# Purdue Boilermakers women's basketball

The Purdue Boilermakers women's basketball team is a college basketball program that competes in NCAA Division I and the Big Ten Conference.
Purdue is rich in tradition and history, holding the record for Big Ten women's basketball tournament championships, along with annually ranking in the top 10 nationally in home attendance. The Boilermakers have appeared in the NCAA Final Four three times, and won the NCAA National Championship in 1999. The Boilermakers share a classic rivalry with the Indiana Hoosiers, of which Purdue owns a 52–27 series lead.

## History

In 1975, women's basketball became an intercollegiate sport at Purdue University. In 1982, the sport was elevated to revenue status, which meant more money was available. Under Coach Lin Dunn, Purdue qualified for its first NCAA Tournament game in 1989. Ten years later, Purdue won its first national championship by beating Duke University in the title game. Sharon Versyp, a former Purdue standout, was introduced as the head coach at the start of the 2006 season.

## Current coaching staff

Source:
* Katie Gearlds - Head Coach
* Beth Couture - Associate Coach
* Michael Scruggs - Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator
* Alex Guyton - Assistant Coach
* Jaelen Nice - Graduate Assistant
* Karmell Brown - Graduate Assistant
* Jessica Lipsett - Trainer
* Jason Pullara - Strength Coach

