Purdue Sports Update May 22

Softball’s Run Ends In Big Ten Semis

Purdue’s historic (30-23, 11-14 Big Ten) Big Ten Tournament run has come to an end after falling 4-2 to No. 8-seed Michigan (37-19, 12-11 Big Ten) Thursday (May 15) night. The Wolverines upset No. 3 seed UCLA the folllowing day to win the tournament that was hosted by the Boilermakers.

The Boilermakers outhit the Wolverines with six hits to their five, and Julia Gossett tied the Big Ten Tournament record for home runs, hitting her fourth of the week.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Purdue went down in order at the start of the game. One Wolverine batter made it on base at the switch, but the Boilermakers made a quick recovery and didn’t allow the runner to score. Delaney Reefe singled in the second inning, but was left on base.

Both sides went scoreless until the third inning, when Michigan had an RBI double and a three RBI homer to give them the lead. When the Boilers took the plate again, a Wolverine error put Maura Condon on base, and Gossett blasted a home run, her fourth since day one of the tournament, to plate two Purdue runs.

The Boilermakers used that momentum to send down the Wolverines quickly in the fourth inning. In the top of the fifth, Kylie Franks singled, and Alivia Meeks walked. Both of them advanced on a wild pitch, but they were unable to make it home. There was a close call in the field after a Wolverine hit put a runner on base, but the Boiler defense kept the run off the board. 

Purdue took the offense at the top of the sixth inning and loaded the bases on three hits by Condon, Gossett, and Scarmardo, but a double play ended the inning before any runs could be scored.

In the top of the seventh, the Wolverines closed out the game on three-straight outs, ending the historic run for the Boilers in the tournament.

No. 12 Purdue (30-22, 11-13 Big Ten) defeated No. 4 Ohio State (43-12-1, 16-7 Big Ten) 14-6 in Day 2 of the Big Ten Tournament, sending them to the semifinals. This marks the first time in Big Ten history that a 12-seed made it to the semifinals of the tournament.

Madi Elish started on the mound, and Kendall Klochack took over to finish the gam, striking out eight batters, which ties her season and career-best. Purdue registered nine hits, six of which were multi-base, and every batter made it on base.

HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Boilermakers fell into a hole early, going down in order at the plate and surrendering four runs on three hits to the Buckeyes, including a two-RBI home run. Klochack came in and worked out of the jam with a three-pitch strikeout to end the inning.

The Boilers had some momentum in the second inning as they loaded the bases, but went scoreless. Klochack sent down the batters in order with two strikeouts and a diving catch in right field from Maura Condon.

Each team put a runner on base in the third inning but were left on base. Delaney Reefe put a hit on the scoreboard in the fourth frame, and Sage Scarmardo followed her with a walk. Alivia Meeks knocked the ball out to right field, allowing Reefe to plate Purdue’s first run of the game. A Buckeye error on the throw down to second sent Scarmardo home. Kyndall Bailey fired a double out to left center put two runs on the board for the Boilers and tied up the game.

After three more outs in the field, the Boilers went to bat in the fifth inning with a big home run from Julia Gossett, her third of the tournament week, to put Purdue ahead 5-4 over Ohio State. Reefe and Scarmardo got on base once again, and Kylie Franks knocked the ball to shortstop, allowing Reefe to add another run to the board. A fourth Buckeye error allowed Campbell to make it to second base and Scarmardo to score to strengthen the lead.

Purdue held Ohio State steady at four runs through the fifth and sixth frames. Meeks doubled at the top of the seventh and scored on another Buckeye error after Campbell’s bat. Khloe Banks had a hit out to left field, and K. Bailey was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Maura Condon then fired a three-RBI triple out to right field, and Reefe and Meeks each had RBI doubles. Overall, the Boilermakers sent 12 batters up and plated seven runs on five hits in the top of the seventh frame. The Buckeyes had another two homers in the bottom of the inning, but it wasn’t enough to catch up to the Boilers, who took the win 14-6, sending them to the semifinals.

The Boilermakers upset No. 5 Northwestern (29-18-1, 16-7 Big Ten) 4-2 to advance to the quarterfinals. This is Purdue’s first Big Ten Tournament win since 2019.

Julia Gossett was on fire both in the circle and in the batter’s box, throwing out nine batters and hitting two home runs. Overall, the Boilers tallied eight hits, four of which were multi-base hits.

Baseball’s Season Ends in Series Loss to Huskers

Logan Sutter’s team-record 22nd double of the season came in his penultimate at-bat on Senior Day at Alexander Field, a bright spot for Purdue in a 14-2 rubber game loss to Nebraska on Saturday.

The Huskers (28-27, 15-15 Big Ten) raced out to an early 8-0 lead as the Boilermakers (31-23, 11-19 Big Ten) faced a significant deficit in a rubber game for the second weekend in a row.

