Noblesville graduate Palmer Ault was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year. Ault is playing his senior season at Indiana University after three successful years at Butler University and has adapted well to the Hoosiers team, scoring 16 goals and making 10 assists. (Photo provided by Palmer Ault)
Noblesville star now playing for IU
By QUINN MATTHEWS
Palmer Ault’s soccer career has been filled with record-setting performances.
He was a four-year varsity starter at Noblesville High School, and over those four years he totaled a school-record 173 points on 67 goals and 39 assists. He was awarded state player of the year, Mr. Soccer 2021, by the Indiana Soccer Coaches Association and aided Noblesville in winning the 2021 IHSAA Class 3A state championship.
Ault continued his career at Butler University where he was named Big East Freshman of the Year along with many other awards, and by the end of his junior year with Butler he had 21 goals and 12 assists, totaling 54 points.
He is now finishing his college career at Indiana University, where he was just named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, a credit he is extremely grateful to receive.
“It’s been a fantastic season and receiving that honor means a lot to me, but as much as that may seem like an individual award, to me it’s more about the collective effort that we’ve had this season and my teammates putting me in good positions to succeed,” said Palmer Ault.
Transitioning from the Big East conference to the Big Ten conference is a drastic change. While IU is only 30 minutes farther from home than Butler, the Hoosiers’ soccer reputation is anchored with eight NCAA championship wins under their belt.
“Making that switch [in December] allowed me to go through some adjustments early on, but once I hit the ground running in a few spring games and over the course of the spring season, coming into the fall has been nothing new to me,” said Ault.
Ault adapted quickly and integrated cleanly with the team on and off the field, his coach is especially impressed with the impact he has made on the team.
“He’s been phenomenal on the field, in the locker room, and off the field, how do you not cheer for that kid, he’s just a really good human,” said IU’s head coach Todd Yeagley.
With so much pressure put on Ault, he embraces it all with the pride of being able to play for IU and representing Indiana alongside his amazing teammates.
“When we put that jersey on and we’re out there on our home field, we know the expectation, and the expectation is to win these games and we’re really excited for it,” said Ault.
He consistently fulfills expectations and continually pushes himself to be a better player.
“He came here to get this opportunity, he could have stayed at Butler and had a really good year and scored a lot of goals, but he felt when he made that decision that he wanted to challenge himself and get outside of his comfort zone,” said Yeagley.
Ault intends to continue to pursue goals outside of his comfort zone with hopes of turning professional after college. He previously played a season with Colorado, which retains his MLS rights through 2025, an experience that has helped open doors as he works toward his soccer career beyond the collegiate level.
“Being able to have an opportunity to play for an MLS team and get an opportunity to be in a preseason and earn my way to a contract is the goal for me, and I think that’s been the goal for a little while now, and this has been another step closer in achieving that goal,” said Ault.
Reflecting on all of his hard work through high school and college, it’s clear that Ault takes great pride in every step of his journey.
“Playing at so many different levels in Indiana has meant a lot to stay home and play for my family, my friends, and my community. So bringing a state championship to Noblesville was a fantastic honor, and playing at Butler was great as well, being able to stay close to home and perform at a high level,” said Ault. “Moving on to my final stage in my college career in Indiana has been nothing short of amazing.”
