Ben Falkenberg	Ryan Seesholtz	Mark Hess	Steve Mayes

Highlighting the list for the Cougars was Ben Falkenberg, who was chosen by the AMC South Division coaches as the AMC South Division Player of the Year. Falkenberg, a 5-foot-10 sophomore guard from Wadsworth, Ohio, leads the AMC in scoring at 24.4 points per game, which ranks third in all of NAIA Division II. The former Wadsworth High School star also ranks first in NAIA Division II in three-pointers made per game (3.9) and second in free throw percentage (89.8 percent).

Falkenberg, who topped the five-player AMC South Division First Team after being an AMC South Division Third Team pick last year, is shooting 48.2 percent from the field (246-for-510), 44.4 percent from three-point range (116-for-261), and 89.8 percent at the free throw line (123-for-137). In addition, he has compiled 81 assists, 42 rebounds, and 29 steals. Earlier this season, he became the fastest player in school history to score 1,000 points as he did it in just 53 games. He currently has 1,320 career points and needs just nine more points to tie the single-season school record for points in a season (740).

Ryan Seesholtz, a 6-foot-4 senior forward from Georgetown, Ohio, earned a spot on the five-player AMC South Division Second Team after being an AMC South Division Honorable Mention pick the past two years. This season, the former Georgetown High School standout is averaging 11.1 points and 6.2 rebounds. He also leads the team and the AMC South Division in steals (61), and he is second on the team with 84 assists. Seesholtz is shooting 53.4 percent from the field (127-for-238), 42.4 percent from three-point range (28-for-66), and 58.1 percent at the free throw line (50-for-86). He currently has 1,266 career points and ranks sixth in school history with 774 career rebounds.

Mark Hess, a 6-foot-6 senior post from Ashland, Ohio, was named to the five-player AMC South Division Third Team after being an AMC South Division Second Team pick once and an AMC South Division First Team pick twice during his career. The former Ashland High School product is averaging 12.0 points and 6.5 rebounds this year while shooting a team-best 57.4 percent from the field (124-for-216) and 67.5 percent at the free throw line (52-for-77). Hess ranks seventh in school history with 1,816 career points and third with 965 career rebounds.

Steve Mayes, a 7-foot senior center from Edgewood, Kentucky, was chosen as an AMC South Division Honorable Mention pick. The former Dixie Heights High School graduate is averaging 8.7 points and a team-best 7.4 rebounds per game this season while also ranking second in NAIA Division II with 130 blocked shots, which is just two shy of his own single-season school record. Mayes is shooting 50.0 percent from the field (101-for-202) and 83.1 percent from the free throw line (59-for-71). He is MVNU’s career leader in blocked shots (356), and earlier this year he became only the second player in school history to post a triple-double.

MVNU is currently 24-6 overall and ranked 10th in the final NAIA Division II national poll. The Cougars tied with Walsh University and Cedarville University for the AMC South Division regular-season title with a school-record 15-3 conference mark. MVNU will receive an at-large berth in the 32-team NAIA Division II national tournament that will take place in Point Lookout, Missouri, on March 7-13. The tournament pairings and bracket will be released on March 1.