Purdue Northwest Falls at CCAC Foe Trinity Christian
The Purdue University Northwest volleyball team sustained a three-set conference setback at host Trinity Christian College Tuesday night.
The Pride (7-7, 2-3 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference) fell by scores of 25-20, 25-16, and 25-14 at the Trinity Athletics & Recreation Complex.
Junior Gabrielle Martin (DeMotte, Ind./Kankakee Valley) led PNW with 12 kills on the night, committing just two errors to hit a solid .333 to go along with two service aces and six digs.
Freshman Brooke Ahrens (Covington, Ind./Covington) dished out 27 assists and had eight digs and sophomore Casey Neulieb (Michigan City, Ind./Michigan City) had seven digs in the contest.
The Trolls (11-9, 4-1) were led by Tina Massey, who had 13 kills for the TCC offense that hit .323 for the match compared to .150 for PNW. Tori Mantel added 35 assists and 10 digs and Michelle Busscher had 16 digs to lead the defense.
The Pride return to action Wednesday night, when they host nonleague foe Moody Bible Institute for a 7 p.m. CT contest at the James B. Dworkin Student Services and Activities Center on PNW’s Westville Campus.
Purdue Northwest Falls at Trinity International, 4-1 The Purdue University Northwest men’s soccer team fell on the road at conference unbeaten Trinity International University by a score of 4-1 Tuesday.
The Pride (3-4-3, 1-1-2) sustained its first loss in Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference play in the setback, as host TIU (3-4-2, 2-0-1) exploded for three first half goals, the first on a Noah Smith score in the 10’.
The Trojans would add another five minutes later by Francesco De Felice, and Zach Regent would get one more before the half on a penalty kick in the 37’.
PNW would finally get on the board in the 61’, as freshman Jaime Garcia (Elkhart, Ind./Elkhart Memorial) would connect for the first goal of his collegiate career on an unassisted strike.
The Pride outshot the Trojans by a 26-15 margin and both teams stood tied on corner kicks, 4-4.
PNW’s Tulio Ribeiro (Itajuba, Brazil) and Alec Guarino (Saint John, Ind./Marian Catholic) led the visitors with four shots each, with Guarino getting two on goal.
Freshman Evan Hillier (Highland, Ind./Highland) sustained his first loss in goal, collecting three saves.
Purdue Northwest returns to action Wednesday, Oct. 5, when the Pride host CCAC foe St. Francis (Ill.) at Dowling Park’s Pepsi Field for a 3 p.m. CT start.
Purdue Northwest Wins NCAA II Appeal; Denial Overturned Purdue University Northwest won an appeal Tuesday (9/27) that overturns a July decision of denied membership into NCAA Division II.
The successful appeal paves the way for Purdue Northwest’s 13-team athletic program to begin competition as a member of NCAA II and the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference during the 2017-18 athletic year effective next fall.
‘Great day for Purdue Northwest’ “It’s a great day for Purdue Northwest; we are so excited to be joining the NCAA and Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference,” PNW Athletic Director Rick Costello said. “I’m thrilled for our student-athletes, coaches, faculty, support staff and everyone else who contributed to today’s successful appeal.”
Following denial of its membership application by the NCAA II Membership Committee in mid-July, Purdue Northwest weighed its options and decided to appeal the decision.
The process culminated with Costello, PNW Chancellor Thomas Keon and Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement Regina Biddings-Muro representing Purdue Northwest in a hearing by conference phone call with the NCAA II Management Council Sub-Committee.
Good fit “Today’s ruling on our appeal is exciting news as we can now prepare to align our intercollegiate athletics program within an organization of institutions similar to our newly-unified Purdue University Northwest in size, philosophy and commitment to overall student success,” Chancellor Keon said. “The steadfastness to academic and athletic achievement embraced by NCAA Division II and the GLIAC resonates as an outstanding opportunity we are eager to experience and provide to our student-athletes.”
