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Lillie Cone
Photo by: Josh Gales
Lillie Cone Looks to Make a Difference
7/22/2026 12:44:00 PM | Women's Golf
In 2022, just 17 miles up the road from Purdue Fort Wayne in Auburn, Indiana, Lillie Cone had a decision to make.
The deadline to pick a college was right around the corner, and she had not landed on anything yet.
The 2023 graduate of DeKalb High School played basketball and golf and was good at both. She held the 3-point record for her basketball team and she finished 12th at the girls' golf state tournament.
With such a late start to her golf career – she had only started playing as a freshman in high school – and her 5-foot-4 frame, Cone was unsure if her college experience would include athletics.
In her first three years at Purdue Fort Wayne as a member of the women's golf team, Cone played in 46 rounds of golf for Purdue Fort Wayne and earned a degree.
Safe to say she's found success.
"I would do the same thing over again," Cone said.
She made the call to coach Jim Earle after her 12th-place finish at the state tournament, and before long she had fully decided on Purdue Fort Wayne as her next home.
"I love staying around here," Cone said. "I have family so close I can go visit my parents whenever and it's a great community."
Like her parents, Cone wants to be a teacher. While she plays her fourth season at Purdue Fort Wayne, she will be entering a transition to teaching program, with hopes to teach kindergarten, first or second grade.
"I think I always knew that teaching was my path. I knew in the back of my mind that teaching was definitely for me."
And how that teaching will look is molded from years of influence from two of her favorite teachers.
"As you're growing up and starting to look at the profession yourself, you realize you're not only there to teach the kids," Cone said.
"Kids come to school sometimes as an escape and if they come to talk to you, you're their person. I want to be there for every student I teach, no matter the mood I'm in, just show up for the kids and provide a safe space."
Whether it's her future classroom, or the basketball or golf teams that she hopes to eventually coach, safety and education is Cone's priority.
"When I was growing up, my parents made it a thing," Cone said. "Since I was little, the attitude was 'we're always there to help people.' Don't be selfish, always be there for everybody, no matter if they're there for you or not."
Cone will spend the next year preparing for the next step in her education and athletics career. She is back in Fort Wayne for her senior season with the Purdue Fort Wayne women's golf team, which opens the season on August 31 at the Midwest Match Play.
~ Feel the Rumble ~
The deadline to pick a college was right around the corner, and she had not landed on anything yet.
The 2023 graduate of DeKalb High School played basketball and golf and was good at both. She held the 3-point record for her basketball team and she finished 12th at the girls' golf state tournament.
With such a late start to her golf career – she had only started playing as a freshman in high school – and her 5-foot-4 frame, Cone was unsure if her college experience would include athletics.
In her first three years at Purdue Fort Wayne as a member of the women's golf team, Cone played in 46 rounds of golf for Purdue Fort Wayne and earned a degree.
Safe to say she's found success.
"I would do the same thing over again," Cone said.
She made the call to coach Jim Earle after her 12th-place finish at the state tournament, and before long she had fully decided on Purdue Fort Wayne as her next home.
"I love staying around here," Cone said. "I have family so close I can go visit my parents whenever and it's a great community."
Like her parents, Cone wants to be a teacher. While she plays her fourth season at Purdue Fort Wayne, she will be entering a transition to teaching program, with hopes to teach kindergarten, first or second grade.
"I think I always knew that teaching was my path. I knew in the back of my mind that teaching was definitely for me."
And how that teaching will look is molded from years of influence from two of her favorite teachers.
"As you're growing up and starting to look at the profession yourself, you realize you're not only there to teach the kids," Cone said.
"Kids come to school sometimes as an escape and if they come to talk to you, you're their person. I want to be there for every student I teach, no matter the mood I'm in, just show up for the kids and provide a safe space."
Whether it's her future classroom, or the basketball or golf teams that she hopes to eventually coach, safety and education is Cone's priority.
"When I was growing up, my parents made it a thing," Cone said. "Since I was little, the attitude was 'we're always there to help people.' Don't be selfish, always be there for everybody, no matter if they're there for you or not."
Cone will spend the next year preparing for the next step in her education and athletics career. She is back in Fort Wayne for her senior season with the Purdue Fort Wayne women's golf team, which opens the season on August 31 at the Midwest Match Play.
~ Feel the Rumble ~
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