December 6, 2017
BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference recently announced the fall honorees of the HCAC All-Academic awards for the 2017-18 school year. Twenty Bluffton University athletes were recognized for their efforts in the classroom. Volleyball led the way for the Beavers with seven honorees. Cross Country and Football were impressive with five and four honorees, respectively. Women's Soccer checked in with three honorees, while one was recognized from Men's Soccer.
Wyatt Jarrell (Racine/Southern Local) earned his first Academic All-HCAC honoree while fellow senior Noah Rathbun (Erving, Mass./Pioneer Valley Regional) picked up his third straight award. Junior Sam Sturm (Miamisburg) notched his second straight honor while sophomore Dylan Burkholder (Lima/Bath) secured Academic All-HCAC recognition in his first year of eligibility.
Bluffton had five runners from the cross country team named Academic All-HCAC following the 2017 season. Senior Alissa Hauke (Hillsboro) secured her third straight HCAC All-Academic award while juniors Jonah Eckert (Terre Haute, Ind./West Vigo) and Daniel Gregg (Ontario/Mansfield Christian), took home their second straight honors. Sophomores Alexis Cash (Gaines, MI/Lake Fenton) and Dakota Frost (Edgerton/Hicksville) earned Academic All-HCAC in their first season of eligibility.
Juniors Casey Clark (Lima/Central Catholic), Jessie Gibson (Warsaw/River View), Bethany Martini (Pickerington/North), Erin Weisgarber (Bolivar/Tuscarawas Valley) collected Academic All-HCAC honors for the second consecutive season, both years in which they were eligible. They were joined by senior Lauren Miller (Dayton/Miamisburg) who was recognized last year as well. Sophomores Carley Lester (Chesapeake) and Katie Kline (Perrysville/Loudonville) made it seven award winners from volleyball.
Seniors Katelyn Gardella (Troy/Miami East) and Brittany Huff (Union/Northmont) are both three-time honorees from the women's soccer team while sophomore Aubrey Bartel (Newton, KS/Newton) collected her first Academic All-HCAC honor this fall.
Senior Blake Hershberger (Canton/McKinley) was honored for the second time following his final season on the Bluffton pitch.
To be named All-Academic HCAC, a student-athlete must have completed a full year at the institution, be a varsity athlete and carry a minimum cumulative grade point average of at least 3.50 through the semester preceding the end of the season.
Bluffton University is a liberal arts residential campus with undergraduate programs, adult degree completion programs in organizational management and human resource management and master's degree programs in education, organizational management and business administration. Founded in 1899 and affiliated with Mennonite Church USA, Bluffton is located in northwest Ohio. The institution has a growing enrollment of more than 1,100 students and 16 NCAA Division III athletics teams. Bluffton's hundred-year legacy is expressed today in its enduring values of discovery, community, respect and service that are woven into the academic program and campus life. Bluffton students go into the world prepared for life as well as for their chosen vocation.
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