Ryan, a 5-foot-9 guard from Newark, Ohio, averaged 19.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists as a senior at Licking Valley High School. For his efforts, he was named to the Mid States League First Team, the All-District First Team, and the All-Ohio Honorable Mention list. He also finished eighth on the all-time scoring list at Licking Valley.

"Cody has the ability to play either guard position,” said MVNU head coach Scott Flemming. "He is very quick and is able to consistently knock down the three-point shot. He is a great young man who will make a positive impact on our team and our student body.”

"I chose MVNU because it is somewhat close to home and I liked the campus,” said Ryan of his college choice. "I wanted to be a student-athlete at a good Christian school and I think MVNU is the place for me.”

Mowery, a 6-foot guard from Danville, Ohio, averaged 14.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.1 assists as a senior at Danville High School. He was selected to the Mid-Buckeye Conference Second Team, the Central District Third Team, and the District 11 First Team.

"Zack has the potential to be a very good college basketball player,” said Flemming. "He is able to penetrate to the basket and finish. He is a solid defender and he has a tremendous work ethic. It is always good to have one of our local students join our program.”

"There are several reasons why I chose MVNU,” said Mowery. "The campus seems very safe and I am very excited about being able to play with the basketball team.”

Peyton, a 6-foot-1 guard/wing from Mansfield, Ohio, averaged 14.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 2.3 assists as a senior at Ashland Crestview High School. He was named to the Firelands Conference First Team as a junior and the Northwest District 6 First Team as a junior and a senior. He also tied the school record for three-pointers made in a game with seven, and he finished ninth on Ashland Crestview’s all-time scoring list.

"Jeremy comes to us after a very successful high school career,” said Flemming. "He has the versatility to play several positions, and he has the ability to score inside or outside. I look forward to seeing his progress as a player.”

"I really like the MVNU campus and the basketball program’s winning tradition,” said Peyton. "The people on campus are also friendly and very helpful.”

MVNU finished the season with a 25-7 overall record and was ranked 10th in the final NAIA Division II poll. The Cougars, who have topped the 20-win mark in 10 of the past 11 seasons, won a share of the American Mideast Conference South Division title, earned a berth in the NAIA Division II national tournament, and advanced to the second round before falling 75-73 to eventual national champion MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) University.