Purdue Sports Update June 19

Step Up and Be Bold – Letter from Mike Bobinski

To the Purdue Athletics Community,

We stand today at a pivotal crossroads in the history of Purdue Athletics.  The court approved settlement of the House v. NCAA antitrust lawsuit is not just a legal milestone—it marks a new era of both challenge and opportunity for college sports. Meeting those challenges and capturing the opportunity will require bold vision, unwavering unity, and an unprecedented level of support from every member of the Purdue family.

The Financial Challenge—and Opportunity—ahead
The new settlement-authorized revenue sharing model introduces reforms that will fundamentally alter how we support our student-athletes. Beginning July 1, 2025, schools like Purdue will be able to directly share athletic revenues with student-athletes—up to an initial year annual cap of $20.5 million. This is a groundbreaking change, rebalancing the relationship between institutions and athletes, yet it also presents an enormous financial challenge.

At the same time, the NCAA will pay $2.6 billion in back damages to former student-athletes, funded by a reduction in revenue distributions to member schools. For Purdue, this means an estimated loss of $1.2 million per year in planned NCAA revenues for the next decade. These dual pressures—increased spending requirements and reduced revenue streams—tighten our financial landscape in ways we have never experienced before.

Revenue Sharing Cap: A Level Playing Field for Purdue
While the financial pressures are real, the revenue sharing cap presents Purdue with a unique and timely opportunity. In this new environment, all participating Division I institutions will operate with the same overall maximum limit on direct payments to student-athletes. This cap is intended to level the playing field in the highly competitive world of talent acquisition, ensuring that resource disparities between schools are minimized and that Purdue—through strategic resource allocation, innovation, and donor support—can recruit, develop and compete directly with the nation’s top programs.

This is our chance to maximize every dollar, every partnership, and every opportunity to attract and retain elite student-athletes. With disciplined investment and passionate support from the Purdue community, we can seize this moment to elevate our program, recruit top-tier talent, and enhance our proud tradition of excellence.

A Continued Commitment to Student-Athlete Success
While these changes reshape the landscape of intercollegiate athletics, Purdue’s core mission remains unchanged.  We will continue to prioritize the academic achievement, personal growth and holistic development of our student-athletes.  Our programs are designed not only to foster success in competition, but to prepare Boilermakers for life after graduation—equipping them with the skills, character, and resilience needed to excel in any arena.

Strategic Adaptation: Scholarships and Competitiveness
As sport-specific roster caps replace scholarship limits, we are committed to leveraging this flexibility to keep Purdue competitive at the highest level. In selected sports, increasing the number of athletic scholarships will be essential for attracting and retaining the best talent. Meeting this new financial demand will depend on continued—and expanded—support of the John Purdue Club. Your annual gifts will fund existing and expanded scholarship offerings, ensuring Purdue remains a destination for top student-athletes.

Student-Athlete Marketing and Brand-Building–NIL
In recognition of the transformative power of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) opportunities, and the need for our student-athletes to have access to this important component of today’s collegiate athletics model, Purdue is proud to announce the creation of Boiler BrandWorks, an in-house student-athlete marketing and brand-building unit. The mission of this unit will be to  work directly with student-athletes to develop their personal brands and source meaningful NIL partnerships with donors, alumni, and businesses—both locally and nationally.

We invite every member of the Purdue community to play a role in this exciting initiative. If you are a business owner, entrepreneur, or have connections to organizations that may be interested in partnering with our student-athletes, we encourage you to participate or refer those entities to us. Your efforts will help open doors for our student-athletes, amplifying their opportunities and strengthening Purdue’s competitive position in the NIL era.

University Partnership and Fiscal Responsibility
Our University leadership has made a clear and forward-looking commitment to partner with Purdue Athletics to ensure our ability to fully participate and compete within the framework of the new model. This partnership will provide meaningful support and alignment as we navigate the evolving landscape.  At the same time, the expectation for fiscal responsibility within Athletics and the need to aggressively pursue revenue growth remains unchanged.  We are committed to stewarding our resources wisely, making strategic financial decisions and upholding the highest standards of accountability to our supporters and the broader Purdue community.

