WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Sixty-five Boilermakers earned Big Ten Distinguished Scholar recognition for their academic excellence during the 2022-23 school year as Purdue Athletics reached a benchmark of 65 honorees for the fourth year in a row.
Student-athletes across the conference were recognized as Big Ten Distinguished Scholars for achieving grade-point averages of 3.70 and better during the completed school year. Sixteen of the Boilermakers' 65 honorees (25%) compiled flawless 4.0 GPAs during the 2022-23 school year. Ten of Purdue's teams had at least one student-athlete with a 4.0. Those totals are up for 14 individuals and eight teams last year.
Three-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar Kat Mueller from swimming & diving has maintained perfect cumulative 4.0 GPAs during her undergraduate course work at Purdue. She's set to complete her student teaching in the fall and graduate in December. Swimmer Luke Fortner and golfer Momo Sugiyama also have 4.0 GPAs through their sophomore years.
Twenty-two of Purdue's most recent group of Big Ten Distinguished Scholars were also 2023 spring graduates.
Meanwhile, 16 Boilermakers were recognized as Big Ten Distinguished Scholars for at least the third time in their careers. That group is headlined by four-time honorees Cassidy Hardin from women's basketball and Maggie Merriman from women's swimming & diving.
Big Ten Faculty Representatives established the Distinguished Scholar award in 2008 to supplement the Academic All-Big Ten program. Distinguished Scholar recipients must have earned Academic All-Big Ten recognition in the previous academic year, must have been enrolled full time at the institution for the entire previous academic year (two semesters or three quarters) and earned a minimum GPA of 3.70 during the previous academic year, excluding any summer grades. The Academic All-Big Ten threshold is a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher for a student's academic career.
Purdue also had a record 240 student-athletes earn Academic All-Big Ten honors during the 2022-23 school year – 89 in the fall, 66 in the winter and 85 in the spring.
BIG TEN DISTINGUISHED SCHOLAR NOTABLES
• The swimming & diving teams each had a Purdue-best 12 student-athletes honored as Big Ten Distinguished Scholars this year, accounting for 24 of the 65 honorees overall (37%).
• Wrestling's Thomas Penola was the Big Ten's male recipient of the Wayne Duke Award for 2022-23, becoming just the third Boilermaker to win it. He was a three-time NCAA Championships qualifier.
• Swimmer Blake Ratliff and runner Emma Tate were selected as Purdue's Big Ten Postgraduate Scholarship recipients from the class of 2023.
• Divers Maycey Vieta and Maggie Merriman finished one-two in platform diving at the Big Ten Championships. Vieta won her first Big Ten title as a senior and Merriman medaled in the event for the fourth year in a row. They were both All-Americans in the event, a feat also accomplished by fellow diver Sophie McAfee. Vieta was selected as Purdue's female Big Ten Medal of Honor recipient and is set to represent Puerto Rico in 10-meter diving at the Central American & Caribbean Games and the World Aquatics Championships this summer.
• Track & field's Johnny Vanos was a Big Ten silver medalist and second-team All-American in the weight throw during the indoor season.
• Cassidy Hardin finished her career with 214 3-pointers made, becoming just the fifth player in Purdue women's basketball history with 200 3s. She was also selected as Purdue's female recipient of Big Ten Outstanding Sportsmanship award.
• Swimmer Nick Sherman eclipsed Purdue records in the 200 freestyle and 200 individual medley, was a Big Ten silver medalist in the 200 IM and qualified for the NCAA Championships for the fourth consecutive year.
• Golfer Momo Sugiyama was a second-team All-Big Ten honoree.
• Mitchell Fineran made 42 of 53 career field goal attempts in his two years as a Boilermaker, making him the most accurate kicker (79%) in Purdue football history.
