Hesston College confirms a fire occurred this afternoon, May 9, in a chemistry laboratory in J.D. Charles Hall of Science and Arts. The fire was extinguished by emergency personnel, and no injuries have been reported. Updates will be provided as soon as they are available.

Hesston College celebrates student excellence at LarkFest

2025 Hesston College Lark of the Year winners Jessica Raharjo and Ashleigh Williams
Posted on by Larry Bartel

2025 Hesston College Lark of the Year winners Jessica Raharjo and Ashleigh Williams

As the academic year draws to a close, Hesston College gathered to honor outstanding student achievements at the annual LarkFest awards ceremony on Friday, May 9, in the Hesston Mennonite Church sanctuary. Earlier in the week, on Monday, May 5, the athletic department also hosted its annual banquet to recognize student-athletes for their dedication, leadership and success both on and off the field.

At LarkFest, awards were presented across academics, leadership, the arts and campus life, culminating in the announcement of Lark of the Year — the college’s highest student honor. This year, the award was presented to Ashleigh Williams, associate degree student from Eaton, Colo., and Jessica Raharjo, bachelor’s degree student from Semarang, Indonesia, recognizing their exceptional leadership, scholarship and service to the Hesston College community. Students are nominated for Lark of the Year by the Hesston Experience team and the recipient is chosen by a faculty vote.

Athletics also celebrated top performers, with Jammial “Jr” Hicks, basketball player from Kansas City, Kan., earning Male Athlete of the Year and Rylee Weishaupt, powerlifting team member from Goshen, Ind., named Female Athlete of the Year.

Other award recipients at LarkFest included:

  • Outstanding Student Ambassadors: TJ Bowman (Twin Falls, Idaho), Ky Kougl (Edmond, Okla.), Kristyn Oliver (Amarillo, Texas), Brock Swedlund (Akron, Colo.)
  • Lark Leaders of the Year: Anna McIntire (Lawrence, Kan.) as Community Assistant of the Year, AJ Noriega (Marana, Ariz.) as Wellness Assistant of the Year, Rylee Weishaupt (Goshen, Ind.) as Ministry Assistant of the Year
  • Peer Educator of the Year: Ethan Connelly (Oklahoma City, Okla.)
  • Bill Mason Business Scholars: Gresa Arapi (Cypress, Texas), Amy Hunley (Owensboro, Ky.), Luis Jimenez (Dallas, Texas), Ryan Ziesch (Goddard, Kan.)
  • Clayton V. Beyler Award: Rylee Weishaupt (Goshen, Ind.)
  • Daniel Gerber Peace and Service Award: Lily Corkill (Olsburg, Kan.), Josalyn Wipf (Huron, S.D.)
  • Art: Best in Show: Sarah Hanson (Park City, Kan.)
  • Mariann Martin Award: Desirae Rodriguez (Wichita, Kan.)
  • Musician of the Year: Caroline Miller (Arlington, Kan.)
  • Yoder/Zaid Chemistry Scholarship: Blen Bezuwork (Wichita, Kan.)
  • Certificate of Nursing Achievement: Amy Birkey (Wichita, Kan.), Holly Cummins (Potwin, Kan.), Jeremy Schmidt (Wichita, Kan.)
  • Outstanding Academic Achievement by an International Student: Elsa Rayneau (Indonesia/India) as associate degree student, Jessica Raharjo (Semarang, Indonesia) as bachelor’s degree student

The athletic banquet showcased achievements from across the Lark sports teams, with coaches honoring athletes for their contributions in their respective programs. In addition to Hicks and Weishaupt, other athletic awards included:

Volleyball

  • Freshman of the Year: Laura Rojas Gomez (Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain)
  • Defensive Player of the Year: Sarahi Paez (Arlington, Texas)
  • Offensive Player of the Year: Audrey Garrison (Wiesbaden, Germany)

Men’s Soccer

  • Team MVP: Alexander Radu (London, England)
  • Goal of the Season: Paul Torres (Paris, Texas)
  • Offensive Player of the Year: Tyler Beckford (Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands)

Women’s Soccer

  • Offensive MVP: Rena Itoga (Saitama, Japan)
  • Defensive MVP: Nevaeh Bowman (Derby, Kan.)
  • Most Improved: Annabelle Ortega (Portales, N.M.)
  • Bookworm Award: Lissette Tovar (Wichita, Kan.)

