The commitment to women's soccer at the University of Cincinnati was the deciding factor in Ball State University soccer coach Michelle Salmon's decision to leave the Cardinals.
The two-time Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year was officially named the head coach at Cincinnati Thursday after two seasons at Ball State.
"They're interested in winning championships there," Salmon said. "They're willing to put in the resources and they invested in me."
Cincinnati showed its commitment to Salmon by giving her a three-year contract, she said, and she had no second thoughts about leaving Ball State.
When talking to the officials at Cincinnati, they showed so much commitment to the Bearcats' program that the position as their coach was enticing, Salmon said.
Ball State Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Tom Collins and President Jo Ann Gora are also completely supportive of the Cardinals' program, Salmon said. However, the opportunity to coach in the Big East, which is one of the best athletics conferences in the nation, was a great opportunity.
While she is interested in coaching in the Big East, she said, there are few jobs she would have left Ball State for and would not have accepted a job from just any bigger university.
Seeing the facilities at Cincinnati and talking to officials for the past two weeks sold her on the move, she said.
"It's a team I believe that can win a Big East championship," Salmon said.
One of the biggest challenges the coach will face at Cincinnati is building the championship mentality the Ball State team had, she said. She wants to build the Bearcats' program up and develop the championship approach the Cardinals' have.
Goalkeeper Rachael Murphy, who was a junior on last year's team, said the Cardinals still have the heart and talent to win another MAC championship, and the team will not take any steps back.
"[The coaching change] will have little to no effect on us," Murphy said.
Murphy's classmate, midfielder Annie Aiello, said she was not expecting the announcement, but when she looked back it was evident Salmon had proven herself and teams would be interested in her.
Murphy said the team talked about Salmon's departure for a little bit but has not looked back since.
"We addressed the issue when we were told," Murphy said. "We've hardly talked about it all."
The team will move forward with interim-head coach Abby Richter until a new coach is found. Richter served as Salmon's assistant coach the past two seasons.
Salmon said it was too early to tell about Richter's future and if she would pursue her as an assistant at Cincinnati or if she would become the new Ball State coach.
Aiello said she supports Richter with whatever she wants to do with her coaching career, and Richter says she is interested in continuing with the Cardinals.
"I would definitely like to be the next coach and continue with the program," she said. "I think I've been a big part of the success here."
Collins could not be reached for comment Thursday.
For now, Richter said she looks forward to leading the team as the interim head coach. She will keep some of Salmon's coaching ideas and implement some of her own.
"I think it's a good position for me to be in and try to keep the program running," Richter said.
While the team does not know who the head coach will be next fall, the players said their experience dealing with Ron Rainey's departure to the University of Iowa two years ago helped prepare them for this time. They said they understand coaching is a business and departures like Salmon's happen.
"My first reaction and the team's first reaction is this happens," Murphy said.
The teams' unity, which players have continually described as a family, will also make the transition easier, Aiello and Murphy said.
The new coach will be the third coach in four years for next year's seniors.
"It makes it interesting, but it is exciting," Aiello said.
The Cardinals will have a pair of MAC regular season championships to look back on with their time with Salmon as the Ball State coach. In her two seasons she had a 26-9-5 overall record and a 17-3-2 record in the conference, en route to the team's first two MAC titles.
She was the first coach in conference history to win back-to-back outright regular season championships.
"If you do that at the Big East level, you will be a top 10 team," Salmon said.
Last season, the University of Notre Dame made the final four in the NCAA tournament and the University of Connecticut and West Virginia University made the elite eight.
Murphy said he expects Salmon to have success at Cincinnati and that she will have lots of coaching possibilities in the future.
"She can go anywhere," Murphy said. "She's a great coach."
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