Purdue University Northwest Sports Update, June 2, 2017

PNW-Purdue-Northwests-Kyleigh-Payne-Named-NFCA-All-RegionPurdue Northwest's Kyleigh Payne Named NFCA All-Region Purdue University Northwest softball standout Kyleigh Payne was selected to the 2017 National Fastpitch Coaches Association NAIA Great Lakes All-Region Frist Team for her efforts this season.

Payne (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bishop McNamara) was atop the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference in many offensive categories, and the led the Pride with a .436 batting average, 37 runs scored, 51 RBI, 11 home runs and a .744 slugging percentage.

Payne also ranked second on the team with nine doubles, 19 walks and five stolen bases.

The junior first basemen was selected to the all-CCAC First Team for her efforts and was a finalist for the PNW Athletic Department's Female Athlete of the Year.

Full list of award recipients.

Richardson Steps Down at Purdue Northwest; Hired at LMU Purdue University Northwest has announced that head softball coach Ritchie Richardson has resigned, effective immediately.

The NAIA Hall of Fame coach leaves the Pride after one season to take the same position at his alma mater, Lincoln Memorial University, an NCAA Division II school located in Harrogate, Tenn.

“I want to thank Ritchie for his service here at Purdue Northwest,” PNW Athletic Director Rick Costello said. “He was able to build the foundations for the Pride in his first year, achieve success in the form of 29 wins in addition to numerous athletic and academic awards, and lead the Pride back to the conference tournament.

"Coach Richardson will be missed."

Richardson directed the Pride to 29 wins in 2017, as PNW went 29-23-1 overall and placed fourth in the overall Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference standings with a 15-9 record. PNW defeated fifth-seeded St. Ambrose in the CCAC Tournament opener before falling to eventual champion St. Francis (Ill.) and semifinalist Cardinal Stritch.

Under his leadership, the Pride had four players named all-conference selections, three selected as the CCAC Player of the Week, two NAIA Scholar-Athletes, one CoSIDA Academic All-District selection and one NAIA National Pitcher of the Week.

“I want to thank Rick Costello for the opportunity to coach such a great group of student-athletes here at PNW,” Richardson said. “The chance to coach at my alma mater and be closer to my family was too great to pass up, and I wish Purdue Northwest nothing but the best moving forward.”

Richardson is currently the second winningest coach in NAIA softball history with 946 career victories. He spent 20 seasons at the helm of the Olivet Nazarene program, where he compiled a 917-316-1 overall mark which included 11 CCAC regular-season titles, 12 CCAC tournament championships, and 10 NAIA National Tournament appearances.

His accolades include an impressive 12 CCAC Coach of the Year honors, 10 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year awards, and five NAIA Region Coach of the Year accolades. In addition, Richardson coached 29 NAIA All-Americans and one NAIA Player of the Year and 42 NAIA and NFCA Scholar-Athletes. Richardson was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame in 2016.

A nationwide search for Richardson’s replacement will begin immediately.

Trio of Purdue Northwest Seniors Earn Scholar-Athlete Honors Purdue University Northwest softball seniors Caroline Brown, Haley Loden and Hannah Lopez have all earned 2017 Daktronics NAIA Scholar-Athlete honors, joining 393 others across the country, as announced by the NAIA Wednesday.

Brown (Minooka, Ill./Minooka Community) a behavioral sciences major, led the Pride in the circle with a 1.46 ERA and a 15-9 record with 28 appearances on the season. She struck out a team-high 73 batters in 153 innings pitched and also hit for a .341 average with five RBI and three runs scored.

Loden (Crown Point, Ind./Lake Central) recorded a .318 batting average with 27 runs scored and four RBI in 47 games played throughout the year. The fitness management major finished the season with a .358 on-base percentage and stole two bases.

Lopez (Granada Hills, Calif./Bishop Alemany), an elementary education major, played and started in 52 games at third base, and finished with a .237 batting average. Lopez also recorded seven RBI and scored 25 runs with a .385 on-base percentage.

The PNW softball team finished fourth in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference with a 15-9 conference mark and defeated St. Ambrose in the opening round of the CCAC Postseason Tournament.

To qualify for NAIA Scholar-Athlete honors, student-athletes must be at least a junior in academic standing, be a member of their teams for at least one calendar year, and carry a minimum 3.5 GPA.

Purdue Northwest's Patrick Mudd, Brandon Martin Earn Scholar-Athlete Honors Purdue University Northwest men’s golf seniors Patrick Mudd and Brandon Martin were both named Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes, as released by the NAIA, joining 144 others named to the list.

Mudd (Crown Point, Ind./Crown Point) who recently earned College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District honors, just finished up an outstanding four-year career for the PNW men’s golf and men’s tennis programs.

The history & political science major became the first PNW golfer in school history to earn all-Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic conference honors after his sixth-place finish at April’s CCAC Championships. He led the Pride with a 75.7 season average and snagged a team-best six Top 10 finishes, including medalist honors the Troll Classic Oct. 3.

Martin (Valparaiso, Ind./Chesterton), an accounting major, finished t-28 at the CCAC Championships in his final match with the Black and gold.

He averaged a 79.8 round score out of the 12 rounds he played throughout the season, including his best, a tied for ninth finish and a 157 two-round score at the Olivet Nazarene Spring Invite earlier in the season.

The PNW men’s golf team finished sixth out of the 14 team field at the CCAC Championships at TPC Deere Run on April, 25.

To qualify for NAIA Scholar-Athlete honors, student-athletes must be at least a junior in academic standing, be a member of their teams for at least one calendar year, and carry a minimum 3.5 GPA.