Purdue Sports Update: Feb. 29

WOMEN’S HOOPS SENIORS SHINE IN SENIOR NIGHT LOSS TO PENN STATE

Four seniors left everything on the floor in their last time at Mackey Arena, as the Purdue women’s basketball team dropped its home finale to Penn State 93-88 on Wednesday night.

Honored in a postgame ceremony, Caitlyn Harper, Jeanae Terry, Abbey Ellis and Madison Layden combined for a season-best 70 points with 29 rebounds, 18 assists, four steals and two blocks.

The Boilermakers (12-16, 5-12) were led offensively by Harper’s best night as a Boilermaker with 29 points on 12-of-16 shooting and 3-of-4 from behind the arc with eight rebounds, a steal and a block. The 29-point outing was one shy of her career high set during her time at Cal Baptist in 2022. The sixth-year senior from Hartland, Wisc., who suffered a knee injury late in the contest, crossed the 1,900-point line with 1,925 in her career.

Ellis electrified the crowd with 18 points on the night with a pair of 3-pointers. The fifth-year senior likewise passed the 1,900-point plateau for her career with her fifth straight game in double figures. The Australian moved up to 29th in Purdue history with 1,089 points as a Boilermaker.

Terry produced another typical Terry night in her Mackey Arena finale. The fifth-year senior recorded 15 rebounds, seven points, seven assists, three steals and two blocks. It was her 17th career game as a Boilermaker with seven points, rebounds and asssits. She also pulled within one point of reaching 1,000 for her career.

Layden etched her name into two career clubs at Purdue. The senior from Kokomo tallied 16 points with a quartet of 3-pointers and a season-high seven assists. Layden became the 37th player in Purdue history to reach 1,000 points in a career when she hit a pull-up jumper with 4:27 to play in the fourth. The Kokomo native achieved the feat in 107 games, good for 27th fastest. Layden also became the sixth player in Purdue history to reach 200 career 3-pointers, while passing Brittany Rayburn for fifth in Boilermaker history.

Freshman Sophie Swanson was the other Boilermaker in double figures with 10 points. The Barrington, Ill., native reached double figures for the third straight game.

The Boilermakers scored 20 or more points in all four quarters and shot 44.9% from the field with 10 3-pointers. Purdue dished out 22 assists to just eight turnovers and won the rebounding battle 41-32.

While Purdue’s offense was efficient, Penn State (17-11, 8-9) connected on 56.1% of its shots. Five different players finished in double figures led by Ashley Owusu’s 23 points.

Bothe sides came out firing in the first quarter. Layden notched her 200th career triple on Purdue’s second possession and added another one later in the frame. Six different Boilermakers scored in the opening period, as Purdue trailed 22-20.

 Purdue tied or took the lead in the second on five different occasions, before the Lady Lions used a 9-2 run before halftime to take a 47-40 lead into the break. Purdue shot 41% in the first half and flipped 10 offensive rebounds into 10 points.

After Penn State opened a nine-point gap early in the third, Harper took over to score 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting and 2-of-2 from behind the arc. The Boilermakers went on a 14-6 run to tie the game at 57-57 with 4:39 to play on an Ellis triple. Harper later scored five straight in a 40-second span with two minutes to play to pull Purdue back within one. Penn State led 65-62 with 10 minutes to play.

Harper and Ellis rolled off five quick points to open the final frame and give Purdue a 67-65 lead. Terry and Layden combined for their 5-0 run midway through the period to put the Boilermakers back ahead by two. Penn State countered with a 9-2 run and open an 89-81 gap with 51 seconds to play. The Boilermakers managed to cut the deficit down to a one-possession game with eight seconds left after an Abbey Ellis layup but that was the closest they would get.

The seniors scored 43 of Purdue’s 48 points in the second half.

NOTES
• Purdue leads the all-time series with Penn State 35-25.
• The Boilermakers finished with 23 second chance points, a season high.
• The game featured eight lead changes and nine ties.
• Purdue topped 10 3-pointers for the 15th time under head coach Katie Gearlds.
• Harper’s efficient night moved her up to sixth in program history with a career 54.2% field goal clip.
• Only Iowa’s Caitlin Clark and Notre Dame’s Olivia Miles have recorded more 7-7-7 games than Terry since 2021-22.
• The seniors combined for 30 wins at Mackey Arena over the last three seasons under Gearlds.
• Harper played over 30 minutes for the 13th time this season, after doing it just three times last year.
 

