MISSION STATEMENT
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Our mission is to foster an environment of growth in the areas of academics, athletics, social responsibility, and wellness. Mastodon coaches, staff, and student-athletes work to enhance Purdue Fort Wayne’s reputation by reaching for academic and athletic excellence.
CORE VALUES Our team emphasizes three values:
ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
We provide student-athletes with the appropriate academic resources to enable them to pursue and achieve their Purdue Fort Wayne degree and prepare them for their careers after graduation.
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
We support the development of good citizens interested in community service while embracing diversity in a respectful culture that utilizes and celebrates our differences to achieve more.
ATHLETIC INTENSITY
Our student-athletes and coaches strive to compete for League Championships and post-season NCAA competition.
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LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// As I reflect on the first year of the University’s new brand identity as “Purdue Fort Wayne”, several outstanding performances stand out – Emma Rafuse’s record breaking first-place effort at the 2018 Summit League Cross Country Championship and John Konchar making NCAA history as the first player to record more than 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 500 assists and 200 steals – truly we have witnessed excellence in the making. In addition, it was a record setting campaign by our Mastodon Athletic Fund members with gifts to scholarships and discretionary funds at an all-time high.
In the year ahead Purdue Fort Wayne Athletics will host two championships attracting fans and visitors to our thriving city. We will host the Summit League Indoor Track & Field Championships in 2020 and, along with the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum and Visit Fort Wayne, will host the 2020 NCAA Women’s Basketball Regional. We look forward to showcasing student-athletes competing at the highest level of amateur sport right here in Northeast Indiana.
As a department, our first priority is to ensure that our student-athletes have a safe, first-class experience with a strong sense of community. Our mission statement describes our core values and those priorities. We continue to work diligently to maintain the critical balance between academics and athletics so that alumni, corporate partners and fans, as well as our faculty, staff and students can take tremendous pride in all that is accomplished by those who wear the Mastodon uniform.
Kelley Hartley Hutton
Thanks to each of you for being on our team!
Director of Athletics
Purdue Fort Wayne student-athletes receive national acclaim for their efforts in the classroom and their commitment to Purdue Fort Wayne – in the classroom, in competition and in the community – provides inspiration to us all. For the 16th-straight year, the ‘Dons earned over a 3.0 grade point average and four teams earned NCAA Public Recognition for APR. As leaders in the community as well, they logged an incredible 4,204 hours of service last year benefiting the Vera Bradley Foundation, Mini Dons, Fort Wayne Community Schools, Turnstone, and more. New partnerships such as with Lutheran Health, Optimum Performance Sports, and Fort Wayne Orthopedics were developed and allowed us to expand resources dedicated to wellness initiatives and scholarships. With many impactful projects on the horizon, we recognize that none would be possible without the continued support of our generous donors and university partners. 2
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TABLE OF CONTENTS HEAD COACHES 2018-19 Coaching Staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
DEMOGRAPHICS Athletic Diversity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 ‘Dons Around The World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.
AWARDS Top Awards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Hall of Fame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Yearly Awards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Masty Awards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
ACADEMICS Academic Excellence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Top 50 Student Awards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
CULTURAL IMPACT Community Outreach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Events/News/Accomplishments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
FINANCIAL INFORMATION Ticket Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 Event Attendance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Donors/Sponsors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Corporate Partners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 4
MASTODON HEAD COACHES
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ASHLEY BASTRON
TRACK & FIELD/CROSS COUNTRY 2 SEASONS
JASON BURR
WOMEN’S SOCCER 6 SEASONS
JON COFFMAN MEN’S BASKETBALL 5 SEASONS
GERMAINE FAIRCHILD
SOFTBALL 6 SEASONS
STEVE FLORIO
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL 6 SEASONS
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MIKE HARPER MEN’S SOCCER 13 SEASONS
BILLY KING MEN’S GOLF 11 SEASONS
NIECEE NELSON WOMEN’S BASKETBALL 3 SEASONS
RYAN PERROTE
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL 4 SEASONS
BOBBY PIERCE BASEBALL
11 SEASONS
MATT ZEDRICK WOMEN’S GOLF 5 SEASONS
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ATHLETIC DIVERSITY
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‘DONS AROUND THE WORLD
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California Florida Georgia Illinois Indiana Michigan Mississippi New Mexico New York Ohio Pennsylvania Tennessee Virginia Wisconsin TERRITORIES
Puerto Rico
COUNTRIES Australia Brazil Canada Chile Ecuador Finland France Germany Italy New Zealand Norway Portugal 8
UNSTOPPABLE. THU
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EMMA RAFUSE
TRACK & FIELD, CROSS COUNTRY • 2018 Summit League Women’s Cross Country Champion • 2018 Summit League Women’s Cross Country Athlete of the Year • Summit League Female Athlete of the Month in October 2018 • Set record for fastest time at Summit League Cross Country Championship (20:32.92) • 2018 NCAA Cross Country Qualifier • 2019 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Qualifier in 5K and 10K
PELEGRIN VARGAS
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL • 2019 All-MIVA First Team • 2019 AVCA All-America Honorable Mention • 3- Time MIVA Offensive Player of the Week • MIVA Defensive Player of the Week • Ranked third in the MIVA in kills per set • Ranked second in the MIVA in points per set 9
UNDEROUS. PROUD.
