Purdue Sports Update: Nov. 6

WBB Opens Season with 67-48 Win over FDU

The women’s basketball team opened the 2025-26 season with a a 67-48 win over FDU on Monday night in Mackey Arena. The Boilermakers put four players in double figures, led by Kiki Smith’s 19 points off the bench.  

Smith was 7-of-13 from the floor and knocked down a trio of 3-pointers. She added three rebounds and a block in 28 minutes of action. Her 19 points were the most off the bench in a season opener since Tiana Murphy had 19 against Central Michigan to start the 2017-18 season.

Freshman Hila Karsh tallied 12 points on an efficient 4-of-5 from the field and 4-of-4 at the line. She grabbed five rebounds, dished out two assists and had a steal and a block. Tara Daye and Lana McCarthy were within reach of a double-double, both finishing with 10 points and seven rebounds. McCarthy matched her career high with three assists, while Daye had two assists and a game-high three steals.

The Boilermakers shot 41.5% from the field and went 5-of-19 from distance. Purdue drew 22 fouls and knocked down 18 of 25 free throw opportunities. Purdue finished with a plus-16 rebounding advantage at 46-30, led by Saige Stahl’s nine boards off the bench.

Defensively, Purdue held FDU (0-1) to 27.4% from the field and 5-of-26 behind the arc. Purdue converted 19 turnovers into 29 points.

KEY MOMENTS
After FDU opened the night on a five-point possession, the Boilermakers took over with a 16-2 run. The Boilermakers scored their first five points in the paint and went 6-of-6 at the line during the run. Purdue held a 16-13 advantage after the first period.

Purdue’s long ball came to life in the second. Smith connected on a trio of 3-pointers as part of a 12-point frame. The hosts went 8-of-17 from the floor and 7-of-11 at the line in the second. Fifteen of Purdue 26 points in the period came off FDU turnovers. The Boilermakers opened a 23-point advantage late in the first half after rolling off a 21-1 run.

Madison Layden-Zay knocked down a pair of 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to keep Purdue’s lead at 19 in the final frame.

NOTES
• Purdue leads the all-time series with FDU 1-0.
• Layden-Zay’s two 3-pointers put her within six of Cassidy Hardin for fourth on Purdue’s all-time chart.
• She made her 94th career start to pull even with Ashley Morrissette for 27th in Purdue history.
• She also passed Bridget Perry for 34th on the career scoring list and now has 1,030 points.
• Hila Karsh became 16th freshman to start the opener since 1982-83.
• The Boilermakers held an opponent under 50 points for the fifth time in the Katie Gearlds era.
• Layden-Zay set a new career high with three blocked shots.

UP NEXT
The Boilermakers will close out their two-game homestand to start the season with a 7 p.m. Thursday night tip against Eastern Illinois. It will be the annual Hoops and Heroes game at Mackey Arena.

Brees Wins Prestigious Silver Anniversary Award

One of the most decorated student-athletes in school history adds another prestigious award to his collection, as legendary quarterback Drew Brees has been named a recipient for the NCAA Silver Anniversary Award. Brees becomes just the fourth Boilermaker to earn the award throughout its history (1973-present), joining Bob Griese (1992), Leroy Keyes (1994) and Mike Phipps (1995).

Marking 25 years since the conclusion of their college sports careers, Silver Anniversary Award winners are recognized for continued excellence. The Silver Anniversary Award celebrates the achievements and contributions of former student-athletes who have excelled in their professional lives and continue to exemplify the values of collegiate athletics.

Brees, a Super Bowl MVP and Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year, retired as the NFL’s all-time leader in passing yards and second in touchdown passes after a legendary 20-year career. At Purdue, Brees rewrote the record books and led the Boilermakers to the 2000 Big Ten title and a Rose Bowl appearance, earning national accolades for both athletic and academic excellence. As No. 1 Ohio State comes to town this weekend, it was Brees who led Purdue to an upset over the No. 12 Buckeyes 25 years ago on the Old Gold and Black’s way to the conference crown.

Off the field, Brees and his wife, Brittany, have donated over $50 million through their foundation, championing causes for children, families and cancer patients. His enduring legacy includes his philanthropic impact, military support through USO tours and transformative contributions to Purdue. In 2011, the Purdue’s student-athlete academic services facility was named the Drew and Brittany Brees Student-Athlete Academic Center – and subsequently the Brees Academic Performance Center in 2016 – in honor of Drew and Brittany’s generous donation to support the continued academic success of Boilermaker student-athletes.

