The Anderson University Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) locked up second place during the 9th Annual Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) Unified Bowling Championship, which was held on Sunday at the Royal Pin Woodland in Indianapolis.

The HCAC continued its annual partnership with Special Olympics Indiana.

PHOTO GALLERY

RESULTS

"What a great experience the HCAC Unified Bowling event is for the Special Olympians and the SAAC student-athletes!" Anderson Athletic Director Marcie Taylor stated. "For these two groups to come alongside one another and compete as equals in this format creates so much joy and comradery for all of the participants.  I want to thank the conference for organizing this event, Madison County Special Olympics for their partnership and the student-athletes for their commitment to SAAC and taking part in this special annual event."

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.

Anderson partnered with Special Olympics-Madison Country for the HCAC Unified Bowling Championships.

"The Special Olympics events were the highlight of the retreat for me as it is an unbelievable experience to participate in the HCAC Unified Bowling Championship," SAAC President Noah Labelle said. "This bowling tournament is the only one of its kind in the entire world! It brings together all 10 HCAC schools and their local Special Olympians to compete together all as fellow athletes. I love SAAC's partnership with Special Olympics as I always leave with a smile on my face and joy in my heart from working with the wonderful people who are a part of Special Olympics."

The HCAC adopted a new scoring format beginning this year for the Unified Bowling Championship. The new format incorporates the baker scoring system, which consists of five-player teams recording team scores. Each player will throw two frames throughout the game. The tournament consists of five games with each school fielding three teams for five games each.

Anderson Team 1 captured first-team all-conference honors as the highest scoring team at the tournament with a five-game score of 688. The team consisted of Eric Scott, Jordan Short, Dalton Grubbs (Men's Soccer), Noah Labelle (SAAC President) and Tate Ivanyo (Men's Basketball).

Bluffton University Team 2 earned second-team all-conference recognition with a five-game score of 682.

The Ravens claimed second overall in the team standings with a score of 1,705. Anderson Team 2 recorded a five-game score of 529 while Anderson Team 3 turned in a five-game score of 488. The second team for Anderson consisted of Adam Hughes, Caty Couker, Mandy Williams (Women's Soccer), Gage Lane (Men's Swimming & Diving) and Noah Singleton (Men's Swimming & Diving). Anderson Team 3 was fielded by Jeffrey Asher, Jacob Short, Anhely Montes (Women's Soccer), Claire Hannaford (Women's Tennis) and Megan Long (Women's Tennis).

Bluffton earned the HCAC Unified Bowling Championship title with a score of 1,898. Anderson came in second with a 1,705, finishing ahead of Transylvania University (1,594), Manchester University (1,559), Hanover College (1,516), Defiance College (1,487), Earlham College (1,485) and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (1,469). Franklin College and Mount St. Joseph University tied for ninth as they did not record official team scores.