Sutter tied the program record, which had stood since 2001, with his 21st double on May 6 in the win vs. Ball State. In the fifth inning Saturday, he hit a line drive through the middle of the infield and slicing just far enough into left center that he recognized it was his opportunity to go for a hustle double and the record. He slid in safely at second base just ahead of the throw to officially claim sole possession of the benchmark.

Sutter finished the day 2-for-3 with a hit by pitch and later a single in his final at-bat. His 1.180 OPS this season ranks as the fourth best by a Boilermaker this century and he’s just the second Purdue player of this century to post a 1.000-plus OPS in consecutive campaigns. Sutter’s 139 total bases this season rank third on the program’s single-season leaderboard.

Senior Keenan Spence singled three times and drew a walk, driving in both of Purdue’s runs with two-out singles in the third and fifth innings.

With two outs in the ninth inning and Purdue trailing by a run, Brandon Anderson hit the first pitch of a lefty-lefty matchup over the 368 mark on the wall in left center for a walk-off two-run homer, lifting the Boilermakers to a 5-4 victory Friday vs. Nebraska.

Purdue (31-22, 11-17 Big Ten) won on a walk-off two-run homer in the ninth inning for the second time this season at Alexander Field.

CJ Richmond was responsible for the other walk-off blast in an April 14 victory vs. Arizona State and it was his pinch-hit double that put the tying run on base in the ninth inning Friday. The Boilermakers entered the ninth inning trailing in both wins. The 2018 campaign marked the last time Purdue had two go-ahead or game-tying home runs in the ninth inning or later in the same season. This year marks the first time the Boilermakers have hit two walk-off homers in the same season in the Alexander Field era (since 2013).

Purdue raced out to an early eight-run lead but Nebraska responded with 11 unanswered tallies to take the series opener 11-9 Thursday at Alexander Field.

Purdue’s loss coupled with Northwestern’s win at UCLA officially eliminated the Boilermakers (30-22, 10-18 Big Ten) from Big Ten Tournament contention.

Purdue suffered its third loss of the season when leading by at least six runs – all three coming in Big Ten play. Thursday was the Boilers’ third game since April 20 in which both teams scored at least eight unanswered runs. Fourteen of Purdue’s last six 16 games have featured at least one team scoring five unanswered tallies.

Aaron Manias enjoyed a big night against his former team, homering off the batter’s eye in center field as part of a three-hit effort and making a diving catch in foul territory down the left field line. Brandon Anderson also had three hits and scored three times.

Boilermakers Surge in Final Round; Punch Ticket to National Championships

The Purdue men’s golf team pieced together one of its best rounds of the season to rise above the cutline and advance to the 2025 NCAA National Championships.

The Boilermakers fired a 54-hole total of 9-over par 873 (288-295-290) to move from three shots outside the cutline after two rounds to safely above the cutline, finishing fourth to reach the National Championships for the second straight season.

Purdue entered the final day in sixth place, seven shots behind third-place New Mexico State, five shots behind UCLA, three shots behind Georgia Tech and one ahead of SMU. Purdue quickly passed New Mexico State midway through the front nine and then moved past Georgia Tech late in the round to finish fourth, one shot ahead of the Yellow Jackets and six shots clear of sixth-place SMU.

Auburn, the No. 1-ranked team in the country, finished first at 32-under par on its home course and was followed by Texas A&M (-5) and UCLA (+6) in third place.

The Boilermakers again posted a consistent round, with all four counting scores between 72 and 74. Purdue recorded the third-best round of the day and was one of just three schools to have three players shoot even-par or better in the final round.

A freshman and senior paced the Boilermakers all weekend, highlighted by 15^th-place finishes by rookie Supapon Amornchaichan and the veteran Nels Surtani.

Amornchaichan, who entered the Regionals with just two top-15 showings this season, finished tied for 15^th at 1-over par 217 (72-73-72). He played all 54 holes without a double-bogey or worse and played the entire third and final round at even-par or better.

His 15^th-place finish is the highest at a Regional for a Purdue freshman since Austin Eoff finished T-11^th in the 2014 Regional at Rich Harvest Farms outside Chicago.

Meanwhile, Surtani, who was coming off a tough Big Ten Tournament, also placed tied for 15^th after rounds of 72-71-74. Surtani was even-par through 12 holes, but bogeyed his 13^th and 15^th holes to move out of the top 10.

Nonetheless, Surtani becomes the fourth Boilermaker in school history to have two top-15 finishes at Regionals (Lee Williamson, Austin Eoff, Fernando Barco), after finishing T-10^th a year ago.

“Nels bounced back after a tough Big Ten Championships and he knows what Regionals is about. He’s a senior playing down the stretch and he wanted to end on a high note. We’re really proud of the way he played this week,” Sapp added.