UP NEXT
The Boilermakers will close out the regular season on the road Sunday night with a 7 p.m. tip on FS1 against Michigan.

BASEBALL NOTCHES SERIES WIN OVER GEORGE MASON

Home runs from Luke Gaffney and Logan Sutter, combined with the pitching duo of Jordan Morales and Jackson Dannelley, propelled Purdue to a 7-4 victory over George Mason at Ting Park Friday evening. After the first pitch was pushed back two hours due to rain and allowing three runs in the top of the first, the Boilermakers (4-1) settled in to take the first matchup in the four-game set.

Morales (2-0) earned his second win in as many starts, giving up four runs but all were unearned. The grad transfer struck out eight and only walked one batter over six-plus innings. Dannelley (2) was electric in relief, tossing three no-hit innings to pick up the save and secure the win.

Baseball recorded 21 runs on 26 hits Saturday afternoon, splitting a doubleheader with George Mason at Ting Park. A hot start helped the Patriots (2-5) take game one 11-9, while the Boilermakers (5-2) were in control throughout game two in a 12-5 victory.

Reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Week Luke Gaffney continued to rake, as the Danville, Kentucky, native produced two more multi-hit games in Holly Springs. He went a combined 5-for-9 with two RBI and four runs, leading Purdue in hits and runs throughout the day. Keenan Spence had himself an afternoon as well, going 2-for-4 with three runs and one RBI in game one before belting his second homer of the season as part of a 2-for-3, three-RBI game two.

Along with 13 hits in each game, Purdue hitters were plunked a combined eight times on Saturday.

A 10-run fifth inning was all Purdue needed Sunday afternoon, breaking a 1-1 tie to run-rule the George Mason Patriots in seven innings and improve to 6-2 through the first two weeks of the 2024 campaign.

The Boilermaker bats were on fire all series long. Purdue finished the weekend with 39 runs from 47 hits, collecting three victories during the four-game set. The 10-run inning was the program’s first since recording 13 runs in the fourth inning against Akron a season ago, also at Ting Park in Holly Springs, North Carolina.

Connor Caskenette went 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI, while Luke Gaffney produced another multi-hit, multi-RBI game by driving in Purdue’s first two runs and sparking the big fifth inning. Camden Gasser reached base all four times he stepped to the dish, smacking a single in his first plate appearance and drawing three walks. The Purdue shortstop scored a team-high three runs in the win. Off the bench, Jo Stevens belted a two-run blast for his first home run of the season.

After a difficult first inning, Luke Wagner (1-0) settled in and pitched five innings, allowing only one run on six hits to collect his first win of 2024. Aaron Suval’s two scoreless frames sealed the deal and the run-rule victory.

Next weekend, the Boilermakers return to North Carolina for three games in the Keith LeClair Classic. Purdue faces host East Carolina (March 1) before battling Southeastern Louisiana (March 2) and Cal State Fullerton (March 3) to close out the weekend.

SOFTBALL TAKES TWO AT MICHELLE SHORT MEMORIAL CLASSIC

Purdue suffered its third loss of the season with a 5-1 result to South Dakota State to open the Michelle Short Memorial Classic.With the result, Purdue moves to 5-3 on the season while South Dakota State moves to 6-5.

It was Purdue’s first loss outside to a team outside the nation’s top-5 and its first loss since opening weekend.

The Boilermakers fought to the very end, recording a run in the bottom of the sixth inning and left two runners stranded in the seventh as they attempted a comeback victory for the second straight game.

Purdue’s lone run came by Kiara Dillon, who produced a triple to place her on third. Freshman Moriah Polar followed her at-bat with a sac fly.

An extra inning thriller that saw two Purdue runs in the eighth inning and Central Arkansas load the bases in the bottom of the frame, ended with a 4-3 Boilermaker victory. The game was decided with outfielder Jordyn Ramos’ SC Top-10-worthy diving catch to end the game with the walk-off at-bat.

