| WEEKEND STREAMING GUIDE (all times ET) |
| Women's Basketball |
| Saturday / 2 p.m. / at Penn State / BTN Plus |
| Wrestling |
| Friday / 6 p.m. / Wisconsin / BTN |
| Softball |
| Friday / 6 p.m. / at Arizona State / TheSunDevils.com |
| Men's Tennis |
| Friday / 7 p.m. / at Baylor / PurdueSports.com |
| Women's Tennis |
| Sunday / Noon / DePaul / PurdueSports.com |
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Last night, men's basketball completed a tell-tale stretch of five games in 17 days.
The 16th-ranked Boilermakers definitively made their statement, winning four of the games, including three on the road and two over ranked opponents.
The icing on the cake came last night in the form of a 69-64 win at Indiana behind a career-high-tying 26 points from junior forward Vincent Edwards.
Purdue (20-5, 9-3 B1G) has reached the 20-win plateau for the fifth time under 12th-year head coach Matt Painter and kept the Boilermakers in sole possession of second place in the Big Ten standings, one and a half games behind Wisconsin (21-3, 10-1).
Next up for the Boilermakers is a Valentine's Day date with Rutgers (13-12, 2-10) at Mackey Arena. Tickets are available online.
Swanigan a Broken Record
Forgive me if you have heard this before: Men's basketball sophomore forward Caleb Swanigan has been named the Big Ten Player of the Week.
And if you have lost count, the total for the season has reached five, tied for the most in Purdue history with Glenn Robinson (1993-94) and tied for the second-most in Big Ten annals behind Evan Turner's seven with Ohio State in 2009-10.
Swanigan, who averaged 25 points and 13 rebounds in wins over No. 25 Northwestern and at No. 17 Maryland, also was honored as the Lute Olson Award National Player of the Week and the Naismith Trophy National Player of the Week. Swanigan shot 16-of-30 from the field, including 5-of-10 from three-point range, and 13-of-15 from the free throw line. He recorded two double-doubles, giving him a school-record 20 for the season. Swanigan made it 21 with 16 points and 14 rebounds at Indiana last night.
A National Player of the Year and All-America candidate, Swanigan has been named to the Wooden Award Late Season Top 20 list and to the Atlanta Tipoff Club Naismith Award Top 30 list.
Moreover, Swanigan is the epitome of a student-athlete and has been voted a first team academic all-district honoree. He boasts a 3.30 grade-point average in general education/education studies, and now is in the running for Academic All-America recognition.
Wresting Senior Night
Wrestling will honor its eight seniors after its home dual finale tonight against No. 18 Wisconsin.
The Boilermakers (8-6, 3-5 B1G) and the Badgers (3-5, 1-5) get underway at 6 p.m. ET. Purdue's senior class consists of Kyle Ayersman, Jeremy Golding, Alex Griffin, Kirk Johnson, Tyler Kral, Tanner Lynde, Cody Pae and Luke Schmit.
Following tonight's dual, the Boilermakers' next scheduled competition is the Big Ten Championships on March 4 and 5 in Bloomington. Indiana. The NCAA Championships are March 16 to 18 in St. Louis.
Moffitt Honored by USATF
Sophomore Janae' Moffitt was honored as the USATF Indiana Athlete of the Month for January. She won the high jump at three meets and added one runner-up finish.
Moffitt cleared a personal-best 1.84 meters (6-feet, 0.50-inches) at the Fred Wilt Open on Jan. 28. That mark ranks second in the Big Ten and 11th in the country this season and is the third-best in Purdue history.
Three Boilermakers were winners at the Meyo Invitational in South Bend, Indiana, on Feb. 4: redshirt junior Devynne Charlton won the 60-meter hurdles with a season-best time of 8.02 seconds, which ranks third in the country this season; sophomore Malcolm Dotson won the 200 meters with a clocking of 21.45 seconds; and redshirt sophomore Sarah Loesch won the weight throw with a personal-best throw of 20.27 meters (66-feet, 6-inches), which ranks fourth in school history.
The majority of both the men's and women's track & field teams will compete at the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Arkansas, today and tomorrow, with a select few distance runners headed to the Iowa State Invite.
De Oliveira Softball Era Begins Today
A new era of Purdue softball gets underway today in a familiar place for first-year head coach Boo De Oliveira.
