The Purdue North Central (PNC) Chancellor's Invitational Golf Outing took place Monday, September 19 at Sand Creek Country Club, despite rain in the early morning and the threat of it all afternoon. Everyone came out that had intended too. "There were 54 teams," said Madonna Tritle, Data Analyst for PNC.
Tritle's husband got in on the action too. "Even though I'm an IU Grad," John Tritle said, "I was asked to be a part of this last year, I came back again because it was a good time and for a good cause." On Tritle's team: Fred Cicco, Tom Kruse, and Erik Keim.
James Dworkin, Chancellor at Purdue North Central, thanked everyone for coming saying, "We've had a great turnout, the PNC family is awesome. We are grateful for the support of our friends, graduates and student athletes." He added, "Thank you for playing, it's a great thing you are doing, supporting scholarships."
The Purdue North Central Golf Outing is an annual event that helps to raise money for athletic scholarships. Proceeds from the Chancellor's Invitational benefit Athletic and Alumni scholarships that improve student recruitment and retention. Also, funds raised help support athletic programs and Alumni Association activities.
At PNC, they pride themselves that, "Student enrollment continually grows, creating need for more facilities and services including the planned Student Services and Activities Complex."
Dworkin added, "Most of our graduates stay here after graduation. Instead of a 'brain drain', we have a 'brain gain'. What that means is, instead of our graduates going somewhere else, they choose to stay right here."
Assistant Vice Chancellor Dean of Students John Coggins said that this was the biggest fundraiser of the year. Coggins stated, "Each year PNC gives $45,000 annually in scholarships. Fred McNulty was the driving force behind this outing. With Athletic Director John Weber and Director of Alumni Relations Amy Davis Navardaukas, we were able to put this thing together. I've been here for 36 years. This event is successful and that's why we want to keep having it annually."
One foursome was Ron and Linda Rex, along with Jeff and Christine Swan. They explained that a "birdie" is 1 under par. Par is the required strokes to put the ball in the hole. An "eagle" is 2 under par and a "bogey" is 1 over. Christine Swan said, "Any more than that, we don't talk about."
There were many student athletes from PNC out helping and encouraging the golfers. There were softball players Lindsay Gernez (1st & 3rd base), Caitlin Herzog (utility, shooting for center field), Cassidy Hardesty (short stop and 2nd base) Lanay Parks (pitcher) and Amber Welsh (stats). Basketball players Nick Lafty (shooting guard), Shawn Cramer (power forward) Allan Barnes (forward) along with, baseball players John Cristo (3rd and pitcher), Jesse Mills (pitcher) and Jordan Polito (pitcher) all volunteered for the event. These are the types of kids that this golf outing benefits.
John Weber Athletic Director and Baseball Coach said, "The fact that people keep coming back to support our cause shows that its a top event, and people believe in the future of PNC and in our Alumni Association as well. We have five sports teams, baseball is the biggest, but we also have men's golf, new to PNC, basketball, women's volleyball and softball. We will be adding a sixth team soon, a women's team, but we aren't saying what it is just yet."
PNCwould like to thank all their sponsors:
Platinum Sponsor
Harley Snyder/University Park Apartments.
Black & Gold Sponsor
Lakeshore Landscaping, Inc.
Gold Sponsor
Maklease, Inc.
Beverage Sponsors
Design Organization and Shoreline Sand Solutions.
Lunch Sponsor
McDonald's Restaurant Management Corp.
Snack Sponsor
Horizon Bank
Putting Sponsors
Gehrke Technology Group, Inc, IBEW Local 531, IKON Office Solutions, A Richoh Company and Walsh & Kelly, Inc.
Media Sponsors
The Herald Argus, The News Dispatch and Flanagin's Bulk Mail Service.