Purdue Sports Update: March 3

WBB Punches Big Ten Tournament Ticket with Season Finale Win at Northwestern

In a must-win game to reach the Big Ten Tournament, the Purdue women’s basketball team picked up 67-62 win on the road over Northwestern. It was Purdue’s first win in a regular-season finale since defeating Northwestern in 2017.

Purdue’s trio of guards – Nya Smith, Kiki Smith and Tara Daye – powered the Boilermakers to the tune of 51 points, seven 3-pointers, 14 rebounds, 10 assists and eight steals.

For the 20th time this season, Tara Daye posted a double-digit performance with 18 points, falling two rebounds shy of a double-double and adding a pair of steals.

Kiki Smith knocked down a pair of 3-pointers to lead to 17 points to go with a trio of steals. Nya Smith went for 16 points, including a pair of triples, a career-high seven assists and three steals.

Lana McCarthy was the fourth Boilermaker in double figures with 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting.

Purdue (13-16, 5-13) flipped 21 Northwestern (8-21, 2-16) turnovers into a season-high 32 points, its second game with 30-plus points off turnovers. While the Boilermakers committed 17 turnovers, the defense surrendered just 12 points off miscues. Purdue tallied 12 steals for their ninth game with double-digit takeaways this season.

Purdue dished out 16 assists on 24 field goals.

For the game, Purdue shot 42.1% from the floor and went 5-of-23 from behind the arc. The Wildcats were 43.4% from the field and 6-of-17 from distance.

KEY MOMENTS
• After Northwestern opened on a 4-0 run, the Boilermakers rolled off a 12-3 swing to take a five-point lead with six points from Kiki Smith.
• Kiki Smith hit a pair of triples in the opening frame and tallied eight points, while Nya Smith tacked on five points. Purdue led Northwestern 18-14 after the first, despite committing five turnovers.
• The Boilermakers built their lead up to eight points three times in the second, shooting 5-of-16 in the frame and 0-of-5 from distance.
• Northwestern held Purdue without a field goal for the final 5:11 of the first half, as the hosts chipped away to tie the game 30-30 at the break.
• Purdue shot 36.7% from the field and 3-of-13 from distance. The Boilermakers committed 11 turnovers over the opening 20 minutes but kept Northwestern to just eight points off miscues.
• Purdue opened the second half scoring on six of their first eight shots and built up a 43-33 lead at the 4:46 mark of the third.
• Daye and Nya Smith combined for 13 of Purdue’s 19 points in the third to give Purdue a 49-44 lead going to the fourth.
• Northwestern opened the fourth on a 10-5 run to pull level at 54-54 with 5:17 to play. On the next possession, Kiki Smith fought off contact to complete a traditional 3-point play to put Purdue up for good.
• McCarthy then chipped in four straight points before Kiki Smith scored in transition to cap a six-point run.
• Northwestern cut the gap down to three points with 1:22 to go, but a Daye layup and two clutch free throws from Hila Karsh sealed the win for the Boilermakers.

NOTES
• The Boilermakers now lead the all-time series with Northwestern 56-26.
• Purdue finished its series with Northwestern head coach Joe McKeown, who retired after a storied 40-year head coaching career, at 18-10.
• The Boilermakers are 12-2 this season when holding opponents to 70 points or fewer.
• Purdue improved to 12-3 when taking a lead into the fourth quarter.
• Kiki Smith finished in double figures for the 17th time this season and the sixth time in the last eight games.
• Nya Smith tallied her ninth game in double figures, all in Big Ten play, and the fifth straight outing.

UP NEXT
The Boilermakers will head to the Big Ten Tournament as the 14th seed. Purdue will open up play at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Wednesday night against Oregon. Tipoff is slated for 25 minutes after the conclusion of the second game of the day, which will start 25 minutes after the 3:30 p.m. tip of the opening game of the tournament. All three games on Wednesday will be streamed on Peacock.