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JOHN KONCHAR
MEN’S BASKETBALL
• Summit League Preseason First Team • All-Summit League First Team • Summit League AllTournament Team • 3-Time Summit League Player of the Week • Summit League Male Athlete of the Month in December 2018 • NABC All-District First Team • NABC All-Region First Team • Division I-AAA ADA Scholar • Finished career with 2,065 points (Top scorer in program history) • Finished third in NCAA Division I Active Career Leaders with 272 steals • Only player in NCAA DI history to record 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 500 assists and 200 steals • Recorded first triple-double in Summit League Tournament history with a line of 18 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists against South Dakota (Mar. 10) • Signed 2-Way contract with Memphis Grizzlies
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MASTODON H CLASS OF 2006
Arnie Ball, Lloy Ball (not pictured), Ken and Linda Balthaser, Laura Douglas, Loren Gerbert, Sean Gibson, Mike Harper, Tami Isch Henry, Lindy Jones Fueling, Lawrence Jordan, Larry Lee, Lisa Miller Mcbride, Mike Mungovan, Raul Papaleo (not pictured), Bronn Pfeiffer (not pictured), Clara Schotergen Meyer, David Skelton, Hector Soto (not pictured), Rhonda Unverferth Osterhage
CLASS OF 2007
Norman Almondovar, Arthur and Betty Friedel, Jay Golsteyn, Matt Hein, Joanne Lantz, Fred Malcom, Andy Piazza, Joni Smith-Price, Judy Yagodinski Kohrman, Lisa Zehr Morain
CLASS OF 2008
Julie Hefty-Price, Jeff Ptak, Jeff Richey
CLASS OF 2009
Lisa Hormann, Dr. Ed Leonard, Rico Martin, Wendy Recker Pettis, Matt Zbyszewski
CLASS OF 2010
Chris Gisslen, Shacina Hersey, Dan Mathews, Dottie Porch
CLASS OF 2011
Juan Diaz, Dan Gebhart, Heather Teagarden
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ALL OF FAME
CLASS OF 2012
Ashley Ritchey Ade, Ryan Steinbach, Kristin Macdonald-Simpson, Fabiana Souza Shields
CLASS OF 2013
Ricky De La Torre, Ryan Keena, Andi Reichhart Adams, Leah Sheets Swing
CLASS OF 2014
Tony Luhing (not pictured), Ian Luya, Bruce Roland, Robin Scott
CLASS OF 2015
David Simon (not pictured), Amy Gearlds Parker, Zach Wilson (not pictured), Claire Jackson Hemphill
CLASS OF 2017
Mike Morici, Nathanial Berg, Matt Pliske, C.J. Macias, Brock Ullrich, Josh Collins, Jason Hemphill, Dan McNerney, Collin Lundeen, Victor Oliveira, Steve Rogers, Andrew Greaves, Jerrod Quillen, Josh Stewart, Ben Duckworth, Corey Ford, Scott Knerr, Denny Johnson, Mark Franke
CLASS OF 2019
Kristina Karpun (not pictured), Patrick Kelley, Johnna Lewis-Carlisle, Mary Schreiber, Nick Wise
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YEARLY AWARDS
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Matthew Lieshout Men’s Soccer Tor Erik Larsen Men’s Soccer Alex Frank Men’s Soccer Blake Cearns Men’s Soccer Madison Jaqua Women’s Volleyball Nicole Rightnowar Women’s Volleyball Sydney Boerst Women’s Volleyball Lizzie Britner Women’s Volleyball Allyson Hayner Women’s Soccer Haley Lydon Women’s Soccer Emma Rafuse Women’s Cross Country John Konchar Men’s Basketball Michael Keegan Men’s Volleyball Kolbie Knorr Men’s Volleyball Richie Diedrich Men’s Volleyball Colton Stone Men’s Volleyball Pelegrin Vargas Men’s Volleyball De’Jour Young Women’s Basketball Paige Bird Women’s Golf Callahan Elzey Men’s Golf Zach Schroeder Men’s Golf
ACADEMIC ALL-SUMMIT LEAGUE
Lindsay Yankasky Women’s Soccer Adam Gannon Men’s Soccer Romain Lopez Men’s Soccer Emma Rafuse Women’s Cross Country/Track & Field Logan Kitchen Men’s Cross Country Madison Jaqua Women’s Volleyball Lizzie Britner Women’s Volleyball Zach Schroeder Men’s Golf Garrett Mohler Baseball
ACADEMIC ALL-MIVA Kade Bontrager Alex Dickman Richie Diedrich Tomas Gago Troy Gooch Max Hansen Michael Keegan Kolbie Knorr Jacob Mailloux Austin Neace Tony Price Shawn Trznadel Pelegrin Vargas
ALL-LEAGUE FIRST TEAM
Sydney Boerst Women’s Volleyball Nicole Rightnowar Women’s Volleyball Matthew Lieshout Men’s Soccer Blake Cearns Men’s Soccer Emma Rafuse Women’s Cross Country/Track & Field John Konchar Men’s Basketball Michael Keegan Men’s Volleyball Pelegrin Vargas Men’s Volleyball Lauren Watson Softball
