LAFAYETTE, Ind. - On March 8, Goshen College competed in its first ever disc golf competition as the Maple Leafs faced Purdue University at Murdock Park in Lafayette, Indiana. The Boilermakers, who will be competing in the college national championship next month, prevailed in the exhibition contest, 3-0.

Head coach Jason Samuel noted that this matchup was never about score. "Our focus was on competing, learning, and building, and I was impressed with our energy and grit," said Samuel. "For some of our disc golfers, this was their first tournament. We set a baseline and will use that as we prepare for the conference tournament at the end of the month."

Purdue only has a men's team, but the Maple Leafs were competing with both men and women in the event. In the top division (MC1), Goshen's Jory Umble led the Leafs at two over par, and outperformed one of the four Boilermakers in the top division. Saroj Kauffman came in at +5 followed by a pair of recruits - Mack Hochstetler at +6 and Damian Evans at +14. The top division played from the long tees whereas the other two played from the short tees.

In the intermediate division (MC2), Jacob Near led the Leafs with a score of +3 and Emerson Landis came in at +16. From the women's team, Ines Villasenor Rodriguez scored +30 and Dhalia Hernandez Thut was +48. The MC3 team was also composed of two Maple Leaf men and women. Anton Alstrom-Brookhyser came in at +18, Anthony Beatriz at +28, Morgan Chupp at +36 and Nayesha Adderley at +40.

Goshen and Purdue plan to continue this head-to-head home and home series into the future.

The last competition for the Maple Leafs before their first full season in 2026-27 is the Great Lakes Conference Tournament at Oshtemo Township Park in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The Leafs will compete on Saturday, March 28, at 10:00 am.