Senior Kent Hsiao recorded his fifth top-20 of the season with a T-20 finish at 3-over par 219 (73-74-72). Hsiao was 3-under par through 10 holes, but suffered bogeys on three of the next eight holes to fall to even par.

It marked the third straight strong performance in NCAA action for Hsiao, finishing tied for 18^th at Regionals last year, tied for 34^th through three rounds at last year’s NCAA Championships and then the 20^th-place showing this year.

Jenson Forrester had a strong round today with 16 pars, one birdie and one bogey for an even-par round of 72 to finish tied for 31^st at 6-over par 222 (71-79-72).

Sam Easterbrook finished tied for 52^nd at 11-over par 227 (73-77-77).

Purdue will be making its 31^st National Championships appearance, the third most by a “Northern” school (above 40 degree latitude). Purdue has made five National Championship appearances since 2014, the second most in the Big Ten Conference.

Action gets underway May 23, at the Omni LaCosta Resort in Carlsbad, California.

29th-Seeded Purdue Places 26th at NCAA Championships

Women’s Golf saw its season come to an end Sunday, as the Boilermakers placed 26th at the 2025 NCAA Championships. Entering nationals as the 29th seed, Purdue outplayed its seeding and finished three spots higher than a season ago.

In her final tournament as a Boilermaker, Momo Sugiyama (+7) led Purdue for a team-high sixth time this season. The Australian carded a final round 75 (+3) to end her Boilermaker career with a 73.09 stroke average over 111 rounds, good enough for second in program history behind the legendary national champion Maria Hernandez (73.08). Sugiyama nearly had a hole-in-one in the final round, hitting her tee shot at the par-3 third just inches from the pin.

Freshman Samantha Brown (+11) followed Sugiyama. She made a team-high three birdies throughout the final round, including deuces on both par 3s on the front side.

Also playing in their final collegiate tournament, seniors Jocelyn Bruch and Natasha Kiel tied for 120th at 12-over. Bruch started her final round by playing the first 11 holes bogey free with a birdie at the 17th before settling for a 76 (+4). Kiel had Purdue’s round of the day with an even-par 72. Starting in the back nine, she made the turn at 2-under. A double bogey at the first was her only miscue of the day, as Kiel parred her final eight holes to remain at level par.

The top 15 teams advanced to Monday’s final round of stroke play, which will determine the individual national champion as well as the eight teams advancing to the match play portion of the tournament.

Raquel Atawo Named Purdue Women’s Tennis Head Coach

Raquel Atawo, architect of one of the latest resurgences in college tennis, has been named the 10th Purdue women’s tennis head coach in program history, executive vice president and director of intercollegiate athletics Mike Bobinski announced Monday.

Atawo joins the Boilermakers from Pullman, Washington, where she led the Washington State Cougars for the last four seasons. During her time with the Cougars, she guided the team to one of the best seasons in program history, an NIT championship title, 10 all-conference honors, including a Pac-12 Player of the Year and a pair of Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) regional selections.

This past season alone, Atawo directed Washington State to five all-conference honors, including two first team West Coast Conference singles and doubles honors and three honorable mentions. The season, which included the program’s first undefeated home showing (11-0), culminated in the NIT Championship title and a 20-8 overall record – the second-most wins produced in a single season by the Cougars. The 20 victories from Washington State’s latest campaign were an impressive improvement from 10 wins in 2023-24 and seven wins in 2022-23.

A program builder, Atawo provided tutelage to Washington State’s first All-American and Pac-12 Player of the Year in Michaela Bayerlova, who went on to an NCAA quarterfinalist finish and No. 19 national ranking, the second-highest individual ranking for a Cougar in program history. Additionally, Atawo trained the ITA Northwest Regional Rookie of the Year Eva Alvarez to back-to-back Pac-12 honors, guided Ly Nguyen to the ITA’s Most Improved Senior regional honor and a doubles team top-51 national ranking.

Prior to Washington State, Atawo served as an assistant coach at Auburn from 2020-21, during which time she was named ITA Southern Region Assistant Coach of the Year, helping the team ascend 20 spots in the national rankings to No. 22. During her stint, Atawo coached All-American Selin Ovunc, who advanced to the NCAA tournament’s round of 16 in addition to an SEC newcomer honoree and a doubles team that ranked No. 23 in the nation.

As a two-time Wimbledon doubles semifinalist and an Australian Open doubles semifinalist, Atawo had an illustrious professional career that also included a World Team Tennis Most Valuable Player in 2019 and 18 WTA doubles titles. She reached No. 10 in the world rankings for doubles and No. 162 for singles, amassing two International Tennis Federation (ITF) singles titles and 16 doubles titles during her run.

