Purdue Calumet's Cordova Selected to NAIA's Association of Student Athletes
With the NAIA’s announcement of its 16 new representatives to the Association of Student-Athletes (ASA), Purdue University Calumet’s Salvador Cordova became the first Peregrine student-athlete to be selected to the NAIA’s student-advocacy arm in its governance structure.
Cordova (Hammond, Ind./Bishop Noll) recently completed his sophomore season on the Purdue Calumet men’s cross country team. He was selected from a pool of nominees from the 15 colleges that make up the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference, and will serve as the student-athlete representative for the CCAC.
Members of the entire ASA were selected from a pool of nominees forwarded to the National Office by each conference and the Association of Independent Institutions (A.I.I.). The make-up of the ASA requires that each conference and each NAIA championship sport have at least one representative.
The student-athletes of the ASA sponsored one piece of legislation at the 2016 national convention and co-sponsored another four proposals, all of which passed.
During their April 2016 business meeting, the student representatives to the ASA voted to sponsor legislation at the 2017 national convention that would move the cross country national championships to a Thursday. Additionally, they took steps to continue discussions regarding the adoption of a national cause for the NAIA and policies that would more easily allow NAIA student-athletes to continue collegiate competition during graduate school.
Cordova was the Peregrines’ No. 2 runner the past two seasons, as he holds a personal-best 8-kilometer time of 26 minutes and 31 seconds. As a freshman, he was named CCAC Runner of the Week in 2014 after finishing first in the NWI Invitational. Cordova is currently a member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and participates in the Community Service Subcommittee, where he helped establish a program called “SAAC First Fridays,” in which SAAC representatives encourage members of their team to participate in departmental community service projects. Examples include Recess Buddies, assisting in Hammond’s Easter egg hunt, SAAC’s Penny Wars campaign and Dodgeball Tournament to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
In addition, Cordova serves as an executive member of the Residence Hall Association (RHA) and works for the athletic department’s game management staff.
For the NAIA’s full release and list of all of the members of the ASA, go to http://www.naia.org/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=27900&ATCLID=210918932
Peregrine Softball Splits DH with Trinity Christian Thursday
The Purdue University Calumet softball split Thursday’s Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader against Trinity Christian at Dowling Park.
The Peregrines (22-27, 11-13) dropped the first game to the Trolls (10-28, 6-18) 2-0, but came back and defeated TCC in Game 2, 7-2.
Game 2: Peregrines 7, Trinity Christian 2
The Peregrines bats came alive in Game 2, starting with a two-run shot over the left field fence by Holly Pagan (Bartlett, Ill./Bartlett) to give the Black and Gold a 2-0 advantage.
Samantha Oppenhuis (Munster, Ind./Illiana Christian)would add to the Peregrines lead with a two-run homer of her own in the third frame, jumping the Peregrines out to a 4-0 lead.
Trinity Christian would score in the top of the fourth, but the Peregrines would quickly answer on a sac fly by Brianna Hall (University Park, Ill./Marian Catholic)
The Black and Gold would tack on two more runs in the fifth, after an RBI-double from Oppenhuis followed by another RBI-double by Alex Morales (Bartlett, Ill./Bartlett) to give the Peregrines a 7-1 advantage.
Pagan notched her sixth win of the season, throwing a complete game while allowing six hits and two earned runs.
Pagan and Morales also led the offense for the Peregrines with a perfect 3-for-3 day each, while Taylor Kotzo (Munster, Ind./Munster) and Oppenhuis each notched two hits.
Game 1: Trinity Christian 2, Peregrines 0
After a scoreless pair of innings to start of the contest, the Trolls would score the only two runs of the game in the top of the third inning.
Katelyn Sena would connect on a home run followed by a fielding miscue from the Black and Gold, which gave the Trolls the 2-0 advantage.
Jenna Steinkamp would hold the Peregrines scoreless and lead TCC to the 2-0 win.
Taylor Kotzo (Munster, Ind./Munster) led the Peregrines with a pair of hits, while Carly Murphy (Munster, Ind./Munster)suffered the loss, throwing a complete game and allowing one earned run with four strikeouts.
The Peregrines concluded their regular season with a 22-27 record, 11-13 in the CCAC, and captured back-to-back double digit CCAC victory seasons.
