FHSU Sports Information

Fort Hays State had one individual championship while finishing fourth as a team at the MIAA Wrestling Championships on Sunday in Hays, Kan.  Fourth-ranked C.J. Napier took first-place honors at 141 pounds, the Tigers’ first-ever MIAA individual champion. Josh Rodriguez, Jon Inman, Tanner Kriss and Trey Page were second, while Adam Ludwin rounded out the Tigers place-winners in third place.

In team scoring, FHSU finished with 63 points, 4.5 points behind third-place Central Oklahoma, who had 67.5 points.  Nebraska-Kearney (109 points) won the team title, while Lindenwood (84.5 points) took second.

All six place-winners were named All-MIAA, while Jon Inman was named MIAA Freshman of the Year for his efforts at 184 pounds.

Adam Ludwin placed third at 125 pounds after going 3-1 overall.  Ludwin’s day started with a 3-1 decision over Josh Breece (UCO) before falling to eventual champion Marco Tamayo (LWU) by major decision, 11-1, in the semifinals.  On the consolation side of the bracket, Ludwin defeated Jabez Zinabu (Truman), 6-1, before defeating Breece for the second time of the day, 9-6, in the consolation finals.

Napier’s title chase started with a 14-3 major decision over Mark Smith of Truman, followed up by a 7-5 decision against Dustin Reed (UCO) in the semifinals.  In the championship bout, Napier used a reversal with less than 15 seconds to go in the third period to take a 5-4 lead against Brock Coutu of Nebraska-Kearney.  Napier eventually took the title with a score of 6-4.

Josh Rodriguez finished 2-1 on the day to finish second at 174 pounds.  Rodriguez earned a bye into the semifinals, and then won by major decision over Josh Thomsen of Central Missouri, 8-0.  In the title match, Rodriguez was tied 1-1 inside the final minute, but was called for a stalling point against UNK’s Patrick Martinez to fall by decision, 2-1.

Inman’s 184 pound championship efforts fell just short, as he went 2-1 on the day to finish second.  Inman started the day with a first-round bye.  In the semifinals, Inman won by decision over UCO’s Znick Ferrell, 4-2 to set up a title contest with No. 3 John McArdle (LWU).  Inman led, 14-9 inside the final 45 seconds, but a late third-period toss from McArdle set up a pin in 6:35.

No. 7 Tanner Kriss reached the championship in 197 pounds, but injury defaulted in the final to UNK’s Romero Cotton (No. 1).  Kriss won his first round match by fall in 1:43 over Steven Cooksley of Newman.  In the semifinals, Kriss led late into the match, but with 10 seconds remaining, Kenny Breaux (LWU) injury defaulted out of the contest.

Trey Page started his 285 pound tournament with a 10-0 major decision over Todd Brier (UCM), followed by a 5-2 decision against Kelsey Empting (UNK) in the semifinals.  Page squared off with No. 7 Steven Butler (LWU) for the second time in a week in the finals, falling by decision, 5-2.

Fort Hays State will now compete in the NCAA Central Super Regional on Feb. 28 through March 1 in Edmond, Okla.

Complete results are below…

Team Scores
1. Nebraska-Kearney 109.0
2. Lindenwood 84.5
3. Central Oklahoma 67.5
4. Fort Hays State 63.0
5. Central Missouri 43.5
6. Newman 4.0
7. Truman 0.5

125 – Adam Ludwin finished third, 3-1
Quarterfinal – Adam Ludwin (Fort Hays State) won by decision over Josh Breece (Central Oklahoma), Dec 3-1
Semifinal – Marco Tamayo (Lindenwood) won by major decision over Adam Ludwin  (Fort Hays State), MD 11-1
Cons. Semi – Adam Ludwin  (Fort Hays State) won by decision over Jabez Zinabu (Truman), Dec 6-1
3rd Place Match – Adam Ludwin  (Fort Hays State) won by decision over Josh Breece (Central Oklahoma), Dec 9-6

133 – Symon Seaton, 1-2
Quarterfinal – Hunter Neighbors (Central Missouri) won by fall over Symon Seaton (Fort Hays State), Fall 4:59
Cons. Round 1 – Symon Seaton (Fort Hays State) won by fall over Rafael Lopez (Truman), Fall 4:08
Cons. Semi – Matt Katusin (Lindenwood) won by fall over Symon Seaton (Fort Hays State), Fall 1:58

141 – C.J. Napier finished first, 3-0
Quarterfinal – C.J. Napier (Fort Hays State) won by major decision over Mark Smith (Truman), MD 14-3
Semifinal – C.J. Napier (Fort Hays State) won by decision over Dustin Reed (Central Oklahoma), Dec 7-5
1st Place Match – C.J. Napier (Fort Hays State) won by decision over Brock Coutu (Nebraska-Kearney), Dec 6-4

