Season-end honors were earned by several Bluffton University fall sport athletes. Here’s a summary.
Men’s soccer
The Bluffton University men's soccer program saw two individuals recognized when the Heartland Conference handed out its 2019 post-season hardware. Sophomore Dalton Taynor (Troy/Miami East) was named Second Team All-HCAC, the highest Heartland Conference honor for a men's soccer player since 2014.
Freshman keeper Tanner Newport (Hamilton, Va./Loudoun Valley) notched honorable mention recognition for his work in goal.
Taynor netted an HCAC-best 12 goals in 2019 which placed him in a tie for 7th on Bluffton's single-season list. His 29 points, which also topped the conference, left him 7th for a single season at Bluffton. Taynor finished second in the conference with 60 shots, including 29 on frame. He is already 8th all-time on Bluffton's career list with 19 tallies, while his 43 points are tied for 9th all-time.
Also making his mark in the conference was Tanner Newport who did his part with an HCAC-leading 125 saves. His .723 save percentage was fifth in the Heartland Conference. Newport was involved in two shutouts while starting all 19 matches for the Beavers in 2019.
The men ended the season with their best overall record since 2014.
Women’s soccer
The Bluffton University women's soccer team place two individuals on the Honorable Mention All-HCAC squad following the 2019 season. Senior Aubrey Bartel (Newton, KS/Newton) and junior Maddie Huffman (Maineville/Little Miami) were honored when the Heartland Conference coaches cast their votes for the top players in the HCAC.
Bartel has been a cornerstone of Bluffton's defense, starting 44 of the 55 matches in which she played, including all 35 over the past two seasons. She finished her career with one assist which she notched as a junior. Bartel has been in integral part of the campus community while earning HCAC All-Academic honors each year in which she has been eligible.
Taking her game to a new level this year, Huffman led the Beavers with six goals while her 16 points ranked eighth in the Heartland Conference. She moved up into a more offensive position as a junior and the move paid immediate dividends as Huffman blasted away with a team-high 53 shots. She has started 50 of 52 matches as a Beaver and was a member of the Bluffton women's basketball team as a freshman and sophomore.
Bluffton (6-10-2 and 3-4-2 HCAC) forged its best mark in the Heartland Conference since 2011 when the Beavers went 5-3-1 and played in the HCAC championship game. The women ended their season with the best Bluffton record since 2015 when they went 7-11.
Volleyball
The Bluffton University volleyball team placed three Beavers on the 2019 All-Heartland Conference teams which were announced on Monday, Nov. 11. Remi Bower (Deshler/Patrick Henry) continued Bluffton's tradition of outside hitters earning First Team honors, while fellow junior Sarah Heydinger (Tiro/Buckeye Valley) and sophomore Brooke Kleman (Glandorf/Ottawa-Glandorf) notched Honorable Mention All-HCAC for their work on the court.
Bower led the Heartland Conference with 419 kills and her 3.81 kills per set were third in the HCAC. She hammered home a career-high 24 kills in a match three times this season, including against long-time rival Defiance College on the final Wednesday of regular season play. Bower showed her versatility with 178 digs, 46 blocks and 20 service aces. She paced the Beavers with 468.5 points as a junior.
Making her mark on the record books, Bower is currently 2nd all-time with 3.81 kills per set this season, while her 419 kills are 10th all time. She is also 4th on the career list with 2.92 kills per set heading into her senior campaign. Bower needs just 107 kills to eclipse 1,000 for her career.
Another junior who has been a mainstay in Bluffton's lineup the past three season, Sarah Heydinger was named Honorable Mention All-HCAC after blasting away with a career-best best 262 kills which leaves her just 26 away from 500 career spikes. Her 25 blocks pushed Heydinger to 100 for her career. She also chipped in with 64 digs and 12 aces.
Brooke Kleman, who was named to the All-Freshman Team in 2018, earned Honorable Mention acclaim for the second straight season. She finished 6th in the conference with 479 digs, giving her 1,012 following two seasons as the Beaver libero. Kleman is currently 4th all-time on the career list with 4.73 digs per set. The back row specialist fired a team-best 36 aces and added 78 assists as a sophomore.
Bluffton ended the 2019 season with a mark of 7-24 overall and returned to the Heartland Conference Tournament for the 12th consecutive season.
