As he prepared for Faulkner's inaugural season, Lady Eagles' head women's basketball coach Reed Sutton searched far and wide for the right assistant. And that nation-wide search kept coming back to one person - Kat Kundmueller.

Sutton felt that Kundmueller was the perfect fit for his staff and, although she lacked coaching experience, would weave well into the fabric of the new program.

"She stood out because she is committed to Christian education and the effort to utilize basketball to mentor and minister to the ladies in our program," Sutton said. "She was a tremendous point guard in college, and they have a tendency to make great coaches. We're excited that Kat decided to jumpstart her career at Faulkner."

A native of Fort Worth, Texas, Kundmueller was a three-year starter for coach Shawna Lavender at NCAA Div. II Abilene Christian University, and led the Wildcats to the NCAA regionals each of the past two seasons. She finished second in the country in assists per game both her junior and senior seasons, and is the career assist leader as well as the single-season assist leader at ACU.

Kundmueller excelled off the court as well, graduating last spring with a bachelor's degree in psychology. She carried a 3.89 grade-point average, and was a two-time selection to the Lone Star Conference all-academic team.

"This is a wonderful opportunity for me," said Kundmueller, who was an all-state performer and a part of back-to-back state championship teams at Fort Worth Christian High School. "Not many people get such an opportunity at such a young age, and I'm very excited."

Like Sutton, Kundmueller believes her experience as a point guard will translate to coaching success.

"I feel like I've been a coach on the floor since I started playing basketball 17 years ago," she said. "I've always enjoyed the strategic part of the game and the opportunity to motivate my teammates. I'm now looking forward to carrying that over into coaching."

Faulkner opens its first season of intercollegiate play on Nov. 4 against Warner University in Lake Wales, Fla.