ALL-LEAGUE SECOND TEAM
Zach Tom Men’s Soccer Adam Gannon Men’s Soccer Logan Kitchen Men’s Cross Country Richie Diedrich Men’s Volleyball Zach Schroeder Men’s Golf
ALL-LEAGUE FRESHMAN TEAM Madi Wurster Women’s Volleyball Kayla Wisniewski Women’s Soccer
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ALL-LEAGUE TOURNAMENT TEAM Nicole Rightnowar Women’s Volleyball Lauren Watson Softball Abby Baez Softball John Konchar Men’s Basketball Andy O’Donoghue Men’s Soccer Matthew Lieshout Men’s Soccer Colton Stone Men’s Volleyball
ALL-LEAGUE NEWCOMER TEAM Tor Erik Larsen Men’s Soccer Blake Cearns Men’s Soccer Matt Holba Men’s Basketball Sh’Toya Sanders Women’s Basketball
IMPORTS/AVCA NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK Michael Keegan Men’s Volleyball Pelegrin Vargas Men’s Volleyball
AVCA ALL-AMERICAN HONORABLE MENTION
Pelegrin Vargas Men’s Volleyball
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS
Emma Rafuse Women’s Cross Country
SUMMIT LEAGUE RECORDS
Emma Rafuse Women’s Cross Country John Konchar Men’s Basketball
ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Emma Rafuse Women’s Cross Country
ALL-AMERICAN SCHOLAR Zach Schroeder Men’s Golf Kennedy Brooker Women’s Golf Emma Schroeder Women’s Golf
MASTY AWARDS
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
DAVID R. SKELTON AWARD
Lindsay Yankasky Women’s Soccer
BEST CELEBRATION
John Konchar Men’s Basketball
FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
IAN AND MIMI ROLLAND AWARD
BEST SUPERFAN
SENIOR MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
BEST PLAY
Emma Rafuse Cross Country/Track & Field
Zach Schroeder Men’s Golf Emma Rafuse Women’s Cross Country/Track & Field
John Konchar Men’s Basketball
Kade Bontrager Men’s Volleyball
SENIOR FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
BEST ROAD TRIP MOMENT
Emma Rafuse Cross Country/Track & Field
FRESHMAN MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR Tor Erik Larsen Men’s Soccer
FRESHMAN FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR Kayla Wisniewski Women’s Soccer
FAN OF THE YEAR Gwen Zedrick
VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR
Women’s Volleyball
BEST INTERNATIONAL ATHLETE Matthew Lieshout Men’s Soccer
BEST RECORD BREAKING PERFORMANCE John Konchar Men’s Basketball
BEST FACIAL EXPRESSION Women’s Volleyball
Abigail Carlsen Women’s Golf
Lindsay Yankasky Women’s Soccer
BEST HYPEMAN
Kelley Hartley Hutton
HEART OF A DON AWARD
Olivia Coleman Women’s Track & Field
ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AWARD Lindsay Yankasky Women’s Soccer
MASTODON CUP Women’s Soccer
SALT SERVICE TO STUDENTS AWARD Purdue Fort Wayne Sports Medicine Staff
GYM RAT AWARD
Linnzie Richner Women’s Golf
Phil Bastron
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ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// “The 2018-2019 academic year once again saw the Mastodons working diligently in the classroom. Student-athletes continued to excel and earned an average 3.24 GPA at the end of this year. In order to achieve this academic level of success over 70% of student-athletes earned above a 3.0. Additionally, student-athletes continued to graduate at a high level, reaching 82% as of our last report. National accolades from the NCAA for being Top 10% were earned this year by four of our teams: Men’s and Women’s Golf, Women’s Soccer and Men’s Volleyball. Service to the community also was an important part of our student-athletes’ experience while they were with us. This year student-athletes contributed in excess of 4200 hours of service to our campus and our community through their team as well as their own individual participation with groups like Turnstone, local elementary schools and our university Food Bank. In sum, Purdue Fort Wayne student-athletes continue to dedicate themselves to their academics, their sports and our community.”
Christine Kuznar
Senior Associate Athletic Director for Academics
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2018-19 GPA • 3.24 GPA (16th year of above 3.0)