Purdue Calumet Honors Award Winners in Student-Athlete Banquet
The Purdue University Calumet athletic department celebrated another successful 2015-16 academic and athletic year with its annual Final Flight celebration last week at the Radisson Star Plaza in Merrillville, Ind.
The Peregrines kicked off the program on Thursday, April 21, by honoring their 39 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference All-Academic selections and its program-record 13 NAIA Daktronics Scholar-Athletes, led by Cassidy Deno (Otterbein, Ind./Benton Central), of the women’s basketball team. Deno, a junior shooting guard for the Peregrines, also earned CoSIDA Academic All-District Honors as well as a Purdue Calumet’s third-ever CoSIDA Academic All-American honor.
Last season’s CoSIDA Academic All-American, Lori Haas (Bismarck, Ill./Bismarck-Henning) of women’s tennis, and men’s golf junior Patrick Mudd (Crown Point, Ind./Crown Point) also took home the Howard Cohen Female and Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards for their performances both on the field of play and in the classroom.
Mudd, who carries a 3.64 grade point average, is double-majoring in political science and history, owns the top four 18-hole and 36-hole scores in program history, and serves as the Secretary/Treasurer of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. Haas is the all-time singles (29) and doubles (20) winner in school history, earning First-Team All-CCAC honors a year ago and most recently earning the first-ever CCAC Player of the Week award in Purdue Calumet tennis history. A senior, Haas carries a 4.0 grade point average in history and has a shot to become the first-ever two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American with the contest yet to be held in May.
Male Athlete of the Year was awarded to men’s soccer senior Andres Ayala (San Antonio, Texas/Ronald Reagan). Ayala, a four-year letter winner for the Peregrines, led the team in goals (11) and points (22), helping lead Purdue Calumet 12 wins and its first-ever NAIA National Tournament Appearance. Ayala was also selected as an all-CCAC First-Team selection for his efforts.
Female Athlete of the Year went to women’s basketball junior guard Cassidy Deno (Otterbein, Ind./Benton Central), who led the Peregrines’ NAIA National Tournament team in nearly every category, including points (19.2 ppg), 3-point field goals (76), 3-point field goal percentage (42.2), free throw makes (152), free-throw percentage (.884) and assists (2.2). Deno was named an NAIA all-American Third Team selection, First-Team all-CCAC, and twice named CCAC Player of the Week this season.
Softball senior infielder Jess Loy (Skokie, Ill./Niles North) was awarded the John Friend Leadership Award for her exceptional work ethic, positive attitude and superb performance on and off the field. Loy is the co-founder and president of Women in Business, is the Director of Marketing for the Society of Human Resource Management, and serves as a member of the Student Advisory Council for the College of Business. On the field, she’s started in 34 games at second base.
The women’s soccer team, headed by head coach Kellie Evans, won the annual Chancellor’s Cup, awarded to the team with the best grade point average in the department.
Most Improved Team when to the Peregrines’ men’s soccer team, which topped its 10-win season from a year ago to a school-record 12 this season, including its first-ever NAIA National Tournament appearance under first-year Head Coach Ryan Hayes, while the Peregrines’ softball team took home the Most Enthusiastic Team award.
Female Newcomer of the Year was awarded to freshman catcher Olivia Sardella (Dyer, Ind./Lake Central), who has started in all 48 games with a .313 batting average, 13 doubles, and 25 RBI; while Male Newcomer of the Year was presented to men’s soccer junior transfer Sergio Reyes (Tabio, Columbia), who was a big part of the starting defense that allowed just 1.14 goals per contest.
Darien Thompson (Anderson, Ind./Anderson) a junior point guard for the women’s basketball team, snagged Most Improved Female Athlete while sophomore pitcher Willie Bennett (Santee, Calif./West Hills) won Most Improved Male Athlete for his efforts on the mound for the Peregrines’ baseball team.
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Purdue Calumet Concludes Season with Loss in CCAC Semifinals
The Purdue University Calumet women's tennis team saw its season come to a close Thursday, as the Peregrines fell to No. 5 Cardinal Stritch in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament Semifinals.
The Peregrines (8-6) fell to the NAIA's fifth-ranked Wolves (15-1), 5-0, at the North Shore Elite Tennis Club.