The Boilermakers travel to Tempe, Arizona, for the renowned Kajikawa Classic. Purdue takes on Cal Poly and host Arizona State at noon and 6 p.m. ET today, Fresno State and Stanford at 2:15 p.m. and 5 p.m. tomorrow, and Saint Mary's at 11 a.m. Sunday.
De Oliveira was an assistant coach at Arizona State in 2014 and 2015.
Leading the list of returnees is senior Kristen Hoppman, who will play shortstop after batting a team-high .313 with eight doubles, five triples, four home runs, 16 RBI and 28 stolen bases last season.
The Boilermakers must fill the big shoes left by All-Big Ten pitcher Lilly Fecho, and De Oliveira plans to do so by committee. That group includes junior Gina Snyder (5-8, 4.47 ERA, 69 strikeouts in 72 innings pitched), sophomore transfer Kaitlynn Moody (5-10, 3.49 ERA, 89 strikeouts in 90 innings at IUPUI), senior Katie Johnson (15 innings pitched after transferring from Iowa State), and freshmen Madison Douglass and Brooke Perry.
Men's Tennis Bound for Texas
A pair of triple-header sweeps has propelled men's tennis to a 6-3 record through the first three weeks of the season.
The Boilermakers, who have won all six of their matches at home (five of them sweeps), are on the road this weekend for showdowns at No. 13 Baylor (6-0) tonight and at No. 11 Texas (7-1) on Sunday.
Purdue will wrap up February with a doubleheader involving DePaul and IUPUI on Feb. 25 before opening Big Ten play March 1 against Illinois at the Schwartz Tennis Center.
Clear Bag Policy in Effect at Ross-Ade for 2017
In an effort to provide a safer environment and to expedite fan entry, Purdue Athletics will implement a clear bag policy for football games at Ross-Ade Stadium during the 2017 season.
Fans are encouraged not to bring any type of bags to games, and only the following are permissible:
~ One bag that is clear plastic, vinyl or PVC and does not exceed 12 inches by 6 inches by 12 inches
OR
~ One one-gallon clear plastic bag (Ziploc bag or similar).
Also permissible is one small clutch bag (no larger than 4.5 inches by 6.5 inches) - approximately the size of a hand - with or without a handle or strap.
Exceptions will be made for ticket holders with medically necessary items and/or diaper bags (with a child/children present). Those patrons will be admitted only at the First Aid gates on the northeast and northwest sides of the stadium upon having their bag(s) inspected.
All season-ticket holders will receive one free approved clear bag per account. Distribution information will be included with season tickets, which will be mailed around Aug. 1, and also communicated via email and social media. Approved bags will be available for purchase at the Purdue Team Store and other local retailers, as well.
Ross-Ade will continue to open 90 minutes prior to kickoff.
The clear bag policy will not be in place for the Spring Game on April 8.
Etcetera
Women's basketball (15-10, 6-5 B1G) plays at Penn State (16-8, 6-6) at 2 p.m. tomorrow. The Boilermakers currently are in a four-way tie for fifth place in the Big Ten standings, just a half-game behind fourth-place Northwestern. The top four teams get the double bye in the conference tournament … Women's tennis (5-2) plays host to DePaul (2-4) at noon ET Sunday at the Schwartz Tennis Center. The Boilermakers' 2017 recruiting class was ranked No. 10 by TennisRecruiting.net … Both golf teams play this weekend - the 33rd-ranked men today and tomorrow at the Big Ten Match Play Championship in Palm Coast Florida, and the 13th-ranked women at the Lady Puerto Rico Classic beginning Sunday and running through Feb. 14 in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico … Senior Kiara McIntosh and freshmen Emma Benner and Jaret Carpenter, along with the men's and women's cross country teams, have been named All-Academic by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. The women's program has been honored 11 consecutive years and the men's program nine straight … Congratulations to former Purdue defensive end Rob Ninkovich (2004-05) on winning his second Super Bowl with the New England Patriots. A Boilermaker has been on the NFL championship team 14 of the last 18 seasons … And congratulations to Steve Vonderheide of the Purdue Athletics sports turf crew and his wife, Emily, on the birth of their first child, Abigail, on Feb. 8.