Throughout the current 2016-17 athletic year, Purdue Northwest will conclude its membership in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference.
The NCAA is comprised of nearly 1,100 colleges and universities that compete athletically at one of three divisional levels.
“In NCAA Division II, we strike a balance between athletics and academics,” Interim GLIAC Commissioner Jeff Ligney said. “We have highly competitive teams composed of well-rounded student athletes.”
First Indiana member of the GLIAC When Purdue Northwest begins competing as an NCAA Division II institution in 2017, it will become the first Indiana member of the GLIAC, whose membership also includes nine Michigan institutions and two from Ohio.
“We want to thank the NCAA for providing the opportunity of this appeal process,” Biddings-Muro said. “Institutionally, we look forward to being a proud, positive and contributing member of the NCAA and GLIAC. The hard work of our entire campus community demonstrates our track record of commitment.”
As a member of the NCAA II Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, Purdue Northwest and another recent new member, Davenport (Mich.) University, will join the likes of Ashland (Ohio), Ferris State (Mich.), Grand Valley State (Mich.), Lake Superior State (Mich.), Michigan Tech, Northern Michigan, Northwood (Mich.), Saginaw Valley State (Mich.), Tiffin (Ohio) and Wayne State (Mich.) in 2017-18, bringing the conference’s total to 12 teams.
The GLIAC was founded in 1972 and sponsors 22 total sports, including baseball, men’s basketball, men’s cross country, football, men’s golf, men’s soccer, men’s swimming and diving, men’s tennis, men’s indoor/outdoor track and field, men’s wrestling, softball, women’s basketball, women’s cross country, women’s golf, women’s lacrosse, women’s soccer, women’s swimming and diving, women’s tennis, women’s indoor/outdoor track and field, and women’s volleyball.
As an NCAA II and GLIAC member, Purdue Northwest will compete in baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s tennis, softball and women’s volleyball.
About NCAA Division II Courtesy of NCAA.org
NCAA Division II is a collection of more than 300 college and universities that provide thousands of student-athletes with the opportunity to compete at a high level of scholarship athletics while excelling in the classroom and fully engaging in the broader campus experience. This balance, in which student-athletes are recognized for their academic success, athletics contributions and campus/community involvement, is at the heart of the Division II philosophy.
The Division II approach provides growth opportunities through academic achievement, learning in high-level athletics competition and a focus on service to the community. The balance and integration of these different areas of learning provide Division II student-athletes with a path to graduation while cultivating a variety of skills and knowledge for life after college.
For more on NCAA Division II, visit http://www.ncaa.org/d2
Mudd Leads Purdue Northwest to Third-Place Finish at Harbor Links Patrick Mudd shaved four strokes off his Day 1 score to lead the Purdue University Northwest men’s golf team to a third-place finish on the final day of the Indiana East Harbor Links Invitational Monday.
Mudd (Crown Point, Ind./Crown Point) shot a Day 2 18-hole round of 76 to finish with a two-day score of 156 to place fourth overall for the Pride, who improved its second-day total by six strokes to shoot a two-round score of 654.
Sophomore Ryan Wells (Dyer, Ind./Lake Central) and freshman Brian Brzycki (Griffith, Ind./Griffith) tied with identical two-round scores of 166, both shooting 85’s on Monday, to place 11th overall in the field of 37.
Freshman Aaron Skibinski (Michigan City, Ind./Michigan City) rounded out the Pride scoring with a two-round mark of 169 and senior teammate Brandon Martin (Valparaiso, Ind./Chesterton) was one stroke off his score with a 170.
Cincinnati Christian won the team title with a two-day round of 642, led by overall medalist Taylor Suggs, who shot a 76 Monday to finish with a 147. Shawnee State placed second in the seven-team event with a 643.
Purdue Northwest returns to action Friday, Sept. 30, when the Pride kick off the two-day Bethel Pilot Invitational held in South Bend, Ind.
