks leader with 198 career blocks.

Along with her solid blocking numbers, Kiefer ranks ninth all-time in program history in rebounds with 793, including 226 so far this season. She has registered a block in every game but two this season and has tallied eight double-digit rebounding performances including a career best 16 rebound performances twice this season against Ohio (1/29/25) and Central Michigan (2/26/25).

"I'm so excited to see Marie get recognized for her impact on the defensive end of the floor," Sallee said. "She allows us to do so much on defensive end because of her ability to block and change shots. What sometimes goes unnoticed is the deflections and steals that she comes up with! She is one of the best defenders I have coached, and we are so proud of her."

This is the first postseason award for Richard who leads the Cardinals in scoring (16.2 ppg) and is second on the squad in rebounding (7.2 rpg). After missing most of the non-conference season due to injury, Richard came back just in time for MAC play. Her biggest achievement was joining the 1,000-point club at Toledo (Feb. 19) with a career high 33-point performance. In the 18 games since her return, she has averaged 16.2 points per game while pulling down 7.2 rebounds per contest.

Richard has been efficient from the field as well, shooting 52 percent. She also garnered the last MAC weekly honor on Monday for her performance last week when she averaged 22.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. She shot 63 percent from the field and 70 percent from the charity stripe in wins over Buffalo (March 5) and Ohio (March 8).

Sallee earns MAC Coach of the Year honors for the first time in his 13-year career after guiding the Cardinals to a 24-7 record this season and its first MAC regular season title in the last 22 years with a 16-2 league mark. The third-winningest coach in MAC history with 159 victories, Sallee has helped the Cardinals to the NCAA's first-ever postseason Women's Basketball lnvitation Tournament (WBIT), nine postseason Women's National Invitation Tournaments (WNIT), a WNIT Final 16 appearance, a Mid-American Conference (MAC) West Division title (2014), 11 MAC Tournament appearances, and eight 20-plus win seasons; a feat no head coach at Ball State has done.

Under Sallee's direction, the Cardinals have had 41 postseason All-MAC selections, two MAC Player of the Year winners, three MAC Defensive Player of the Year honors, two Sixth Player of the Year awards and three MAC Freshman of the Year honorees.

"I'm humbled and thankful that our staff was recognized for all of their work that went into this year," Sallee said. "This truly is a Staff of the Year Award that happens when you have a special team that buys in to each other. I'm thankful to have an incredible staff around me."

The Ball State women's basketball team will be the No. 1 seed in this week's 2025 MAC Tournament and will face eighth-seeded Western Michigan on Wednesday in the quarterfinals at Rocket Arena in Cleveland. Tipoff is at 11 am ET.

2024-25 MAC Women's Basketball All-MAC Teams & Specialty Award Winners
Coach of the Year: Brady Sallee, Ball State
Player of the Year: Ally Becki, Senior, Ball State, Guard
Defensive Player of the Year: Marie Kiefer, Senior, Ball State, Forward
Freshman of the Year: Madi Morson, Freshman, Central Michigan, Guard
Sixth Player of the Year: Nan Garcia, Graduate Student, Toledo, Guard/Forward

All-MAC First Team
Ally Becki, Senior, Ball State, Guard
Amy Velasco, Senior, Bowling Green, Guard
Chellia Watson, Redshirt Senior, Buffalo, Guard
Enjulina Gonzalez, Sophomore, Miami, Guard
Jenna Batsch, Senior, Kent State, Guard

All-MAC Second Team
Alex Richard, Senior, Ball State, Forward
Kirsten Lewis-Williams, Sophomore, Buffalo, Guard
Madi Morson, Freshman, Central Michigan, Guard
Sammi Mikonowicz, Graduate Student, Toledo, Guard/Forward
Sisi Eleko, Junior, Eastern Michigan, Forward

All-MAC Third Team
Chelby Koker, Graduate Student, Northern Illinois, Guard
Hannah Spitzley, Graduate Student, Western Michigan, Guard
Kennedi Watkins, Senior, Ohio, Guard
Lexi Fleming, Fifth-Year, Bowling Green, Guard
Shelbee Brown, Redshirt Senior, Akron, Forward

All-MAC Honorable Mention
Amber Tretter, Sophomore, Miami, Forward
Janae Tyler, Sophomore, Kent State, Forward
Kendall Carruthers, Sophomore, Toledo, Guard
Marina Asensio, Junior, Western Michigan, Guard
Paige Kohler, Sophomore, Bowling Green, Guard

MAC All-Freshman Team
Ayanna-Sarai Darrington, Freshman, Central Michigan, Forward
Faith Fedd-Robinson, Freshman, Toledo, Guard
Johnea Donahue, Freshman, Bowling Green, Guard
Lexi Carlsen, Freshman, Northern Illinois, Guard
Madi Morson, Freshman, Central Michigan, Guard

MAC All-Defensive Team
Ally Becki, Senior, Ball State, Guard,
Hannah Spitzley, Graduate Student, Western Michigan, Guard
Johnea Donahue, Freshman, Bowling Green, Guard
Lani Cornfield, Fifth-Year, Buffalo, Guard
Marie Kiefer, Senior, Ball State, Forward

Becki Named MAC Player of the Year, Kiefer Named Defensive Player of the Year, Sallee Named MAC Coach of the Year

Players Mentioned

Ally Becki

Nyla Hampton

Marie Kiefer

Alex Richard

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