February 27, 2018

All-Heartland Conference

BLUFFTON, Ohio - Bluffton senior Kevin ChRISTIE (Miamisburg/Bishop Fenwick) put an exclamation point on his record-setting season by being named Second Team All-Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference! Christie took home his first post-season All-HCAC hardware after leading the Beavers to their first Heartland Conference tournament since 2014-15. Sophomore ANDREW RENNER (Cairo/Bath) was selected Honorable Mention All-HCAC for his efforts on the hardcourt this year.

One of two HCAC Players of the Week this season from Bluffton, Christie will leave his mark on the Bluffton record book following three years as a Beaver. His .922 free throw percentage bumped out Chris Sheldon (.920) for the top spot on Bluffton's single-season list. Christie got to the line often and was lethal, draining an absurd 118-of-128 from the stripe! He was a magician with the ball, doling out 116 assists (10th all-time) and 2nd in the HCAC at 4.5 APG. His 17.7 PPG were 4th in the HCAC and his 48 triples (.410) led the Beavers from outside the arc. The talented point guard bucketed a career-high 32 on 12-of-17 from the field and 5-of-5 from distance when the Beavers nearly pulled off the upset of HCAC tournament champion Hanover College on January 27.

Christie parlayed his free throw shooting as a senior into the top spot on the career FT percentage list as well. He finished with an .874 mark at the line, hitting 174-of-199 on the way to eclipsing 2017 graduate Austin Rohde who knocked down .850 for his career. The floor general also moved up to 16th all-time with 230 career assists despite playing for just three years at Bluffton. He stands 18th all-time with 80 makes from distance for his career.

Andrew Renner made up for lost time after missing much of his freshman campaign with multiple injuries. The versatile wing scored 11.7 PPG on 109-of-244 from the field (.447 FG percentage). He hit 40-of-97 (.412) from deep and was 34-of-47 (.723) at the line. Renner led all Beavers who played at least 10 games with 5.1 RPG and 34 steals. He blocked 10 shots and was 3rd on the team with 51 assists. Saving his best work for rival Defiance College on February 7, Renner led the way with a career-best 23 points to go along with four boards, four assists and four triples.                                    

Bluffton senior AUSTIN BUCHHOLZ (Holgate) was also recognized by the HCAC with his placement on the All-Conference Sportsmanship team for the 2017-18 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-