Fort Hays State cross country coach Jason McCullough has been named the 2012 MIAA Men’s Cross Country Coach of the Year. This is the first MIAA Coach of the Year honor for McCullough, now in his eighth year as head coach of the Tigers.

The Tigers have seen a vast improvement in 2012, jumping from a sixth-place finish at the MIAA Championships in 2011 all the way to winners of the conference championship this year. Several factors have created the perfect storm for FHSU to be one of the top forces in the Central Region this year.

The emergence of Cory Keehn as one of Fort Hays State’s top runners has been impressive. Just a sophomore, the Soldier, Kan. native was the individual champion at the MIAA Championships after placing 15th in that event as a freshman. Keehn became the first individual conference champion in cross country for FHSU since 1979 when Curt Shelman accomplished the feat.

Right there with Keehn in the lead packs this year has been senior Alex Hende, who continues to show steady improvement in his career at FHSU. Hendee finished sixth at the MIAA Championships this year after finishing eighth last year, giving him two straight years on the All-MIAA Team. Senior Tanner Christensen has returned as a solid force on the team this year, especially in the last few weeks, after redshirting last year with an injury.

The final pieces to the puzzle for Coach McCullough this year have been Garden City (Kan.) Community College transfers Chris Ramsgard and Michael Wolf. Both have emerged as part of the top five that has allowed FHSU to score much better in meets than it did a year ago.

The Tigers look to make nationals as a team for the first time since 2002 when they run at the Central Regional on Saturday (Nov. 3).

– FHSU Sports Information –