Support Sport-Specific Excellence Through “Victories & Heroes: Your Campaign for Purdue”
To ensure every Purdue team has the resources needed to succeed, we urge you to support the recently launched and campus-wide Victories & Heroes: Your Campaign for Purdue initiative. Contributions to the Campaign designated for Athletics will provide essential resources for scholarships, equipment, travel, and other program enhancements. Your gifts to the Campaign empower our coaches and student-athletes to reach new heights and maintain Purdue’s tradition of pursuing excellence across all sports.

How You Can Make a Difference
Now, more than ever, your involvement will directly shape the future of Purdue Athletics. Here’s how you can help us rise to meet these challenges and opportunities:

• Join, renew or increase your membership in the John Purdue Club—your annual gifts fund student-athlete scholarships and will help us supplement scholarship offerings where it’s strategically impactful.
• Give to Victories & Heroes: Your Campaign for Purdue—make an impactful gift to provide essential resources for our teams or support capital/programmatic initiatives that align with your interests.
• Connect your business or refer others to partner with our student-athletes through Boiler BrandWorks, opening doors to mutually beneficial NIL opportunities.

A Call for Unity and Action
This moment requires all of us—alumni, fans, donors, and friends—to step up and be bold. The new revenue sharing cap environment presents an opportunity for Purdue to rise up and compete on an even footing with the best in the nation.

Your support is not just appreciated—it is absolutely essential. In the coming months, we will keep you informed about our progress and the tangible ways your contributions are making a difference.

Let’s forge ahead, together, and ensure that Purdue not only meets this moment but leads the way into a new era of excellence.

Boiler Up!

Mike Bobinski
Executive Vice President – Director of Intercollegiate Athletics

Miller, Gilkerson Earn Second Team All-American Honors

Track & Field’s Cameron Miller (200m) and Bode Gilkerson (high jump) earned Second Team All-American honors at the NCAA Championships. Jalen Elrod also completed the first four events of the heptathlon on Friday.

Miller Notes
• Miller finished ninth in the final NCAAs of his career in 20.56. It was Miller’s second time running in the finals of an NCAA Outdoor Championships 200m.
• He concluded his career as a nine-time All-American (five outdoors). Five of his All-American honors came in the last two seasons at Purdue and the other four were in 2023 at Louisville.
• A decorated career at Purdue, Miller is the only Boilermaker to earn two Second Team All-American honors outdoors. He and Samson Colebrooke (2019, 2021) are the only two with multiple All-American honors in the 200m. Purdue has five different All-Americans in the event.
• In his two seasons, Miller set a Purdue school record in the 200m and 4x400m relay both indoors and outdoors.

Gilkerson Notes
• In his NCAAs debut, Gilkerson finished tied for 13th in the high jump after he cleared 2.15m (7-00.50).
• Gilkerson turned in the 10th All-American season by a Purdue high jumper and the first since Eric Blackman in 2017. He is the seventh different Boiler to earn All-American status in the high jump.
• The sophomore’s outdoor season finished by outperforming his seeding at the Big Ten Championships (seeded eighth and finished fourth), NCAA East First Round (seeded 23rd and finished seventh) and the NCAA Championships (seeded 17th and finished 13th).

Elrod Notes
• Through the first four heptathlon events, Elrod ranks 20th with 3,336 points. She is currently projected to set a personal best with 5,653 points.
• Elrod earned her largest event point total with 1,018 after a personal best 13.72 in the 110mH.
• She had her highest event finish in third place with a 24.00 in the 200m.
• A 17th-place finish in the shot put (11.62m / 38-01.50) and 24th-place finish in the high jump (1.57m / 5-01.75) rounded out the first day.

Elrod Concludes Career as Second Team All-American

Jalen Elrod wrapped up her collegiate career and Purdue Track & Field’s 2024-25 season as a Second Team All-American in the heptathlon at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. 