Men’s Basketball

  • MVP: Jammial Hicks Jr. (Kansas City, Kan.)
  • Hard Hat Award: Trent Thompson (Okmulgee, Okla.)
  • Highlight of the Year: Terryon Stebbins (Stone Mountain, Ga.)

Women’s Basketball

  • Newcomer of the Year: Akiva Brown (Plano, Texas)
  • Pick Me Up: Hanah DeBelle (Castle Rock, Colo.)
  • Brick Wall: Anna McIntire (Lawrence, Kan.)

Disc Golf

  • Women’s MVP: Josalyn Wipf (Huron, S.D.)
  • Men’s MVP: Devin Miller (Hesston, Kan.)
  • Most Improved: Phoebe Kolb (Milford, Neb.)

Flag Football

  • Iron Will Award: Lauren Payne (Geuda Springs, Kan.)
  • Game Changer Award: Destiny Ortiz (Fort Worth, Texas)
  • Heart of the Team Award: Mikayla Lucas (Las Vegas, Nev.)

Cross Country

  • Culture Award: Sebastian Pavlovich (Lindsborg, Kan.)
  • Most Improved Athlete: Ethan Thompson (Hesston, Kan.)
  • MVP: Angelo Jenkins (Oklahoma City, Okla.)
  • Program Award: Maddy Ralph (Colwich, Kan.)

Track and Field

  • Culture Award: Sebastian Pavlovich (Lindsborg, Kan.)
  • Most Improved Athlete: Gabriel Clark (Goshen, Ind.)
  • MVP: Jaylon Hatcher (Plano, Texas)
  • Program Award: Michelle Lewis (Brownsboro, Texas)

Men’s Golf

  • MVP: Mark Neeley (Arlington, Texas)
  • Hardest Worker: Ivar Bruce (Gävle, Sweden)
  • Best Teammate: Braxton Linden (Sterling, Kan.)

Esports

  • Team of the Year: Rocket League
  • Lark’d In Award: Anja Martinez (Topeka, Kan.)
  • F.A.M.I.L.Y Award: Ethan Connelly (Oklahoma City, Okla.)
  • Level Up Award: Corbyn Oden (Iowa Park, Texas)

Baseball

  • Offensive Player of the Year: Lucas Dunn (LaMarque, Texas)
  • Defensive Player of the Year: Chris Cammllarie (McKinney, Texas)
  • Pitcher of the Year: Luke Richard (McKinney, Texas)
  • Team Player of the Year: Beau Johnson (Englewood, Colo.), Peyton Rush (Oxford, Kan.)

Dance

  • Leadership Award: Amy Hunley (Owensboro, Ky.)
  • Spirit Award: Evelyn Gaertner (Newton, Kan.)
  • Principal Dancer: Phoebe Kolb (Milford, Neb.)

Softball

  • Table Setter: Carly Lee (Rose Hill, Kan.)
  • Silver Slugger: Alysha Kendrick (Beaumont, Calif.)
  • Every Day: Serena Hewes (Battle Ground, Wash.)

Powerlifting

  • Male Lifter of the Year: Corbyn Oden (Iowa Park, Texas)
  • Female Lifter of the Year: Rylee Weishaupt (Goshen, Ind.)
  • Most Valuable Teammate: Brock Swedlund (Akron, Colo.)
  • Spark Plug Award: Evan Bernal (Alice, Texas)

“Each of these students represents the heart of the Hesston College community,” says President Mark Landes. “We’re proud of their achievements and excited to see how they continue to grow and lead beyond our campus.”