## Year by year results

Conference tournament winners noted with # Source
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | Coaches' poll | AP poll |
| Unknown (CIAW) (1968–1969) ||||||||
| 1968-69 | Unknown | – | – | | CIAW Tenth Place | | |
| Big Ten Conference ||||||||
| Deborah Gebhardt (Big Ten) (1975–1976) ||||||||
| 1975-76 | Deborah Gephardt | 8–8 | 2–3 | 3 | IAIAW | | |
| Deborah Gephardt: | Deborah Gephardt: | 8–8 | 2–3 | | | | |
| Ruth Jones (Big Ten) (1976–1986) ||||||||
| 1976-77 | Ruth Jones | 7–16 | 2–4 | 7th | IAIAW | | |
| 1977-78 | Ruth Jones | 13–7 | 1–2 | T-5th | IAIAW | | |
| 1978-79 | Ruth Jones | 7–19 | 0–1 | T-7th | IAIAW | | |
| 1979-80 | Ruth Jones | 4–18 | 0–1 | T-6th | IAIAW | | |
| 1980-81 | Ruth Jones | 14–18 | 0–1 | T-7th | IAIAW - 2nd | | |
| 1981-82 | Ruth Jones | 13–17 | 0–1 | T-7th | IAIAW - 1st; MAIAW - 3rd | | |
| 1982-83 | Ruth Jones | 10–16 | 3–15 | 8th | | | |
| 1983-84 | Ruth Jones | 5–23 | 1–17 | 10th | | | |
| 1984-85 | Ruth Jones | 12–16 | 6–12 | T-7th | | | |
| 1985-86 | Ruth Jones | 16–11 | 9–9 | T-5th | | | |
| Ruth Jones: | Ruth Jones: | 101–161 | 22–63 | | | | |
| Marsha Reall (Big Ten) (1986–1987) ||||||||
| 1986-87 | Marsha Reall | 18–9 | 10–8 | 5th | | | |
| Marsha Reall: | Marsha Reall: | 18–9 | 10–8 | | | | |
| Lin Dunn (Big Ten) (1987–1996) ||||||||
| 1987-88 | Lin Dunn | 21–10 | 13–5 | 3rd | NWIT Second Place | | |
| 1988-89 | Lin Dunn | 24–6 | 14–4 | 3rd | NCAA second round (Bye) | 17 | 15 |
| 1989-90 | Lin Dunn | 23–7 | 14–4 | 3rd | NCAA Sweet Sixteen | 14 | 15 |
| 1990-91 | Lin Dunn | 26–3 | 17–1 | 1st | NCAA second round (Bye) | 14 | 5 |
| 1991-92 | Lin Dunn | 23–7 | 14–4 | 2nd | NCAA Sweet Sixteen | 16 | 11 |
| 1992-93 | Lin Dunn | 16–11 | 8–10 | 6th | | | |
| 1993-94 | Lin Dunn | 29–5 | 16–2 | T-1st | NCAA Final Four | 3 | 8 |
| 1994-95 | Lin Dunn | 24–8 | 13–3 | T-1st | NCAA Elite Eight | 9 | 16 |
| 1995-96 | Lin Dunn | 20–11 | 11–5 | 4th | NCAA first round | | 15 |
| Lin Dunn: | Lin Dunn: | 206–68 | 120–38 | | | | |
| Nell Fortner (Big Ten) (1996–1997) ||||||||
| 1996-97 | Nell Fortner | 17–11 | 12–4 | T-1st | NCAA second round | 23 | |
| Nell Fortner: | Nell Fortner: | 17–11 | 12–4 | | | | |
| Carolyn Peck (Big Ten) (1997–1999) ||||||||
| 1997-98 | Carolyn Peck | 23–10 | 10–6 | T-3rd# | NCAA Elite Eight | 11 | 21 |
| 1998-99 | Carolyn Peck | 34–1 | 16–0 | 1st# | NCAA Champions | 1 | 1 |
| Carolyn Peck: | Carolyn Peck: | 57–11 | 26–6 | | | | |
| Kristy Curry (Big Ten) (1999–2006) ||||||||
| 1999-2000 | Kristy Curry | 23–8 | 11–5 | T-3rd# | NCAA second round | 16 | 13 |
| 2000-01 | Kristy Curry | 31–7 | 14–2 | 1st | NCAA Runner-up | 2 | 9 |
| 2001-02 | Kristy Curry | 24–6 | 13–3 | 1st | NCAA second round | 14 | 9 |
| 2002-03 | Kristy Curry | 29–6 | 12–4 | T-2nd# | NCAA Elite Eight | 7 | 10 |
| 2003-04 | Kristy Curry | 29–4 | 14–2 | 2nd# | NCAA Sweet Sixteen | 9 | 3 |
| 2004-05 | Kristy Curry | 17–13 | 9–7 | 5th | NCAA second round | | |
| 2005-06 | Kristy Curry | 26–7 | 13–3 | 2nd | NCAA Sweet Sixteen | 11 | 11 |
| Kristy Curry: | Kristy Curry: | 179–51 | 86–26 | | | | |
| Sharon Versyp (Big Ten) (2006–2021) ||||||||
| 2006-07 | Sharon Versyp | 31–6 | 14–2 | 2nd# | NCAA Elite Eight | 7 | 11 |
| 2007-08 | Sharon Versyp | 19–15 | 11–7 | T-3rd# | NCAA second round | | |
| 2008-09 | Sharon Versyp | 25–11 | 13–5 | T-2nd | NCAA Elite Eight | 16 | |
| 2009–10 | Sharon Versyp | 15–17 | 9–9 | 5th | WNIT second round | | |
| 2010-11 | Sharon Versyp | 21–12 | 9–7 | 7th | NCAA second round | | |
| 2011-12 | Sharon Versyp | 25–9 | 11–5 | T-2nd# | NCAA second round | 18 | 13 |
| 2012-13 | Sharon Versyp | 25–9 | 10–6 | T-3rd# | NCAA second round | 21 | 20 |
| 2013–14 | Sharon Versyp | 22–9 | 11–5 | T-4th | NCAA second round | 21 | 19 |
| 2014–15 | Sharon Versyp | 11–20 | 3–15 | T-13th | | | |
| 2015–16 | Sharon Versyp | 20–12 | 10–8 | 6th | NCAA first round | | |
| 2016–17 | Sharon Versyp | 23–13 | 10–5 | T-4th | NCAA second round | | |
| 2017–18 | Sharon Versyp | 18–13 | 9–7 | T-7th | WNIT second round | | |
| 2018–19 | Sharon Versyp | 19–15 | 8–10 | T-10th | | | |
| 2019–20 | Sharon Versyp | 18–14 | 8–10 | 9th | | | |
| 2020–21 | Sharon Versyp | 7–16 | 4–14 | 12th | | | |
| Sharon Versyp: | Sharon Versyp: | 301–192 | 141–116 | | | | |
| Katie Gearlds (Big Ten) (2021–present) ||||||||
| 2021–22 | Katie Gearlds | 17–15 | 7–11 | 9th | WNIT Second Round | | |
| 2022–23 | Katie Gearlds | 19–11 | 9–8 | 7th | NCAA First Four | | |
| 2023–24 | Katie Gearlds | 15–19 | 5-13 | 12th | | | |
| Katie Gearlds: | Katie Gearlds: | 51–45 | 21–32 | | | | |
| Total: | Total: | 936–555 | 434–285 | | | | |
| National champion   Postseason invitational champion   Conference regular season champion   Conference regular season and conference tournament champion  Division regular season champion  Division regular season and conference tournament champion  Conference tournament champion ||||||||

