INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) partnered with Special Olympics Indiana to host the eighth Unified Sports Bowling Championship Sunday, February 5 at the Royal Pin Western.
The event saw over 60 student athletes from its 10 member schools and over 60 special Olympics athletes from Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio participate. The day filled with laughs and smiles also showcased some top-notch competitive bowling. Unified sports give athletes with intellectual disabilities and athletes without intellectual disabilities the opportunity to compete together on a team. Each school had a total of three teams, with each team comprised of a total of four, two athletes with intellectual disabilities and two athletics without. Teams finishing first, second, or third in their division received gold, silver, and bronze medals, respectively, while fourth through tenth place received ribbons.
The team with the highest score including handicap was awarded the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference championship trophy. The team from Transylvania University was crowned the champions, touting an impressive team score of 5,220.
Anderson’s Dalton Grubbs earned the title of HCAC Most Valuable Player, finishing with the highest three-game series bowling score without the handicap (scratch score) of 599.
All-Conference awards were presented to the top five HCAC Partners and the top five Special Olympics Athletes with the total pin fall plus handicap. See below for the total list of All-HCAC honorees.
The partnership between the HCAC and Special Olympics aligns with the Division III strategic-positioning platform as the student-athlete becomes more involved in the local community.
Team Standings
| Place |
Team |
Total Score |
| 1. |
Transylvania University |
5,220 |
| 2. |
Hanover College |
5,188 |
| 3. |
Franklin College |
5,144 |
| 4. |
Earlham College |
5,133 |
| 5. |
Anderson University |
5,091 |
| 6. |
Defiance College |
4,937 |
| 7. |
Manchester University |
4,910 |
| 8. |
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology |
4,723 |
| 9. |
Bluffton University |
4,562 |
| 10. |
Mount St. Joseph University |
4,484 |
All Conference
| Name |
School |
| Joey Evans |
Earlham |
| Lauren Guy |
Mount St. Joseph |
| Catherine Harney |
Transylvania |
| Jared Haley |
Earlham |
| Eli Irving |
Hanover |
| Dylan King |
Defiance |
| Jacob Sitterding |
Hanover |
| Jacob Short |
Anderson |
| Dakota Skiles |
Franklin |
| Nate Tranghber |
Transylvania |
For more information on all things HCAC, visit the websites of any of the participating schools, or go to the HCAC's home on the internet at www.heartlandconf.org. Be sure to stay up to date on all of your Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference news by following @HCACDIII on Twitter and by liking the "HCAC DIII" Facebook page.