March 5, 2009
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BLUFFTON, Ohio - Bluffton University freshman EMILY SHELLABARGER (St. Marys/Memorial) was recently named Freshman of the Year as well as first team All-Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference for the 2008-09 season. Also recognized by the HCAC coaches was sophomore KIM MILLER (Delphos/St. John's) who earned honorable mention after being named to the 2007-08 All-Freshman Team. |
| Standout post player Emily Shellabarger is just the second Bluffton woman to be named first team All-HCAC since 2000-01 and only the third ever. She is the first Beaver to be named Freshman of the Year and it marked the third consecutive season that Bluffton has had a member of the All-Freshman Team. Topping the Heartland Conference with a 53.3 field goal percentage, Shellabarger hit 153-of-287 from the field. She placed second in the HCAC with 2.2 blocks per game. Her 8.7 rebounds per contest and 98 free throws made were third-best in the conference and she finished fifth in the HCAC at 16.2 points per game. Shellabarger's 406 points this season broke Tanya Rickenberg's freshman scoring mark of 391 and it placed her second on the single-season scoring list behind Paula Slaughter who bucketed 432 points in 1988-89. She was two boards shy (218) of Bluffton's single-season rebounding mark of 220, again set by Paula Slaughter in 1988-89. |
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Sophomore Kim Miller followed her outstanding first campaign at Bluffton with another superb season on the hardwood. After being named to the All-Freshman Team a year ago, Miller was selected honorable mention All-HCAC for 2008-09. She placed fifth in the HCAC with a 48.3 field goal percentage (98-of-203). Her 80.5 percent from the free throw line was fourth-best in the conference, while Miller's 3.65 assists per game was sixth in the HCAC. She was also top 12 in the Heartland Conference with 11.3 points per game and 1.81 steals per game. Miller tallied a career-high 23 points in Bluffton's HCAC tournament game at Hanover on February 24. |
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Bluffton University finished the 2008-09 campaign with a 15-11 mark overall, including a 7-9 record in HCAC contests. The Beavers' 15 victories were just one shy of matching the school mark of 16 wins by the 1995-96 squad. The women have shown marked improvement in each of Coach Shutler's four years at the helm. Bluffton has won four, six, 10 and 15 games under Shutler's tutelage. After showing up ninth on the pre-season HCAC coaches' poll, Bluffton went 7-9 and qualified for the HCAC tournament for the first time since it went to its current limited format. -BEAVERS- |