Bluffton University continues to grow its network of Corporate and Education Partnerships in northwest Ohio.
The university has entered into 3-year Corporate Partner or Education Partner agreements with five companies and four school districts since fall 2020. In total, 11 Corporate Partners and nine Education Partners have signed on since the spring 2020 launch.
“We are excited about the leadership opportunities for our region,” said Dr. Jane Wood, president of Bluffton University.
The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) announced the results of the Spring 2021 Volleyball preseason poll, with Transylvania University slated to repeat as league champions.
The Pioneers racked up 95 points in the poll to claim the first-place slot. Hanover College was voted to finish second with 81 points, while Earlham College was picked to finish third, with 75 votes. Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (57) and Bluffton University (51) rounded out the top half of the poll in fourth and fifth respectively.
In a vote of league coaches, Transylvania University was selected as the favorite in the 2020-21 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) women’s basketball race.
The Pioneers earned 80 votes, placing them in the first slot. Franklin College was picked to finish second with 70 points. Anderson University and Hanover College finished in a tie for third with 57 points each, while Bluffton University rounded out the top five, receiving 47 points.
Listed below is the 2020-21 HCAC Women's Basketball Preseason Poll.
Junior Brianna Gillig (New Riegel) was named the Heartland Conference Player of the Week following a weekend sweep of rival Defiance College.
Gillig went for a game-high 28 points on 4-of-5 shooting from distance in Bluffton's 80-67 win at Defiance on Friday night. She netted 18.5 PPG over the weekend in the Bluffton victories. Gillig also pulled down seven rebounds per game while knocking down 14-of-25 from the field.
Bluffton returns to action next Friday, Jan. 22, when the Beavers travel to Earlham College for a 5 p.m. tip in Richmond, Ind.
Here are stories involving recent Bluffton University men's and women's basketball and indoor track.
Indoor track
The Bluffton University Beavers kicked off their indoor track season with the "2021 Friday Night Spikes Opener" at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they were unable to compete in an outdoor track season, so this was the first live competition the Beavers had seen since the 2020 indoor track season.
Bluffton University will add swimming and diving as an intercollegiate sport for the 2021-22 academic year.
The Beavers are an NCAA DIII school and compete as part of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference. With Bluffton’s addition of men’s and women’s swimming and diving, seven schools in the HCAC will offer the sport.
