Purdue University Northwest Sports Update, May 11, 2017

PNW-Patrick-Mudd-Named-CoSIDA-Academic-All-DistrictPurdue Northwest's Patrick Mudd Named CoSIDA Academic All-District
Purdue University Northwest senior Patrick Mudd has been honored by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) for his performance in both the classroom and the golf course, as Mudd was selected to the CoSIDA College Division Academic Men’s At-Large All-District Team for District 2.

Mudd (Crown Point, Ind./Crown Point) recently wrapped up his four-year career for the Black and Gold, becoming 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.

Mudd led the Pride with a 75.65 season average, snagged a team-best six Top 10 finishes in 2016-17 and won one event, earning medalist honors with his even 71 at the Troll Classic Oct. 3, 2016, at Calumet Country Club. Mudd also holds the second-best 18-hole (70) score in program history.

Off the links, Mudd recently graduated with a bachelor’s degree after double-majoring in history and political science with a 3.70 cumulative grade point average.

He was also earlier awarded the PNW athletic department’s top leadership honor, the John Friend Leadership Award, as Mudd demonstrated his service in many areas. Serving as a the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Secretary/Treasurer since 2015, Mudd organized all the SAAC Miracle Minutes and two SAAC dodgeball tournaments that helped raise more than $1,200 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

He also served as president of the Political Science Honors Society, was vice president of the History Honors Society, was a member of the Honors College and was a Model United Nations Representative for PNW.

Mudd joined fellow Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference student-athletes Guilherme Magnoler of Olivet Nazarene (swimming) and Bobby Ying of Robert Morris Illinois (Men’s Volleyball) on the at-large team District 2 College Division Team, which featured 10 selections.

The 2016-17 CoSIDA Academic Men's All-District At-Large teams, which include the sports of men's tennis, men’s lacrosse, men’s swimming, men's golf, men's volleyball, men's ice hockey, men's rifle, men’s skiing, men's water polo, men’s fencing, men’s wrestling, and men’s gymnastics, are voted on by the College Sports Information Directors of America and recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom.

Nominees must be at least a junior status both athletically and academically, be at their respective institutions a minimum of one calendar year, be a starter or important reserve, and carry a minimum 3.30 cumulative GPA.

Cordova, Purdue Northwest SAAC Team Up for Handprints for Hope Event
Purdue University Northwest junior cross country runner Salvador Cordova, in coordination with PNW’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, recently led an effort to spread sexual assault awareness across both Pride campuses.

Cordova (Hammond, Ind./Bishop Noll), who has also served as the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference representative for the NAIA’s Association of Student Athletes for the past year, helped organize a Handprints for Hope event in mid April to encourage PNW students, faculty and staff to take the pledge to end sexual assault through the national “It’s On Us” campaign.

With Cordova’s leadership, SAAC partnered with PNW’s Campus Police, Office of the Dean of Students, the Counseling Center, Fair Haven Center for Women and the Multi Cultural Campus Council to create public events on both the Hammond and Westville campuses. Across both events, more than 250 people took the pledge to end end sexual assault by either filling out the pledge online, placing a handprint on the Handprints for Hope banner, or both.

“I am proud of the efforts of Sal Cordova and SAAC to arrange a successful event and meet their goal of creating a safe and comfortable environment, which provided hope for all members of the PNW Community,” said Jen Madgiak, Associate Athletic Director for Academics and SAAC supervisor.

Cordova was recently voted as the 2017-18 PNW SAAC Vice President.

Video featuring the SAAC event and Cordova: https://youtu.be/qzDadQATN7w

To take the pledge to end sexual assault, go to https://www.itsonus.org

Purdue Northwest to Offer Array of Summer Sports Camps
The Purdue University Northwest athletic department will offer an array of summer sports camps for area youth beginning June.

PNW Baseball, Men’s and Women’s Basketball, Men’s and Women’s Soccer, Volleyball, and the Dance and Cheer programs will all offer camps or day clinics for Summer of 2017 and online registration is located on each camp page, with the main directory page found here: http://www.pnwathletics.com/fanzone/camps/

For more information, call the main PNW Athletic Office at (219) 989-2540.

Purdue Northwest Ends Season in 1-0 Loss to St. Francis in CCAC Tourney
Despite a superb pitching performance from sophomore Josh Arnold, the Purdue University Northwest baseball team fell to St. Francis (Ill.) 1-0 in Monday’s Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament elimination game at Judson’s Hoffer Field.

