The conference held a luncheon to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of becoming the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference. The HCAC formed before the 1998-1999 season since the former Indiana Collegiate Athletic Conference saw some significant changes in membership. Current members Bluffton University and the College of Mount St. Joseph joined original Indiana Collegiate Athletic Conference members and current HCAC members Anderson University, Franklin College, Hanover College, and Manchester College to form the HCAC. Defiance College, Transylvania University and Rose-Hulman have since been added, giving the HCAC nine member schools.

 

Bluffton's Sarah Betts (Bryan, Ohio/2002-2006) and Scott Bergman (Elmore, Ohio/2002-2006) were honored at the celebration. Betts, a softball pitcher for the Beavers, finished her career with school records in career ERA (1.36), opponent batting average (.176), strikeouts (749), shutouts (22), wins (60), and complete games (80). She tossed three no-hitters during her career and was the HCAC MVP as a sophomore. Bergman, a guard for BU's men's basketball team, finished his career third on the all-time Bluffton scoring list (1,660 pts). He set a single game school record with 50 points against Anderson during the 2005 season and also earned the conference's MVP award and first-team All-District honors by the NABC his junior year.

 

Betts made an indelible mark on the softball record book at Bluffton. She holds every significant season and career pitching mark for the Beavers. Betts finished her career with a 1.36 ERA, .176 opponent batting average, 8.12 strikeouts per seven innings, 60 wins, 80 complete games, 749 strikeouts and 22 shutouts. She holds single season marks with a 0.74 ERA, .146 opponent batting average, 9.14 strikeouts per seven innings, 25 wins, 29 complete games, 209 innings pitched, 11 shutouts and 273 strikeouts.

She was named first team All-Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference during each of her four years at Bluffton University, including being named Most Valuable Player of the HCAC in 2004 when she earned third team All-America honors.

 

Betts, who was an Academic All-American while majoring in chemistry and physics at Bluffton, is the daughter of John and Joy Betts, Bryan, Ohio.

 

As a first team all-conference selection in 2005-06, Scott Bergman again led the HCAC with 607 points, including 335 in conference play which gave him two of the top three scoring seasons in HCAC history. He averaged 23.9 points per game in conference contests which was nearly six points higher than anyone else in the HCAC. Bergman put up 22.5 points per game as a senior and finished his career as the third-most prolific scorer in Bluffton University history, behind only Pete DuMonte (2,416) and Clair Recker (1,667), with 1,660 points. Bergman scorched the nets for 30 or more points on seven occasions during his senior campaign after dropping a Bluffton record 50 points on HCAC rival Anderson as a junior.

 

Following a superb junior season that saw Bergman named HCAC Player of the Year, he was honored as first team All-District by the National Association of Basketball Coaches and third team All-Region by D3hoops.com. Bergman capped off his 2004-05 honors by being selected third-team All-American by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).

 

Bergman ended his career as a Division III second team selection on the 2006 Midwest Region All-District Team as voted on by the NABC. Longtime Hanover College head coach Mike Beitzel had this to say about Bergman, "He is the most complete player in the HCAC; great scorer, passer and rebounder. Scott is the type of player who makes everyone else on the team better."

 

Bergman is the son of John and Julie Bergman, Elmore, Ohio.

 

-BEAVERS-