INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) partnered with Special Olympics Indiana to host the ninth annual Unified Sports Bowling Championship on Sunday, September 17 at Royal Pin Woodland in Indianapolis.
Championship Photos
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 five, two athletes with intellectual disabilities and at least two athletes without. All teams received ribbons for their respective finishes.
The team with the highest score was awarded the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference championship trophy. The team from Bluffton University was crowned the champions, touting an impressive team score of 1,898.
First Team All-Conference awards were presented to the topteam of five bowlers with the total pin fall. Second Team All-Conference awards were presented to the second place team of five bowlers. See below for the list of First and Second Team All-Conference winners.
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. |
Bluffton University |
1,898 |
| 2. |
Anderson University |
1,705 |
| 3. |
Transylvania University |
1,594 |
| 4. |
Manchester University |
1,559 |
| 5. |
Hanover College |
1,516 |
| 6. |
Defiance College |
1,478 |
| 7. |
Earlham College |
1,485 |
| 8. |
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology |
1,469 |
| |
Franklin College (fully participated but needed to utilize Special Olympic Athletes from other teams so unable to accumulate score towards competition results) |
|
|
Mount St. Joseph University (fully participated but needed to utilize Special Olympic Athletes from other teams so unable to accumulate score towards competition results) |
|
First Team All-Conference
Anderson University (688)
| Eric Scott |
| Jordan Short |
| Dalton Grubs |
| Noah LaBelle |
| Tate Ivanyo |
Second Team All-Conference
Bluffton University (682)
| Joe Van Voorhis |
| Frank Chatfield |
| Bill Bialecki |
| Hayley Lewis |
| Mia McCartney |
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.