Arnold (Lowell, Ind./Lowell) didn’t give up the game’s lone run until the sixth, when St. Francis’ Anthony Faron connected on a sacrifice fly to score Kyle Burton from third and give the seventh-seeded Fighting Saints (32-25) a 1-0 lead and deciding score.

USF starter John Riordan held the Pride (30-18) off-balance all game long, allowing his lone hit in the game in the eighth inning and during PNW’s lone scoring chance, when senior Tyler Crussen (Wheeler, Ind./Wheeler) lined a hit to right-center field with runners on first and second.

But the USF right fielder delivered a perfect throw to the plate to get the out at the plate and end the threat.

Arnold scattered six hits, walked one and struck out three in his eight-inning effort.

The loss eliminated the Pride from the CCAC Tournament, after PNW lost its opener to St. Xavier and then bounced back Saturday to eliminated top-seed and host Judson, 3-2, on Saturday.

PNW will lose seven seniors: Luke Schmidt, Matt Sandoval, Tyler Crussen, Jake Lindeman, Brody Kutch, Andy Kovarik, and Cody Moskovsky after finishing the regular-season with a stellar 20-7 mark in CCAC play.

Purdue Northwest's Matt Sandoval, Larry Crisler Selected to CCAC First Team
Purdue University Northwest baseball players Matt Sandoval and Larry Crisler earned Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference all-first team honors.

Sandoval (Highland, Ind./Bishop Noll) has had a stellar season on the mound for the Black and Gold, ranking first in the CCAC with a 1.48 ERA an 8-1 record in the regular season. He also finished the season with 66 strikeouts in 61 innings pitched and recorded a pair of saves on the year and was named the CCAC Pitcher of the Week.

Crisler (Gary, Ind./Bishop Noll) played a large role in the Pride’s offense during the season, ranking first on the team with a .357 batting average, 11 doubles, two home runs, 48 runs scored and a .550 slugging percentage. Crisler also ranks second on the squad with 25 RBI and five triples in 38 games.

Indiana South Bend senior first baseman Chris Mangus was named the CCAC Player of the Year, while Judson's Ty Parquette scored Pitcher of the Year honors after recording a 10-0 regular-season record. SXU freshman first-baseman Matt Monahan was selected as the CCAC Freshman of the Year and Coach of the Year went to

Judson's Chad Gassman after leading the Eagles to a regular-season title and an automatic berth in the NAIA National Tournament.

The Black and Gold are coming off a one-run victory over No. 1 seeded Judson in the CCAC Postseason Tournament, and will face off with seventh-seeded St. Francis (Ill.) Monday at 1:30 p.m. CT in Elgin.

Should the Pride win Monday’s contest, they will play later that day in the 7:30 p.m. contest for a chance to play in Tuesday’s tournament semifinal.

Purdue Northwest Eliminates Judson, 3-2, Advances in CCACs
Jimmy Skiff delivered one of his best starts of the year and Purdue University Northwest’s defense held on late in a tight 3-2 win over top-seeded Judson University Saturday in a Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference elimination game at the Eagles’ Hoffer Field in Elgin, Ill.

The Pride (30-16) eliminated league regular-season champion Judson (37-18) with the victory and advance to Monday’s third round, where fourth-seeded PNW will face off with seventh-seeded St. Francis (Ill.), an 11-4 loser vs. St. Ambrose Saturday, at 1:30 p.m. CT in Elgin.

Should the Pride win Monday’s contest, they will play later that day in the 7:30 p.m. contest for a chance to play in Tuesday’s tournament semifinal.

Skiff (Dyer, Ind./Andrean) picked up his fourth win of the year in a seven-inning gem, scattering seven hits, striking out seven, walking two and allowing just one earned run. He kept the Eagles off the board until the top of the seventh, behind strong command and a tight defense behind him, which included stellar defensive plays from Mike Mikulich (Hebron, Ind./Hebron).

PNW opened the scoring in the fourth, when Tyler Kenjic (Hobart, Ind./Hobart) scored on a Judson throwing error, followed by an RBI fielder’s choice by Luke Schmidt (Crystal Lake, Ill./Crystal Lake South) to score a sliding pinch-runner Jono Bigger (Roselawn, Ind./North Newton) and put the Pride up, 2-0.

Judson added one run in the seventh, but PNW would add one more score in the bottom of the frame when Mikulich, running for pinch-hitter Andrew Atchison (Crown Point, Ind./Crown Point) who walked, stole third and scored on a wild pitch to make it 3-1.