Elrod Notes
• Elrod scored a personal-best 5,594 points and earned 16th in the heptathlon. She initially missed qualifying for nationals by one point but was added after a scratch in the top 24.
• She capped her NCAAs by winning the final event, 800m, in a personal-best 2:11.37 to jump up from 19th to 16th. The standings jump improved Elrod from Honorable Mention to Second Team.
• She also finished third in the 200m (24.00), eighth in the long jump (5.98m / 19-07.50) and ninth in the 100mH (13.72) to round out her top 10 event finishes.
• Her NCAAs also featured a 17th-place finish in the shot put (11.62m / 38-01.50), 21st-place finish in the javelin (29.63 / 97-02) and 24th-place finish in the high jump (1.57m / 5-01.75).
• Elrod’s finish on Saturday was similar to her indoor season when she finished 8th in the NCAA Indoor Championships pentathlon by winning the 800m and jumping from 11th to eighth.
• Her All-American honor was the ninth by a Boilermaker in the heptathlon. She joins three-time honorees Cathey Tyree (1985-87) and Jamie McNeair (1988-90) and one-time honorees Corissa Yasen (1996) and Angela Craft (2001).

2025-26 Wrestling Opponents Announced

Wrestling head coach Tony Ersland and the Big Ten Conference jointly announced the Boilermakers’ 2025-26 opponents on Monday.

Though the opponents have been unveiled, the dates have not yet been finalized.
 

HOME DUALS	AWAY DUALS	TOURNAMENTS
Boilermaker Duals (American, Buffalo, NIU), Illinois, Iowa, Michigan State, Wisconsin	Cal Poly, Cal State Bakersfield, Davidson, Drexel, Indiana, Maryland, Morgan State, Nebraska, Rider, Rutgers	Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, Tiger Style Invitational

NON-CONFERENCE BREAKDOWN

Purdue Wrestling will open its 106th season with the team’s first trip to California since November 2016, taking on Cal Poly in a dual in San Luis Obispo, Calif., before making a quick trip east to face Cal State Bakersfield.

The Boilers are 4-1 all-time against the Mustangs of Cal Poly, most recently winning there 30-9 in November 2014. Purdue is 3-3 against CSU Bakersfield and hasn’t squared up with the Roadrunners since January 2006, a 25-16 Purdue win.

The 2025-26 season also features the reappearance of the Boilermaker Duals, an annual tradition that last took place in 2023. Purdue will host American, Buffalo and Northern Illinois in Holloway Gymnasium for the only home contests of the fall.

Other non-conference road duals include trips to Davidson, Drexel, Morgan State and Rider.

The Wildcats of Davidson, N.C., have never faced Purdue, which will return to the Tar Heel State for the first time since its season-opening win at Gardner-Webb last year. The Boilermakers also travel to Baltimore to meet Morgan State for just the second time. Purdue previously beat the Bears 30-6 on Jan. 12, 1992, in Columbus, Ohio.

To close its non-conference slate, Purdue will head back to the East Coast just after New Year’s to face Rider in Lawrenceville, N.J., and Drexel in Philadelphia. The Boilermakers made a similar trip in 2021, beating both the Broncs and Dragons on the same day after a short trot across state lines.

Additionally, the Old Gold & Black will return to the same two tournaments from a year ago. Early in November, Purdue goes back to the Tiger Style Invitational, hosted by Missouri, a one-day tournament in which the Boilers finished second in 2024 with six medal winners.

In December, Purdue will make its 18th trip to the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, the premier regular season tournament in college wrestling.

Assistant coach Matt Ramos will be in Purdue’s corner this time after winning the 2024 125-pound crown to become the first four-time CKLV placewinner in school history. Joey Blaze also placed sixth but could have finished higher if not for an injury that forced him to forfeit his remaining matches.

BIG TEN BREAKDOWN

The 2026 home conference schedule features the likes of Illinois, Iowa, Michigan State and Wisconsin. The Boilers dominated the Badgers last season in Madison, taking a 33-7 win with eight match victories, but dropped a 35-8 decision to the Illini in Champaign, Ill.

