Purdue Sports Update July 30

Boilers Well Represented by Group of 7 at World Championships

With Boilermakers competing in as many as 11 events in Singapore, Swimming & Diving will once again be well represented at the year’s top international showcase – the World Aquatics Championships.

Seven Boilermakers – three swimmers and four divers – are set to compete for country from July 24 through Aug. 3. All six Boilermakers that have already competed for Purdue will be making return trips to World Aquatics’ international championship event. Only incoming freshman Janis Dzirkalis (Latvia) will be making his debut at the World Championships.

Alum David Colutri was the first Boilermaker to compete in Singapore as 27-meter high diving, a finals-only event, was once again split into two days of competition. Colturi was in 10th place among a field of 23 competitors after the first four rounds. He posted the top-scoring dive (97.20) in round 3. The competition concludes at 11 p.m. ET on July 26. Colturi is competing at his sixth World Championships.

Alum Steven LoBue and diving’s associate head coach, Mark Bradshaw, are also in Singapore serving on USA Diving’s coaching staff. LoBue is the head coach of the American high divers and Bradshaw is a staff assistant for the traditional diving roster. LoBue (2004-07 at Purdue) was a two-time medalist in 27-meter high diving at the World Championships, winning gold in 2017 and silver in 2019.

Aćin, Phee and Wright are all Olympians that continue to be among the top performers for their countries.

Wright and Wills both teamed up with Bayleigh Cranford (University of Texas) to win 10-meter synchro events at the USA Diving National Championships in May, earning their bids to the World Championships. Since their victory at nationals, Wright and Cranford have medaled twice together this summer, winning gold at the American Cup in June and silver at the Bolzano Diving Meeting in Italy earlier this month. Wright will also be part of the four-diver team set to represent the U.S. in the 3-meter and 10-meter team event Saturday in Singapore.

Aćin will be racing at his fifth consecutive World Championships and Colturi his third straight. Phee and Colturi have been competing at Worlds for the last decade. Rzepka and Wright are both representing the U.S. for a third time in the last four World Championships. However, Rzepka will be competing individually on 10-meter at Worlds for the first time and Wright will be doing the same in 10-meter synchro.

Aćin remains Purdue’s program record holder in the 100-yard freestyle as well as four relays. At the Banja Luke Open in Bosnia and Herzegovina in May, he set a Serbia record in the 50-meter backstroke (25.51) and it was that time that earned him an individual bid to the World Championships. He remains part of Serbia’s 4×100 free relay team, the event in which he’s a two-time Olympian.

Phee continues to rank No. 2 at Purdue in the 100-yard breaststroke and helped the Boilermakers set team records in both medley relays in 2019 that still stand. She also raced at the World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m) in December, a short-course meet that also featured Purdue’s Nathaniel Thomas (Jamaica) and Matheo Mateos (Paraguay).

Dzirkalis represented Latvia in the 50- and 100-meter freestyle earlier this summer at the LEN U23 European Championships in Slovakia. He swept those same races and set a Latvian national record in the 50 at the Baltic States Championships in March.

World Aquatics opted to hold a World Championships in February 2024. The postponement of the 2020 Olympic Games until the summer of 2021 led to multiple date changes for Worlds from 2021-24. The World Aquatics Championships had been a biennial international showcase held in odd-numbered years from 2001-19, debuting in 1973.

This year is officially the 22nd edition of the World Aquatics Championships. Singapore is the first-ever city in Southeast Asia to host it. Budapest is slated to host again in 2027 after also serving as the host city in 2017 and 2022.

Boilermakers Earn 4th Straight ABCA Team Academic Excellence Award

Baseball’s 3.34 team grade-point average for the 2024-25 school year earned the Boilermakers an ABCA Team Academic Excellence Award for the fourth consecutive year.

The American Baseball Coaches Association partnered with sponsor Sports Attack to recognize teams across the country with 3.0-plus GPAs. All college and high school teams are eligible assuming their head coach is an ABCA member.

Coach Greg Goff’s team posted numerous academic program records during the 2024-25 school year, headlined by a 3.21 cumulative team GPA at the close of the 2025 spring semester. The Boilermakers registered a program-record 3.38 team GPA during the fall semester, which was the most improved in all of Purdue Athletics. The spring semester team GPA was also strong at 3.29.

Purdue Baseball’s team-record 28 Academic All-Big Ten student-athletes (3.0+ cumulative GPA) this season helped the spring sports produce 107 overall honorees, which was a spring record for the department and matched the most ever for any season (tying fall 2021).

The Boilermakers’ five Big Ten Distinguished Scholars (3.7+ GPA for 2024-25) was also a program record, a group headlined by third-team Academic All-America honoree Aaron Manias. Brandon Anderson, Albert Choi and Brody Chrisman joined Manias as Purdue players with flawless 4.0 GPAs for 2024-25.

Team Madia swept the program’s annual Academic Bowl challenge, posting a combined 3.46 GPA in the fall and 3.36 GPA in the spring. Director of player development John Madia’s team included Brandon Anderson, Gavin Beuter, Carter Doorn, Maclane Finley, Camden Gasser, Nick Kolze, Evan Schweizer and Matthew Totten.

Per semester, Purdue had 37 players with a 3.0-plus GPA in the fall and 34 achieve that benchmark in the spring.

The Boilermakers recognized 17 graduates at their annual on-field commencement ceremony at Alexander Field on May 15 before the start of the final home weekend. Of those 17, 12 earned bachelor’s degrees and five received graduate certificates.

Wrestling Alumnus Coleman Selected in Inaugural CLAW Draft

Kendall Coleman, a Purdue wrestler from 2018-23, was selected in the inaugural draft for the Champions League of American Wrestling (CLAW).