It was the third time in the last four games the Boilermakers game-winner came in their final at-bat.

Per the NCAA rules, a runner was placed on second for each team in extras. Purdue scored its second base runner, Tyrina Jones, on a Central Arkansas throwing error. The game-winner came after Sage Scarmardo recorded a hit. Khloe Banks, who entered as Scarmardo’s pinch runner, stole third and then scored on Jade Moy’s RBI single. The hit by Moy marked the second time Purdue’s game-winner came on the bat of Moy.

Despite Purdue’s three-run homer in the top of the seventh inning by freshman Julia Gossett, the softball team fell short in a 6-7 decision to South Dakota State. The difference-maker came in the Jackrabbits’ four home runs, which accounted for six of their runs.

With the result, Purdue moves to a 6-4 record while South Dakota State improves to 8-6.

Purdue fought to the very last pitch, registering a three-run homer by Gossett, her first of her collegiate career in the seventh inning. The final out of the game came with a full count, testing South Dakota State’s pitching to the limit.

Senior outfielder Kiara Dillon registered her first multi-run game of the season, recording two runs after making base on a single and hit-by-pitch. Dillon closed the game with one hit, one walk and a .368 batting average.

For the first time this season, the Purdue softball squad (6-4) was shut out, 0-2 vs. SIU (6-3).

The game, which held as a pitcher’s dual until SIU broke the game open in the fifth inning, included a career-high and team high-tying six strikeouts by starting pitcher Julia Gossett. The freshman tossed 1-5 pitches over the first 4.2 innings, allowing two hits and two runs before Madi Elish entered in relief, followed by Kendall Klochack. Each relief pitcher recorded at least one strikeout.

Overall, the committee tallied nine strikeouts, the most by the Boilermakers since February 2023.

Freshman Moriah Polar tied a Purdue record with her two home runs in Purdue’s 13-6 victory over SIU in the Michelle Short Memorial Classic tournament finale. The win was Purdue’s seventh of the season as the softball squad moves to 7-5 on the year.

The Boilermakers out-hit the Salukis 14-6 in the victory, and forced three errors while committing one.

After entering the game with one home run on the season, the Boilermakers tripled the total, with freshman Moriah Polar (fourth and seventh innings) and junior Olivia McFadden (sixth inning) each recording a dinger.

Purdue’s three home runs tie as the second-most in program history and the most since 2016. Meanwhile, the team’s 13 runs and 16 hits both mark a program-high since 2022.

The Boilermakers will return to action Friday in Huntington, West Virginia, for the Marshall Thundering Herd Invitational

BOILERMAKERS SET SAIL FOR BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS IN COLUMBUS

After having an opportunity to watch the women compete at the conference championships in person last week, Purdue men’s swimming & diving moves into the spotlight with a trip to Columbus for the Big Ten Championships.

Action is set for Wednesday evening through Saturday at Ohio State’s McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion, which also hosted the swimming events at Big Tens as recently as 2021 when diving for both genders was contested in West Lafayette due to the pandemic. The Boilermakers won multiple Big Ten titles when OSU hosted in 2010 and 2017, including sweeping the 1-meter diving medals in 2010. The swimmers brought home two more medals three years ago.

Most of Purdue’s current seniors got their first taste of the Big Ten Championships in Columbus as freshmen when fans were not permitted to attend. Now some of them will close out their careers back at McCorkle with the stands full and the atmosphere as lively as ever.

Alex Jerden leads the program into the championship season for the first time as head coach. Jerden and assistant coach James Bretscher, an All-American at N.C. State, are no strangers to championship meets. But this year does mark the first time since the early 1980s that someone other than Dan Ross will be the head coach of the Boilermakers at Big Tens.

Purdue’s Ohio natives – Ethan Shaw (Dublin) and Jordan Rzepka (Solon) – return to their home state this week. Shaw won the 800-meter freestyle and was an A finalist in three other events at the long course Speedo Sectionals in Columbus in July.

