Purdue Calumet's Abbi Bondi Tabbed a NAIA Scholar-Athlete
Purdue University Calumet junior Abigail Bondi was named one of 210 women’s cross country student-athletes across the country to be named a NAIA 2015 Daktronics Scholar-Athlete, as released by the organization Friday.
Bondi (Whiting, Ind./Whiting), completed her second season on the Peregrines’ cross country team, where she competed in every meet this season. She set her season-best at the Bethel Invite with a 5-kilomter time of 22 minutes, 55 seconds.
A Dean’s List recipient, Bondi is a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and volunteers her time in community projects.
Bondi is a human resource management major and carries a 3.6 GPA. This is her first NAIA Scholar-Athlete honor of her career.
In order to be nominated by an institution's head coach or sports information director, a student-athlete must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale and must have achieved a junior academic status to qualify for this honor.
Bondi is the first Purdue Calumet student-athlete this season to be named a NAIA Scholar-AThlete, with the men’s soccer, women’s soccer, and volleyball awards yet to be announced.
Purdue Calumet's Alex Cordova Resets School Record, Runs PR in Strong Finish at NAIA Nationals
Alex Cordova saved the best performance of his career for last, as the Purdue University Calumet junior ran a career-best in a competitive field at Saturday’s 2015 NAIA Men’s Cross Country Championships at McAlpine Creek Park in Charlotte, N.C.
Cordova (Hobart, Ind./Hobart) started near the back of the pack in the 8-kilometer final, but turned it on late to streak to a school-record time of 26 minutes, 17 seconds, to place 102nd overall in the field of 326. The time was the best of his career and re-broke his previous record of 26:22, set Oct. 9 at the Bethel Pilot Invitational.
“Alex ran a heck of a race considering the circumstances with the course,” Purdue Calumet head coach Stephanie Beck said. “He had a rocky start and was holding tight to a near last-place finish at the start, but then he just took off.
“Being able to pass 200-plus runners to get his PR and school record was outstanding to watch. His grit and acceleration in that field of competition was a fun experience for all of us.”
Cordova made his first trip to the NAIA national championships as an individual and marked the first-ever Purdue Calumet cross country runner to qualify for the meet with his Top 20 finish at the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference title meet Nov. 7.
William Carey sophomore Geoffrey Kipchumba won the overall title in convincing fashion, finishing 19 seconds ahead of the runner-up with a winning time of 23:55.
Oklahoma City captured the team title with 78 points, its third-straight championship, St. Mary (Kan.) was second and Indiana Wesleyan placed third.
CCAC members St. Francis (Ill.) (fourth) and Olivet Nazarene (10th) placed fourth and 10th, respectively.
On the women’s side, Purdue North Central freshman Kyleigh Werner also turned out a strong finish, placing 129th in the field of 321 with a time of 19:14.
Thompson Leads #11 Purdue Calumet to 90-86 Win over St. Ambrose
Darien Thompson delivered one of the best performances of her career — including a huge 3-pointer late — to help lift the No. 11 Purdue University Calumet women’s basketball team to a thrilling 90-86 conference victory over St. Ambrose University Saturday.
Thompson (Anderson, Ind./Anderson) pumped in a career-best 31 points on 9-of-17 shooting from the field and a 9-of-10 finish at the charity stripe in 40 minutes on the floor for the Peregrines, who improve to 6-1 overall.
Her biggest shot came at perhaps the biggest moment, as the junior didn’t hesitate to launch a triple from the left wing with the Peregrines trailing St. Ambrose (3-3, 1-1), 86-85, with less than a minute remaining. The shot was true to give Purdue Calumet a two-point advantage with 48 seconds left.
After a missed trey by the visitors, junior Cassidy Deno (Otterbein, Ind./Benton Central) sealed the victory with two makes from the free-throw line to keep the Peregrines (6-1, 2-0) perfect in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference at 2-0.
In all, four players scored in double-figures for Purdue Calumet, as Deno finished with 17 points and six assists, junior Dariyan Morris (Merrillville, Ind./Merrillville) had 16 points, five assists, three steals and two blocks, and sophomore Katie Wampler (Scottsburg, Ind./Scottsburg) chipped in 14 points and six boards.
The two teams played an even first half, as they headed into the locker room tied at 45-all. Neither team could get much distance in the third, as St. Ambrose led by as many as four, 51-47, midway through the quarter before the Peregrines made a late run to take a two-point lead, 65-63, heading into the final frame.
The Peregrines led by four after Morris’ layup made it 80-76 with 5:28 to play, but Fighting Bees didn’t go away, retaking the lead on a Devan Griffin free throw, a Reann McCarty steal and lay-in and two Sydney Greiner free throws, 81–80. Patrice McBee (Culver, Ind./Culver) connected on a three-point play the old-fashioned way to swing the momentum back to the Peregrines before Thompson’s key triple late.
The game featured 18 lead changes and 22 ties.
