HAMMOND & WESTVILLE, Ind. -- The Purdue University Northwest Pride lead the way in the Game Plan Race for 2020 Power Rankings, edging out the University of Massachusetts and University of Cincinnati.

Game Plan is an online software platform that helps athletic organizations deliver online education, mentorship and career services to support their athletes through every step of their development. With Game Plan, the Pride have at their fingertips access to education on such topics as sports wagering, mental health, and sexual violence. The Black and Gold have an outlet to seek mentors in their chosen fields, a career marketplace with jobs and internships, and resources to improve both themselves and their team chemistry.

"I am so proud of the Pride and their constant dedication to improving themselves," said PNW Director of Athletics Rick Costello. "With Game Plan, our students have another tool to learn and make professional connections. The Power Rankings further shows the ongoing passion our student-athletes constantly give both in competition and in the classroom."

The Race for 2020 Power Rankings are drawn from an institution's aggregate usage throughout the year and divided by the number of athletes per school. At the end of the year, the top three institutions are awarded a prize from Game Plan. Updated rankings are posted each month with the next expected rankings will be released in mid-April.

"Our goal at Game Plan is to help our athletic departments scale their education and reach their athletes with important educational content wherever they are," said Christian Kuehne, Director of Client Success at Game Plan. "Seeing the commitment that Rick Costello and has team have shown in their first few months with the software has been tremendous, especially as online education and staying in touch with athletes is more important now than it has ever been. We look forward to seeing the continued growth and if Purdue Northwest can hold on to the top spot throughout 2020."