FULL LIST OF PURDUE'S 2022-23 BIG TEN DISTINGUISHED SCHOLARS
Names in bold achieved 4.0 GPAs for the school year
Years in parentheses are previous years they were also recognized
BASEBALL (3)
• Malcolm Gilchrist – Law & Society
• Steve Ramirez – Graduate Certificate in Communication & Leadership
• Calvin Schapira – Graduate Certificate in Communication & Leadership
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
• Cassidy Hardin – Biochemistry (2020, 2021, 2022)
MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY AND TRACK & FIELD (2)
• Ian Hunter – Master's in Statistics (2021, 2022)
• Bryce Hutchinson – Chemical Engineering (2021, 2022)
WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY AND TRACK & FIELD (4)
• Sarah Busch – Industrial Design
• Caroline Jordan – Ecology, Evolution & Environmental Biology
• Emma Tate – Plant Science (2021, 2022)
• Katelyn Wasson – Brain & Behavioral Sciences / Applied Statistics (2022)
FOOTBALL (4, Up From 1 in 2021-22)
• Mitchell Fineran – Master's in Technology, Leadership & Innovation
• Caleb Krockover – Mechanical Engineering Technology
• Alex Maxwell – Construction Engineering
• Nick Taylor – Biomedical Health Sciences – Pre-Physician's Assistant / Spanish
WOMEN'S GOLF (3, Up from 0 in 2021-22)
• Jade Gu – Computer Science / English
• Ashley Kozlowski – Aeronautical & Astronautical Engineering
• Momo Sugiyama – Psychological Sciences
SOCCER (4)
• Sydney Duarte – Graduate Certificate in Strategic Communication Management (2021, 2022)
• Hannah Lapeire – Public Health / Publication Relations & Strategic Communication
• Skylurr Patrick – Graduate Certificate in Strategic Communication Management
• Emma Tompkins – Brain & Behavioral Sciences (2021, 2022)
SOFTBALL (5, Up from 4 in 2021-22)
• Kate Claypool – Master's in Business Analytics
• Becca Edwards – Biomedical Health Sciences – Pre-Physician's Assistant
• Hailey Hayes – Elementary Education
• Kendall Klochak – Actuarial Sciences / Applied Statistics
• Alexa Pinarski – Visual Communication Design
MEN'S SWIMMING & DIVING (12, Up from 9 in 2021-22)
• Elliot Cooper – Chemical Engineering (2022)
• Luke Fortner – Aeronautical & Astronautical Engineering
• Aaron Frollo – Computer Engineering (2022)
• Keelan Hart – Construction Management
• Blake Ratliff – Biology
• Rafael Rodriguez – Mechanical Engineering (2022)
• Ethan Shaw – Supply Chain & Sales Engineering Technology (2022)
• Nick Sherman – Master's in Mechanical Engineering (2022)
• Liam Walker – Public Health
• Jude Wenker – Mechanical Engineering
• Andrew Witty – Mechanical Engineering (2022)
• Skyler Younkin – Graduate Certificate in Geospatial Information Science (2021, 2022)
WOMEN'S SWIMMING & DIVING (12)
• Claire Abbasse – Political Science
• Kendra Bowen – Selling & Sales Management (2022)
• Abby Harter – Health Science Preprofessional – Pre-Physician's Assistant
• Sophie McAfee – Economics
• Maggie Merriman – Accelerated Nursing (2020, 2021, 2023)
• Kat Mueller – Social Studies Education (2021, 2022)
• Kendal Schreder – Kinesiology
• Jenna Sonnenberg – Law & Society (2022)
• Lindsay Turner – Master's in Aviation Technology
• Maycey Vieta – Media & Mass Communication (2021, 2022)
• Leanna Wall – Chemical Engineering (2021, 2022)
• Rachel Young – Business Communication (2021, 2022)
WOMEN'S TENNIS (2, Up from 0 in 2021-22)
• Juana Larranaga – Nutrition & Dietetics
• Liz Norman – Master's in Geodata Science
MEN'S TRACK & FIELD (4)
• Grant Gogel – Mechanical Engineering
• Logan Sandlin – Mechanical Engineering (2022)
• Johnny Vanos – Kinesiology (2022)
• Safin Wills – Financial Counseling & Planning
WOMEN'S TRACK & FIELD (3)
• Jessica Bray – Graduate Certificate in Healthcare Leadership (2021, 2022)
• Anne Busse – Nursing
• Jayla Ellis – Chemical Engineering
VOLLEYBALL (4)
• Maddy Chinn – Health Science Preprofessional – Pre-Dentistry (2021, 2022)
• Ali Hornung – Hospitality & Tourism Management
• Megan Renner – Master's of Health Administration in Public Health (2021, 2022)
• Ava Torrance – Hospitality & Tourism Management
WRESTLING (2)
• Brennan Doyle – Computer Science – Systems Programming & Security (2021, 2022)
• Thomas Penola – English Education (2022)
Student-athletes across the conference were recognized as Big Ten Distinguished Scholars for achieving grade-point averages of 3.70 and better during the completed school year. Sixteen of the Boilermakers' 65 honorees (25%) compiled flawless 4.0 GPAs during the 2022-23 school year. Ten of Purdue's teams had at least one student-athlete with a 4.0. Those totals are up for 14 individuals and eight teams last year.