Baseball Completes Four-Game Sweep

Westin Boyle had four RBI for the second day in a row and Sergio DeCello’s grand slam accounted for the last of Baseball’s four four-run innings as the Boilermakers completed a four-game sweep of Marist with an 18-1 victory Sunday.

Purdue (8-3) won its sixth straight game and improved to 26-5 at the North Main Athletic Complex dating back to 2022. The Boilermakers have swept three four-game series during that span.

Purdue scored four times in the first, third, fourth and sixth innings, bringing the run-rule into effect after Jacob Boland retired the Red Foxes (0-10) in order in the top of the seventh. The Boilermakers posted their highest run total since winning 20-4 at Illinois on the final Sunday of April last season. They scored at least 18 runs over six innings for the first time since a 4/20 victory vs. East Tennessee State in 2024.

Jarvis Evans cruised through 4 1/3 innings of four-hit ball, racking up eight strikeouts vs. no walks. The eight Ks were the most by a Purdue pitcher this season. The lefty was not asked to go deep after the Boilers had opened up a 12-1 lead when he took the mound for the fifth inning. Freshman Tro Fellings worked a scoreless sixth inning in his collegiate debut.

Purdue scored five times in the ninth inning to win in walk-off fashion for the third Saturday in a row, taking both games of a doubleheader vs. Marist, 11-10 and 8-2.

The Boilermakers (7-3) have won five straight games dating back to their Feb. 21 walk-off win vs. Baylor in which they overcame a 5-0 deficit. They’ve won six times in walk-off fashion while compiling a 25-5 record at the North Main Athletic Complex in Holly Springs dating back to 2022.

Purdue trailed 10-6 entering the bottom of the ninth after the Red Foxes (0-9) scored six unanswered runs across the eighth and ninth innings. The Boilermakers also overcame a four-run deficit (5-1) in the ninth in a March 2022 victory vs. Longwood in Holly Springs, eventually winning 6-5 in 11 innings.

Free passes and wild pitches fueled Purdue’s five-run ninth inning as the only hits in the frame were Sam Flores’ leadoff single and a pinch-hit RBI single from Aaron Manias that put the winning run on base. As a pinch runner for Manias, Sergio DeCello scored the game-deciding run on a wild pitch that was also ball four to batter Jackson Bessette, who was the seventh consecutive batter to reach base safely in the frame. Marist did not record an out in the inning.

The Boilermakers drew 16 free passes – 11 walks, five hit by pitch – in the victory, a big reason why they were able to win despite being out hit 12-7. Purdue also had 11 walks in a win vs. Niagara in Holly Springs last season.

Pitching led the way in the nightcap of the doubleheader. Austin Klug and Noah Filer teamed up for a four-hitter. Klug retired 15 consecutive batters while working 5 2/3 innings of two-hit ball. Filer retired the final nine batters of the game in order to earn a three-inning save in just his second collegiate outing.

Offensively, doubles from Westin Boyle, Manias and Flores over the first three innings all led to runs. Purdue scored in each of the first four innings to build a 5-1 lead in support of Klug (2-1). The senior struck out six in his finest outing as a Boilermaker.

CJ Richmond hit an opposite-field home run in the seventh inning of game 1, his team leading third long ball of the year. It extended his season-opening hit streak to nine consecutive games before it ended in the nightcap.

Boyle delivered a two-out, two-run single to cap the scoring in Purdue’s four-run fourth inning, overcoming an early 3-0 deficit. He reached base safely three times in the nightcap.

Sam Flores homered to open the game’s scoring in a five-run fourth inning and Jackson Bessette later connected for a three-run blast to power Purdue to a 9-4 victory vs. Marist on Friday in the opener of a four-game series.

Cole Van Assen pitched into the sixth inning and finished one out shy of an official quality start after a two-out error extended the frame. The Boilermakers’ Friday starter matched his career high with seven strikeouts.

Six Purdue players had multiple hits as the Boilermakers (5-3) pounded out a season-high 15. Trey Swiderski had two doubles by the fourth inning despite not starting the game. CJ Richmond singled, walked and scored twice to extend his season-opening hit streak to eight consecutive games.