## NCAA tournament results

| Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Result |
| 1989 | #5 | First Round Second Round | #12 Arkansas #4 LSU | W 91–63 L 53–54 |
| 1990 | #4 | Second Round Sweet Sixteen | #5 Northern Illinois #1 Louisiana Tech | W 86–81 L 47–91 |
| 1991 | #2 | Second Round | #10 Vanderbilt | L 63–69 |
| 1992 | #3 | Second Round Sweet Sixteen | #11 Northern Illinois #2 Maryland | W 98–62 L 58–64 |
| 1994 | #1 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four | #16 Radford #8 Washington #13 Texas A&M #2 Stanford #3 North Carolina | W 103–56 W 86–59 W 82–56 W 82–65 L 74–89 |
| 1995 | #4 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | #13 Portland #12 Montana #1 Vanderbilt #2 Stanford | W 74–59 W 62–51 W 67–66 L 58–69 |
| 1996 | #5 | First Round | #12 Notre Dame | L 60–73 |
| 1997 | #8 | First Round Second Round | #9 Maryland #1 Old Dominion | W 74–48 L 65–69 |
| 1998 | #4 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | #13 Washington #12 Colorado State #9 Notre Dame #3 Louisiana Tech | W 88–71 W 77–63 W 70–65 L 65–72 |
| 1999 | #1 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four Title Game | #16 Oral Roberts #9 Kansas #4 North Carolina #3 Rutgers #1 Louisiana Tech #3 Duke | W 68–48 W 55–41 W 82–59 W 75–62 W 77–63 W 62–45 |
| 2000 | #4 | First Round Second Round | #13 Dartmouth #5 Oklahoma | W 70–66 L 74–76 |
| 2001 | #3 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four Title Game | #14 UC Santa Barbara #6 LSU #2 Texas Tech #4 Xavier #5 SW Missouri State #1 Notre Dame | W 75–62 W 73–70 W 74–72 W 88–78 W 81–64 L 66–68 |
| 2002 | #2 | First Round Second Round | #15 Austin Peay #7 Old Dominion | W 80–49 L 70–74 (OT) |
| 2003 | #2 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | #15 Valparaiso #7 Virginia Tech #11 Notre Dame #1 Connecticut | W 66–51 W 80–62 W 66–47 L 64–73 |
| 2004 | #2 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen | #15 St. Francis (PA) #7 Villanova #3 Georgia | W 78–59 W 60–42 L 64–66 |
| 2005 | #9 | First Round Second Round | #8 New Mexico #1 Tennessee | W 68–56 L 54–75 |
| 2006 | #4 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen | #13 Missouri State #5 UCLA #1 North Carolina | W 73–54 W 61–54 L 68–70 |
| 2007 | #2 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | #15 Oral Roberts #7 Georgia Tech #3 Georgia #1 North Carolina | W 63–42 W 76–63 W 78–65 L 72–84 |
| 2008 | #9 | First Round Second Round | #8 Utah #1 Tennessee | W 66–59 L 52–78 |
| 2009 | #6 | First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | #11 Charlotte #3 North Carolina #7 Rutgers #1 Oklahoma | W 65–52 W 85–70 W 67–61 L 68–74 |
| 2011 | #9 | First Round Second Round | #8 Kansas State #1 Connecticut | W 53–45 L 40–64 |
| 2012 | #4 | First Round Second Round | #13 South Dakota State #5 South Carolina | W 83–68 L 61–72 |
| 2013 | #4 | First Round Second Round | #13 Liberty #5 Louisville | W 77–43 L 63–76 |
| 2014 | #4 | First Round Second Round | #13 Liberty #5 Louisville | W 84–55 L 66–73 |
| 2016 | #11 | First Round | #6 Oklahoma | L 45–61 |
| 2017 | #9 | First Round Second Round | #8 Green Bay #1 Notre Dame | W 74–62 L 82–88 (OT) |
| 2023 | #11 | First Four | #11 St. John's | L 64–66 |

