May 14, 2013
BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference recently announced the spring honorees of the HCAC All-Academic awards for the 2012-13 school year. Bluffton University had 19 spring athletes recognized for their efforts in the classroom. Baseball along with track and field led the way for the Beavers with seven and five honorees, respectively.
Seniors MATT CALHOUN (Bonita Springs, Fla./South Fort Myers) and MARK HADAYA(Beavercreek) were both recognized for the third straight year. Juniors TIM WEBB(Delaware/Worthington Christian) BEN ROESCHLEY (Graymont, Ill./Flanagan) and TODD STOVER (Tipp City/Tippecanoe) all secured Academic All-HCAC for the second straight year. The three juniors were also named honorable mention All-Heartland Conference for their play on the field this spring. Earning HCAC All-Academic honors in their first year of eligibility were sophomores JEFF ROTH (Bellevue) and BRAD SCHLABACH (Fredericksburg/Hiland).
Five members from outdoor track and field received Academic All-Conference honors for 2012-13. Senior CHRIS ARNOLD (Fort Wayne, Ind./Canterbury) from the men's team walked away with his third straight All-Academic honor. Seniors ALISON JANZEN (Whitewater, Kan.) and 2012-13 Kathryn E. Little Award Winner MADDIE MOORE (Linn Grove, Ind./South Adams) were both honored as well as juniors KAYLA MULLENHOUR (Delphos/Jefferson) and JULIE COURT (Galion) from the women's squad. Mullenhour and Court both notched the honor for the second straight season. Moore and Janzen were also recognized following their respective soccer and cross country seasons.
The men's tennis team was just shy of placing half of its squad on the HCAC All-Academic team for the 2013 spring season as three members showed off on the court and in the classroom. JOHN OYER (Hesston, Kan./Hesston), a repeat honoree, was joined by fellow senior LUCAS FULLENKAMP (Botkins) and sophomore MATT MCCOY (Archbold).
Junior NATALIE NIKITAS (Jeffersonville, Ind.) from the softball team earned HCAC All-Academic honors for the second straight season. Also recognized in their first year of eligibility were sophomores BRITTANY BAKER (Springboro), JESSICA KUZARA (Flat Rock, Mich./Huron) and EMILY KOLEZYNSKI (Strongsville). Baker was an honorable mention All-HCAC selection this spring as well.
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.
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