Joe Trenerry retired three consecutive batters with the bases loaded in the ninth inning – the first two via strikeouts – to close out the win, earning his first save as a Boilermaker.

Van Assen also escaped a no-out, bases-loaded jam in the top of the fourth. He struck out the 6-hole hitter and then induced a comebacker for an inning-ending 1-2-3 double play.

Thomas Howard continued to impress as the first man out of the bullpen, working 2 1/3 innings of two-hit scoreless relief. He has surrendered just four hits in nine scoreless innings over his first four appearances as a Boilermaker.

Softball Goes 5-0 Over Weekend

Softball closed out a perfect 5-0 weekend with an 8-2 win over Western Carolina this afternoon at Draper Diamond.

The Boilers had an explosive offensive weekend using double-digit hits in each game to outscore their opponents 48-5. 

The Boilers began the scoring in the first inning on a triple from Bella Douglas to score Moriah Polar who singled earlier in the inning. The lead didn’t last long as Western Carolina also plated a run of their own in the bottom of the inning.

In the second, the Catamounts took the lead on a fielder’s choice, but the Boilers came storming back in the bottom of the inning, scoring two runs on a sac-fly from Haley Painter and an RBI grounder from Anna Moore. 

Purdue continued to push the score, adding a lone run in the top of the fifth on a single up the middle from Anna Moore. In the sixth, Delaney Reefe led off the inning with a single, before she was moved over on a sacrifice bunt from Kylie Franks. Ashlynn Campbell advanced Reefe to third on a double to shallow left, before Banks brought her in on a sac-fly. A Polar single then scored Campbell to bring the Boilers ahead 6-2. 

Purdue closed out the game with the final two insurance runs, scoring on a passed ball and a Franks single.

After coming in in relief in the bottom of the second, Gossett was lights out on the mound, striking out 12 batters, just two off of her career-high. With the victory, Gossett moves to 5-3 on the season. 

Softball exploded for 10 runs in the first and late innings to secure a 10–0 run-rule victory over Southern Illinois Salukis, before securing another run-rule victory over Lipscomb in the afternoon.

BOILER BITS (Game 1 vs Southern Illinois)

Purdue jumped on the board immediately in the bottom of the first inning. After Khloe Banks walked and Moriah Polar doubled, Bella Douglas lined a two-run single up the middle to open the scoring. Later in the inning, Haley Waggoner added a two-run single to center to make it 4–0.

The Boilermakers extended the lead in the fifth inning. Haley Painter walked before Anna Moore launched a two-run home run to left-center, pushing the advantage to 6–0.

Purdue put the game away in the sixth with a four-run frame. Douglas doubled to right-center to score Polar, and after a fielding error extended the inning, Moore crushed her second home run of the day — a three-run shot to center — to cap the scoring at 10–0.

Gossett closed the game by retiring five of the final six batters she faced.

BOILER BITS (Game 2 at Lipscomb)

The Boilers jumped out to an early start, scoring two runs in the first on a single up the middle from Moore, scoring Banks and Douglas. In the bottom of the inning, the Bisons quickly tied it up, plating two of their own on an error by the Purdue defense.

Purdue bounced by quickly in the second, plating three runs on three hits including a single from Banks, and another single from Polar. After the first inning, the Boilers did not let Lipscomb score again, quickly piling on the runs.

In the top of the third, Kylie Franks reached on a throwing error, later scoring on another RBI single by Banks. Polar added her third and fourth RBI of the day with a triple to left, bringing the score out to 9-2.

The Boilers did not stop, continuing to tack on runs as Delaney Reefe sent a homer over the left-center wall, her second of the year. Purdue added a final insurance run in the top of the fifth on an RBI single from Moore.

Brianna Fontenot shined in relief, allowing no runs after the Bisons scored in the first.

The Boilers picked up their second run-rule victory of the day, moving to 12-6, with their fourth double-digit hit game of the weekend.