St. Ambrose slightly outshot the Peregrines from the field, as the Fighting Bees finished 41.7 percent (15-of-37) compared to 40.7 percent (24-of-59) for the host. The Peregrines got hot from 3-point land late, finishing 56.3 percent (9-of-16) from behind the arc compared to 32.0 percent (8-of-25) for the Bees.
Free throws kept Purdue Calumet in it throughout, as the home team finished 33-of-39 (84.9 percent) from the charity stripe compared to SAU’s 78.3 percent (18-of-23) performance.
McBee added seven points, seven rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals and Ellie Michalski (Mukwonago, Wis./Mukwonago) chipped in four points and six boards for the Peregrines.
Devan Griffin finished with 27 points and 12 rebounds and Greiner had 21 points and 11 boards to round out St. Ambrose, who is receiving votes in the latest NAIA Top 25 Coaches’ Poll.
Purdue Calumet returns to action Tuesday, Nov. 24, when the Peregrines host high-scoring Olivet Nazarene in a 5 p.m. CCAC contest at the Fitness and Recreation Center in the first game of a double header with the men’s teams.
Purdue Calumet Falls at Defending Champ Davenport, 3-0 in NAIA Opening Round
The Purdue University Calumet men’s soccer team fell to the defending champions and No. 2 overall seed Davenport University 3-0 Saturday afternoon in the 2015 NAIA Men’s Soccer National Championship Opening Round.
The Peregrines (12-5-2) ended their best season since the program was reinstated in 2012, as Purdue Calumet captured a school-record mark 12 wins en route to earning its first-ever trip to the national tournament.
“I am really proud of the entire squad across the duration of my first season,” first-year Head Coach Ryan Hayes said. "The team applied themselves tremendously on the field and in the classroom and are excellent members of society.
“It’s always disappointing to lose, but I can’t fault the teams dedication and desire. I congratulate Davenport and wish them well with the rest of the NAIA tournament. To the seniors, I congratulate you on the years of service you have given to the school and men’s soccer program,” Hayes added.
With snowy and windy conditions being implemented throughout the entire match, Davenport would strike first in the 11th minute, after a goal by TJ Ifaturoti gave the Panthers an early 1-0 advantage.
After multiple point blank saves by sophomore keeper Miguel David (Spring Valley, Calif./Bonita Vista), Davenport would continue its offensive attack and notch a last-minute goal in the first half, giving the Panthers a 2-0 advantage heading in to the break.
In the 60th minute, Joan Nieves would add an insurance goal for the Panthers (16-2-2) to help seal the victory and send the host into the NAIA Second Round, held next week in Delray Beach, Fla.
The Peregrines finished second in the overall CCAC standings with an 8-3-1 mark in league play. That included a 2-0 road win at then-ranked No. 25 Olivet Nazarene and victories over Robert Morris, Trinity International, St. Francis (Ill.), Judson, Cardinal Stritch, Trinity Christian, and Calumet St. Joseph.
“I’m excited for the future of the program with the rest of the squad returning next year, the future is bright,” Hayes said.
“I would also like to thank the entire coaching staff, especially assistant coach Matt Eggert for all their hard work and long hours spent helping this program.”
Purdue Calumet Falls to St. Ambrose, 82-59
The Purdue University Calumet men's basketball team lost to Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference foe Saint Ambrose University, 82-59, Saturday afternoon at the Fitness and Recreation Center.
The Peregrines (4-3, 0-2) were led by LaBradford Sebree (Kokomo, Ind./Kokomo) who finished the game with 12 points, while freshman Max Clifford (Franklin, Ind./Roncalli) added a career-high 11 points with nine of them coming in the second half.
Junior big man Danny Paschen (Schererville, Ind./Lake Central) pulled down a team-best seven boards and freshman Marquette Muhammad (Chicago, Ill./Crete Monee) added four points and six rebounds.
The Peregrines started the game on a 13-5 run thanks to Sebree's six points in the first six minutes to jump start the Peregrines offense.
Saint Ambrose (2-4, 1-1) would answer with a 14-5 run of their own in the next five minutes to grab their first lead of the game, 19-18.
SAU would use its success from beyond the arc for the rest of the half, to head in to the locker room with a 45-29 halftime lead.
The Fighting Bees came out strong to start the second half, as SAU leaped out to its largest lead of the game, 60-39, with 12:01 to go in the contest.
Off the bench, Clifford would knock down three-straight trifectas in less than two minutes to give the Black and Gold some momentum, trailing by 12 points with over 10 minutes remaining.
The Peregrines run was short-lived, however, as SAU put together a 22-9 run in the final nine minutes, to seal it down the stretch.
SAU had five players in double-figure scoring, including Sam Ainsworth who led the Fighting Bees with his second double-double of the season, scoring 19 points and pulling down 12 rebounds.
The Bees shot 50.0 percent (28-of-56) from the field compared to 35.1 percent (20-of-57) for the Peregrines.
The Peregrines return to action Tuesday, Nov. 24 as the team takes on CCAC foe No. 5 Olivet Nazarene starting at 7 p.m. CT at the Fitness and Recreation Center in the second game of a women's and men's doubleheader.