Purdue Sports Update Nov. 14

Four Join Volleyball on National Signing Day

Head coach Dave Shondell announced the 2025 signing class, featuring four newcomers: Isabelle Bardin, Addy Tindall, Aniya Warren and Morgan Williams.

“The momentum continues to build in the Boilermaker program with our incoming class of talented volleyball athletes,” Shondell said. “Success breeds success and the positive results of the past several years and the remarkable fan support have attracted several of the nation’s best recruits.

“Competing in the best and most physical conference in America, it is essential to add size and athleticism to our roster and these four high school standouts provide exactly what our staff has been searching for,” Shondell said. “This group includes an outside hitter, a setter, a middle-blocker, and a libero. The physical talent of this group is only surpassed by their unique character. I look forward to their arrival.”

The class, which will be a part of next year’s 2025 Purdue squad, adds depth for the Boilermakers at every position, comprised of a defensive specialist (Aniya Warren), setter (Isabelle Bardin), outside hitter (Addy Tindall) and middle blocker (Morgan Willliams). Mea

Frezzotti Signs 6 on National Signing Day

Head coach Magali Frezzotti welcomed six players for the 2025-26 academic year, featuring Bella Douglas (utility), Bri Fontenot (pitcher), Anna Moore (middle infield), Kendyl Rainey (outfield), Kate Sarago (outfield) and Haley Waggoner (catcher).

“The 2025 class is loaded with talent, work ethic, and personalities,” Frezzotti said. “Offensively, we are adding a ton of power and speed, and defensively, they are solid all around – plus, we are adding a high-level battery to the bullpen. They are going to complete us and elevate Purdue Softball. I cannot wait to see the way they compliment our existing group of talented Boilermakers.”

The additions hail from five states: Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana and Utah.

Kiel Lands on ANNIKA Award Watch List

After a fall that featured two individual victories, women’s golfer Natasha Kiel was named to the ANNIKA Award Watch List. The Boilermaker senior was one of 25 golfers to land on the final fall watch list for the award given to the best female in Division I college golf.

The ANNIKA Award is named after legendary golfer Annika Sorenstam. The award was created in 2014 in partnership with the Haskins Commission to acknowledge the top female golfer at the end of the season, to match the Haskins Award presented by Stifel which acknowledges the top male Division I collegiate golfer.

Kiel started her senior season with a bang, winning a pair of tournaments and rising to 19th in the national rankings. Through five fall tournaments, she recorded a 71.79 stroke average which would be a single-season school record if maintained throughout the spring. Four of Kiel’s 14 rounds were in the 60s, only two away from another school record. The senior led the Boilermakers in four of the five fall tournaments.

Kiel began the season by claiming medalist honors and leading Purdue to a team victory at the Boilermaker Classic (Sept. 2-3). She captured her first career individual victory, thanks in large part to a pair of rounds in the 60s. Kiel was 5-under for the season-opening tournament, recording her best 54-hole total as a Boilermaker (67-76-68—211). The New Hope, Pennsylvania, native also led the field in birdies (13) and par-3 scoring (-4) throughout the event. During the final round, she made six birdies and played the par 3s 4-under, highlighted by a hole-in-one on the par-3 17th.

Competing in a stacked field that featured 10 teams that advanced to the national stage of the 2024 NCAA Championships, Kiel proved that she could beat some of the best golfers in the country by securing runner-up honors at the Windy City Collegiate Classic (Sept. 30-Oct. 10). Her 213 (68-72-73) matched her second lowest three-round total as a Boilermaker. She recorded Purdue’s lowest score during all three rounds at Westmoreland Country Club, making 14 birdies over 54 holes.

Kiel picked up her second victory of the season, earning co-medalist honors at the White Sands Bahamas Invitational (Oct. 19-20). The senior finished 2-under (68-73—141) alongside Georgia’s Chantal El Chaib, leading Purdue to a runner-up finish to close out the fall season. Kiel’s two-round score of 141 was the second-lowest 36-hole total in program history. She led the field in par-4 scoring (-3), while ranking third in par-5 scoring (-1). Kiel’s six birdies over her two rounds were the fourth most on the Ocean Club Golf Course. After a 68 in the opening round, Kiel added a 73 (+1) to remain under par and atop the leaderboard.

Kiel and the Boilermakers have put a lid on the 2024 calendar year and wait until the spring of 2025 to return to competition. Starting the spring, Purdue travels west to Gold Canyon, Arizona for the Match in the Desert at Superstition Mountain Country Club (Jan. 27).

Ida Lindqvist and Luana Valero Join Women’s Golf on National Signing Day

On National Signing Day, Purdue Director of Golf Zack Byrd announced that Ida Lindqvist (Sundsvall, Sweden) and Luana Valero (Medellin, Colombia) will join the women’s golf program for the 2025-26 season. The newest Boilermakers are two of the best international golfers in the class of 2025.

Throughout program history, Purdue has been known for bringing in top talent from around the world. The tradition continued as Byrd and assistant coach Lauren Guiao went to Colombia and Sweden to sign a dynamic duo. Both Lindqvist and Valero are featured in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), with Valero becoming one of the highest ranked signees in Purdue Women’s Golf history. The Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine ranked Valero as the No. 17 prospect in the world, including No. 3 among players signed by Big Ten programs.

“For this class, Lauren (Guiao) and I focused on recruiting top international talent and building our worldwide recruiting pipelines for 2025 and beyond,” said Byrd. “We could not be more excited to have Ida and Luana become Purdue Boilermakers. Both players bring incredibly talented resumés with them to West Lafayette. Boiler Up!”

nwhile, Purdue’s presence at the net wil grow, with three commits checking in at 6’3″.

Gearlds Welcomes Trio of 4-Star Signees

Head coach Katie Gearlds welcomed three new members to the women’s basketball team on National Signing Day.

Two in-state products in forwards Avery Gordon and Kira Reynolds, as well as international guard Keona Douwstra, will suit up for the Boilermakers starting in 2025-26.

“We’re really excited to welcome Avery, Kira and Keona into our family,” head coach Katie Gearlds said. “After going through the recruiting process with them, we know they have the competitiveness, basketball IQ and character that we want in our program. These three will be huge as we keep stacking classes and continue to elevate Purdue.”

All three recruits in the 2025 class are 4-stars, bringing Gearlds’ total to seven over her three fully recruited classes. Several signees during Gearlds’ tenue ranked outside the top 100 have become key pieces in the program, including Sophie Swanson, Lana McCarthy and Kendall Puryear.

Young Adds Top-100 Jovic on Signing Day

Men’s tennis head coach Geoff Young announced the signing of ITF World Junior Top-100 Nikola on National Signing Day. The Serbia international will join the Boilermakers in the fall of 2025.

NIKOLA JOVIC
6-3 | Nis, Serbia
PREP
• Ranked as high as No. 78 in the ITF Junior World Rankings
• Posted a 125-46 singles mark for his junior ITF career, including a 37-15 record in 2024
• Won 10 singles ITF Junior World Tour titles over his final three seasons
• Claimed 12 doubles titles on the ITF World Junior Tour
• Reached 29 singles quarterfinals, 23 semifinals and 18 championship matches
• Appeared in 35 doubles quarterfinals, 22 semifinals and 18 finals
• Serbia U18 National Champion
• 2024 European Championship runner up with Team Serbia
• Played two individual and two team European Championships