FAYETTE, Iowa – The Fort Hays State wrestling team dropped six spots to No. 22 in the latest Division II Wrestling Coaches Association Top 25 Poll on Friday (Mar. 2). In the individual rankings, the Tigers have three wrestlers ranked. Efe Osaghae (149 pounds) sits at No. 4, Brandon Ball (141) slipped to No. 12 and Rakim Dean (197) entered the rankings at No. 12.

Efe Osaghae held steady as the fourth-ranked wrestler in the nation at 149 pounds. Osaghae earned a runner-up finish at the West Super Regional in Las Vegas, N.M. on Saturday (Feb. 24). The redshirt-freshman is making his first trip to the NCAA Division II Championships next weekend (Mar. 9-10).

Brandon Ball slipped to No. 12 in the latest individual rankings after dropping two matches at the Super Regional. Ball earned a fourth-place finish to earn a trip to his second-consecutive NCAA Championships. The sophomore currently holds a 34-5 overall record to lead the Tigers.

Rakim Dean enters the individual rankings for the first time as a Tiger at 197 pounds. Dean earned a hard-fought fourth-place finish at the super regional, qualifying for his first trip to the NCAA Championships. Dean enters nationals with a 32-10 overall record, including a 28-5 clip against Division II opponents.

FHSU is one of five MIAA schools in the Top 25 as Nebraska-Kearney (No. 7), Central Oklahoma (T-10), Lindenwood (T-19) and Newman (No. 25).

The Tigers are preparing for the NCAA Division II Championships next weekend (Mar. 9-10) in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

HAYS, Kan. – The Fort Hays State baseball team fell to Northwest Missouri State in the first game of a three-game slate this weekend on Friday (Mar. 2), 13-1 in seven innings. The Tigers dipped to 8-7 overall and 0-4 in MIAA play whereas the Bearcats improved to 7-6 on the season and 4-0 in conference play.

The Tigers fell victim to 13 strikeouts on the afternoon, with Joseph Hietpas going the distance for the Bearcats. FHSU was only able to plate one run in the game, an RBI double from Dayton Pomeroy that scored Alex Weiss in the home half of the first inning. The Tigers collected seven hits across seven innings, but were shut down the rest of the contest.

Pomeroy finished the game 2-for-3 at the plate with one RBI. Addison Kaasch, Alex Weiss, Jordan Wilkerson, Marcus Altman and Jason Nicholson combined for the remaining five hits in the ballgame.

Hietpas earned the victory for Northwest Missouri State, improving to 3-1 on the season. Ben Ramberg suffered the loss after surrendering five runs, all in the second frame. Ramberg fell to 2-2 on the year. Kruse came on in relief, but allowed three Bearcats to cross home plate in one inning of work. In all, the Tiger bullpen was consumed in using four more pitchers in the game.

The Tigers and Bearcats will get set for the second game of the series on Saturday (Mar. 3) inside Larks Park.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A pair of free throws by Hadley Gillum with 1.3 seconds remaining in overtime pushed Fort Hays State past Missouri Southern 86-85 in a thrilling overtime battle at Municipal Auditorium in the MIAA Tournament Quarterfinals. The No. 7 seeded Tigers knocked out the No. 2 seeded Lions and will now play No. 3 seed Washburn on Saturday (Mar. 3) in the semifinals. The Tigers are now 19-11, while the Lions went to 20-9 overall.

FHSU Postgame Press Conference

Game Highlights

It was an intense battle throughout as neither team led by more than four points in the first half. Missouri Southern held a 34-30 lead at halftime after CJ Carr hit a jumper as time expired.

In the second half, Missouri Southern pushed its lead out to eight twice before FHSU stormed back to lead by one with an 11-2 run between the 15:14 and 13:08 marks. From that point, the advantage went back and forth. By the end of the night, the game saw 28 lead changes and 21 ties.

