May 16, 2012
BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference recently announced the spring honorees of the HCAC All-Academic awards for the 2011-12 school year. Bluffton University had 20 spring athletes recognized for their efforts in the classroom. Baseball along with track and field led the way for the Beavers with nine and six honorees, respectively.
Senior MATT MCKINNEY (Columbus Grove/Bath) joined three juniors and four sophomores on the baseball team who were recognized by the Heartland Conference. Juniors MATT CALHOUN(Bonita Springs, Fla./South Fort Myers) MARK HADAYA (Beavercreek) and KYLE NIERMANN(Napoleon) were all recognized for the second straight year. Sophomores TIM WEBB(Delaware/Worthington Christian), a second team All-HCAC honoree for the second consecutive year, BEN ROESCHLEY (Graymont, Ill./Flanagan), DOUG PAULLIN(Jeromesville/Hillsdale), KYLE STOVER (Tipp City/Tippecanoe) and twin brother TODD STOVER (Tipp City/Tippecanoe) all secured Academic All-HCAC in their first year of eligibility.
Six members from outdoor track and field received Academic All-Conference honors for 2011-12. Senior ANDREW CHAFFEE (Clarkston, Mich.) and junior CHRIS ARNOLD (Fort Wayne, Ind./Canterbury) from the men's team as well as senior MEGAN NEAL (Arlington) along with sophomores KAYLA MULLENHOUR (Delphos/Jefferson), BRANDI DOMINIQUE (Wauseon) and JULIE COURT (Galion) from the women's squad were recognized. Chaffee earned Academic All-HCAC honors for the third consecutive year, while Neal and Arnold both notched the honor for the second straight season.
The men's tennis team placed nearly half of its squad on the HCAC All-Academic team for the 2012 Spring season as four members showed off on the court and in the classroom. Senior JON CUNNINGHAM (Negley/East Palestine) and juniors KYLE SCHMIDT (Berne, Ind./South Adams) and JOHN OYER (Hesston, Kan./Hesston) were joined by sophomore MATT WEISENBORN (Bowling Green/Otsego).
Sophomore NATALIE NIKITAS (Jeffersonville, Ind.) from the softball team earned HCAC All-Academic honors in her first year of eligibility.
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 39 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.
-BEAVERS-