Purdue erupted for 18 runs on 30 hits to sweep the day against Southern Illinois and Lipscomb on Friday in Nashville, Tenn.

Wills Wins Silver on the Tower, 2 More Records Fall at Big Tens

Men’s Swimming & Diving enjoyed one of its finest all-around showings ever at the Big Ten Championships.

Among the highlights from the week that was in Madison…

• Eclipsed 6 Team Records, 3 Freshman Records
• 4 of the Top 9 on the tower were Boilers & Tyler Wills (silver) gave the men a medalist on platform for 9th time in last 10 years
• Qualified 200 medley relay for NCAAs and multiple swimmers are likely to earn individual bids, too
• Max Miller (gold on 1-meter) and Wills (silver on platform) won medals as All-Big Ten honorees
• Jānis Dzirkalis & Nathaniel Grannis were named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team
• Dzirkalis staked claim to “fastest Boilermaker ever” status, setting a team record in the 50 free (19.08) while finishing fourth in the A final; he also posted the team’s fastest 50 (18.41) and 100 (41.16) splits ever on relays
• The divers swept the consolation Finals, had 10 Top-10 Finishes total
• Grannis and Wills both finished among the top 10 in all three diving events
• Evan Mackesy scored in all three of his individual events, set team records in the 400 IM and 500 free
• Blake Rowe eclipsed his own team record in the 200 back as an A finalist in the event
• There was a bevy of Lifetime Bests by Boilermakers of All Ages

Boilermakers Command Singles Play in 5-2 Victory

For the second consecutive match, the women’s tennis team secured a victory at home, taking down Xavier, 5-2 in the non-conference finale. The win moves Purdue to a 4-4 record, including 4-1 at home, while pushing Xavier to 3-6.

After dropping the doubles point, the Boilermakers commanded play in singles, securing wins on five of the six courts.

No. 117 Ece Gencer remains nearly unbeaten this spring with a commanding 6-2, 6-4 victory to improve to an 8-1 record on the year. Gencer complimented the win with a victory in doubles with partner Ida Clement, who are 2-0 in matches together.

Clement finished second to Gencer in singles, downing her opponent 6-4, 6-1 for her second straight win (3-2 record).

Meanwhile, freshman Emmi Kolyszko picked up her second collegiate victory in a three-set showing, posting dominating performances in her set wins (6-3, 2-6, 6-3).

Next week, Purdue begins Big Ten play next week in Bloomington, Indiana, when the Boilermakers take on the Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday, March 7 at 11 a.m. ET.

Malaski Earns Bronze, Vessat Breaks Records at B1G Indoor Track Championships

Track & Field landed seven Boilers on the podium, including two silver medalists and a school record, to close out the 2026 Big Ten Indoor Championships.

Men’s Notes
• The 4x400m team of Jax Coleman, Samuel Vessat, Zach Mylenek and Zyan Greene finished second with a season-best 3:04.97 that moved up to second in school history and missed the record by 0.02 seconds.
• Chidozie Kalu earned a silver medal in the triple jump after he flew to a personal-best 16.01m (52-06.50). The mark moved him up to fifth in school history after he entered the championships ninth.
• Bode Gilkerson opened Purdue’s final day with a fourth-place finish in the high jump (2.15m / 7-00.50). He was placed fourth in two consecutive indoor championships and three consecutive overall if the 2025 outdoor championships is included.
• Vessat secured fifth in the 400m (46.05) in his first B1G Championships. The performance came one day after he set the short track French record and school record (45.38) on Friday.
• Seamus Malaski found the podium for a second time with his fifth-place finish in the shot put (19.32m / 63-04.75). He also took third in the weight throw on Friday. The personal best performance in the shot put moved him up to fourth in school history.
• With their silver medals, Kalu and the 4x400m earn All-Big Ten Second Team.
• The program finished 10th in the team standings with 38 points.