Purdue finished fourth at Big Tens three times in four years from 2018 to 2021. The Boilermakers also enjoyed a seven-year streak with at least one Big Ten champion from 2015 to 2021. Those titles were in platform diving (4), 200 breaststroke (3) and 3-meter diving (2).

From 2020 to 2022, Purdue won a relay medal in three consecutive seasons at Big Tens for the first time since 2001 to 2003. The Boilermakers were fourth in both the 200 medley and 400 free relays last season, their top finishes. But that wasn’t the only medal streak that ended a year ago. Rzepka was a championship finalist in all three diving events again in 2023 but was unable to duplicate his silver-medal winning ways on 3-meter and platform from his freshman season. It marked the first time since 2012 that a men’s diver did not medal for Purdue at Big Tens.

Rzepka is the program’s active career scoring leader at Big Tens, accounting for 147 points as underclassman. If he can qualify for three more championship finals this week, he’ll surpass the 200-point mark for his career.

Brady Samuels also scored in all three of his individual events in both of his underclassman years. After racing in the 100 backstroke and 100 butterfly on the same day last year, he has opted for the 50 free, 100 back and 100 free this year – giving him one individual event each day. Sam Bennett (2022 and 2023) and Shaw (2023) have also scored in all three of their individual events at Big Tens, although an injury will keep Bennett sidelined this year.

Coleman Modglin won the B final of the 200 breaststroke last season in Ann Arbor and has an opportunity to become a four-year scorer at Big Tens this week.

WRIGHT WINS BRONZE AS PURDUE HAS 4 OF TOP 9 ON PLATFORM AT BIG TENS

Daryn Wright won bronze as the Boilermakers accounted for four of the top nine finishers in platform diving, headlining the final day of action at the Big Ten Championships for Purdue women’s swimming & diving.

The Boilermakers racked up 97 team points on the tower, helping Purdue finish in sixth place in the team scoring with 572.5 points. Amassing 80 additional points this season allowed the Boilers to move up one spot in the team standings from a year ago.

Wright won her first career medal at Big Tens, capping a big week in which she was also seventh on 1-meter and sixth on 3-meter – accounting for a team-high 74 points. She helped extend Purdue’s seven-year streak of having at least one medalist on platform at Big Tens. The sophomore became the Boilermakers’ first female diver since Emily Bretscher in 2020 to be a championship finalist in all three events at Big Tens. Wright is also 6-for-6 in top-10 finishes in her career at Big Tens.

Maycey Vieta and Jaye Patrick joined Wright in the championship final Saturday, placing fourth and sixth. Vieta finished no lower than fourth on the tower in each of her five years at Big Tens, winning the conference title last season and two silver medals along the way. Patrick’s sixth-place showing was the best of her five-year career at Big Ten, which included four years at Northwestern.

Sophie McAfee won the platform consolation final Saturday after placing ninth in the prelim. She scored in all three diving events at Big Tens for the third year in a row and is now 9-for-9 in top-10 finishes at Big Tens in her career. The junior accounted for a career-high 71 team points this week and surpassed the 200-point mark (203) at Big Tens in just three years.

In the swimming events Saturday, four Boilermakers moved up the program’s all-leaderboards with lifetime bests. Abby Marcukaitis won the C final of the 200 backstroke with an NCAA provisional qualifying time (B Cut) of 1:56.96 that moved the sophomore into fourth place in program history. It was Purdue’s fastest time in the event since Jackie Smailis set the Purdue record at the 2019 Big Ten Championships.

Kendra Bowen also doubled up with a B Cut that moved the fifth-year Boilermaker into fourth place in the record book. She posted a time of 49.26 while winning heat 6 of the 100 freestyle, posting Purdue’s fastest mark since Carly Mercer set the team record at the Ohio State Invitational in the fall of 2013. Kendal Schreder (50.27, heat 5) and Kate Beavon (51.99, heat 2) also won their heats of the event with lifetime bests. Senior Kali Sayovitz (50.57) had a lifetime best as well in the event. For Beavon, it proved to be her final race as the South African World Championships qualifier announced her retirement on Instagram on Saturday afternoon.