The Eagles would threaten in the seventh and plated a run, but PNW closer Brody Kutch (La Porte, Ind./La Porte) held on for his sixth save of the year to give the Pride the win.

Kenjic finished 2-for-3 with run scored, Austin Kordik (West Chicago, Ill./Community) was 2-for-3 and Tyler Crussen (Wheeler, Ind./Wheeler), Jake Lindeman (Crown Point, Ind./Crown Point) added hits in PNW’s six-hit effort.

Purdue Northwest Eliminated from CCAC Tournament, Ends Season with 29 Wins
With two losses in Friday’s second round of the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament, the Purdue University Northwest softball team ended its season Friday in Rosemont, Ill.

The Pride (29-23-1) first fell to top-seeded St. Francis (Ill.) 5-0 in the winner’s bracket contest before falling in the ensuing elimination game to sixth-seeded Cardinal Stritch, 3-2, at the Ballpark in Rosemont.

PNW, in its first season as a unified program after the merger of the Purdue Calumet and Purdue North Central athletic departments, finished the 2017 campaign with 29 wins under first-year head coach Ritchie Richardson and qualified into the eight-team CCAC postseason tournament as the fourth seed.

The Pride will lose eight seniors – Caroline Brown, Leslie Ford, Samantha Oppenhuis, Haley Loden, Allyson Leach, Emily Cole, Audrey Headley, and Hannah Lopez.

Remaining in the tournament are regular-season champion St. Francis, Olivet Nazarene, Stritch, St. Ambrose, and Judson. The semifinal and championship game(s) are set to be played Saturday.

GAME 2: STRITCH 3, PNW 2
The Pride opened the contest with an early lead, striking in the first inning when Taylor Kotzo (Munster, Ind./Munster) scored on a Wolves’ throwing error. But Stritch would answer back in the second on a Brittney Blazich two-RBI triple to score two unearned runs after a PNW error earlier in the inning.

The Pride didn’t quit, tying up the game in third when Kyleigh Payne (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bishop McNamara) singled and Kotzo scored again on a Stritch throwing error to make it 2-2. But the Wolves would answer one last time in the fifth on a clutch RBI double to left center from Karly Lange.

PNW had a chance to score in the sixth with two runners on and two outs, but Stritch centerfielder Rachel Odolski make a stellar sliding catch on an Allyson Leach (Demotte, Ind./North Newton) knock to short right center to end the threat.

Kotzo and Olivia Sardella (Dyer, Ind./Lake Central) led the Pride with two hits each and Payne added a hit as Stritch starter Fatime Sino held PNW to just five on the game.

Audrey Headley (Lafayette, Ind./McCutcheon) took the loss, scattering six hits while not allowing an earned run in six innings pitched.

GAME 1: USF 5, PNW 0
USF (39-5) plated two unearned runs in the first inning and Saints' starter Morghan Dieringer -- this seasons' CCAC Pitcher of the Year -- did the rest, holding the Pride to just two hits in the complete-game shutout.

The Saints would add another run in the fourth and two more in the sixth to extend their advantage in the 5-0 final.

PNW's Taylor Kotzo (Munster, Ind./Munster) and Haley Loden (Crown Point, Ind./Lake Central) logged the Pride's two hits and senior Caroline Brown (Minooka, Ill./Minooka) took the loss, giving up three hits, striking out one and allowing just one earned run in four innings pitched.

Purdue Northwest Falls to St. Xavier in CCAC First Round, 13-2
The fourth-seeded Purdue University Northwest baseball team ran into a hot-hitting St. Xavier squad in a 13-2 loss in the opening round of the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament Friday in Elgin, Ill.

The Pride (29-18) fall to the loser’s bracket of the double-elimination tournament with the loss, and will face the loser of eight-seed Indiana South Bend (22-24) and top-seeded Judson (27-16) at 4:30 p.m. Saturday at Judson’s Hoffer Field.

IUSB and Judson are set to play tonight at 7:30 p.m. CT.

Friday, the game saw two and half scoreless innings before St. Xavier (26-27) plated two in the bottom of the third on a Ryan Pellack two-run shot over the left-field fence.

The Pride would cut into that lead with a run in the fourth on an Austin Kordik (West Chicago, Ill./Community) RBI-single with the bases loaded to make it 2-1 SXU. Avondre Harris (Mishawaka, Ind./Mishawaka), Jake Lindeman (Crown Point, Ind./Crown Point) and Hunter Thorn (Portage, Ind./Portage) started off the inning with singles to set up Kordik’s RBI.

