February 28, 2017
BLUFFTON, Ohio - Bluffton senior AUSTIN ROHDE (Shelby) capped off his stellar career at the University by being just one of six players to earn First Team All-Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference honors! Rohde collected hardware for the second straight season after the high flyer was a second team selection as a junior. Sophomore Jared Wentling (Carey) scooped up Honorable Mention All-HCAC for his cage efforts this year.
A two-time HCAC Player of the Week this season, Rohde will exit Bluffton as one of the most dynamic scorers in school history. His 512 points as a senior is #14 all-time as are his 1,279 career tallies. Rohde poured in 20.5 PPG which placed him 2nd in the Heartland Conference. He is the most prolific free throw shooter in Bluffton history, knocking down a Bluffton-best 85.0 percent at the stripe (249-of-293), while his three-point stroke was also highly formidable at 42.9 percent (7th all-time). He is 9th on the all-time list with 138 triples and his 249 freebies are tied for 15th at Bluffton. Rohde also terrorized opponents at the other end, picking up 100 steals (tied for 11th all-time) which led to a bevy of highlight-reel dunks in front of the Sommer Center faithful! His 42.7 percent from distance was 9th in the conference this season and his 86.3 percent at the line was 4th.
Jared Wentling secured Honorable Mention All-HCAC in just his second season with the Beavers. He bucketed 13.8 PPG on 151-of-290 from the field and his 52.1 percent from the field was 9th in the conference. Despite matching up against the biggest bruisers in the conference, Wentling ripped down 7.6 boards per game (2nd in the HCAC). He dished out 26 assists, came up with 23 steals and blocked a team-high 19 shots this season. After just two seasons, Wentling has eclipsed 500 career points (578) and his 370 career rebounds has him on pace to become just the 12th Beaver to post 1,000 points and 500 boards in a career.
Bluffton senior ADAM HOPKINS (Wellington/Keystone) was also recognized by the HCAC by being placed on the All-Conference Sportsmanship team for the 2016-17 season. The award has been developed as part of a conference-wide sportsmanship initiative. Members of the All-HCAC Sportsmanship team are selected by the coaches and their teammates as individuals who demonstrate the ideals of positive sportsmanship both on and off the court.
-BEAVERS-