Marcus Cooper helped spark a 6-0 burst by the Tigers, scoring the first four points in the run between 4:33 and 2:49 remaining in regulation. Brady Werth capped the run with a layup, pushing the Tigers in front 70-69. The lead changed hands six more times and FHSU had a one-point lead with 37 seconds remaining. With eight seconds remaining on the clock, Kinzer Lambert of MSSU went to the free-throw line and was only able to convert one of two attempts. Kyler Kinnamon drove to the basket late, but the shot was blocked away with a second remaining. Gillum tried a desperation three-point attempt off the inbounds, but it was off the mark and the game went to overtime.

The seesaw battled continued in overtime with Missouri Southern eventually taking an 85-84 lead on a pair of free throws by Carr with 47 seconds remaining. An Aaron Nicholson 3-point attempt from the right corner with 28 seconds remaining rattled in and out and luckily the ball went out of bounds off a Lion. Eventually, with time nearly expired, Marcus Cooper went to the basket, missed a layup, but Hadley Gillum cleaned up the miss and was fouled as he started to go back up with a second-chance attempt. Gillum went to the line, calmly dropped one toss, and Missouri Southern called timeout. Out of the break Gillum toed the line again, hit his second attempt, and then Cooper stole a long inbounds pass that went the length of the floor to end the game. The Tigers survived the epic battle, 86-85.

Gillum had a team-best 26 points and nearly produced a double-double by finishing with nine rebounds. Cooper scored all 23 of his points after halftime. Brady Werth added 16 points. The Tigers as a team shot 45.1 percent from the field. Most importantly, they shot 15-of-17 at the free-throw line (88.2 percent).

Getting as many free throws to drop was crucial for the Tigers, as they finished with six more field goals made in the game than the Lions (including three more 3-pointers). The Lions went to the line 39 times in the game and hit 29, holding a 14-point advantage over the Tigers at the line. That helped the Lions overcome shooting just 40 percent from the field and 17.4 percent beyond the 3-point line. Also, the Tigers were able to overtime a disparity of 20 rebounds as the Lions pulled down 52 compared to 32 for the Tigers.

Carr finished with a game-high 28 points for the Lions, while Lambert added 17 points. Elyjah Clark had a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Enis Memic nearly was just shy of the same feat with 12 points and nine rebounds.

Fort Hays State has now played five overtime games this season. After falling in the first three, the Tigers have taken the last two (double overtime win at Northeastern State and Missouri Southern in the MIAA Quarterfinals).

Fort Hays State will try to extend its season further when it faces Washburn in the semifinals of the tournament on Saturday at 6 pm.

HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State snapped its nine-game losing streak by sweeping a doubleheader with Wayne State (Neb.) on Wednesday (Feb. 28) at Tiger Stadium. FHSU won both games in come-from-behind fashion by scores of 6-4 and 10-5, moving to 4-14 overall on the season. Wayne State dropped to 1-4.

Fort Hays State 6, Wayne State 4

Wayne State scored three runs in the top of the second to take an early 3-0 lead, but the Tigers rallied right back in the bottom half of the inning to take a 4-3 lead. A pair of runners reached before Terran Caldwell drove home two with a single up the middle. Veronica Knittig also singled up the middle to bring in Caldwell from second to tie the game. Bailey Boxberger knocked in Knittig two batters later on a single through the left side.

The Wildcats tied the game with a run in the top of the third, benefitting from a leadoff triple, but the Tigers took the lead back with a pair of runs in the fourth. Sara Breckbill brought home both runs with a double to left field.

Starting pitcher Hailey Chapman went four innings before turning the ball over to Sierra Rodriguez, who went three innings to earn her first save of the season. Rodriguez allowed only two hits and struck out one. Chapman picked up her first win of the season, allowing four runs on eight hits with three strikeouts.

Fort Hays State 10, Wayne State 5

Wayne State took an early 2-0 lead with a pair of run in the first, but the Tigers rallied back with a pair in the second to knot the score. Sierra Rodriguez had a two-RBI single to get the score evened.

Wayne State went back on top 4-2 with single runs in the third and fourth, but the Tigers turned the game in their favor with four runs in the bottom of the fourth. Run-scoring singles from Rodriguez and Sydney Harsh tied the game and later, Veronica Knittig had an RBI single and Candace Bollig had a sacrifice fly RBI to put the Tigers on top.

