Nine Bluffton University football players were recently honored by the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference for their play during the 2010 season. The athletes were selected by the Heartland Conference coaches following the completion of the regular season.

Taking home his second All-Heartland Conference honor was First Team selection Justin Crosier (Columbus/Hamilton Township), a junior defensive lineman who moved from end to nose tackle midway through the season. Crosier, who was honorable mention All-HCAC as a sophomore, stuffed opposing offenses with an HCAC-leading 19.0 tackles for loss which placed him tied for eighth nationally in Division III. In addition to his prowess at stopping the run, Crosier paced the Beavers and finished second in the Heartland Conference with 7.5 sacks for a loss of 51 yards. He tallied a team-high 63 stops, 39 unassisted, while forcing a pair of fumbles and two quarterback hurries.

Junior Todd Trotter (Cincinnati/Aiken University) earned his second straight First Team All-Heartland Conference honor as a specialist for Bluffton. Trotter, who led Bluffton with 38 receptions for 361 yards (9.5 yards per catch), proved to be a valuable weapon both on offense and special teams. He returned 29 kickoffs for 589 yards (20.3 yards per return), giving him a team-high 987 yards of total offense (98.7 yards per game). It marked his second season leading Bluffton in that category as Trotter's 909 return yards in 2009 was boosted by returns of 80 and 86 yards for touchdowns. His long return in 2010 was 40 yards. Trotter was also named Second Team All-Conference as a kick returner this season.

Offensive lineman Russell Krouse (Huntsville/Indian Lake) received his first All-Heartland Conference award in 2010. The three-year starter provided protection for Bluffton's improved offense that saw three Beavers each go for over 200 yards on the ground. Krouse, a two-year starter at left tackle, was also instrumental in Bluffton completing 56.5 percent of its passes, the best percentage by a Beaver squad since Jared Owens directed the offense in 2003.

Free safety Steve Sealscott (Van Wert) collected his third straight piece of All-Heartland Conference post-season hardware. The three-year starter at free safety picked up 31 tackles despite being limited to six games due to injury. Sealscott returned a fumble 36 yards for a touchdown in the season-opening win at Kalamazoo, taking home HCAC Player of the Week honors following his performance against the Hornets. The junior added an interception and two breakups for the Beavers.

Freshman quarterback Tyler Wright (Troy) earned honorable mention All-HCAC acclaim while proving his mettle as both a passer and a runner. Wright led the Beavers with 764 yards on 87-of-139 passing with four touchdowns and a 62.6 completion percentage, the third-highest single-season percentage in Bluffton history. He also paced the ground game with 611 yards rushing and two scores.

Sophomore Stephen Miller (Logan) was named honorable mention All-HCAC for the second time in 2010. He came in seventh for the Beavers with 33 tackles, including 18 solos. Miller's seven tackles for loss was the third-highest total on the team and he finished with 2.5 sacks for a loss of 26 yards. The defensive end recovered two fumbles and recorded a quarterback hurry.

Linebacker Jake Luthy (Ida, Mich./Ida) picked up his first honorable mention All-HCAC award while racking up 50 tackles this season. His 31 solo stops was the second highest total for Bluffton and his 50 total tackles placed him third. Luthy was instrumental in slowing opposing offenses, piling up nine tackles for a loss of 41 yards and five sacks for 33 yards. The junior forced two fumbles, recovered one, broke up a pass and added a quarterback hurry.

Also earning his first All-Heartland Conference selection was sophomore Josh Runda (Lima/Bath) who tallied 45 tackles while coming off the bench in 2010. His 45 tackles was the fourth-highest total for Bluffton. Runda, a two-sport standout who saw time behind the plate for the Bluffton baseball team as a freshman, forced a pair of fumbles and came up with an interception this season. He racked up 30 solo tackles and seven tackles for a loss of 19 yards. The linebacker added four sacks for 16 yards and broke up a pass.

Junior Shane Hubbard (Johnstown/Big Walnut) finished the season as the number two-leading tackler for the Beavers with 53 stops, including 24 unassisted. He forced a fumble and recorded a tackle for loss while moving up to eighth all-time at Bluffton with 185 career tackles. It marked Hubbard's second consecutive selection as honorable mention All-HCAC after leading Bluffton with 84 tackles last season.

The Beavers (4-6, 3-5 HCAC) fashioned their best season since Bluffton went 5-5 in 2004. Bluffton will return experience and depth all over the field in 2011 with just six seniors graduating in the spring. Full statistics and information on the 2010 football season are available online at www.blufftonbeavers.com/football.

2010 Fall All-HCAC Sportsmanship Team announced

The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference has announced the All-HCAC Sportsmanship Team for the fall of 2010. This 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 field/court of competition.

Nominees must be a member of an intercollegiate athletics team during the 2010-11 academic year and must have demonstrated consistently the values of respect, and integrity in his or her daily participation in intercollegiate athletics.

Selections will also be made at the end of the winter and spring seasons. Below are the Fall 2010 honorees from Bluffton University.

Heather Rodman, Volleyball, Sr.

Aaron Wladischkin, Football, Sr.

Dylan Mathews, Men's Soccer, Fr.

Megan Moreo, Women's Soccer, Fr.

Heather Smith, Women's Cross Country, Jr.

Kevin Hickman, Men's Cross Country, Jr.