May 20, 2009

BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference recently announced the spring honorees of the HCAC All-Academic awards for the 2008-09 school year. 15 Bluffton University athletes were recognized for their efforts in the classroom. Track and field led the way for the Beavers with five honorees: SARAH BINKLEY (Bluffton/Cory Rawson), DEB DAVIS (Seneca, Penn./Christian Like Academy), KAYLA PICKERING (Jamestown/Greenview), BRIAN TIMPE (Wauseon/Pike-Delta-York) and BEN SIEBERT (Celina).

CURTIS SCHROEDER (Shelby), ALLEN SLABAUGH (Dalton), CODY MCPHERSON(Northwood/Millbury Lake) and DAVID RIDDLE (Milford) were the baseball players recognized by the HCAC. Men's tennis and softball both placed three players on the HCAC All-Academic team following the spring semester.

JOHN MARK STRATFORD (Pandora/Pandora-Gilboa), LUKE ROESCHLEY (Chicago, Ill./Whitney Young) and KENDALL CHURCH (Ft. Wayne, Ind./Northrop) represented the men's tennis team, while KELLIE KENNEY (Toledo/Emmanuel Baptist), BROOKE BABCOCK(Findlay) and TORRIE WILSON (Delphos/Jefferson) of the softball team rounded out the Bluffton contingent.

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. The women's basketball team was honored as Academic All-Heartland Conference after posting a GPA above 3.25 for the semester.

-BEAVERS-