Freshman Kate Mouser posted a lifetime best to qualify for a B final for the second day in a row, accomplishing the feat in the 200 breaststroke (2:14.72) Saturday. She moved into 10th place in program history and became Purdue’s first swimmer to score in all three of her individual events at Big Tens since 2019. She also joined Alex Clarke as the Boilermakers’ only freshman swimmers to score in all three of their events since the Big Ten went to its current 24-place scoring format in 2016.

Sophomore Reagan Mattice posted her third lifetime best in as many days this week, finishing 18th overall in the 1650 free with a time of 16:36.27 to move into 13th place in team history. It was Purdue’s best time in the event since the 2021 Big Ten Championships.

Mahala Erlandson (200 breast) and Cecilie Wiuff (200 fly) joined Bowen as B finalists Saturday, accounting for a combined 26.5 team points.

Wright’s list score of 318.10 in the final was just .45 points shy of her career best as a Boilermaker, which she posted while winning bronze in the event at the USA Diving Winter Nationals in December. It was that performance that qualified her for the World Championships earlier this month in Qatar. Wright earned an award of at least 60 points in all five rounds of the championship final Saturday.

Vieta and Patrick both improved on their prelim list scores, moving up two spots each after being sixth and eighth in the prelim. Vieta ripped a 70-point dive in round 4, but she had missed her previous dive and it ultimately took her out of medal contention. Patrick’s list score of 298.20 was her best since the 2022 Big Ten Championships.

In the team scoring, the Big Ten conference champion was determined in historically tight fashion. Indiana topped Ohio State by just a half point – 1359 to 1358.5. The Hoosiers trailed 1241.5-1232 entering platform diving. IU’s Skyler Liu won the event by just four tenths of a point over Minnesota’s Viviana Del Angel after Liu ripped a final-round armstand for a big score of 79.20 on the final dive of the night. Del Angel held a two-point lead entering the final round and executed her final dive for a big score of 76.80 as well. Even though Michigan won the final event of the meet – the 400 freestyle relay – IU finished second to OSU’s third and the two-point difference in the relay scoring was enough to overcome the 1.5-point deficit.

Selected swimmers will compete in Sunday’s long course time trials at the Morgan J. Burke Aquatic Center, chasing Olympic Trials qualifying times in the process. Purdue will host the annual two-day Boiler-Make-It NCAA last chance meet next weekend (March 2-3). Championship season continues with the NCAA Zone C Diving Championships (March 14-16 at Louisville), CSCAA National Invitational Championships (March 14-16 in Ocala, Fla.) and NCAA Championships (March 20-23 at Georgia).

BOILERS EARN 2 MORE MEDALS TO CONCLUDE INDOOR BIG TENS

Two medals highlighted the second and final day of the 2024 Big Ten Indoor Track & Field Championships on Saturday for the Purdue track & field team at the Spire Institute in Geneva, Ohio.

Junior Praise Aniamaka was the runner-up in the triple jump and graduate student Cameron Miller was third in the 200-meter. Those were two of six podium finishes for the Boilermakers on Saturday. The duo were joined by freshman Jasiah Rogers, fifth in the 60m, the seventh-place men’s 4×400 and juniors Zoe Sullivan and Brett Otterbacher, who were eighth in the 60m hurdles and 400m, respectively.

Purdue totaled nine top-eight podium finishes at the two-day conference championships, as sophomore Bryanna Craig took second in the pentathlon on Friday to join Aniamaka and Miller as medalists. Six top-10 marks in school history were achieved this weekend as the Boilermakers posted 15 personal records and 11 season bests.

Aniamaka won silver in the triple jump with a season-best mark of 15.96 meters. He earned his fourth career Big Ten medal to go along with gold outdoors in 2023 and bronze indoors in 2022 and 2023, all in the triple jump. Aniamaka was in third place after his third attempt of 15.83m, and he remained there until his final jump, when he moved up one spot by a margin of 0.10m. Aniamaka’s mark is No. 14 in the NCAA this season.

Miller ran the final of the 200m in 20.82 seconds to collect his first Big Ten podium finish and sixth career conference medal. He posted the fastest time in the first of two sections and ended up being one of three runners to break 21.00 seconds. Today’s bronze medal is the third career individual medal Miller has won, all indoors in the 200m, along with gold at the 2023 ACC meet and silver at the 2022 SEC event.

