BLUFFTON, Ohio - A pair of Beavers were honored by the Heartland Conference when the post-season awards were handed out on Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023. Senior Elijah Zimmerman (Archbold) was named 2nd Team All-Heartland, while junior Jackson Clark (Mount Blanchard/Riverdale) took home Honorable Mention.
Zimmerman was recognized for the third straight year, moving up to the second team after a pair of honorable mention selections. He led the Beavers with seven goals and 18 points which placed him 8th in the conference at 1.06 PPG. His 44 shots and 23 on frame were both top eight in the Heartland.
The four-year starter finished 6th all-time with 57 points and his 24 goals are 7th on the career list at Bluffton. He dished out nine assists (14th all-time). His 6-of-6 on penalty kicks left Zimmerman just two behind all-time leader Nate Flath, while his seven match winners are only one behind Dalton Taynor who is at the top of the career list. Zimmerman played 4,782 minutes, sixth all-time for the Bluffton Men's Soccer Program.
Clark had a breakout junior campaign, more than doubling his career goal output with six tallies in 2023. The three-year starter drilled four free kicks, including the game winner at Heidelberg when he scored twice in the final two minutes en route to a stunning 4-3 victory for the Beavers! He is sitting on 10 goals and 21 career points heading into his final campaign at Bluffton.
When the Bluffton University men's soccer team notched a 1-1 tie at HCAC regular-season champion Manchester University on Wednesday, Oct. 25, a third straight Heartland Conference tournament berth was the reward as Bluffton secured the #6 seed. The Beavers dropped a 2-1 heartbreaker to eventual HCAC tournament champion Rose-Hulman. Junior Angel Velasco-Urbina (Lexington/Henry Clay) earned All-Tournament honors for his work in Bluffton's first-round contest .
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