But it was the fifth inning that saw the Cougars catch fire, as SXU plated six runs to blow the game open and take a 8-1 lead. PNW would muster one more run in the sixth on a Mike Mikulich (Hebron, Ind./Hebron) RBI single, before the Cougars added runs in the sixth and seventh to come away with a mercy-rule victory.

PNW totaled seven hits to 15 for SXU, led by two from Kordik (2-for-3, RBI, run). Harris, Lindeman, Thorn, Luke Schmidt (Crystal Lake, Ill./Crystal Lake South), and Mikulich added singles.

Starter Matt Sandoval (Highland, Ind./Bishop Noll) took the loss on the hill, allowing nine hits and striking out two in 4 and 1/3 innings.

Four Purdue Northwest Players Named All-CCAC
Four players for the Purdue University Northwest softball team earned Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference postseason honors, announced by the league Thursday.

Kyleigh Payne (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bishop McNamara) and Caroline Brown (Minooka, Ill./Minooka Community) each earned CCAC First-Team honors while Taylor Kotzo (Munster, Ind./Munster) and Holly Pagan (Bartlett, Ill./Bartlett) received CCAC Second-Team accolades.

Payne was atop the CCAC 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.

Brown, who recently received NAIA and CCAC Pitcher of the Week honors, has led the Pride all season in the circle. She owns a 14-8 record with a 1.54 ERA with 19 complete games and five shutouts on the season. Brown leads the squad with 66 strikeouts and 141 innings pitched while holding opposing batters to a .215 average.

Kotzo has played an important role in the Pride’s success this season, ranking second on the team with a .364 batting average, 52 hits and a .545 slugging percentage. Along with four home runs, she is also tied for the team-lead with 37 runs while leading the team with 12 doubles.

Pagan rounds out the leaders for the Black and Gold with a .329 batting average and 24 runs scored, 22 walks and a .550 slugging percentage. Pagan ranks second on the team with seven home runs and 35 RBI and third on the team with eight doubles with a .412 on base percentage.

Olivet Nazarene's Emily Carstens was tabbed the CCAC Player of the Year and St. Francis' (Ill.) Morghan Dieringer was named the league's Pitcher of the Year. Coach of the Year honors went to USF's Amanda Jensen and Fighting Saints' freshman Kayla Garcia was selected as the CCAC Freshman of the Year.

Purdue Northwest's Tessa Steffens Named CoSIDA All-District
Purdue University Northwest sophomore Tessa Steffens was recently honored by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) for her performance in both the classroom and the playing field, as the shortstop was named to the CoSIDA College Division Academic All-District team.

Steffens (Litchfield, Ill./Litchfield) earned the first CoSIDA all-district honor in PNW softball history and advances to the national ballot with a chance to be voted as a CoSIDA Academic All-American, which will be released May 22.

Steffens finished the regular season with a .314 batting average for the Pride, starting all 50 games at the shortstop position. She recorded 50 hits, eight doubles, two home runs and 29 RBI and was a perfect 6-for-6 in stolen base attempts. At shortstop, she recorded a .917 fielding percentage.

In the classroom, Steffens carries a 3.94 grade point average and is majoring in finance.

Steffens joined 11 selections from District 2 on the College Division All-District Team, which included Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference members Morghan Dieringer of St. Francis (Ill.), Emily Carstens of Olivet Nazarene, and Joey Crockett of Robert Morris Illinois.

To be eligible for the CoSIDA Academic All-American contest, student-athletes must be at least a sophomore standing, be in attendance at their institution for at least one year, carry a minimum 3.30 cumulative grade point average, and be a starter or important reserve. The teams are selected by members of CoSIDA and recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom.

Purdue Northwest Shuts Out St. Ambrose 3-0 in CCAC Opener
The Purdue University Northwest softball team took care of business in its first-round game of the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament Thursday, as the fourth-seeded Pride downed fifth-seed St. Ambrose in a 3-0 shutout.

Purdue Northwest (29-21-1) advances in the winner’s bracket of the double-elimination tournament to take on the winner of top-seeded St. Francis (Ill.) and eight-seed Trinity Christian in Friday’s 10 a.m. CT contest at The Ballpark in Rosemont, located at 27 Jennie Finch Way, Rosemont, IL 60018.

