WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – All-Americans and three-year Academic All-Big Ten honorees Grace Cleveland and Ben Bramley have been selected as Purdue Athletics' recipients of the Big Ten Medal of Honor for the 2021-22 school year, recognizing their dual proficiency in scholarship and athletics.
As standouts for volleyball and diving, Cleveland and Bramley have represented the Boilermakers with distinction at the NCAA Tournament and NCAA Championships. They graduated last month with bachelor's degrees in retail management and finance.
Cleveland and Bramley represent the Boilermakers in the 108th class of recipients of the Big Ten's most prestigious award. Established during the 1914-15 school year, the Big Ten Medal of Honor was the first award in the nation to demonstrate support for the educational emphasis placed on athletics. It is awarded to one male and one female student-athlete from the graduating class of each Big Ten institution. The 28 honorees from around the conference traditionally becomes an all-sports who's who list of the best and brightest in the league.
Cleveland was the Purdue Female Athlete of the Year for the 2020-21 school year after being a first-team All-American. The three-time first-team All-Big Ten performer led the Boilermakers to consecutive appearances in a Regional Final at the NCAA Tournament as an upperclassman and a 90-31 overall record during her four seasons.
Bramley was the 2021 NCAA silver medalist in platform diving, helping Purdue produce the first 1-2 finish in a diving event at the national championship meet in 15 years. He's also a three-time medalist in his marquee event at the Big Ten Championships. Bramley was an Academic All-America honoree last season and is back on the ballot again this year.
Cleveland is the third member of Purdue volleyball to be recognized with the Big Ten Medal of Honor in the last decade. Bramley is Purdue's sixth diver to be honored in that same timeframe.
Cleveland closed out her collegiate career as a three-time All-American. Making her mark in program history, she totaled 12 record-book nods between match, season and career top 10 lists – accomplishments ranging from ranking third all-time in career block assists (423), the most efficient hitting percentage in a four-set match (20+ attempts), and becoming one of just eight Boilermakers this century to eclipse 1,320 career kills.
During the 2021 campaign, Cleveland was instrumental in Purdue's second consecutive NCAA Regional Final appearance, a 26-win season (the most in 10 years), five victories over top-eight ranked opponents and its highest AVCA coaches poll ranking in program history (No. 4 on Sept. 27). The opposite went errorless twice during the regular season and posted just one error in Purdue's five-set comeback victory vs. Dayton in the NCAA Second Round (17 kills, 1 error, 34 swings for a .471 attack %). A powerhouse at the net, Cleveland reached a .400 hitting efficiency nine times in 2021, including five matches above .500.
Bramley was a four-year All-American on the 10-meter platform, continuing on Purdue's tradition of excellence on the tower. He competed for the NCAA title among the eight finalists in the event as a freshman and junior. At the Big Ten Championships, he won silver as a sophomore plus bronze as a freshman and junior. The Massachusetts native accounted for 193 team points during his career at Big Tens, ranking second most among his class. He graduated ranked fifth on Purdue's all-time list on the platform, with only four Olympians above him.
Internationally, Bramley has represented USA Diving at the FINA World Championships (South Korea), Pan American Games (Peru) and FINA Diving Team Exhibition (United Arab Emirates). He was a silver medalist in 10-meter synchro at the 2019 USA Diving Senior National Championships and a finalist individually at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials.
Purdue swimming & diving has accounted for a department-high 17 Big Ten Medal of Honor recipients since the 1996-97 school year.
As standouts for volleyball and diving, Cleveland and Bramley have represented the Boilermakers with distinction at the NCAA Tournament and NCAA Championships. They graduated last month with bachelor's degrees in retail management and finance.
Cleveland and Bramley represent the Boilermakers in the 108th class of recipients of the Big Ten's most prestigious award. Established during the 1914-15 school year, the Big Ten Medal of Honor was the first award in the nation to demonstrate support for the educational emphasis placed on athletics. It is awarded to one male and one female student-athlete from the graduating class of each Big Ten institution. The 28 honorees from around the conference traditionally becomes an all-sports who's who list of the best and brightest in the league.
Cleveland was the Purdue Female Athlete of the Year for the 2020-21 school year after being a first-team All-American. The three-time first-team All-Big Ten performer led the Boilermakers to consecutive appearances in a Regional Final at the NCAA Tournament as an upperclassman and a 90-31 overall record during her four seasons.
Bramley was the 2021 NCAA silver medalist in platform diving, helping Purdue produce the first 1-2 finish in a diving event at the national championship meet in 15 years. He's also a three-time medalist in his marquee event at the Big Ten Championships. Bramley was an Academic All-America honoree last season and is back on the ballot again this year.
Cleveland is the third member of Purdue volleyball to be recognized with the Big Ten Medal of Honor in the last decade. Bramley is Purdue's sixth diver to be honored in that same timeframe.
| BIG TEN MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENTS | |
| VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS • Anne McMenamy – 1981-1982 • Jane Neff – 1982-83 • Jan Hoosline – 1983-84 • Annett Bauer – 1984-85 • Cheryl Flowers – 1985-86 • Barbara Meeker – 1988-89 • Ariel Turner – 2012-13 • Ashley Evans – 2017-18 • Grace Cleveland – 2021-22 |
DIVERS • Carrie McCambridge – 2005-2006 • Casey Matthews – 2013-2014 • MacKenzie Tweardy – 2014-2015 • Jamie Bissett – 2014-2015 • Emily Bretscher – 2020-2021 • Brandon Loschiavo – 2020-2021 • Ben Bramley – 2021-2022 |
Cleveland closed out her collegiate career as a three-time All-American. Making her mark in program history, she totaled 12 record-book nods between match, season and career top 10 lists – accomplishments ranging from ranking third all-time in career block assists (423), the most efficient hitting percentage in a four-set match (20+ attempts), and becoming one of just eight Boilermakers this century to eclipse 1,320 career kills.
During the 2021 campaign, Cleveland was instrumental in Purdue's second consecutive NCAA Regional Final appearance, a 26-win season (the most in 10 years), five victories over top-eight ranked opponents and its highest AVCA coaches poll ranking in program history (No. 4 on Sept. 27). The opposite went errorless twice during the regular season and posted just one error in Purdue's five-set comeback victory vs. Dayton in the NCAA Second Round (17 kills, 1 error, 34 swings for a .471 attack %). A powerhouse at the net, Cleveland reached a .400 hitting efficiency nine times in 2021, including five matches above .500.
Bramley was a four-year All-American on the 10-meter platform, continuing on Purdue's tradition of excellence on the tower. He competed for the NCAA title among the eight finalists in the event as a freshman and junior. At the Big Ten Championships, he won silver as a sophomore plus bronze as a freshman and junior. The Massachusetts native accounted for 193 team points during his career at Big Tens, ranking second most among his class. He graduated ranked fifth on Purdue's all-time list on the platform, with only four Olympians above him.
Internationally, Bramley has represented USA Diving at the FINA World Championships (South Korea), Pan American Games (Peru) and FINA Diving Team Exhibition (United Arab Emirates). He was a silver medalist in 10-meter synchro at the 2019 USA Diving Senior National Championships and a finalist individually at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials.
Purdue swimming & diving has accounted for a department-high 17 Big Ten Medal of Honor recipients since the 1996-97 school year.