Purdue Sports Update August 28

Mixed Results for Soccer in Second Week

Soccer suffered its first loss of the season Thursday night, August 21, falling 2–0 to DePaul at Folk Field in front of a strong home crowd of 3,652; the second-highest attendance total in program history.

The loss drops the Boilermakers to 2–1–0, despite a dominant performance in possession and shot totals.

The Boilermakers outshot DePaul 17–6, with seven corner kicks compared to the Blue Demons’ two. Graduate student Ally Lynch started her first game in goal for the Boilermakers with two saves.

In the 73rd minute, Tessa Fagerson struck on a counterattack to give DePaul the lead. Less than two minutes later, Danielle Fjeldsted doubled it with a quick finish off an assist from Mya Gardner, sealing the result.

Purdue showed resilience on Sunday afternoon, rallying late to secure a 1–1 draw against Butler at Folk Field.

The result moves the Boilermakers to 2-1-1 after securing their first draw of the season. The Boilers fought back in a gritty match, one that had seven yellow cards between the teams.

Butler grabbed the early advantage in the 34th minute when Leila Lister finished a chance created by Chloe Brecht and Talia Sommer. The Bulldogs outshot Purdue 14–9 overall, and goalkeeper Emily Edwards kept the Boilermakers within striking distance, making five key saves to keep it a one-goal game.

Purdue’s persistence finally paid off in the 78th minute. Angelina Thoreson netted the equalizer—her second goal of the season— off the double assist from Irene Campo and Lauren Adam. Despite late pushes from both sides, neither team found a winner.

The Boilers head on the road for their next three matches taking on Evansville, Loyola Chicago, and Dayton. Purdue returns to Folk Field for Senior Day against Western Illinois.

Schedules Unveiled for Seasons Ahead at Aquatic Center

Home meets in October, November and January at the Morgan J. Burke Aquatic Center headline Swimming & Diving’s 2025-26 schedules.

The Boilermakers have five home meets (three co-ed) on the schedules. Missouri, the Iowa women, the Southern Illinois men and the Illinois women all visit West Lafayette for dual meets.

The home opener is once again the Dan Ross Indiana Intercollegiate on Saturday, Oct. 11. Annually held on a Saturday in October, it features teams of all NCAA divisions from all across the state as the largest home meet of this season. It was renamed in honor of Purdue’s longtime head coach in the summer of 2023, about a month after Ross retired and closed out a 42-year coaching career.

However, the Boilermakers will not be hosting the Purdue Invitational in November for the first time since 2018 (excluding the fall of 2020). Instead, the Boilers will travel to Columbus for their midseason invitational – competing at the Ohio State Invitational. The four-day invite will feature a Tuesday to Friday schedule (Nov. 18-21). The Purdue women won the Ohio State Invitational in their last appearance (November 2014) at the annual midseason showcase. The Purdue men have not attended the meet since the fall of 2011.

The Boilermakers’ season opener is the final weekend of September. After opening in the state of Michigan a year ago for the first time since the 2015-16 campaign, Purdue has committed to return to the Be Better Invitational. Created in the fall of 2022 as a benefit meet supporting the Be Better Foundation, the season-opening meet returns to Michigan’s Canham Natatorium in Ann Arbor. Featuring Hope College and Calvin University as well as the Wolverines, the single-session invite has also been held in Grand Rapids (2022) and Holland (2024). The Be Better Invitational and Foundation promotes mental health awareness in honor of the late Ian Miskelley, a former Michigan swimmer.

Purdue will return to the Great Lakes State for Halloween Weekend, competing against Cincinnati and Oakland at a two-day triple dual in Rochester. The Oakland Aquatic Center is one of the premier facilities in Michigan as a leading factor in OU’s steak of 47 consecutive conference titles for the men and 31 straight for the women.

The Big Ten Championships are in the Upper Midwest this season. Minnesota hosts the women’s championships (Feb. 18-21) for the first time since 2021 and the men’s championships (Feb. 25-28) make their debut at Wisconsin’s Soderholm Family Aquatic Center. The men will get an early look at UW’s pool when they visit Madison for a dual meet on Saturday, Dec. 6.

A revamped meet format will debut at the NCAA Championships in March as Georgia Tech’s McAuley Aquatic Center hosts both national championship meets. Atlanta also hosted both meets as recently as 2022.