Three-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar Kat Mueller from swimming & diving has maintained perfect cumulative 4.0 GPAs during her undergraduate course work at Purdue. She's set to complete her student teaching in the fall and graduate in December. Swimmer Luke Fortner and golfer Momo Sugiyama also have 4.0 GPAs through their sophomore years.
Twenty-two of Purdue's most recent group of Big Ten Distinguished Scholars were also 2023 spring graduates.
Meanwhile, 16 Boilermakers were recognized as Big Ten Distinguished Scholars for at least the third time in their careers. That group is headlined by four-time honorees Cassidy Hardin from women's basketball and Maggie Merriman from women's swimming & diving.
| 3-TIME BIG TEN DISTINGUISHED SCHOLARS Seniors to be recognized at least 3 times |
|
| WOMEN'S BASKETBALL • Cassidy Hardin (4x) MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY AND TRACK & FIELD • Ian Hunter • Bryce Hutchinson WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY AND TRACK & FIELD • Emma Tate SOCCER • Sydney Duarte • Emma Tompkins MEN'S SWIMMING & DIVING • Skyler Younkin |
WOMEN'S SWIMMING & DIVING • Maggie Merriman (4x) • Kat Mueller • Maycey Vieta • Leanna Wall • Rachel Young WOMEN'S TRACK & FIELD • Jessica Bray VOLLEYBALL • Maddy Chinn • Megan Renner WRESTLING • Brennan Doyle |
Big Ten Faculty Representatives established the Distinguished Scholar award in 2008 to supplement the Academic All-Big Ten program. Distinguished Scholar recipients must have earned Academic All-Big Ten recognition in the previous academic year, must have been enrolled full time at the institution for the entire previous academic year (two semesters or three quarters) and earned a minimum GPA of 3.70 during the previous academic year, excluding any summer grades. The Academic All-Big Ten threshold is a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher for a student's academic career.
Purdue also had a record 240 student-athletes earn Academic All-Big Ten honors during the 2022-23 school year – 89 in the fall, 66 in the winter and 85 in the spring.
BIG TEN DISTINGUISHED SCHOLAR NOTABLES
• The swimming & diving teams each had a Purdue-best 12 student-athletes honored as Big Ten Distinguished Scholars this year, accounting for 24 of the 65 honorees overall (37%).
• Wrestling's Thomas Penola was the Big Ten's male recipient of the Wayne Duke Award for 2022-23, becoming just the third Boilermaker to win it. He was a three-time NCAA Championships qualifier.
• Swimmer Blake Ratliff and runner Emma Tate were selected as Purdue's Big Ten Postgraduate Scholarship recipients from the class of 2023.
• Divers Maycey Vieta and Maggie Merriman finished one-two in platform diving at the Big Ten Championships. Vieta won her first Big Ten title as a senior and Merriman medaled in the event for the fourth year in a row. They were both All-Americans in the event, a feat also accomplished by fellow diver Sophie McAfee. Vieta was selected as Purdue's female Big Ten Medal of Honor recipient and is set to represent Puerto Rico in 10-meter diving at the Central American & Caribbean Games and the World Aquatics Championships this summer.
• Track & field's Johnny Vanos was a Big Ten silver medalist and second-team All-American in the weight throw during the indoor season.
• Cassidy Hardin finished her career with 214 3-pointers made, becoming just the fifth player in Purdue women's basketball history with 200 3s. She was also selected as Purdue's female recipient of Big Ten Outstanding Sportsmanship award.
• Swimmer Nick Sherman eclipsed Purdue records in the 200 freestyle and 200 individual medley, was a Big Ten silver medalist in the 200 IM and qualified for the NCAA Championships for the fourth consecutive year.
• Golfer Momo Sugiyama was a second-team All-Big Ten honoree.
• Mitchell Fineran made 42 of 53 career field goal attempts in his two years as a Boilermaker, making him the most accurate kicker (79%) in Purdue football history.