FALL 2018 • 70% of student-athletes achieved 3.0 GPA or better • 38 student-athletes earned all A’s SPRING 2019 • 70% of student-athletes achieved 3.0 GPA • or better • 39 student-athletes earned all A’s GRADUATION SUCESS RATE (GSR) • 82% ACADEMIC PROGRESS RATE (APR) • 4 of our teams honored as Top 10% of NCAA: Men’s Golf, Women’s Soccer, Women’s Golf and Men’s Volleyball SUMMIT LEAGUE ACADEMIC HONOR ROLL • 114 students-athletes earned Academic Honor Roll
TOP 50 STUDENT AWARDS
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Six Purdue Fort Wayne student-athletes were chosen as Purdue Fort Wayne Top 50 students. These individuals are engaged on campus in their academics, athletics and other co-curricular activities, they also make significant impacts in their own communities. “This is one of the university’s most important honors and I’m proud to have six student-athletes earn the recognition for a second- consecutive year. It is a testament to their dedication and commitment to our department’s core values which center on academic excellence, social responsibility and competitive achievement. I commend them, along with our coaching staff and faculty’s efforts, for supporting their pursuit of making a difference on campus and beyond”.
Kelley Hartley Hutton Director of Athletics
EMMA RAFUSE, SENIOR
Women’s Cross Country/Track and Field, Communication and Psychology • 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19 Summit League Academic Honor Roll • 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19 Summit League Commissioner’s List of Academic Excellence • 2017, 2018 Summit League Cross Country Academic All-League • 2019 Summit League Outdoor Track & Field Cross Country Academic All-League • 2019 Summit League Indoor Track & Field Cross Country Academic All-League • 2019 CoSIDA Academic All-District
LINDSAY YANKASKY, SENIOR
Women’s Soccer, Psychology • 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19 Summit League Academic Honor Roll • 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19 Summit League Commissioners’ List of Academic Excellence • 2017 Summit League Academic All-League
MADISON JAQUA, SENIOR
Women’s Volleyball, Management and Marketing • 2017 Summit League Academic All-League • 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19 Summit League Commissioner’s List of Academic Excellence • 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19 Summit League Academic Honor Roll
MAX HANSEN, SENIOR
Men’s Volleyball, Dental Hygiene • 2015-16, 2017-18, 2018-19 MIVA Academic All-Conference
SANDRA HOEVELS, JUNIOR
Women’s Volleyball, Psychology • 2018-19 Summit League Academic Honor Roll
VICTORIA MILLS, SENIOR
Women’s Volleyball, Business, Economics & Public Policy, and Marketing • 2015-16, 2016-17 Summit League Academic Honor Roll • 2018-19 Purdue Fort Wayne SALT President
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COMMUNITY OUTREACH
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2018-2019 COMMUNITY SERVICE HOURS
Purdue Fort Wayne Athletics completed 4,204 hours of community service hours at various locations including:
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• Foster Park Little League
• Fort Wayne Country Club
• Vera Bradley Foundation
• Fort 4 Fitness
• Coyote Creek Golf Club
• Coaches Vs. Cancer
• World Baseball Academy
• American Cancer Society
• Vs. Cancer Foundation
• Pine Valley Country Club
• Grace Point Kiddie Prep School
• Christ Child Society
• Science Central
• Purdue Fort Wayne
• Community Harvest Food Bank
• Woodlan Elementary
• Lutheran Children’s Hospital
• Cedar Canyon Elementary
• Mini Dons Sports Program
OTHER NEWS
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BRONN PFEIFFER INDUCTED INTO INDIANA SOCCER HALL OF FAME
ASHLEY BASTRON SELECTED FOR WECOACH COACHES COUNCIL Purdue Fort Wayne Track and Field/Cross Country head coach Ashley Bastron was named to the 201819 WeCOACH Coaches Council. This group of 16 individuals help WeCOACH strategically serve women coaches across the nation. They represent 12 sports across all NCAA division levels, high school, club and two-year colleges. Bastron is the only track and field or cross country coach on the council. She is also the only Summit League coach in the group. “I’m thrilled to be added to the WeCOACH Coaches Council,” Bastron said. “This organization has provided me with the tools to be a better coach and their mission is one I am proud to stand behind. I can’t wait to learn from the other members of the council and help to create an environment where women in coaching across all sports and levels feel valued and supported.” WeCOACH, previously known as the Alliance of Women Coaches, was founded in 2011. The group is committed to recruiting, advancing and retaining women coaches by providing resources, networking and programming opportunities.
