Club Sports Create Connection, Competition and College Memories
Four Department of Agricultural Economics students are leaving their handprints on three different Purdue Club Sports teams!
Nash Cheslock (Agribusiness, Junior; Carmel, IN) played travel hockey for the Indianapolis Racers and IYHA Jr. Fuel. He also earned All-State 3 seasons at Carmel High School during his sophomore through senior years. He tried out for the Purdue Hockey Club in his freshman year and has played ever since, even serving as the Community Service Officer for a season. Their season runs from September through February, and the Boilers wrapped up #19 in the nation this year. They primarily compete in the Midwest Crossroads League but also had the opportunity to travel to Florida and Missouri this year! They also travel twice a week to Indianapolis to practice at the Pop Weaver Youth Pavilion at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.
Cheslock shared, “My favorite aspect of being on the team is the comradery that we have with one another. I live with five of my teammates, and everyone on the team gels together well. Being on the team has allowed me to have upperclassmen to look up to my freshman year, make my best college memories both on and off the ice and meet my best friends at school. I’ve also gotten to see Boston, Florida, Arkansas, play in some cool places (outdoors, AHL stadium and in front of my grandparents in Ohio) and to keep playing hockey while getting a Purdue degree.”
Abram Ritchie (Agribusiness, Sophomore; West Lafayette, IN) began playing baseball at the age of 4, started travel ball at nine and played shortstop for Lafayette Jeff High School throughout all four years. He discovered the Purdue Baseball Club team on Instagram and headed to the tryouts. The team kicked off this season by defeating IU twice at Loeb Stadium and then won four of their six games in Panama City Beach during Purdue’s Spring Break. On a personal level, Ritchie is batting around .350 with a 1.0 fielding percentage at shortstop and is looking forward to the 20 games they have left this semester!
Ritchie stated, “My favorite part about the team is the social aspect of it; I get to play baseball while also having a lot of fun with the guys. Being on the team has created a lot more friendships and connections for me here at Purdue.”
Karie and Katie Taylor (Agricultural Economics, Juniors; Rossville, IN) started playing volleyball in 5th grade for Rossville schools and have played travel since the age of 13 for CIVIC, Performance Point and Boiler Juniors. They have also coached Boiler Juniors for a few years! They learned about the Purdue Volleyball Club team through other Boiler Junior coaches and tried out in their first semester at Purdue! The volleyball club has three different teams that practice twice a week at the Cordova Recreational Sports Center. This year, the teams have attended tournaments at the University of Dayton, Northern Illinois University, the University of Michigan, the University of Kentucky, Grand Valley State University and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
The Taylors shared, “Being involved in this club has impacted our time at Purdue immensely. We have made over 30 friends from the club alone throughout our involvement. We have also had the opportunity to travel to several other colleges throughout this area with these girls, which has been a great experience. The club also participates in community service and engagement activities with other clubs here at Purdue, which has led to many experiences that would not have been possible without our involvement. Our involvement has also allowed us to grow our leadership skills, as we have both been able to serve as captains and help lead our fellow teammates. Not only has this club been monumental in creating connections and getting us involved, but it has also served as a great break from the stresses of life as a college student. Overall, being part of this team has been one of our favorite parts of our Purdue experience, and we are so grateful for all of the experiences it has provided.”