Brees arrived at Purdue as a little-known quarterback and left as one of the most-decorated players in school history, setting two NCAA records, 13 Big Ten Conference records and 19 Purdue records. The Boilermaker QB was a two-time Heisman Trophy finalist, two-time Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and two-time first team all-conference selection. Brees also won the 2000 Maxwell Award as the nation’s outstanding player and the “Chicago Tribune” Silver Football as the Big Ten Most Valuable Player. As a star in the classroom, he was the 2000 Academic All-American of the Year.

On the Big Ten career lists, Brees still ranks first in completions (1,026) and passing yards (11,792) and second in passing attempts (1,678), passing touchdowns (90) and total offense (12,692).

A member of Joe Tiller’s first Purdue recruiting class, Brees served as Billy Dicken’s understudy in 1997. He became the starter a year later and carried the Boilermakers to heights not reached in more than three decades.

Statistically, the 1998 season was Brees’ best. He set school and conference marks for passing attempts (569), completions (361), yards (3,983), touchdowns (39) and total offense (4,176). In 2000, Brees broke his own total offense record with 4,189 yards. He completed 309 of 512 passes for 3,668 yards with 26 touchdowns, while rushing for 521 yards on 95 carries (5.5 average) with five touchdowns en route to leading the nation in total offense (358.1 yards per game).

There was more to Brees than his impressive statistics. He was the ultimate student-athlete, majoring in industrial management, and was extremely generous with his time in the community. Among his honors, certainly the most fitting was the inaugural Socrates Award, presented in January 2000, recognizing the nation’s finest athlete in terms of academics, athletics and community service.

Brees was inducted into the Purdue Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame in 2009 and the Academic All-America Hall of Fame in 2016.

Other past Silver Anniversary Award recipients include: Troy Aikman, Tim Duncan, Doug Flutie, Mia Hamm, Bo Jackson, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Rebecca Lobo, Peyton Manning, Dikembe Mutombo, David Robinson and Steve Young.

Brees will receive his Silver Anniversary Award at the NCAA Convention in January.

Campo, Santa Cruz Earn All-Big Ten Awards

Irene Campo and Megan Santa Cruz took home All-Big Ten honors with Campo earning All-Big Ten Second Team and Santa Cruz being tabbed the Sportsmanship Honoree.

This is the second-career Big Ten honor for Santa Cruz after she earned Offensive Player of the Week just last week. This is the first-career Big Ten honor for Campo who led a stellar first Big Ten campaign.

Campo joined the Big Ten in style, finishng the season tied for second in goals in the conference with six during Big Ten play and eight on the season. Campo also had two assists on the season with 18 points, while playing 1,483 minutes on the pitch. She started and played in every match for the Boilers this season, and finished the year tied for third in goals in the Big Ten throughout all games.

Santa Cruz was tabbed the Sportsmanship Award honoree in which recipients have demonstrated sportsmanship, fair behavior, and good citizenship both on the field and off. Students must also be in good academic standing.

Santa Cruz also showed out in her inaugural season as a Boiler, with four goals, two assists, and one game-winning goal on the season. Santa Cruz was the second-leading scorer for Purdue during the conference season, putting two in net, just behind Campo. 

Quartet of B1G Weekly Honors at the Pool

While combing for 10 event victories and four records in Swimming & Diving’s co-ed sweep of a Halloween Weekend triple dual, a quartet of Boilermakers were all recognized with weekly honors from the Big Ten Conference.

Sophomores Lara Phipps and Blake Rowe were honored as the Big Ten Swimmers of the Week. Max Miller was named the men’s Big Ten Diver of the Week and Biko Hooper-Haviland garnered men’s Big Ten Freshman of the Week accolades.

The Purdue men swept the three Big Ten weekly honors for just the second time since Freshman of the Week was added to the conference’s program midway through the 2011-12 campaign. Marat Amaltdinov, Steele Johnson and Nick McDowell also teamed up for the feat in November 2016.

THE LAST TIME…
• Purdue Swept Big Ten Swimmer of the Week Awards: Jan. 12, 2022 – Hannah Hill & Brady Samuels
• Purdue Men had 2 different Swimmers earn Big Ten Freshman of the Week in a Season: Brady Samuels & Luke Fortner in 2021-22
• Boilermaker was Named Big Ten Swimmer of the Week Twice in a Season: Maggie Love (2022-23), Marat Amaltdinov (3x, 2015-16)

Phipps (100 free, 100 fly) and Rowe (100 fly, 200 back) both won an individual event each day of the two-day triple dual vs. Oakland and Cincinnati. They also helped the Boilermakers set pool records at the Oakland Aquatic Center in the women’s 400 freestyle relay and men’s 400 medley relay.

