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throughout her fight, maintaining close to her usual vigor on the sidelines. At the NCAA Tournament, she came to midcourt to confront an official, after the crew decided to look at the monitor to review a poten- tial elbow by a Boilermaker. It brought the ire of the pro-Louisville crowd. Kix, the former lacrosse coach at Maine and a national champion assistant at UConn, was on the sideline for home games and the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments, but national rankings she's missed the occasional AP Top 25 USA Today Coaches (March 18, final poll) (March 18, final poll) road trip. 1. Baylor (40) 1. Baylor (30) "I feel great," Kix said 2. Notre Dame 2. Notre Dame (1) last week. "I finished all my 3. Connecticut 3. Connecticut 4. Stanford 4. Stanford chemo about three weeks 5. Duke 5. Duke ago. So I've been focusing 6. California 6. California on working out and eating, 7. Kentucky 7. Kentucky 8. Penn State 8. Penn State trying to put some weight 9. Texas A&M 9. Tennessee back on me. I've put five 10.Tennessee 10.Maryland pounds back on, so that's 11.UCLA 11.Texas A&M 12.Maryland 12.UCLA good, and my goal is to put 13.North Carolina 13.Georgia on a few more pounds be14.Georgia 14.South Carolina fore surgery. 15.Delaware 15.Dayton 16.Louisville 16.Delaware "Obviously then I'll have 17.South Carolina 17.Louisville two weeks when I can't eat 18. Dayton 18.North Carolina well after surgery. So right 19.Colorado 19.Colorado 20.Green Bay 20.Green Bay now I'm focusing on gain21. PURDUE 21. PURDUE ing weight, getting lots of 22.Syracuse 22.Syracuse rest and eating well. That's 23.Iowa State 23.Iowa State 24.Nebraska 24.Florida State what I've been doing the 25.Florida State 25. Nebraska last three weeks." Other receiving Other receiving votes: LSU, Michigan State, Gonzaga, Oklahoma State, Florida, Quinnipiac, Toledo, San Diego State, Marist, Princeton, Albany, Chattanooga votes: Marist, Middle Tennessee, Toledo, Princeton, San Diego State, South Florida, Gonzaga, DePaul, Villanova, Oklahoma State, Hampton, Liberty, Michigan State, St. John's News And Notes S Following the end of the season, the Boilermakers, particularly the returnees who played significantly last season, are taking some time off. Coach Sharon Versyp said she'd like to see those veterans get refreshed before starting back in to offseason conditioning on May 1. Some of those who were reserves last season will stay active over the next month but with a low-impact workout routine. This summer, coaches are allowed two hours to practice their players, either as a whole, a group or individually. "So that kind of puts things differently for us," Versyp said. "That will be working on fundamentals, whether it's footwork, defense, offensive skill set. It opens doors for us." S No offseason surgeries are set for the Boilermakers, but a few are still rehabbing from prior injuries. Sophomore forward Torrie Thornton redshirted last season after having two knee surgeries last summer. But Versyp says she's doing well now. "When we knew For we were going to redshirt her, we just wanted to take it real slow, so she doesn't have any more issues with the tendonitis in her knee," Versyp said. "She's starting to run. At the end of the year, they were doing defensive work with us and out on the court running sprints. "Torrie is on track with everything." Whitney Bays, a transfer from Maryland who sat out last season, is also rehabbing from knee surgery to repair an ACL for a second time. The forward is doing well, though, Versyp says. "It's amazing with knees," Versyp said. "You hit a wall, hit a wall, then one day you wake up and it feels so much better. "We're taking it slow with her. We've told her 'You need to be able to play (in mid-November).' " Last summer, Liza Clemons missed almost all conditioning after having shoulder surgery. The recovery, along with a stomach bug, limited her this season, but she's expected to be able to go full-go with conditioning this summer. Also, Taylor Manuel has experienced some knee issues, but she's not expected to need surgery. Versyp says she wants all the Boilermakers ready to go by June 10. "So everybody can do everything (is the plan)," she said. S Next season, Purdue has road games at Green Bay and Kansas. It will host Toledo, Central Michigan, IUPUI and Bowling Green at Mackey Arena. Plus, Purdue will play in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and has a Thanksgiving tournament against a field that includes Stanford. Notre Dame is not on the schedule next season. "We'll always play three BCS schools," Versyp said. "And we have some top mid-major schools." j daily headlines on recruiting and other Purdue sports news, check out GoldanDBlack express • volume 23, express 28 • 17