The annual two-day Big Ten Triple Duals vs. Minnesota and Northwestern are set to be contested in Evanston this year during the final weekend of January. Purdue is up next in the three-year rotation to host again next season.

Senior Day Weekend is set for Jan. 9-10 and features a visit from the SIU men Friday and the Illinois women Saturday.

SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN
• Home Meets: 5 (3 Co-Ed)
• Season Opener: Michigan’s Be Better Invitational (Sept. 26 in Ann Arbor)
• Home Opener: Dan Ross Indiana Intercollegiate (Oct. 11)
• Senior Day Weekend: Jan. 9-10 – Men vs. Southern Illinois on Friday, Women vs. Illinois (& Men’s Intrasquad) on Saturday
• More Home Duals: Co-Ed vs. Missouri (Oct. 18), Women vs. Iowa (Nov. 7)
• Midseason Showcase: at Ohio State Invitational (Nov. 18-21)
• Dan Ross Indiana Intercollegiate: Boilermakers host schools from around the state for largest home meet (Oct. 11)

CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON
• Big Ten Championships in the Upper Midwest: Women at Minnesota (Feb. 18-21), Men at Wisconsin (Feb. 25-28)
• Zone C Diving Championships: Co-Ed NCAA Championships qualifier expected to be held in Michigan (Projected March 12-14)
• NCAA Championships: Georgia Tech’s McAuley Aquatic Center hosts Women (March 18-21) and Men (March 25-28) as revamped meet format debuts

NATIONALS DURING THE HOLIDAY SEASON
• USA Diving Winter Nationals: Annual end of year showcase – Location TBA (Projected Dates: Dec. 7-14)
• CSCAA Open Water Championship: Selected women race outdoors in Sarasota, Fla. (Dec. 13)

MORE ROAD TRIPS OF NOTE
• Selected Men’s Swimmers Open at Two-Day Florida State Invitational: Sept. 26-27 in Tallahassee
• Halloween Weekend Two-Day Triple Dual in Metro Detroit: Boilermakers vs. Oakland & Cincinnati in Rochester, Mich.
• Men Get Early Look at UW’s Pool Before Big Tens: Dec. 6 in Madison
• Annual Rivalry Dual with Hoosiers: Jan. 24 in Bloomington
• Northwestern Hosts Two-Day Big Ten Triple Duals: Jan. 30-31 in Evanston (also featuring Minnesota)

2025 DAN ROSS INDIANA INTERCOLLEGIATE FIELD (More TBA)
• Purdue, Ball State, Evansville, IU Indy, Southern Indiana, Valparaiso, Indiana Wesleyan, Rose-Hulman, Wabash

Purdue All-Quarter Century Wrestling Team: 133 lbs

To commemorate the past 25 years, head coach Tony Ersland and his staff are unveiling Purdue’s All-Quarter Century Team featuring some of the greatest Boilermaker wrestlers since the turn of the 21st century.

Recognizing wrestlers who competed for Purdue between 2000-2025, the list is being revealed with 10 separate releases leading up to the 2025-26 season, one for each weight class, continuing on Monday with 133 pounds.

The selection criteria for any All-Quarter Century Team is unavoidably subjective, but wrestlers who earned All-America honors, NCAA qualifiers, multiple-time Big Ten placewinners and others with outstanding career accomplishments were among the key points of consideration.

CHRIS FLEEGER (2002-06)

A true lock for the All-Quarter Century Team, Chris Fleeger is one of the most decorated athletes in 105 years of Purdue wrestling. He is one of three Boilers to earn All-America honors three times, alongside Waldemar VanCott (1947-49) and Arnold Plaza (1948-50).

Fleeger was a two-time All-American at 125 lbs, finishing third in 2002 and second in 2003. After a brief hiatus from college wrestling, he returned to Purdue and finished as the NCAA runner-up once more, this time at 133 in 2006.

The grappler from Trout Run, Pennsylvania, also won the Big Ten title at 125 as a sophomore in 2003.

Fleeger holds numerous spots on the school career record charts, including No. 2 in win percentage (.905 with an 86-9 record), No. 5 in back points (304) and tied for No. 19 in pins (17). He also posted the second-best single season record in school history when he went 32-1 in 2003, which was Purdue’s most recent undefeated regular season until Matt Ramos finished 23-0 last spring.

