Sometimes things happen for a reason. When it happens, the incident doesn't seem like it will beneficial, but little does one know that it will help one day.
Ball State track and field star Patricia Soman should know about these serendipitous moments in life. She has gone from a possible career-ending injury a year ago to being one of the top performers in her sport.
Soman's specialties are the long jump and triple jump, but she wasn't given an athletic scholarship. The senior earned an academic scholarship by maintaining a 4.0 GPA at Bishop O'Connell High School in Arlington, Virginia.
She lettered only once in track, but she also competed in softball and volleyball. When she arrived here at Ball State she walked on to the track team and has not looked back since.
"When I first met her I noticed that she was full of raw talent and potential," head coach Sue Parks said. "The events that she competes in are very technical. She was able to learn a lot from the veteran jumpers that were here before her."
Soman has always been plagued with injuries, but last year she suffered one that required her knee to be scoped. Her recovery was a tough one. Sometimes she would think that she would not be able to get back into the sport that she grew to love.
"I constantly worried that I wouldn't be able to come back" Soman said. "I just knew deep down that I had the potential to get through the tough times and to get back to competing."
Often frustration would set in and discourage Soman on her progress, but she would look to her father for inspiration.
"It was frustrating to sit on the sidelines and see your teammates excel in front of you," Soman said. "My father has been such a great inspiration to me, not just last year but my entire life. He helps me see what I want to be."
She didn't know it after her injury, but her hard work would pay off this season. In her 2003 campaign she has rewritten the Ball State track and field record book.
She currently holds both school records for the long jump (21 feet, 1 1/2 inches) and the triple jump (42-6 1/4). She has also been named the Mid-American Conference Athlete of the Week four times.
Soman finished first in the long jump (20-5 3/4) and triple jump (43-1) at the MAC Indoor Championships and was named MAC Most Valuable Performer, helping the Cardinals to a runner-up finish in the team standings. At one point in the season she was ranked second in the nation in the long jump and fourth in the nation in the triple jump.
She also competes in the 60 and 200-meter dashes, and is a member of the Ball State "A" relay team. At the NCAA Indoor Championships last weekend, the senior finished in 8th place in both the long jump and triple jump.
Soman is now focusing on the outdoor season, hoping to repeat her indoor success. She feels that if she stays healthy then it could happen.
"I always look forward to the outdoor season," she said. "It is good to get outdoors in the fresh air and compete. The meets are a lot bigger and the competition is better."
Soman currently holds a 3.79 G.P.A. at Ball State, but is uncertain what she will do with her accounting major. She plans on staying in school next year and continuing with her track career.cares, no one cares, I care.
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