Purdue Calumet completed its second-straight winning season with eight wins, and the Peregrines won its second-ever postseason match for the second straight year with a thrilling 5-4 victory over St. Ambrose Monday.
The eight wins were just one shy of last's year's mark, when Purdue Calumet finished 9-6 overall.
Lori Haas (Bismarck, Ill.-Bismarck-Henning) finished her senior season leading the Peregrines at No. 1 singles with a 9-2 record and 6-6 mark in doubles competition.
Cynthia Basu-Chavez (Merrillville, Ind./Merrillville) finished her freshman season with a winning record, going 6-4 in singles competition.
Stritch advances to Saturday's CCAC Tournament Championship, where the Wolves will face Olivet Nazarene.
Peregrine Baseball Defeats Calumet St. Joseph in CCAC Twinbill Thursday
The Purdue University Calumet baseball team took game 1 in thrilling fashion against Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference rival Calumet St. Joseph, 8-4 in 12 innings, before coming away with the 5-4 victory in Game 2 to capture a pair of wins Thursday.
Game 1: Purdue Calumet 8, Calumet St. Joseph 4 (12 innings)
Purdue Calumet(17-19, 12-15 CCAC) rallied in the top of the 12th inning, erupting for five runs in the frame to give the Peregrines the 8-4 victory in 12 innings.
Cody Moskovsky's (St. John, Ind./Bishop Noll) go-ahead RBI-single scored Drake Larriuz (Lake Villa, Ill./Lakes Community) from third in the top of the 12th inning to give Purdue Calumet the 4-3 lead. Purdue Calumet would add another run later in the inning, when Tyler Crussen (Valparaiso, Ind./Wheeler) lined an RBI-double to score Moskovsky from first.
The Peregrines were not done, as Cody Dykema (Crown Point, Ind./Lake Central) connected on a two-out, two-RBI single to left field, scoring Crussen and Cole Garcia (Anaheim Hills, Calif./Canyon). Senior Eric Sickles (Benicia, Calif./Benicia)added an RBI-double to right to extend the Peregrines lead to 8-3 heading into the bottom of the inning.
Senior John Cristo (Munster, Ind./Munster) picked up the victory in relief, pitching four and two-third innings, allowing only one run and striking out three.
Purdue Calumet starter Willie Bennett (Santee, Calif./Santee) took the no decision after pitching seven and a third innings, allowing only two earned runs and striking out five.
Andrew Atchison (Crown Point, Ind./Crown Point) hit a sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh inning to tie the game at 3, ultimately sending the game into extra frames.
Game 2: Purdue Calumet 5, Calumet College 4
In the bottom of the first inning, the Crimson Wave (5-44, 3-24 CCAC) would take a 2-0 lead, thanks to an RBI-single from Patrick Holbrook followed by a bases loaded walk.
After three-straight scoreless frames, the Peregrines would take the lead on a 3-run fifth inning.
Junior Cody Moskovsky (St. John, Ind./Bishop Noll) would connect on a 2-RBI triple, plating Atchison and Cristo to even the score at 2-2.
Freshman Avondre Harris (Mishawaka, Ind./Mishawaka) hit a sacrifice fly to score Moskovsky and give the Peregrines a 3-2 advantage.
Purdue Calumet would tack on one more run in both the sixth and seventh frames to push the Black and Gold ahead 5-2.
Atchison would rope an RBI-double plating Sickles in the top of the sixth, while an RBI-single from Alec Skalka (Munster, Ind./Munster) plated Crussen who doubled earlier in the inning.
The Crimson Wave would try and make a comeback in the bottom of the seventh, but Junior Matt Sandoval (Highland, Ind./Bishop Noll) would fight back to earn the save, as the Peregrines come away with the 5-4 win.
Peregrine starter Phil Madvek (Hobart, Ind./Hobart) picked up his third win of the season, after only allowing two earned runs in six innings of work and striking out five.
Atchison led the Peregrines at the plate, going 3-4 with a run, a pair of singles and an RBI double.
Purdue Calumet returns to action Saturday, April 30, as the Peregrines travel to Indiana South Bend for a doubleheader starting at 12:00 p.m. (CT).