After college he pursued a coaching career, serving as head coach at Darton College and the University of the Cumberlands. In between those stops, he returned to serve as an assistant coach for the Boilers from 2012-14.

He’s now the head coach at Midwest RTC in New Carlisle, Indiana.

CASHÉ QUIROGA (2010-14)

Cashé Quiroga was a three-time NCAA qualifier for the Boilermakers and in 2010 became the school’s first true-freshman All-American since at least 1950. Additionally, he was a three-time Big Ten placewinner, finishing sixth as a freshman, fifth as a redshirt sophomore and eighth as a redshirt senior.

Quiroga ranks fourth all-time on Purdue’s career takedown list, totaling 383 throughout his career. He was also named Purdue’s most outstanding wrestler three separate times.

Quiroga graduated in 2014 with a degree in organizational leadership and supervision, went on to coach at the University of Indianapolis and now serves as an assistant coach for Orange Lutheran High School in Orange, California.

RENE HERNANDEZ (2001-04)

A Purdue standout from the early 2000s, Rene Hernandez was a two-time Big Ten placewinner at 133 lbs.

Hailing from Hammond, Indiana, Hernandez outperformed his conference pre-seed as a redshirt sophomore, when he placed sixth in the 2003 Big Ten Championships.

He also placed fifth, a career best, at the 2004 Big Ten tournament when he picked up three wins in Columbus, Ohio.

Hernandez was additionally a two-time NCAA qualifier who totaled four wins at the ’03 and ’04 NCAA Championships.

BEN THORNTON (2015-19)

There from the start of the head coach Tony Ersland era, Ben Thornton held things down as a four-year starter between 125 and 133 lbs. He broke out as a redshirt sophomore when he started all 16 duals and won a team-best 10 dual matches, scoring 35 points.

The grappler from Stoddard, Wisconsin, was a two-time NCAA Championships qualifier and a three-time Big Ten placewinner.

Thornton registered 162 career back points, which still stands at No. 16 on the all-time Purdue record list. He ranks just outside the top 20 on the all-time win list with 91 career victories.

EVAN ROBINSON (1997-2001)

A Boilermaker star at the turn of the century, Evan Robinson twice qualified for the NCAA Championships at 133 lbs.

A three-time Florida state champion from Punta Gorda, Florida, where he went 95-2 in high school, Robinson’s patience paid off after redshirting in 1996-97 and going 9-10 in 1997-98.

He went on to be a two-time Big Ten placewinner, taking fourth in both 2000 and 2001. He entered the 2000 NCAA Championships as the No. 12 seed, Purdue’s first seeded 133-pounder (due to the NCAA’s 1999 restructuring of weight classes to what they are today).

Robinson owns three career wins in the NCAA tournament and is literally Purdue’s original starting 133-pounder.

Frezzotti Signs a Trio of Transfers

Softball head coach Magali Frezzotti has added a trio of transfers with the signing transfer pitcher, Malone Moore, transfer catcher, Gabriela Sosa, and transfer pitcher, Brooke Perez.

The Indiana native, Moore, will join the Boilermakers after spending her freshman year down south at Coastal Carolina. Sosa joins Purdue from San Antonio, Texas, after a stellar year at Paris Junior College. Perez comes from the west to the midwest after spending three seasons at UC Riverside.

Moore, a Beech Grove, Ind. native, made five appearances in the circle for Coastal, with one start, while recording three strikeouts. Moore pitched a season and career-high three innings against North Carolina and recorded a perfect outing with one strikeout in one relief inning against Charleston Southern.

Sosa joins the Boilermakers after a record-setting season at PJC, hitting 41 home runs while helping her team to a NJCAA Regional Championship. Sosa was named the NJCAA Conference and Region 14 Player of the Year after slugging for 1.209 with 115 RBI. Sosa finished her career at PJC as the NJCAA all-time home run leader.

Perez finished the 2025 season with 26 strikeouts through 68.1 innings on the mound. She holds a career 3.56 ERA after posting a 3.00 in her debut season. In her career, Perez has worked 224.0 innings with 92 strikeouts. In 2023, Perez was the first freshman pitcher since 2006 to reach 10 wins as a Highlander. She was named All-Big West Honorable Mention, and to the freshman team.