The league consists of six teams including the Cicadas, Kaos, Mat Kings, Enforcers, Hammers and Leopards. Coleman was picked by the Mat Kings in the seventh round, 39th overall.

Each team had a total of eight draft picks, and Coleman slots in as the Mat Kings’ projected starter at 170 pounds.

The all-new wrestling league is launching in fall 2025 and claims it will deliver what wrestling fans want; a bona fide professional league featuring the sport’s top stars. Over the past two years, CLAW held events to familiarize athletes and fans with “ClawStyle” rules, which aim to increase action, scoring and fan engagement.

During his time as a Boilermaker, Coleman was a four-time NCAA qualifier and an NWCA First Team All-American in 2020, when the NCAA Championships were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He finished his career with 304 takedowns, the eighth-most all-time at Purdue.

Coleman was also a household name in the Big Ten Conference, in which he held an impressive 39-20 conference record and was a Big Ten Championships finalist in 2020.

He’s the latest former Boiler to turn pro after assistant coach Matt Ramos was signed by Real American Freestyle in June. Ramos will compete against former NCAA champion Nathan Tomasello at RAF’s inaugural event in Cleveland on Saturday, Aug. 30.

Further details about CLAW such as potential events and match cards will be released in the coming weeks.

Brenneman, Fascia Join Coaching Staff at Alexander

Baseball head coach Greg Goff has announced the hiring of Jimmy Brenneman and Zac Fascia, completing the Boilermakers’ coaching staff for the upcoming 2025-26 school year with the addition of two of Goff’s former players.

Brenneman joins the program as an assistant coach. He was a two-year starting outfielder for Goff at Campbell from 2011-12. A Purdue alumnus, Fascia returns to campus as the program operations and analytics coordinator. Fascia was a three-year starting catcher for the Boilermakers from 2019-21.

Brenneman comes to West Lafayette after three seasons as the head coach at Dallas College-Richland, leading DCR to a pair of third-place finishes at the NJCAA Division III World Series (2024 and 2025). He will take over as Purdue’s lead instructor for outfield defense while also assisting with hitting and baserunning.

Fascia spent four seasons in the Cleveland Guardians organization from 2021-24, reaching the Triple-A level while suiting up for the Columbus Clippers in 2022 and 2024. He had been serving as a coach with PRP Baseball in Noblesville since his professional career ended.

“I’m thrilled to complete our coaching staff with two of my former players, Jimmy and Zac,” Goff said. “Both are accomplished professionals that played the game with a competitive edge that we work to instill into all our Boilermakers. They know the way I coach, how I run practices and what is expected on gameday. They’re a natural fit to enhance our program – how we compete on the field, excel in the classroom and interact with the community.

“Jimmy stole 30 bases for our first 40-win team at Campbell and led the nation in hit by pitch as a junior. I loved the way he played the game with toughness and passion. Jimmy enjoyed a lot of success coaching at the junior college level, serving as a head coach since the fall of 2020. He certainly earned this opportunity to coach alongside us in the Big Ten. Zac was a leader for us as a three-year starter at catcher and was behind the plate in my first game as head coach at Purdue. He, too, brings toughness, leadership and high baseball IQ, which has been reinforced through his recent experiences in professional baseball with the Cleveland Guardians organization.”

Brenneman and Fascia complete a coaching staff that also includes returning assistant coaches Josh Newman and Barrett Serrato along with director of player development John Madia and strength & conditioning coach Tony Webb.

Moodie Adds Assistant Coach Eric Masters to the Soccer Staff

Head soccer coach Richard Moodie announced the addition of assistant coach, Eric Masters, to join the coaching staff as the goalkeepers coach for the upcoming 2025 season.

Masters joins the Boilermakers after serving as the associate head coach, recruiting coordinator, and goalkeepers coach at Troy University. As the goalkeepers coach, Masters helped the Trojans to double their win total since the 2022 season, increase 42 places in the NCAA RPI rankings, and earn their best start since 2016.

Masters also oversaw all recruiting operations at Troy, including scheduling all official and unofficial visits, working with admissions, and managing student-athlete eligibility.

Prior to his time there, Masters was the associate head coach at Northwestern State University, where he held the same responsibilities. While at NSU, Masters led the Demons to a final RPI ranking of 71, while being ranked first nationally in corners earned per game, and 33^rd in goals against average. The Demons also had seven all-conference players including a Player of the Year, a Conference Offensive Player of the Year, a Newcomer of the Year, and recruited a Louisiana State Player of the Year.

Masters also spent time at Colorado State University, the University of North Dakota, and Fordham University, holding an assistant coach and goalkeepers coach position. In 2021 at CSU, Masters coached their freshman goalkeeper to All-Newcomer team honors as well as two First-team All Mountain West players. While at North Dakota and Fordham, Masters managed all aspects of goalkeeper training as well as managing academics, budgeting, and being a liaison for marketing and social media efforts.

After graduating from Long Island University after being the starting goalkeeper for two seasons, Masters joined the staff as a graduate assistant where he managed academic progress, attendance, community outreach, official visits, and scouting for matches.

While serving as a graduate assistant, Masters was also a reserve for the NY/NJ Metrostars during the 2004-05 season and played in the USL second division for the Long Island Rough Riders in the 2006 season.

Masters comes to Purdue not only with a wealth of collegiate coaching experience but has also worked as the Goalkeeping director and staff coach for five different club/ODP programs. He also served as the head soccer coach for Carson high school in Nevada for one season, earning Coach of the Year with 10 All-Conference players and the lowest GAA in the league.

Masters grew up in Carmel, Ind. and graduated from Carmel high school in 2000. Both his father and grandfather have been inducted into the Indiana basketball Hall of Fame. He will be moving to Lafayette with his wife Margie, and three kids, Shay, Maddox, and Mia.