Former Mastodon Men’s Soccer student-athlete and coach Bronn Pfeiffer was inducted into the Indiana Soccer Hall of Fame on March 2. Established in 1992, the Indiana Soccer Hall of Fame honors individuals whose outstanding achievements and significant accomplishments have had a long lasting effect upon the sport of soccer in Indiana and merit the highest recognition. A Fort Wayne native, Pfeiffer was inducted into the inaugural class of the Mastodon Hall of Fame in 2007. As a player, Pfeiffer was a four-year letter winner for the men’s soccer program. He was an All-Great Lakes Valley Conference selection in 1984, 1985 and 1986. He was recognized by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) as an AllMidwest Region Selection in those same seasons. Pfeiffer started every game in his Mastodon career. He served as head coach for the Mastodons in 1987 and 1988 before returning as a longtime assistant coach for the program. He retired from the Mastodon bench following the 2018 season. He joins Terry Stefankiewicz as former Mastodon head coaches in the Indiana Soccer Hall of Fame.
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MARCIE ALBERTS INDUCTED INTO OHIO BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME
Purdue Fort Wayne Women’s Basketball assistant coach Marcie Alberts was inducted into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame on May 21, during the 11th annual induction ceremony at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. “It is truly an honor to be inducted into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame,” Alberts said. “I want to thank the committee for this prestigious honor. Ohio is known for producing tremendous basketball players and coaches including Katie Smith, Bobby Knight and Oscar Robertson, and I am humbled to be included among them. I could not have made it this far without the support of my family, teammates, coaches and administrators. They have all had a hand in this and I share this honor with them.” Alberts was one of Ohio’s first 3-point sharpshooters. The 5-foot-5 guard sank 279 – second most in the state – during four years (1989-93) at Wooster High School where she was a two-time AllOhio selection and the Division I Player of the Year in 1993. A four-year starter, Alberts averaged 18.2 points as a junior and 20.8 as a senior while becoming Wooster’s career scoring leader with 1,696 points. Wooster had a 92-7 record during her career. Alberts played four years at The Ohio State University on Buckeye teams that were 64-56 overall and made the NCAA Tournament once. She made 203 three-pointers – second highest OSU career total at the time – and converted 102 of 122 free throws. Alberts played one season for the Cleveland Rockers of the WNBA. She went on to coach five years at Orrville High School, compiling a 117-45 record, and 19
spent five years as head coach at Heidelberg College before taking over the high school girls team at Mount Vernon. Alberts arriveda at IPFW prior to the 2013-14 season. Founded in 2006, the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame recognizes the achievements of both male and female basketball players in high school, college, and professional basketball, successful coaches on all levels, and those who have impacted the game along the way. The annual Induction Ceremony, held in Columbus each year, is a celebration of basketball, its rich history, and those who have contributed to the game in Ohio. Twelve to fifteen individuals are honored each year, along with one or two teams, which must receive at least 75% of the total number of votes by the Board of Directors.