The transfers are joining a Boilermaker program that recorded its first winning season in five years, going 30-23 and making it to the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament: the first-ever 12 seed to do so. The Boilers also set a program record in final RPI, finishing at 47. With 10 upperclassmen, an incoming class of six talented freshman, and three experienced transfers, the Boilers look to continue the momentum into the 2026 season.

Aniamaka Wins Triple Jump at Pan American Junior Games

Track & Field’s Praise Aniamaka took the triple jump victory at the Pan American Junior Games on Aug. 22.

With his personal-best jump of 16.94m, Aniamaka won the triple jump in style posting the 29th-best distance in the world this year. His jump is tied with Italy’s Simone Biasutti and USA’s Brandon Green.

Aniamaka moved up to No. 2 in Canadian history and trails only Edrick Floreal who jumped 17.29m on June 3, 1989. He entered the meet No. 5 in Canadian history with his 16.50m this summer.

The jump was wind-legal and would have tied the furthest in the NCAA during the 2025 outdoor season. The jump would have also set a new Purdue record, which is currently held by Ike Olekaibe (16.60m).

The victory adds to Aniamaka’s decorated summer after he took the triple jump title at the Canadian Championships.

Aniamaka has one more outdoor season of eligibility and will compete for Purdue in 2026.

Trio Selected as Big Ten Golfers to Watch for 2025-26 Season

A trio of Boilermakers have been named to the Big Ten’s Golfers to Watch list for the upcoming 2025-26 season, the league office announced this afternoon.

Juniors Sam Easterbrook and Jenson Forrester and sophomore Supapon Amornchaichan are three of 54 golfers selected to the list. Each team has three representatives on the watch list.

Purdue will open the 2025-26 season this weekend, looking to reach the NCAA National Championships for the third straight season. The last time that happened was in 1965 to 1967.

Easterbrook was a 2025 first-team All-Big Ten selection a year ago for the Boilermakers after recording a 71.77 stroke average (eighth in school history) with six top-10 finishes and 19 rounds of even par or better. He won the prestigious Puerto Rico Classic and recorded other top-five finishes at the Hootie Intercollegiate, Boilermaker Invitational and Purdue Fall Invitational.

Forrester is coming off a strong sophomore campaign after transferring from East Tennessee State. As a sophomore a year ago, Forrester posted a 72.54 stroke average with eight rounds in the 60s and four top-10 showings, including a T-3 placing at the Hootie Intercollegiate.

Amornchaichan is on the list after a stellar ending to his freshman campaign last season. He finished tied for ninth at the NCAA Championships which followed a T-15 showing at the NCAA Auburn Regional. Amornchaichan set the school record for stroke average by a freshman at 73.03. His ninth-place finish at the NCAA Championships was the highest for a Boilermaker since 1961.

23 Newcomers Join the Team at Alexander Field

The new school year is underway on campus and Baseball has announced its new additions to the roster, a group of 23 that will compete for the program during the 2026 season this spring.

The Boilermakers are slated to start their eight-week fall practice calendar the week of Sept. 15. Open scrimmages are tentatively set for Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays at Alexander Field. The fall ball schedule features two exhibition games vs. Division I opponents (one home, one away) and the Black & Gold Series in late October. Fall dates for gameday action open to the public will be announced in the coming weeks.

After having 20 graduates in the Class of 2024 and 17 more this past spring, restocking the roster has become an annual endeavor for Purdue’s coaching staff. This year’s influx of newcomers is a mix of transfers from all levels plus the freshmen, replenishing all areas of the team in the process.

Under seventh-year head coach Greg Goff, Purdue has won 30 games in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2010-12. The 2025 team enjoyed an 18-2 start and won twice at Alexander Field via walk-off home runs. The 2024 team’s program-record 11-game Big Ten win streak vaulted the Boilermakers into first place in the Big Ten in May during a season in which they hit a record 75 home runs. Attendance records have been set at Alexander each of the last three years.

Two NJCAA All-American pitchers from the 2025 recruiting class signed on to play professionally in July. Luke Fernandez (Wallace State JC), Perfect Game’s 2025 JUCO Pitcher of the Year, was selected by the Cleveland Guardians in the 16th round of the MLB Draft and opted to sign. Peyton Niksch (Kankakee JC) chose to sign with the Milwaukee Brewers as an undrafted free agent. They were Purdue’s first incoming signees to choose the pro ball route since Bishop Letson, an 11th round draft pick of the Brewers in 2023.