WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Twenty-seven Purdue student-athletes were honored as Distinguished Scholar Award recipients by the Big Ten Conference on Wednesday.

The award was established by the Big Ten Faculty Representatives in February in order to supplement the Academic All-Big Ten program. In order to be eligible for the Distinguished Scholar Award, recipients must be in at least their second academic year at the institution and have a minimum GPA of 3.7 for the previous academic year, excluding summer school.

Of Purdue’s 27 recipients, six posted a perfect 4.0 GPA this year. Those individuals are bolded on the complete list below.

The Academic All-Big Ten threshold is a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher for their academic career. A total of 150 Boilermaker student athletes garnered Academic All-Big Ten honors during the 2008-09 school year. Purdue’s Distingushed Scholar Award recipients follow.

• Katie Beck, Women’s Swimming & Diving
• David Colturi, Men’s Swimming & Diving
• Scott Dean, Men’s Swimming & Diving
• Matthew DeSilva, Men’s Track & Field
• Danielle Eagan, Women’s Cross Country
• Laura Garriga, Women’s Basketball
• Nan Hammel, Women’s Track & Field
• Joe Holland, Football
• Liane Horiuchi, Softball
• Christine Inman, Women’s Swimming & Diving
• Alex Jaffee, Baseball
• Morgan Lebsack, Women’s Swimming & Diving
• Ashlee Lengacher, Women’s Track & Field
• Luke Manuel, Wrestling
• Danita Merlau, Women’s Volleyball
• Lauren Mioton, Women’s Basketball
• Katie Morrical, Women’s Track & Field
• Tom Oliver, Men’s Golf
• Mallory Peck, Women’s Track & Field
• Loredana Riverso, Soccer
• Kaitlin Seeger, Soccer
• Connor Sestak, Baseball
• Allie Smith, Women’s Swimming & Diving
• Eric Sparks, Men’s Track & Field
• Rachel Stalzer, Women’s Track & Field
• Matt Stewart, Men’s Swimming & Diving
• Mark Wohlford, Men’s Basketball

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue men’s golfer, Erich Johnston finished second at the Indiana Open Championship at the Brickyard Crossing in Indianapolis.

It is his second second-place finish in a significant Indiana golf tournament this summer after finishing as the runner-up at the Indiana State Amateur in June.

On Friday, Johnston had the lead going into the final round and fired a one-under par 71, but Aaron Monson from Ninevah, Ind., recorded a tournament-low 63 to earn a one-stroke victory in the event.

Johnston, a junior from Fort Wayne, Ind., opened the tournament with a 69, fired back-to-back 67s before finishing with a 71 for a four-round total of 274 (-13).

Monson’s nine-under par final round earned him a tournament total of 273 and the victory, while Chris Baker of Brownstown, Ind., finished third after carding a 71 on Friday for a total of 275.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue senior Maria Hernandez finished in second place following a three-hole playoff at the 21st International European Ladies’ Amateur Championship at the Golf Club Schloss Schönborn in Austria.

The two-time All-American, Hernandez ended regulation tied for the lead with fellow Spaniard, Carlota Ciganda after shooting a three-over 76 in her final round. Hernandez and Ciganda went on to break the tie with a playoff on holes 7, 8 and 9. Ciganda sealed her second European Championship title with birdies on the first two extra holes.

Hernandez entered the final round with a one shot lead over Ciganda and at one point held a three-stroke lead in her final round but was unable to clinch the victory when she missed a short put on 18, leaving her in a first place tie with a three-under par 289 (70-73-70-76).

Thea Hoffmeister, a second-semester freshman who will be eligible to compete for the Boilermakers in January, also competed in the event, ending tied for 19th with a four-day total of 300 (77-74-73-76).

The European Amateur Championship was held on the Red Course of the Golf Club Schloss Schönborn, a par-73, 5,959-yard venue. Approximately 124 players from 20 nations competed in four rounds of stroke play to earn the title of Europe’s best amateur.