Miller set a pool record in 1-meter diving Saturday while leading a 1-2-3-4-5 finish for Purdue and winning the event by 54.65 points. Hooper-Haviland won the 200 butterfly with a Purdue freshman record time, leading a 1-2-3 finish for the Boilermakers.

Purdue swept both sides of the triple dual in Rochester, Mich., to improve to 3-0 in dual meet results on the young season.

TOP ACHIEVEMENTS IN TRIPLE DUAL VS. OAKLAND & CINCINNATI
Lara Phipps, Swimmer of the Week
• Won the 100 Free (49.26) & 100 Fly (53.86), winning an individual event both days
• Lifetime bests in both events to move up Purdue all-time leaderboards – fourth in 100 Free, ninth in 100 Fly
• Contributed to three relay winners: 200 & 400 Free, 400 Medley
• Helped Purdue set a pool record at the Oakland Aquatic Center in the 400 Free Relay (3:18.43)
• Helped the 200 Medley (1:39.09, 8th) and 400 Free Relays (6th) move up Purdue all-time leaderboards

Blake Rowe, Swimmer of the Week
• Won the 100 Fly (47.90) and 200 Back (1:41.95), winning an individual event both days
• Became the first Boilermaker this season to post an NCAA Championships qualify time (200 Back)
• Lifetime best in the 200 back was good for third in team history and is second fastest in the Big Ten this season
• Helped Purdue win the 400 Medley Relay with a pool record time (3:10.38) at the Oakland Aquatic Center, moving into eighth place in team history
• Leadoff leg split of 47.52 on the 400 Medley Relay was just .05 hundredths off his lifetime best in the 100 Back
• Helped his 200 Medley Relay team finish second as the Boilermakers went 1-2 in the event

Max Miller, Diver of the Week
• Victorious on 1-Meter with a team season-high list score of 427.50, a pool record at the Oakland Aquatic Center
• Led a 1-2-3-4-5 finish for Purdue on 1-meter while winning the event by 54.65 points
• Winning score was only 2.25 points off his lifetime best, which ranks fifth in team history
• Posted an NCAA Zone qualifying scores on both springboards, taking third on 3-meter as Boilermakers finished 2-3-4

Biko Hooper-Haviland, Freshman of the Week
• Led a 1-2-3 finish for Purdue in the 200 Fly, eclipsing the team’s freshman record with a winning time of 1:45.84
• Also moved into ninth place on Purdue’s all-time leaderboard
• Broke a freshman record that had stood since the 2011 Big Ten Championships, making it the second-oldest freshman record among the swimming events
• Also posted top-five finishes in the 500 Free (third) and 200 Free (fourth)

Uber, Learfield, Purdue Athletics Announce Partnership

Uber is deepening its connection to college campuses, announcing today a partnership with Learfield to deliver new ways to engage students and elevate the fan experience. Through a multi-year collaboration spanning nine of the nation’s top athletic programs, including Purdue, Uber will spotlight its Uber One for Student membership perks and delivery offerings directly to the heart of campus life.

The partnership will offer exclusive deals across Uber, Uber Eats, and Uber One all season long, NIL opportunities with premier student-athletes, nationwide sweepstakes, and content celebrating the energy of college sports.

“We’re continuing to meet students wherever they are – on campus, at home, or cheering from the stands,” said Georgie Jeffreys, Head of Marketing at Uber, North America. “Through this partnership, we’re engaging the energy of college fandom while showing how Uber delivers value and convenience to fans every day.”

Uber One and Uber Eats will debut in-game and digital integrations across football and basketball, designed to make every game more engaging, interactive, and rewarding for students and fans alike. These integrations will take place across both football and basketball season for Purdue in particular.

“This partnership is a terrific showcase of using the passion in college sports and connections to fans to deliver brands directly to their consumers,” said Shawn Hegan, Executive Vice President of Global Partnerships at Learfield. “By placing Uber in college venues and marketing Uber One using elite student athletes and award-winning content, we can strategically position their brand in front of the sports fans and college students.”

Uber’s campus engagement doesn’t stop there. Uber One for Students, Uber’s student membership program, makes campus life easier with $0 Delivery Fee, up to 10% off orders, 6% Uber One Credits back on rides, and exclusive discounts from campus-favorite brands like Starbucks and Panera. This fall, Uber brought The One Arcade to 15 colleges nationwide, showcasing these benefits directly to students through games, giveaways, and on-site sign-ups. Students can join Uber One today to start enjoying savings. Fees and terms apply, see Uber app for details.

The partnership between Uber and Learfield was developed by Learfield’s corporate partnership team, which delivers brand partnerships to over 145 properties nationwide.