Women’s Notes
• Ashley Odiase set a 200m school record after she ran 23.34 to finish fifth. She broke Carmiesha Cox’s previous record of 23.46 set in 2018. Odiase entered the championships seventh in the program rankings and moved up to second in the trials on Thursday (23.48) before she broke the record on Saturday.
• Zoe Sullivan finished fourth in the 60mH (8.16) for her highest finish at a B1G Indoor Championships. She was 0.004 seconds shy of earning a bronze medal.
• With no outdoor eligibility remaining, Sullivan concludes her career as a one-time All-American, two-time NCAA East First Round qualifier and earned points in seven Big Ten Championships. She also sits No. 2 in Purdue’s record book in the 60mH (8.08) and 110mH (13.11) trailing only Olympian and World Champion Devynne Charleton.
• The program finished 15th in the team standings with 12 points.

Next Up
Boilermakers that qualify for the national meet will head to Fayetteville, Arkansas March 13-14, while the rest of the team prepares to open the outdoor season March 20-21 at the USF Alumni Invitational in Tampa, Florida.

Men’s Tennis Shuts Out Red Birds

Purdue defeated Illinois State 4-0, following a dominating showing across the board for the Boilers. 

With the result, Purdue improves to 4-5 on the year while Illinois State falls to 4-6.   

Boilermakers started the dual off strong by winning the doubles point, clinched by first time pairing, freshmen Jacob Lee, and Nikola Jovic, 7-5. 

Purdue took the momentum into singles play winning set one on all six courts in dominating fashion. Lee, at the number five position, took the first singles victory by defeating Caden Scarlett (IST) 6-1, 6-4, followed by Nikola Jovic 6-1, 6-2, at the number four position. Finally, Mujtaba Ali-Khan posted the match-clincher behind 6-1, 6-2 wins, for his first win of the year. 

Up Next, Purdue hosts USC and UCLA March 6 and 8, respectively. 

Wrestling Giveen Pre-Seeds for 2026 Big Ten Championships

 The Big Ten Conference announced the preliminary seeds for the 2026 Big Ten Wrestling Championships, which are set for March 7-8 at Penn State’s Bryce Jordan Center in State College, Pa.

The pre-seeds, produced through WrestleStat’s Tournament Seeder Program utilizing allocation criteria approved by conference coaches, rank 14 starters in all 10 weight classes.

Purdue has seven wrestlers seeded in the top 10, the team’s most since 2021. Six Boilermakers are returning to the Big Ten Championships after starting a year ago, and five of them have the same or higher pre-seeds compared to 2025.

Purdue’s pre-seeds are listed below.

Pre-seeds are not considered final. The complete tournament brackets and official seeds will be released Friday afternoon following the Big Ten coaches meeting.

Joey Blaze, the consensus No. 2 wrestler in the country at 165 lbs, checks in as the No. 3 seed behind undefeated defending NCAA champion Mitchell Mesenbrink (Penn State) and 2025 NCAA runner-up Mikey Caliendo (Iowa). Blaze (18-0) beat Caliendo (15-3) in Purdue’s recent dual against Iowa, but he falls four points behind the Hawkeye due to new criteria this season that favors strength of schedule.

In Friday’s meeting, coaches may challenge a seeding decision if their wrestler is within 15 points of an opponent above them. But Blaze seems to be at his best when he is a perceived underdog, and the difference between a No. 2 and No. 3 seed is not significant.

Two-time NCAA Championships qualifier Greyson Clark holds a career-best No. 6 seed entering the conference tournament. He went 4-0 in Big Ten duals this season, picking up two major decisions and a technical fall.

Brody Baumann, a fellow two-time national qualifier, matches his career high with another No. 8 seed. Last year he notched two wins at the conference tournament to climb the podium in eighth place.

Stoney Buell (No. 9 at 157) and Ben Vanadia (No. 9 at 197) also improved on their pre-seeds from a year ago. Blake Boarman (No. 10 at 133) will be making his first Big Ten tournament appearance and James Rowley (No. 10 at 184) is set to return to the conference championships for the first time since his redshirt freshman season in 2024.