157 – Mitchell Means, 1-2
Quarterfinal – Mitchell Means (Fort Hays State) received a bye
Semifinal – Chase White (Nebraska-Kearney) won in tie breaker-2 over  Mitchell Means (Fort Hays State), TB-2 5-3
Cons. Semi – Derrick Weller (Lindenwood) 19-13 won by injury default over  Mitchell Means (Fort Hays State), Inj. 0:00

165 – Bradley Little, 1-2
Quarterfinal – Luke Roth (Lindenwood) won by fall over Bradley Little (Fort Hays State), Fall 6:00
Cons. Round 1 – Bradley Little (Fort Hays State) received a bye
Cons. Semi – Tyler Loethen (Central Missouri) won by decision over Bradley Little (Fort Hays State), Dec 8-4

174 – Josh Rodriguez finished second, 1-1
Quarterfinal – Josh Rodriguez (Fort Hays State) received a bye
Semifinal – Josh Rodriguez (Fort Hays State) won by major decision over Josh Thomson (Central Missouri), MD 8-0
1st Place Match – Patrick Martinez (Nebraska-Kearney) won by decision over Josh Rodriguez (Fort Hays State), Dec 2-1

184 – Jon Inman finished second, 2-1
Quarterfinal – Jon Inman (Fort Hays State) received a bye
Semifinal – Jon Inman (Fort Hays State) won by decision over Znick Ferrell (Central Oklahoma), Dec 4-2
1st Place Match – John McArdle (Lindenwood) won by fall over Jon Inman (Fort Hays State), Fall 6:35

197 – Tanner Kriss finished second, 2-1
Quarterfinal – Tanner Kriss (Fort Hays State) won by fall over Steven Cooksley (Newman), Fall 1:43
Semifinal – Tanner Kriss (Fort Hays State) won by injury default over Kenny Breaux (Lindenwood), Inj. 6:50
1st Place Match – Romero Cotton (Nebraska-Kearney) won by injury default over Tanner Kriss (Fort Hays State), Inj. 0:00

285 – Trey Page finished second, 2-1
Quarterfinal – Trey Page (Fort Hays State) won by major decision over Todd Brier (Central Missouri), MD 10-0
Semifinal – Trey Page (Fort Hays State) won by decision over Kelsey Empting (Nebraska-Kearney), Dec 5-2
1st Place Match – Steven Butler (Lindenwood) won by decision over Trey Page (Fort Hays State), Dec 5-2

FHSU Sports Information

After dropping a couple of one-run contests on Saturday to open its season, the FHSU baseball team took the final game of the three-game series at Texas A&M-International in Laredo, Texas on Sunday. The Tigers won 10-8, moving to 1-2 overall on the season.

Fort Hays State took a commanding 6-0 lead early through two and a half innings. FHSU scored four runs in the second, triggered on a solo home run by Cooper Langley. Horace Johnson followed with a double and later scored on an RBI by Gabe Cook, who reached by fielding error. Gus Strunk added an RBI single and Jordan Miller followed with a RBI double. In the third, the Tigers plated two more on a timely two-out two-RBI single by Strunk.

Texas A&M-International quickly pulled back into the game with four runs in the bottom of the third, two earned and two unearned. An error that should have produced the second out of the inning was followed by three consecutive singles, allowing the Dustdevils to trim the lead to two.

FHSU picked up one run in the fifth on a sacrifice bunt RBI by Jordan Miller, but TAMIU matched the run in the bottom half of the inning using a pair of doubles to generate a run, making it 7-5.

Nathan Zimmerman stopped the TAMIU rally in the fifth by getting the final two outs in relief of starter Tyler Patty, who went 4.1 innings with four strikeouts and 12 hits allowed. But he ran into trouble in the sixth after getting the first out. He surrendered a single and then a home run that tied the game at 7-7, then was responsible for the run that scored later on a single to give TAMIU its first lead of the game at 8-7.

Nick Hammeke got the final two outs of the sixth for the Tigers and proceeded to pitch scoreless a scoreless seventh to keep the TAMIU lead at one.

The Tigers rallied for three runs in the eighth to take the lead back 10-8. Jordan Miller singled to open the inning, then advanced on a sacrifice and stole third. Clayton Garland knocked him in with a sacrifice fly RBI. Horace Johnson pushed the Tigers back in front with a two-out RBI double and then Gabe Cook added his second RBI of the game later with a single.

Hammeke faced one batter in the eighth before Nathan Briar came in to close the door on the Dustdevils over the final two innings, earning a save and preserving a win for Hammeke. Briar allowed just one hit and struck out one. The strikeout ended the game.

Johnson, Cook, and Strunk all had three-hit games, all going 3-for-5 at the plate and combining for six RBI.

Fort Hays State opens conference play next weekend (Feb. 21-23) against Pittsburg State in a four-game series at Larks Park in Hays.