RYAN “ROCK” PERROTTE NAMED WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES HEAD COACH Purdue Fort Wayne Men’s Volleyball head coach Ryan “Rock” Perrotte was named as the men’s USA Volleyball head coach for the 2019 World University Games. He served as the coach for 12 players that competed at the World University Games July 3-14 in Napoli, Italy. The players come from across the country, including five players from the MIVA. Perrotte completed his fourth season as head coach for the Mastodons after spending 12 seasons as the assistant coach under Arnie Ball. He and the Mastodons finished 17-12 and No. 15 in the AVCA coaches poll, and 3rd in MIVA. “It was truly an honor and a privilege to be selected as head coach of Team USA at the World University Games competition this summer in Napoli, Italy” Perrotte said. “ I was so excited to coach these talented young men, many of whom I know from coaching against or following their collegiate careers.”
PURDUE FORT WAYNE ATHLETICS ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH LUTHERAN HEALTH NETWORK Purdue University Fort Wayne and its Department of Intercollegiate Athletics announced July 11, 2018 that the university formed a partnership with Lutheran Health Network to provide comprehensive health care for all student-athletes. This partnership expanded services and resources to help provide comprehensive health care in the fields of sports medicine, sports performance, and beyond. “Health care for our student-athletes is a top priority,” says Kelley Hartley Hutton, athletics director. The student-athletes have access to the physicians at Fort Wayne Orthopedics, the trained staff at Optimum Performance Sports, clinical experts at Lutheran Health Network, and programming provided by all three. “We are proud to bring our 30-year history of providing sports medicine services in the community to a partnership with Purdue Fort Wayne,” says Jerald Cooper, MD, Fort Wayne Orthopedics. The partnership not only gives student-athletes unprecedented access to this specialized care, it also creates a wonderful new community partnership that is likely to grow in the future. “We are very honored to have an athletic department that has achieved so much representing the university and our entire region entrust us with this responsibility,” says Mike Poore, regional president and CEO of Lutheran Health Network. “Purdue Fort Wayne is ushering in a new chapter for Fort Wayne sports and we look forward to joining this team.”
RAFUSE NAMED SUMMIT LEAGUE WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY ATHLETE OF THE YEAR Emma Rafuse added another piece of hardware to her crowded trophy case with the 2018 Summit League Women’s Cross Country Athlete of the Year Award. The award was voted on by the league head coaches. Rafuse, a senior from Greenville, Wis., broke a 12year old league 6K record by nearly 10 seconds after clocking a 20:32.92 time at the 2018 Summit League Cross Country Championships to take home the title. Rafuse’s race at the Great Lakes Regional Meet earned her a spot at the NCAA nationals, becoming the first Mastodon since 2008 to reach the meet. At the NCAA Women’s Cross Country National Championship, she ran the league’s fastest 6K time at the national meet (20:45.18) and finished 58th overall, the third-best finish of a Summit League runner at nationals. She finished her career with seven Summit League Athlete of the Week honors.