Rodriguez, who started the game in the pitching circle for FHSU, ran out of gas in the fifth, allowing back-to-back hits that plated Wayne State’s fifth run. Roles reversed from game one and Chapman had Rodriguez’s back this time, mowing through the Wildcats over the final three innings. Chapman stranded a runner at second by striking out three consecutive hitters on 10 pitches (all strikes). Chapman went on to strike out seven, getting all three outs in the seventh in that fashion as well. She allowed only two hits. Rodriguez allowed five runs on nine hits with two walks and two strikeouts over the first four innings, but it was enough to earn the win and move to 3-4 on the year.

The Tigers sealed the win with a four-run sixth inning, all on unearned runs. Two errors in the inning benefitted the Tigers. Sara Breckbill had an RBI single and Chapman had a two-RBI double. For the day, Chapman and Rodriguez both earned a win and a save, and combined for five RBI at the plate in game two. Sarah Kay led the team with three hits in the second contest.

Riley Vanderveen took the loss for Wayne State, allowing 10 runs (six earned) on 13 hits with two walks.

Fort Hays State is slated to begin MIAA play on March 9 when it travels to Northeastern State in Tahlequah, Okla.

HAYS, Kan. – The Fort Hays State baseball team manufactured a season-high five home runs in an offensive shootout victory over Northwestern Oklahoma State 18-16 on Wednesday (Feb. 28) at Larks Park. The Tigers avenged a 7-6 extra-inning loss to the Rangers (Feb. 7) in Alva, Okla. from earlier this season. FHSU improved to 8-6 overall, while NWOSU dipped to 8-7 on the year.

In a game full of offense for both teams, Fort Hays State scored the most runs in a single game since last season against New Mexico Highlands (Feb. 12) and hit the most home runs in a game since 2016.

Easton Palmer got the start for the Tigers, but a couple FHSU defensive miscues and two home runs from the Rangers gave NWOSU a quick 5-0 lead to begin the contest. Addison Kaasch collected his first home run of the season with a lead off blast to straight center, putting the Tigers on the board in the home half of the first.

The Rangers chased Palmer out of the game with two outs in the second frame, building a 9-1 lead before Austin Weiser came on in relief, producing a fly out to escape the inning with no further damage.

The Tiger bats soon heated up in the bottom of the second inning, as they plated ten runs on eight hits. Jordan Wilkerson began the scoring affair with a solo shot to right for his fourth deep ball of the season. Marcus Altman came around to score on Jason Nicholson’s triple to left-center, giving the Tigers some life. Nicholson then crossed home plate via Jonathan Mariani’s RBI single to the outfield.

Clayton Basgall roped a 2-run single up the heart of the diamond, plating Kaasch and Mariani. Dayton Pomeroy then cleared the bases with his team-leading fifth home run of the season, a two-run blast over the wall in left-center, scoring Basgall and closing the gap to 9-8 in favor of the Rangers.

Sophomore Marcus Altman kept the inning alive, giving the Tigers their first lead of the game sending a 3-run shot to left-center. The Tigers grabbed an 11-9 lead after two wild innings of play. Grasser tacked on a couple more runs in the third with a 2-RBI single through the left side of the field, increasing the Tiger lead to 13-9 after three frames.

In the fourth inning, the Rangers third-baseman, Justin Bundy, knocked in his first of three home runs in the contest, cutting the Tiger lead to 13-11.

Kaasch demolished his second long ball of the season in the fourth frame, a three-run opposite field blast, extending the Tiger lead to 16-11. Nicholson put the Tigers up for good with a sacrifice fly to center, plating Grasser in the fifth frame. Pomeroy recorded an RBI groundout in the bottom of the sixth inning, giving the Tigers the 18-12 advantage.

NWOSU stormed back in the game with Bundy hitting two more big flies, most notably a two-run home run in the top of the ninth, collapsing the Tigers’ lead to 18-16 before Sam Capps struck out the side to end the game, giving the Tigers the victory.

Weiser (1-0) picked up the win for FHSU, going 1.2 innings of relief. Tanner Smith came out of the bullpen and pitched 2.2 solid innings of work, surrendering only a run on three hits while striking out five batters. Cole Schumacher and Cody Rottinghaus each pitched one inning of out the pen before Capps came on to prevent the Rangers from coming back in the game.