## National Awards
### National Player of the Year (2)

* MaChelle Joseph (1992)
* Stephanie White (1999)

### Wade Trophy (1)

* Stephanie White (1999)

### All-American Consensus Selections (7)

* Joy Holmes (1991)
* MaChelle Joseph (1992)
* Stacey Lovelace (1995)
* Stephanie White (1999)
* Katie Douglas (2000, 2001)
* Shereka Wright (2004)

### Academic All-American First Team Selections (5)

* Sue Bartz (1982)
* Carol Emanuel (1983)
* Stephanie White (1999)
* Camille Cooper (2001)
* Katie Douglas (2001)
* Candice Hall (2001)

### National Coach of the Year (1)

* Carolyn Peck (1999)

## Big Ten Awards
### Player of the Year (8)

* Joy Holmes (1991)
* MaChelle Joseph (1992)
* Stacey Lovelace (1995)
* Jannon Roland (1997)
* Stephanie White (1999)
* Katie Douglas (2000, 2001)
* Shereka Wright (2004)

### Suzy Favor Female Athlete of the Year (4)

* Joy Holmes (1991)
* MaChelle Joseph (1992)
* Stephanie White (1999)
* Katie Douglas (2001)

### Chicago Tribune Silver Basketball Recipient (6)

* Joy Holmes (1991)
* MaChelle Joseph (1992)
* Stacey Lovelace (1995)
* Jannon Roland (1997)
* Stephanie White (1999)
* Katie Douglas (2001)

### Defensive Player of the Year (4)

* Kelly Komara (2002)
* Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton (2007)
* Ae'Rianna Harris (2018, 2019) - the first two-time winner in Purdue history.

### 6th Player of the Year (2)

* Brittany Rayburn (2009)
* Whitney Bays (2014)

### Freshman of the Year (4)

* MaChelle Joseph (1989)
* Leslie Johnson (1994)
* Katie Gearlds (2004)
* Mary Ashley Stevenson (2024)

### Coach of the Year (5)

* Ruth Jones (1986)
* Lin Dunn (1989,1991)
* Nell Fortner (1997)
* Carolyn Peck (1999)

## All-time records
### Big Ten Win/Loss Records (As of 2015 Regular Season)

* Illinois: 52-17
* Indiana: 52-27
* Iowa: 36-30
* Maryland: 1-5
* Michigan: 50-18
* Michigan State: 38-29
* Minnesota: 43-19
* Nebraska: 5-2
* Northwestern: 45-21
* Ohio State: 28-43
* Penn State: 27-19
* Rutgers: 2-2
* Wisconsin: 48-18

### Career records

* Most Points: MaChelle Joseph - 2,405 (1989–91)
* Most Rebounds: Stacey Lovelace - 876 (1993–96)
* Most Assists: MaChelle Joseph - 628 (1989–91)
* Most Steals: Katie Douglas - 327 (1998-01)
* Most Blocks: Ae’Rianna Harris - 350 (2016–20)
* Most 3-Point Field Goals: Katie Gearlds - 238 (2003–07)

### Single season records

* Most Points: Stephanie White (1998–99) / Katie Gearlds (2006–07) - 707
* Most Rebounds: Leslie Johnson - 306 (1993–94)
* Most Assists: Lisa Jahner - 201 (1987–88)
* Most Steals: Kelly Komara - 120 (2001–02)
* Most Blocks: Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton - 108 (2006–07)
* Most 3-Point Field Goals: Katie Gearlds - 88 (2006–07)

### Single game records

* Most Points: Katie Gearlds - 41 (2007)
* Most Rebounds: Leslie Schultz - 25 (1981)
* Most Assists: MaChelle Joseph - 16 (1992)
* Most Steals: Joy Holmes - 12 (1989)