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JOHN KONCHAR DAY DECLARED IN FORT WAYNE
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One of Purdue University Fort Wayne’s studentathletes received an honor that few other people will ever experience. Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry proclaimed Thursday, March 28, 2019 as John Konchar Day to recognize the dazzling performance of a star studentathlete during his years at Purdue Fort Wayne—and especially during this past basketball season. “John Konchar has been a tremendous representative of Purdue Fort Wayne through athletics and academics and has achieved milestones accomplished by a select few in the history of college basketball,” said Henry. The official proclamation reads, in part: WHEREAS, John has achieved milestones accomplished by a select few in the history of college basketball, including being the first player in NCAA Division I men’s basketball history to reach 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 500 assists, and 200 steals in a career; and WHEREAS, John has been All-Summit League First Team during the last four seasons and is Purdue Fort Wayne’s career leader in points and rebounds; and… WHEREAS, the successful seasons the Mastodons basketball program has experienced in recent years speaks volumes about the positive impact they continue to have on Fort Wayne. NOW, THEREFORE, I, THOMAS C. HENRY, Mayor of
the City of Fort Wayne, Indiana, do hereby proclaim March 28, 2019, as JOHN KONCHAR DAY. Konchar was surrounded by his parents, teammates, head men’s basketball coach Jon Coffman, other student-athletes, Chancellor Ron Elsenbaumer, and city employees in the ceremony in the mayor’s office. “This is an amazing honor. I’ve loved my time in Fort Wayne and at Purdue Fort Wayne,” said Konchar. “I’m thankful to Mayor Henry and the city for this honor.” “We are so very, very proud of John and his tremendous achievements, both on and off the court,” said Ron Elsenbaumer, Chancellor of Purdue Fort Wayne. “He sets a high bar for all of our studentathletes across all of our Division I sports teams.” Coach Coffman was justifiably proud of this talented player. “I am grateful to the city for recognizing John Konchar’s contributions! He has represented our program, university, and city with class during his playing career with the Mastodons and has drawn so much positive attention to all three during his playing career,” said Coffman. “I am grateful to have coached him and am excited to watch his successful career continue to prosper.” Konchar, who is from West Chicago, Illinois, graduated with a Bachelor of Science in information technology.
TICKET SALES
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BY THE NUMBERS Season Ticket Sales for indoor sports: 384 Season Ticket Revenue: $51,150 Total Ticket Revenue: $100,321 2018-19 Average Attendance for indoor sports: Men’s Basketball: 1,338 Women’s Basketball: 479 Men’s Volleyball: 474 Women’s Volleyball: 450
CORPORATE PARTNERS
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// “For the 3rd straight year Mastodon Sports Properties finished the season in record fashion. We secured an 11% growth from the previous year with sponsorship dollars finishing at $436,500. One factor to this success was securing Lutheran Health Network to an exclusive healthcare partnership. MSP also secured 9 new partnerships and are trending for another record year in 2019-20.”
Kassie Taksey
General Manager of Mastodon Sports Properties Acme Bar & Grill Applebee’s Army ROTC Biolife Bandido’s Comcast Courtyard by Marriott Downtown Crazy Pinz CVS Diamond Residential Mortgage
Excursions Trailways Firehouse Subs Follett Bookstore Fort Financial Credit Union Fort Wayne Newspapers Holiday Inn at PFW Hungry Howies Hyatt Place Mastodon Alumni Association Midwest Federal Credit Union
Mike’s Car Wash Miller Transportation Pepsi Purdue Fort Wayne Meal Plan Ramada Inn Wane TV
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DEVELOPMENT
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// “The 2018-19 year for Purdue Fort Wayne Athletics was a transformative year in fundraising. One that began with a multi-year partnership with Lutheran Health Network and Fort Wayne Orthopedics, covering medical support, charitable giving, and an endowed scholarship. Overall, $650,000 was pledged to establish eight new endowed scholarships, set to provide needed scholarships for generations to come.”
Justin Shurley
Director of Development and External Affairs for Athletics
ANNUAL GIVING
NEW ENDOWMENTS
• Fort Wayne Orthopedics Endowed Scholarship • Sanford/Summit Endowed Athletic Scholarship • 3 Rivers Federal Credit Union Endowed Scholarship • SALT Endowed Scholarship • Mark & Connie Bulmahn Endowed Scholarship (MBB) • Mike Harper Endowed Scholarship (MSOC) • 1999 Men’s Soccer Team Endowed Scholarship (MSOC) • Friends of Women’s Golf Endowment (WGOLF)
Endowments:
Total Market Value: $4,414,982
DAY OF GIVING
“I am so thankful to all the people who gave us gifts during the 24-hour giving period. Whether you give five, 50, 100, or even 50-thousand dollars, all giving helps support our students. With our total this year, we now have a new goal for our second annual Day of Giving next year!” Ruth Stone Vice Chancellor for Development Total Raised by Athletics: $121,000+ 23
MASTODON OPEN
The Second Annual Mastodon Open was a huge success, due to the teamwork of the entire athletics department. The golf outing was attended by over 160 individuals, and supported by 75 different companies and organizations in our community. Student-athletes and coaches representing all 14 NCAA Division I sports were in attendance to greet the golfers and community leaders. The event raised over $40,000 for teams’ operating budgets for the year.
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