Rogers capped his first indoor campaign with a fifth-place showing in the 60m final. He reached the podium thanks to a time of 6.74 seconds and edged out the sixth-place runner by 0.001 seconds.

The men’s 4×400 relay concluded the weekend in seventh place with a time of 3:10.93. It was a tightly contested finish, as sixth through eighth place were separated by just 0.02 seconds. The result came as the foursome of senior Jahn Riley, sophomores Connor Czajkowski and Nolan Macklin and freshman Nickens Lemba ran together in a relay for the first time.

Sullivan crossed the finish line in eighth place in the 60m hurdle final with a time of 8.35. At her first Big Ten meet, she reached the podium for the fifth time in her career after four top-eight finishes at Missouri Valley championships. Sullivan’s time came after she ran the second-fastest mark in school history in Friday’s prelims, with a finish of 8.24 seconds.

Otterbacher also notched an eighth-place finish on Saturday, in the 400m. He earned his third career trip to the podium at Big Tens and second individually. He also moved up to No. 2 in the Boilermaker record books yesterday courtesy of a 46.83 in the prelims.

Also on Saturday, personal-bests were recorded by senior Logan Sandlin (heptathlon 1,000m, 2:39.15) and freshmen Lee Martin (high jump, 2.06m, T-PR) and Kaden Stewart (high jump, 2.06m). Senior Payne Turney ran a season-best in the 3,000m (9:43.33).

On Friday to open the championships, Craig was joined on the podium by junior Jalen Elrod, who was sixth in the pentathlon, and sophomore Collin Kao, who placed eighth in the pole vault. Elrod was one of six Boilermakers to post a record-book mark, and she had three of the team’s 12 PRs and one of nine season bests registered on the first day.

Up next, qualifying Boilermakers will compete at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships from March 8-9 in Boston. The NCAA field will be announced following all of the conference championship meets.

ANIAMAKA AND MILLER QUALIFY FOR NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS

Graduate student Cameron Miller and junior Praise Aniamaka of the Purdue track & field team have qualified for the 2024 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in Boston from March 8-9.

Miller will race in the 200-meter and Aniamaka will compete in the triple jump. The 200m semifinal is set for Friday, March 8, at 5:40 p.m. ET, and the final is on Saturday, March 9, at 4:50 p.m. The triple jump prelims and final will be at 3:30 p.m. on March 9.

Both Miller and Aniamaka earned their spot at the national championships as one of the top 16 competitors in their respective events. Miller earned the No. 4 overall seed and Aniamaka is the No. 16 seed. The duo are coming off medal-winning performances at the Big Ten Championships on February 24.

The school record-holder in 200m, Miller will make his third career NCAA appearance and second indoors. In 2023, he notched a fourth-place finish in the 200m indoors and was eighth in the 200m, sixth in the 4×100 relay and 22nd in the 4×400 relay outdoors while running for Louisville. Miller was bestowed with First Team All-America distinction three times and earned honorable mention accolades once.

Aniamaka will compete at the NCAA Championships for the second time in his career and the first time indoors. He was ninth outdoors in 2023 to earn Second Team All-America honors.

The two Boilermakers to qualify are the program’s most at the indoor meet since five earned berths at the 2021 event. Purdue is one of seven Big Ten programs with multiple men’s qualifiers at this year’s championships.

Miller set the Purdue and Big Ten record in the 200m with a time of 20.40 on January 20. Along with breaking the school record that had stood for 20 years, Miller’s time was the fastest in the NCAA and third-fastest in the world at the time. The mark came in his first meet as a Boilermaker. One month later, Miller was third at the Big Ten Championships with a finish of 20.82 in the final.

Aniamaka was the Big Ten runner-up at last weekend’s conference championships thanks to a season-best jump of 15.96 meters. The mark secured Aniamaka’s fourth career Big Ten medal and his spot in next weekend’s NCAA Championships. He sits at No. 4 in program history with an indoor personal-best of 16.05m, achieved last season. Outdoors, Aniamaka is No. 7 in the Purdue record books with a PR of 16.10m, set at the 2023 NCAA Championships.