Defending their home arena, the Boilermakers have the chance to avenge their most recent losses to Michigan State (17-16 in January 2022) and Iowa (34-6 in January 2024).

The away slate includes Indiana, Maryland, Nebraska and Rutgers. Purdue beat the Terps on Valentine’s Day last season but lost its most recent bouts with the other three road foes.

However, in 2022, No. 14 Purdue did stun No. 9 Nebraska with an 18-15 road upset and will aim to repeat recent history against the 2025 NCAA runners-up in Lincoln, Neb.

Amornchaichan Garners Honorable Mention All-America Status

Purdue freshman Supapon Amornchaichan capped off a terrific season when the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) named him an honorable mention All-American selection on Monday afternoon.

It marks the third straight year, and fourth time in the last five years, that a Purdue golfer has been named at least an honorable mention selection, joining Cole Bradley (HM – 2021) and Herman Sekne (2023 – 3^rd team; 2024 – HM) as recent Boilermakers to earn the distinction.

Prior to this current stretch, Purdue hadn’t had an All-American distinction since the 2004 campaign (Shiv Kapur).

Amornchaichan is one of just three freshmen to earn All-America distinction, among the 67 players listed on the first, second, third and honorable mention teams. He is joined by Texas freshman Daniel Bennett (1^st team) and Oklahoma freshman Clark Van Gaalen (HM).

Amornchaichan ended the season on a high note to earn the honors. He finished ninth at the NCAA Championships at 3-under par 285 (73-69-72-71) making him the highest-finishing freshman in the tournament. His ninth-place showing was the highest for a Boilermaker since 1960 when John Konsek lost in the match play quarterfinals (top 8).

He preceded the NCAA Championships with a solid effort at the Auburn Regionals, placing T-15^th at 1-over par 217 (72-73-72).

Amornchaichan ended the year with a 73.03 stroke average, the lowest average by a Purdue freshman in school history.

Spec, Krivokapic Selected to ITA Regional “Of The Year” Awards

Two members of the men’s tennis program were selected to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) regional “Of the Year” awards, announced Tuesday by the organization’s office. Assistant Coach Matic Špec was named Assistant Coach of the Year and Aleksa Krivokapic ITA Player to Watch for the Ohio Valley Region.

The awards come on the heels of a successful season, which saw the fourth-most home wins in program history (11-4 record). Alongside head coach Geoff Young, Špec guided three different Boilermakers to wins against ranked opponents in singles play while also helping Purdue earn a 17-5 record in doubles play this spring. The Boilermakers produced ranked wins vs. No. 20 Illinois, No. 32 Boise State and No. 55 Oregon, all on their home court as the team finished the season ranked No. 53 in the ITA final rankings. Špec is the fourth assistant coach in Purdue history to earn the ITA Assistant Coach of the Year honor, including the first since 2017, and has been with the program for two seasons.

Krivokapic, a First Team All-Big Ten honoree and the league’s singles champion for the 2024-25 season, is the first Boilermaker to be awarded ITA Regional Player to Watch. The Podrigo, Montenegro, native posted a 6-1 record over his last eight matches (one unfinished), including three top-12 ranked victories: a 1-6, 6-4, 6-1 comeback victory vs. Big Ten Player of the Year #12 Kenta Miyoshi (Illinois, 3/14), a 6-4, 6-3 win vs. #5 Ozan Baris (Michigan State, 3/23) and a 6-4, 6-4 win vs. #11 Aidan Kim (at Ohio State, 4/20). Rising from unranked to start the season to finishing No. 44 in the ITA rankings, the junior is one of four Boilermakers in program history to earn as high of a spot in the poll.

Blaze Falls 1 Win Short of U.S. National Team Qualification

Wrestling sophomore Joey Blaze fell in a 6-4 decision loss to Jarrett Jacques at Final X on Saturday in Prudential Center.

The Boilermaker came up just one win short of qualifying for the U.S. National Team, a feat that’s still not yet been accomplished by a Purdue wrestler since the national team program was established in 1989.

In a low-scoring, steely match that came down to the final seconds, Blaze took a 1-0 lead into the final period with a penalty point called against Jacques for passivity.