Senior Caroline Brown (Minooka, Ill./Minooka) fired off her 15th win of the year in the circle and notched her sixth shutout in her complete-game showing, holding the Fighting Bees (31-17) to just four hits while striking out six and walking just one.

PNW got on the board first in the third inning, when junior Holly Pagan (Bartlett, Ill./Bartlett) drew a bases-loaded walk to give the Pride a 1-0 advantage.

St. Ambrose would threaten in the fourth, capitalizing on a PNW error to put runners on the corners with no one out. But Brown forced the next batter into a double-play, catching a line-drive to the circle and then getting the runner at first base before the final Bees’ batter grounded out to end the threat.

PNW would get two more runs in the fifth, as Haley Loden (Crown Point, Ind./Lake Central) reached base on a hit-by-pitch and later scored from third on a Olivia Sardella (Dyer, Ind./Lake Central) RBI-single up the middle. A Bees’ error gave PNW one more run, which proved to be plenty for a stellar Brown down the stretch.

Sardella finished 2-for-3 with an RBI to lead the Pride’s five-hit effort, which included hits from Loden, Kyleigh Payne (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bishop McNamara), Tessa Steffens (Litchfield, Ill./Litchfield) and Hannah Lopez (Granada Hills, Calif./Bishop Alemany).

Should the Pride win its 10 a.m. game Friday, PNW would advance to the 4 p.m. game in the winner’s bracket. Should PNW lose, they would square off the loser’s bracket in the 12 p.m. contest.

Full bracket and results are available here: http://www.rooseveltlakers.com/SIDHelp/tournament/1.php

Purdue Northwest Athletic Deparment Hosts First Annual Leo Awards
The Purdue University Northwest athletic department recently held its first annual Leo Awards to celebrate and honor the 2016-17 athletic and academic year at the James B. Dworkin Student Services and Activities Complex in Westville, Ind.

The Pride, completing its first year as a unified program in 2016-17, began the event by honoring its 50 CCAC All-Academic Selections, 17 NAIA Daktronics Scholar-Athletes, and two CoSIDA Academic All-Americans: Cassidy Deno (Otterbein, Ind./Benton Central) of women’s basketball and Sergio Reyes (Tabio, Columbia) of men’s soccer.

Deno took home plenty of hardware at the event held April 27, as the senior shooting guard majoring in Fitness Management captured both the Howard B. Cohen Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year award and the Female Athlete of the Year award.

Deno, who carries a 3.81 grade point average, captured the CoSIDA College Division Academic All-American of the Year award earlier this season, was named both an NAIA All-American (second team) and WBCA All-American (honorable mention), and became the second player in PNW history to net 2,000 career points.

Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors went to Reyes, the first PNW male CoSIDA Academic All-American in school history. Reyes, a senior defender for the two-time NAIA National Qualifier Pride men’s soccer team, is majoring in mechanical engineering and carries a 3.9 GPA.

Male Athlete of the Year went down as a tie, as both senior baseball player Matt Sandoval (Highland, Ind./Bishop Noll) and junior cross country runner Salvador Cordova (Hammond, Ind./Bishop Noll) were honored as co-winners. Sandoval currently leads the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference in ERA (1.48) and ranks third in the entire NAIA in the same category as the PNW baseball team heads into its conference tournament starting Friday.

Cordova had a breakout year for the PNW cross country squad, setting a new school record in the 8K (26:10) and becoming the third NAIA National qualifier in program history.

Senior men’s golfer Patrick Mudd (Crown Point, Ind./Crown Point) a history and political science double major, was awarded the prestigious John Friend Leadership Award, which honors student-athletes with exceptional work ethic, positive attitude and superb performance both on and off the playing field. Mudd has served as the Student Athlete Advisory Committee Secretary/Treasurer since 2015, carries a 3.7 GPA, organized all SAAC Miracle Minutes and two SAAC dodgeball tournaments to help raise more than $1,200 for Make-A-Wish Foundation; serves a president of the Political Science Honors Society; is vice president of the History Honors Society and is a four-year member of the golf team, where he earned the first all-conference honor in PNW history with his recent sixth-place finish at the CCAC Championships.

Wrapping up the special award winners was the Male and Female Freshman of the Year awards, which were given to rookies Grant Ugarte (Oak Lawn, Ind./Oak Lawn) of men’s soccer and Brooke Ahrens (Covington, Ind./Covington) of volleyball, respectively. Both players earned their respective sports’ CCAC Freshman of the Year awards after outstanding rookie campaigns last fall.