Atawo, previously known as Kops-Jones, attended the University of California – Berkeley from 2000-04, where her career began with earning Pac-10 Freshman of the Year and built to lofty status as a five-time All-American in both singles and doubles, the 2004 ITA Senior Player of the Year and Pac-10 Player of the Year, and a nearly year-long No. 1 national singles ranking.

Atawo graduated from Cal in 2004 with a Bachelor of Arts in American Studies. Her husband Toby, a former Cal track & field athlete, and their son Dominic will join her in West Lafayette. The Atawo family will grow in the heartland, with their second child expected in the coming months.

Miller Defends 200m Title to Conclude Big Ten Outdoor Championships

Cameron Miller took the 200m victory at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships to highlight Purdue Track & Field’s six podium finishes on Sunday.

Men’s Notes
• Miller took his victory in the 200m in 20.31 after breaking his own program record in 20.12 during the prelims. Miller has now won back-to-back outdoor title and was also this season’s indoor champion.
• The 4x100m team of Nolan Macklin, Miller, Jahn Riley and Antoine Spencer took third with a season-best 39.08. The group already ranked third in program history and fell just 0.02 seconds shy of second.

Women’s Notes
• The 4x400m team of Alyssa Tate, Mirai Bernard, Alexia Smith and Gia Clay finished fifth with a season best 3:33.64. The time entered the program rankings at No. 6.
• Zoe Sullivan finished seventh in the 100mH (13.39) and scored in all-four of her Big Tens meets as a Boilermaker.
• Smith took seventh in the 400m (53.70) and has scored individually in back-to-back Big Tens meets to start her collegiate career.
• The 4x100m team of Sullivan, Nia Wilson, Jila Vaden and Tate took seventh in a season best 45.05. It was the first race for those four as a relay team.

Next Up
Boilermakers who qualify for NCAA East First Round will continue the season May 28-31 in Jacksonville, Fla.

Gearlds Adds Daye to Roster

Women’s basketball head coach Katie Gearlds announced Tara Daye as the newest addition transfer addition to the roster ahead of the 2025-26 season.

Daye will join the Boilermakers after playing the last two seasons at St. Johns, following a freshman campaign at DePaul.

The Newark, N.J., native appeared in 35 games with 23 starts at St. Johns, averaging 4.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game while shooting 44.1% from the field. Dare tallied 4.2 points and 3.5 rebounds per night in 2023-24. She posted a career-high 6.0 points and 4.5 rebounds last season but was sidelined after four games.

Daye’s career started at DePaul, where she made one start in 27 games as a freshman. She totaled 1.9 points and 2.3 rebounds per game with a 42.3% clip from the field. She was tabbed the BIG EAST Freshman of the Week after scoring 10 points at Creighton.

Prior to joining the Blue Demons, Daye was a three-sport letterwinner in basketball, volleyball and track for University High School. She guided the Phoenix to two New Jersey Interscholastic Athletic Association State Championships. She garnered an All-State honor as a senior behind 16.5 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. Daye finished her prep career with 1,129 points and twice won the 400m sectional title.

Blaze Punches Ticket to Final X, Takes 3rd at USA Senior World Team Trials

Making his career debut at the 2025 USA Wrestling Senior World Team Trials, sophomore Joey Blaze responded from an early loss to win four straight matches and take third place (74 kg) on Saturday afternoon at Norton Healthcare Sports & Learning Center.

Blaze’s third-place finish guarantees him a spot in the USA Wrestling Final X competition on Saturday, June 14 in Newark, N.J., where the USA World Team members will be decided.

Since Blaze didn’t face the first- or second-place finishers in his division at World Team Trials, he will square off with Jarrett Jacques in a wrestle-off to determine a true 74 kg third place, and the No. 3 spot on the USA national team at that weight.

The 2025 NCAA runner-up Blaze, seeded No. 7, rebounded from a close 3-1 loss to No. 2 Quincy Monday by winning his next three on Friday night by a combined score of 35-13.

Abiding by freestyle rules, Blaze recorded a 17-6 technical fall at the 3:44 mark over Elroy Perkin and a 12-4 decision over No. 6 Peyton Hall.

The three wins in consolation put Blaze in a rematch with Monday in the third-place match on Saturday.

After falling behind 2-0 in the first period, Blaze executed a takedown sequence and turned the three-time All-American to suddenly go up 6-2, effectively sealing his win in a 7-2 decision.

Blaze will likely begin the 2025-26 season with a high national ranking after becoming Purdue’s youngest NCAA finalist of the past 75 years in March. He leads a veteran Purdue team that’s expected to return nine of its 10 starters from last season.

Matt Ramos, the only graduating senior, will be back as a full-time assistant coach.

Blaze represented Ramos, his fellow 2025 All-American, in the World Team Trials by wearing his red USA singlet. He also donned teammate James Rowley’s blue singlet in the consolation semifinals.