Senior Jonathan Mariani collected four hits in five at-bats in the contest, scoring two runs and producing one run batted in.

The Tigers will be back in action as they resume conference play over the weekend when they host Northwest Missouri in the MIAA home opener for a three-game series. Game one with the Bearcats is set to commence at 2 p.m. on Friday (Mar. 2).

Fort Hays State will be well represented at the 2018 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field National Championships as four Tigers have been selected to compete. The championships will be held on the campus of Pittsburg State University March 9-10.

Heading to nationals for FHSU will be Decano Cronin, Sam Dreiling, Brett Meyer and Jake Morrow. The four athletes all hold national rankings to their name in their individual events.

Cronin heads into the championships at No. 4 in Division II in the 800-meter run. With his best mark of 1:49.45, which was good for an automatic at the MIAA Indoor Championships last week, Cronin looks to better his time again on the big stage. Also competing on the track is Meyer who boasts a No. 22 national ranking in the mile run, reaching a 4:06.07 time. This will be the second-straight national appearance for both Cronin and Meyer.

FHSU brings two pole vaulters to the national scene with both Dreiling and Morrow. Dreiling heads back to Pittsburg with a No. 9 ranking on the national performance list in the event with a mark of 16 feet, 8 ¾ inches. For Morrow, he comes in with the thirteenth best height in the nation at 16 feet, 7 ¼ inches.

Meyer will be set to run in the men’s mile at 3:30 p.m. Friday with the finals in that event aimed for 5:40 on Saturday. Cronin takes off in the 800-meter prelims at 4:40 p.m. on Friday, with the finals in that event scheduled for 6:25 p.m. Saturday. Both Dreiling and Morrow look for their event to start at 4 p.m. on Saturday .

The brackets for the NCAA Division II Championships were released on Tuesday (Feb. 27). The Tigers have four wrestlers that qualified for nationals which is set to take place in ten days (Mar. 9-10). No. 3 Brandon Ball (141), No. 4 Efe Osaghae (149), Ryne Cokeley (157) and Rakim Dean (197) earned at least fourth place at the West Super Regional last weekend.

In the 141-pound weight class, third-ranked Brandon Ball (34-5) is set to begin his tournament by taking on fifth-ranked Nick Crume (20-3) of Indianapolis. There are three other wrestlers that Ball has faced this season, all on the top half of the 16-man bracket. Including Ball, nine of the 16 players are currently ranked in the nation.

In the 149-pound weight class, fourth-ranked Efe Osaghae (29-11) will begin his first national championships by facing Logan Grass of Mercyhurst. If Osaghae were to win in the first round, he could potentially go against the No. 1 ranked wrestler in the country, James Pleski (26-1) of St. Cloud State. Three other wrestlers in the bracket are previous guys the redshirt-sophomore has faced this season. Of the 16 wrestlers in this weight class, nine are ranked individually in the country.

In the 157-pound weight class, junior Ryne Cokeley (12-10) will battle No. 4 Ryan Strope (38-11) of McKendree. This is Cokeley’s first appearance at the DII Championships. There are seven wrestlers among the top 12 wrestlers in the nation at this weight class.

Senior Rakim Dean (32-10) qualified for nationals in the 197-pound weight class. In the first round, Dean is taking on No. 9 Matthew Rudy (20-4) of Limestone. Nine of the top 12 wrestlers are in this 16-man weight class for nationals.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State senior forward Hadley Gillum earned All-MIAA Second Team honors for the 2017-18 season, released on Tuesday (Feb. 27) by the conference office. This is Gillum’s second all-conference honor after earning an honorable mention nod last year.

Gillum leads Fort Hays State at 16.7 points and 6.6 rebounds per game this season. He ranks eighth in the MIAA in scoring and 10th in rebounding. He ranks fourth in the conference in free-throw percentage, hitting at an 88.1 percent clip. With 468 points this year, Gillum pushed his career total over the 1,000 mark at Fort Hays State and now has 1,026 entering the MIAA Tournament. He became the 20th player to reach the 1,000-point milestone in a Tiger uniform and has since moved to 19th on the all-time scoring list. In his career, Gillum is averaging 10.7 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.