FULL LIST OF PURDUE'S 2022-23 BIG TEN DISTINGUISHED SCHOLARS
Names in bold achieved 4.0 GPAs for the school year
Years in parentheses are previous years they were also recognized
BASEBALL (3)
• Malcolm Gilchrist – Law & Society
• Steve Ramirez – Graduate Certificate in Communication & Leadership
• Calvin Schapira – Graduate Certificate in Communication & Leadership
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
• Cassidy Hardin – Biochemistry (2020, 2021, 2022)
MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY AND TRACK & FIELD (2)
• Ian Hunter – Master's in Statistics (2021, 2022)
• Bryce Hutchinson – Chemical Engineering (2021, 2022)
WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY AND TRACK & FIELD (4)
• Sarah Busch – Industrial Design
• Caroline Jordan – Ecology, Evolution & Environmental Biology
• Emma Tate – Plant Science (2021, 2022)
• Katelyn Wasson – Brain & Behavioral Sciences / Applied Statistics (2022)
FOOTBALL (4, Up From 1 in 2021-22)
• Mitchell Fineran – Master's in Technology, Leadership & Innovation
• Caleb Krockover – Mechanical Engineering Technology
• Alex Maxwell – Construction Engineering
• Nick Taylor – Biomedical Health Sciences – Pre-Physician's Assistant / Spanish
WOMEN'S GOLF (3, Up from 0 in 2021-22)
• Jade Gu – Computer Science / English
• Ashley Kozlowski – Aeronautical & Astronautical Engineering
• Momo Sugiyama – Psychological Sciences
SOCCER (4)
• Sydney Duarte – Graduate Certificate in Strategic Communication Management (2021, 2022)
• Hannah Lapeire – Public Health / Publication Relations & Strategic Communication
• Skylurr Patrick – Graduate Certificate in Strategic Communication Management
• Emma Tompkins – Brain & Behavioral Sciences (2021, 2022)
SOFTBALL (5, Up from 4 in 2021-22)
• Kate Claypool – Master's in Business Analytics
• Becca Edwards – Biomedical Health Sciences – Pre-Physician's Assistant
• Hailey Hayes – Elementary Education
• Kendall Klochak – Actuarial Sciences / Applied Statistics
• Alexa Pinarski – Visual Communication Design
MEN'S SWIMMING & DIVING (12, Up from 9 in 2021-22)
• Elliot Cooper – Chemical Engineering (2022)
• Luke Fortner – Aeronautical & Astronautical Engineering
• Aaron Frollo – Computer Engineering (2022)
• Keelan Hart – Construction Management
• Blake Ratliff – Biology
• Rafael Rodriguez – Mechanical Engineering (2022)
• Ethan Shaw – Supply Chain & Sales Engineering Technology (2022)
• Nick Sherman – Master's in Mechanical Engineering (2022)
• Liam Walker – Public Health
• Jude Wenker – Mechanical Engineering
• Andrew Witty – Mechanical Engineering (2022)
• Skyler Younkin – Graduate Certificate in Geospatial Information Science (2021, 2022)
WOMEN'S SWIMMING & DIVING (12)
• Claire Abbasse – Political Science
• Kendra Bowen – Selling & Sales Management (2022)
• Abby Harter – Health Science Preprofessional – Pre-Physician's Assistant
• Sophie McAfee – Economics
• Maggie Merriman – Accelerated Nursing (2020, 2021, 2023)
• Kat Mueller – Social Studies Education (2021, 2022)
• Kendal Schreder – Kinesiology
• Jenna Sonnenberg – Law & Society (2022)
• Lindsay Turner – Master's in Aviation Technology
• Maycey Vieta – Media & Mass Communication (2021, 2022)
• Leanna Wall – Chemical Engineering (2021, 2022)
• Rachel Young – Business Communication (2021, 2022)
WOMEN'S TENNIS (2, Up from 0 in 2021-22)
• Juana Larranaga – Nutrition & Dietetics
• Liz Norman – Master's in Geodata Science
MEN'S TRACK & FIELD (4)
• Grant Gogel – Mechanical Engineering
• Logan Sandlin – Mechanical Engineering (2022)
• Johnny Vanos – Kinesiology (2022)
• Safin Wills – Financial Counseling & Planning
WOMEN'S TRACK & FIELD (3)
• Jessica Bray – Graduate Certificate in Healthcare Leadership (2021, 2022)
• Anne Busse – Nursing
• Jayla Ellis – Chemical Engineering
VOLLEYBALL (4)
• Maddy Chinn – Health Science Preprofessional – Pre-Dentistry (2021, 2022)
• Ali Hornung – Hospitality & Tourism Management
• Megan Renner – Master's of Health Administration in Public Health (2021, 2022)
• Ava Torrance – Hospitality & Tourism Management
WRESTLING (2)
• Brennan Doyle – Computer Science – Systems Programming & Security (2021, 2022)
• Thomas Penola – English Education (2022)