Hall of Fame: Start at Purdue Began an Incredible Career for Sesselmann

FULL CLASS OF 2022 | HALL OF FAME HOMEPAGE
 

What started as a positive first impression for Lauren Sesselmann turned into an All-Big Ten career and three NCAA Tournament appearances with the Purdue Soccer program, an Olympic bronze medal and World Cup appearance with the Canadian National Team and now, a spot in the Leroy Keyes Purdue Athletics Hall of Fame.
 
Sesselmann is a native of Green Bay, Wisconsin, and didn’t know a lot about Purdue before the recruiting process began. Once she met then-head coach Robert Klatte and stepped on campus, she knew it was the place to call home.
 
“When I came on my official visit, I said, ‘this is the most beautiful campus I have ever seen,'” Sesselmann said. “Everybody was so kind, I liked the facilities. I knew this was the place for me. It felt like home when I was there.”
 
Those feelings were only solidified when Sesselmann arrived on campus for preseason training as a freshman in the summer of 2001.
 
Sesselmann’s career started with a bang, with a two-goal performance in her first career game, a 3-1 win over Georgetown on August 31, 2001. She led the team with nine goals that season, just the fourth in the program’s young history. Sesselmann became the first player in team history to be recognized as an All-American, with freshman team accolades, and added all-region honors. Six goals and 16 points followed in 2002 as Sesselmann helped lead Purdue to its first NCAA Tournament appearance and a third-place finish in the Big Ten. She earned all-region honors from a pair of national outlets.
 
The Boilermakers, and Sesselmann, continued their ascent in 2003 when the team reached the third round of the NCAA Tournament. Sesselmann became the first Boilermaker to score 10 goals in a season and was named to the All-Big Ten First Team and two all-region teams.
 
After missing the 2004 season, Sesselmann came back in 2005 to again lead Purdue to the NCAA Tournament and a runner-up finish in the Big Ten. She once more paced the team with nine goals and 23 points and collected First Team All-Big Ten accolades and all-region second team honors.
 
A highlight-reel Purdue career featured the first three NCAA Tournament appearances in team history, six school records, including goals (34), assists (22) and points (90). It’s easy to see that Sesselmann left her mark in five…