Coaches, athletes receive OAC honors

At the close of the fall 2007 season, Heidelberg College's athletic department received a number of accolades from the Ohio Athletic Conference. Four coaches received Coach of the Year honors, while 16 student-athletes received All-OAC awards and 13 garnered Academic All-OAC nods.

FOOTBALL

First-year head coach Mike Hallett has made quite the impression, not only on the Heidelberg community, but on the entire OAC, which helped him win the OAC Coach of the Year award. He took a program that had been winless for 36 straight games and helped it finally achieve victory in the team’s first outing of 2007 vs. Oberlin. He would go on to win against no. 17 Baldwin-Wallace, Wilmington and Muskingum.

Jeff Filkovski is the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach under Hallett. For his efforts in helping Heidelberg return to its winning tradition, Filkovski was awarded Co-Assistant Coach of the Year from the OAC. Heidelberg’s total offensive yardage increased by nearly 1,000 from the 2006 season, due in part to Filkovski’s leadership on the sidelines.

Junior running back Kenny Sims was named to the All-OAC First Team Offense, marking the first time Heidelberg had a first-team honoree since Roc Patterson in 2004. Representing the Berg on the second-team offense is junior wide receiver Dawond Roddy, junior offensive lineman James Blankenship, senior quarterback Steve West and freshman place kicker Jesse Hawkins. Junior defensive back Fran Cavotta was named to the second-team defense, while junior wide receiver Lucas Bauer and sophomore defensive end Matt Grieves were honorable-mention selections.

Representing the football team on the Academic All-OAC Academic Team were running back Kyle McConnell, Bauer, and West. Grieves joined the men as an honorable mention award winner.

VOLLEYBALL

Head coach Jason Miller previously had been awarded Coach of the Year by the OAC for his work with the Heidelberg wrestling team, but 2007 marked the first season he would receive it for volleyball. Fresh off the program’s first appearance in the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament finals, the volleyball team earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III Volleyball Championships. They won their first-round match against Rochester Institute of Technology, but lost in the regional semifinals to No. 1-ranked Wittenberg College.

In addition to receiving its OAC Runner-Up Trophy and NCAA Tournament bid, Heidelberg placed three players on the 2007 All-OAC Team. Earning a spot on the second team were Laurie Patrick and Emily Hurlburt, while Morgan Magers was named to the honorable-mention list.

Academically the team dominated the All-OAC First Team as well, led by seniors Kristy Bollenbacher, Kendra Orwig and Whitney Magers, along with Hurlburt and Magers. Earning honorable mention accolades was junior Audra Vucic.

MEN’S SOCCER

In his 19th year as head coach of the men’s soccer team at Heidelberg, Brian Haley was awarded the OAC Coach of the Year award. It is the second time that Haley received the honor, and he is the only men’s soccer coach in ’Berg history to ever receive it. Haley led the Berg to the OAC Tournament as the No. 2 seed, and ended the year with an overall record of 10-9 (6-3 in the OAC).

Also receiving awards for their performances on the field in 2007 for the Student Princes were freshmen Mike Harling and Owen Botting, along with junior Raul Mendez. Harling landed on the first team, while Botting was named to the second team and Mendez was a honorable-mention selection.

Two of Heidelberg’s sophomore defenders also received Academic All-Ohio Athletic Conference Honorable Mention awards. Kyle Anderson and Casey Numetko were named to the list for their outstanding performances both on the field and in the classroom.

WOMEN’S SOCCER

The women’s soccer program, under the guidance of Nick Spell, also received postseason honors. Sophomore defender Ann Washington was named Honorable Mention All-Ohio Athletic Conference, and senior midfielder Kelly Mueller earned a spot on the First Team Academic All-Ohio Athletic Conference list.

MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY

Not only did the men’s cross country team earn its fifth bid to the National Championships in 10 years, the team also made its presence known in the race for the top spot in the OAC. Earning all-conference honors for the second-straight year was Scott Lasch and Dan Simpson, while Devin Butcher picked up the first all-conference honor of his career.