Earlier this season, Gillum scored a career-high 36 points in a double-overtime game at Colorado School of Mines. He has scored in double figures 44 times in his career, including 23 this season. He has 10 career double-doubles.

Below is the 2017-18 All-MIAA Men’s Basketball Team.

Player of the Year
Justin Pitts, Sr., Northwest Missouri

Defensive Player of the Year
Brady Skeens, Sr., Washburn

Freshman of the Year
Chris Rossow, Fr., Southwest Baptist

Coach of the Year
Jeff Boschee, Missouri Southern

All-MIAA First Team
CJ Carr, Sr., Missouri Southern
Trey Lansman, Sr., Nebraska-Kearney
Justin Pitts, Sr., Northwest Missouri
Spencer Reaves, Sr., Central Missouri
Brady Skeens, Sr., Washburn

All-MIAA Second Team
Corbin Byford, Sr., Central Oklahoma
Elyjah Clark, So., Missouri Southern
Hadley Gillum, Sr., Fort Hays State
Logan Hovey, Sr., Southwest Baptist
Chris-Ebou Ndow, Sr., Northwest Missouri

All-MIAA Third Team
Xavier Adams, Sr., Pittsburg State
Brett Dougherty, Sr., Northwest Missouri
Jakob Lowrance, Jr., Central Missouri
Terrance Smith, Jr., Lincoln
Joey Witthus Jr., Northwest Missouri

All-Defensive Team
CJ Carr, Sr., Missouri Southern
Brett Dougherty, Sr., Northwest Missouri
Jake Hammond, Sr., Central Oklahoma
DJ Richardson, Sr., Central Missouri
Brady Skeens, Sr., Washburn

Honorable Mention All-MIAA
DJ Richardson, Sr., Central Missouri
Marqueese Grayson, Sr., Central Oklahoma
Brandon Hall, Jr., Emporia State
Stephaun Limuel, Sr., Emporia State
Amariontez Ivory, Jr., Lincoln
Maurice Mason, Sr., Lincoln
Chandler Diekvoss, Jr., Lindenwood
Brad Newman, Jr., Lindenwood
Jackson Price, Jr., Lindenwood
Kinzer Lambert, So., Missouri Southern
Lavon Hightower, Jr., Missouri Western
Ty Danielson, Sr., Nebraska-Kearney
Lane Rohrich, Sr., Nebraska-Kearney
Jamir Andrews, Gr., Northeastern State
Donovan Franklin, Jr., Pittsburg State
Javion Blake, Jr., Washburn

PITTSBURG, Kan. – The Fort Hays State baseball team was unable to tame the explosive Pittsburg State offense Monday afternoon (Feb. 26), falling in the series finale, 18-5. The Tigers dip to 7-6 on the year and 3-0 in MIAA play, while the Gorillas are now 9-4 overall and 3-0 in league action.

The Gorillas took control early and never relented, batting around in each of the first three innings. Trailing 4-0 in the top of the second, the Tigers answered with a run when Jordan Wilkerson drew a walk to lead things off. After moving to third on a double off the bat of Marcus Altman, the junior came in to score when Jason Nicholson sent a sacrifice to the left side of the infield.

Nicholson added a second RBI in the fourth inning when he doubled to left center, bringing Ryan Grasser around to score.

Fort Hays State started a bit of a two-out rally in the sixth inning, putting up three runs to close within 18-5. Grasser worked a walk in the first at bat of the inning before the next two batters were retired. Nicholson then drew a walk before Bryce Baumwart picked up a pinch-hit single, loading the bases for the top of the order. Addison Kaasch came through with an RBI single before Clayton Basgall drove in two with a double down the left field line, but the rally ended there.

The Tigers loaded the bases once again in the seventh inning, but the Gorilla bullpen recorded one final strikeout to finish things off.

Ben Ramberg (2-1) took the loss, giving up four runs on four walks. Seven different Tigers took to the mound, with Cole Schumacher and Sam Capps both recording scoreless innings. Schumacher retired all three batters he faced, striking out two, while Capps picked up the only other strikeout for a Tiger pitcher.

