Purdue’s steady-state architect with a Boilermaker heartbeat
Katie Gearlds is Purdue’s head coach, not a current player, and she’s been a stabilizing force in West Lafayette: in the 2025-26 season Purdue finished 13-17 overall and 5-13 in Big Ten play, while Gearlds’ tenure has included three postseason appearances in her first four seasons and a return to the NCAA Tournament in 2023, Purdue’s first since 2017[1][5][7]. Her differentiator is culture and credibility—she’s a Purdue Hall of Famer and former All-American who knows the program inside out, and that tends to show up in player development, toughness, and a roster that keeps competing even through bumps in the road[1][10].
