A first-team all-area and second-team all-region runner in 2011, Clayton was a state tournament participant the last two years in both cross country and track.

Clayton is an active member of his church and youth group and is a four-year member of Beta Club at Rowan County, signifying a grade point average of 3.6 and above.

“Tim has a good background in distance running,” Sieber said. “He will fit in very nicely with a good freshmen group of runners we are getting next year. He is a well-rounded person and I expect him to make a good contribution to the total team experience.”

Clayton is the son of CG and Ann Clayton, Morehead.

In addition to running cross country, Oyer played soccer and basketball at Western Mennonite. During his senior year, Oyer participated in state tournaments in soccer and basketball.

A National Honor Society member, Oyer attends Zion Mennionite Church, Hubbard, Ore.

“I’m excited about Jason’s decision to join our men’s cross country team,” Sieber said. “He has natural endurance ability, enjoys distance running and I think he could develop into a strong college runner as he focuses on distance running and matures as a runner. I anticipate his contribution to our cross country team’s journey.”

Oyer is the son of Stan and Vonnie Oyer, Hubbard.

A three-time Most Improved Runner at Sterling High, Landis was a key member of 2011 team that advanced to sectionals. His personal bests include a 16:32 three-mile and a 10:48 two-mile.

An Illinois State Scholar and three-time academic all-conference selection, Landis will pursue studies towards an agriculture science degree. He is a member of Community Mennonite Fellowship, Sterling, and is active in the youth group there.

“Josh has a strong running resume in both cross country and track and field,” said Hesston coach Gerry Sieber. “He understands the subtleties and nuances of running and will adapt well to college competition. I look forward to coaching Josh and his older brother Jacob, who had a banner first year at Hesston.”

Landis is the son of Keith and Lois Landis, Sterling, both Hesston College graduates.

A four-year letterwinner at Milford High, Martin was a key member of Milford cross country teams that qualified for the state meet the last four years, including state runners up the past two seasons. A four-sport athlete at Milford High, Martin boasts a personal-best 5K time of 16:47.

A National Honor Society member and two-time academic all-state performer, Martin is a dedicated student as well. He is a member of Bellwood Mennonite Church, Milford, and is active in the youth group there.

“Mitchell competed very well for Milford High School which has a very strong cross country program,” Hesston College cross country coach Gerry Sieber said. “I anticipate Mitchell will continue to get stronger. He is a quiet, classy young man and will contribute well to our cross country program.”

Martin is the son of Troy and Paula Martin, Milford.

Moyer was a key runner and captain for her Monticello High team that finished third at the Illinois state cross country meet last fall. An all-conference runner in 2010, she finished 26^th at the state meet as a junior.

A four-year scholar athlete and two-year National Honor Society member, Moyer will also participate in the Hesston College concert band while pursuing a nursing degree. She attends First Mennonite Church of Champaign-Urbana.

“Michelle is a well-rounded addition for our women’s cross country team,” said Hesston coach Gerry Sieber. “She’s a proven runner and has a passion for the sport. We look forward to Michelle’s contribution to our women’s team as we strive to make a good program better.”

Moyer is the daughter of Rebecca and Ken Moyer, Monticello.

In just the second year since women’s cross country was reintroduced at Hesston, the program took a significant step forward, as the Larks were ranked in the NJCAA Division I top 25 poll on three different occasions.

A multi-sport athlete at Goessel High, Berkholz was an honorable mention all-state running back in football and a four-year state track meet participant. He also played two years of high school basketball.

An honor roll student at Goessel, Berkholz studies aviation at Hesston. He attends Goessel Mennonite Church.

“With his experience and athleticism, Johnathan has the foundation to become a strong runner for our men’s team,” Sieber said. “I anticipate watching him grow as a distance runner with additional experience and training.”

Berkholz is the son of Johnny and Carol Berkholz, Goessel.

Hesston runners also enjoyed a fantastic semester in the classroom, as both teams finished in the top ten of the 2011 NJCAA Cross Country Coaches Association academic team standings. The Larks’ women’s program had a team grade point average of 3.737, good for fourth nationally, while the men’s team average of 3.612 placed them tenth in the country.

“This achievement reflects the wonderful character and work ethic of our cross country teams,” said Hesston coach Gerry Sieber. “Our runners were involved in numerous aspects of campus life outside of athletics, including campus ministry, choir, intramurals, theatre and concert band. It’s remarkable to look at our runners’ many accomplishments, not the least of which was their outstanding academic work.”

Receiving Academic All-American recognition on the women’s team were Jenae Hershberger (Goshen, Ind.), Saralyn Mast (Ephrata, Pa.), Krista Rittenhouse (Mt. Pleasant, Pa.) and Mara Short-Miller (Bellingham, Wash.). Zach Baumgartner (Hesston, Kan.), Ryan Gehman (Millersville, Pa.) and Jacob Landis (Sterling, Ill.) represented the men as Academic All-Americans.

 “This academic accomplishment is a testament to athletics and academics at Hesston,” Sieber said. “We have tremendous people here who make Hesston College a special place.”

On the women’s side, Rittenhouse capped off a stellar Hesston career by Krista finishing 47th out of 268 runners with a time of 20:53.57.

For the men, Landis put an exclamation point on a terrific season by finishing 44th among 288 runners with a time of 28:05. Ketcher enjoyed a solid day as well, finishing 183rd with a time of 30:17.

71 Junior Colleges and approximately 550 runners participated in the meet.

“I was very proud of how our runners performed,” said Hesston coach Gerry Sieber. “All three ran very smart races and raced very close to their potential. It feels like we’re establishing something special with a young cross country program here at Hesston. It will be difficult to say goodbye to our nine sophomores who did a terrific job of kick starting a new program.”

Freshman Jacob Landis (Sterling, Ill.) again led the Larks, this time with a 27:16.30, good for 13th overall in the 8K. 103 men competed in the event.

Sophomores Robert Ketcher (Bunch, Okla.) and Kenny Graber (Stryker, Ohio) placed 49th (29:23.10) and 59th (29:49.50), respectively.

In the 27th minute of the 8K, three Hesston runners crossed the finished line in a 30 second span.

Jacob Landis, Sterling, Ill. (27:03.6), Kenny Graber, Stryker, Ohio (27:17.1) and Zach Baumgartner, Hesston, Kan. (27:32.1) finished 75th, 79th and 88th, respectively.

Freshman Jacob Landis, Sterling, Ill., again led the Larks with a time of 26:44.18 – his best 8K time of the season. Landis placed 29th overall. Sophomore Kenny Graber also finished with a season-best time of 27:11.83,  good for 47th overall.

Hesston finished 2nd among 6 NJCAA programs.

“I’m excited about the focus this group is bringing to our practices and meets,” said Hesston coach Gerry Sieber. “They’re running smart, hard and together and their results are showing.”

Freshman Jacob Landis (Sterling, Ill.) continued his excellent fall by finishing 6th overall with a time of 27:33.48. A little more than a minute after Landis crossed the finish line, three more Hesston runners, Kenny Graber (Stryker, Ohio – 28:43.14), Zach Baumgartner (Hesston, Kan. – 28:48.71) and Ryan Gehman (Millersville, Pa. – 28:51.39), finished 19th, 21st and 22nd, respectively. 

“Jacob is off to a great start this fall,” said Hesston coach Gerry Sieber. “I thought our men’s team competed very well. Kenny, Zach and Ryan demonstrated great ‘team running tactics,’ pulling each other along to a strong finish. We finished ahead of every junior college team, including Hutchinson, which was ranked 25th in last week’s poll. It was a good weekend.”

The Larks finished with an average time of 28:50.10.