As the final 30 seconds waned, the two stars picked up the pace and exchanged exposure points as they jockeyed for control. With Blaze leading 4-3 with 10 seconds to go, Jacques rolled him through to score the final three points.

The Purdue corner threw a challenge brick as a last resort, but the call was confirmed to give Jacques the win.

Blaze, who just turned 20 on Thursday, June 5, was never expected by most to make it as far as he did this year in the national freestyle circuit. However, anyone who has paid attention to Blaze’s career trajectory through his sophomore season knew he would never go down easily. He entered the World Team Trials in May as the No. 7 seed and the youngest wrestler in his weight class before finishing in third place to earn his trip to Final X.

Jacques was a defending 2024 U.S. National Team member who’s two years removed from his final collegiate season at the University of Missouri. He was a five-time NCAA qualifier at Mizzou and still works at his alma mater as a wrestling recruiting coordinator.

If he wants them, the young Blaze will have plenty more opportunities to gain notoriety on the national freestyle circuit. But for now, he’ll head into his junior season as a leader of the 2025-26 Purdue squad with the personal goal of returning to — and winning — the NCAA championship.

Next season’s Boilermakers will feature a veteran-laden roster with six returning NCAA qualifiers: Blaze, Brody Baumann, Blake Boarman (transfer from Chattanooga), Stoney Buell, Greyson Clark and Hayden Filipovich.

Ramos Signs With RAF Wrestling League

Wrestling assistant coach Matt Ramos signed with Real American Freestyle Wrestling on Friday, joining a talented roster of a first-of-its-kind professional wrestling league.

Described as “the first unscripted pro wrestling league for the best athletes in the world,” the RAF’s mission is to professionalize competitive wrestling and create a platform for elite athletes to compete in front of millions of fans.

The freestyle league is spearheaded by notable professional wrestling stars Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff and Izzy Martinez.

Ramos, who began his tenure as an assistant coach for Purdue on Monday, has a decorated history in freestyle wrestling dating back to his Cadet world championship in 2018. Additionally, he won the 2022 U.S. Open before going on to become Purdue’s first two-time All-American in nearly 20 years.

As he works full-time coaching the next generation of Boilermaker wrestlers, the RAF will afford Ramos the opportunity to maintain his status as an elite wrestler against some of the stiffest competition in the world. His primary goal is to compete on the world stage for his native Philippines at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

RAF’s inaugural event will take place on Saturday, Aug. 30, in Cleveland, Ohio. Details about the match card have yet to be announced.

Fraley Signs Professional Contract with Clube de Albergaria

Recent Purdue graduate and former senior forward, Lexi Fraley (Lafayette, Ind./Harrison), joined the ranks of pro Boilermakers after signing her first professional contract with Clube de Albergaria in Portugal.
 

Fraley is now the 10^th member of Purdue soccer to sign a contract at the professional level, joining the ranks of Boiler alums such as Marisa Bova, Sarah Griffith, and most recently, Cloey Uddenberg (Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada/Our Lady Queen of the World Catholic).

Fraley began her collegiate soccer journey at Ball State university, where she was named MAC Offensive Player of the Year, All-MAC First Team, United Soccer Coaches All-Midwest Region Second Team, CSC Academic All-America Second Team, CSC Academic All-District, and Academic All-MAC in her last season with the Cardinals. Fraley led the league in points and shots and tied for the lead in goals. She graduated from Ball State in the spring of 2024 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Pre-Dental Preparation.

After a stellar three-year career at Ball State, Lafayette, Ind. native transferred to her hometown to finish her final season with the Boilers, where she appeared in all 18 games, making 12 starts with 899 minutes played on the pitch. Fraley tallied one goal, coming against Illinois on Oct. 6, and one assist, helping the Boilers to earn the 2-0 shutout of Rutgers on Oct. 17.

Fraley will begin her professional career competing with Clube de Albergaria in the Campeonato Nacional de Futebol Feminino, a 12-team league, representing the top-tier of women’s football in Portugal.