Basgall collected three of FHSU’s eight hits on the day, including a pair of doubles. Altman added two doubles while Nicholson was 1-for-1 with a double, a sacrifice, a walk and a hit by pitch.

The Tigers will return to Larks Park on Wednesday (Feb. 28) when they host Northwestern Oklahoma State in a midweek matchup. First pitch is set for 2 p.m.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Five student-athletes from the Fort Hays State women’s basketball team have earned All-MIAA honors for their performance during the 2017-18 season, announced Monday (Feb. 26) by the league office. Tatyana Legette picked up second team accolades while Carly Heim, Kacey Kennett, Lanie Page and Emma Stroyan were all named honorable mention.

The Tigers matched Central Missouri for the most All-MIAA performers this season. Five is also tied for the most All-Conference performers in a single season in program history, accomplished three previous times (most recently 2015-16).

These five players have made up Tony Hobson’s starting lineup 10 times this season, with the Tigers coming away victorious in all 10 contests.

Legette was listed on the All-MIAA roster for the second year in a row after picking up honorable mention status as a sophomore. The Topeka, Kan. native led the team in points, rebounds, and assists, averaging 13.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. She ranks in the top 15 in the MIAA in seven different statistical categories, including leading the league and ranking tenth nationally with a field goal percentage of 60.0 percent. She recorded six double-doubles on the year, tallying a career-high 25 points while adding 11 rebounds in the regular season finale against Southwest Baptist. She earned

Heim earned honorable mention honors for the second time in her career, also doing so as a sophomore. The point guard ranks second on the team with 11.9 points and 2.2 assists each night. The Hoxie, Kan. native played 32.3 minutes per game in the regular season, 11th-most in the MIAA. Heim turned things up a notch down the stretch, averaging a team-best 14.9 points over the final 11 games of the regular season. She led the team and ranked third in the MIAA with 2.1 steals per game. Heim eclipsed the 20-point mark four times this season, tied for the team lead.

Kennett picked up All-Conference honors as a sophomore after leading the team with 41 3-pointers on the year. The guard ranked third on the team with 10.5 points per game while adding 4.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.8 steals every night. Kennett made multiple 3-pointers 12 times this season, including a career-high five triples en route to a personal-best 20 points in a win over Pittsburg State. The Olathe, Kan. native swiped seven steals against Midland, tied for the most for a Tiger in a single game since 2004.

Page made quite an impact after transferring to FHSU at semester, earning All-MIAA honors after playing in just 16 games. The sophomore scored in double figures five times, including a pair of 20-point performances. She averaged 9.6 points per game, adding 1.6 assists and 1.1 blocks per game. She knocked down 22 3-pointers on the year, including multiple makes from behind the arc in a single game nine times. The Wamego, Kan. native dished out three or more assists five times. The Tigers were 10-0 with Page in the starting lineup this spring.

Stroyan was a commanding presence in the paint all season for the Tigers to pick up All-MIAA status as a senior. She averaged 9.4 points per game, adding 4.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks each night. The Bloomington, Ill. native ranked second on the team after making 51.7 percent of her shots while leading the way with a 81.6 percent rate at the charity stripe. Stroyan made 10 3-pointers on the year after making just four long-range attempts as a junior. The forward had a career game in a win over Emporia State, making 10-of-12 shots en route to a career-high 21 points while adding a personal-best six blocks.

The full list of All-MIAA Performers can be found below.

Player of the Year
Paige Redmond, Jr., Central Missouri

Defensive Player of the Year
Kayonna Lee, Sr., Central Missouri

Co-Freshman of the Year
Jaelyn Haggard, Fr., Northwest Missouri
Jo’Nah Johnson, Fr. Central Oklahoma

Coach of the Year
Dave Slifer, Central Missouri

All-MIAA First Team
Michaela Barry, Sr., Nebraska-Kearney
Mikaela Burgess, Sr., Pittsburg State
Melinda Murillo, Sr., Central Oklahoma
Paige Redmond, Jr., Central Missouri
Megan Rosenbohm, Sr., Southwest Baptist

All-MIAA Second Team
Kallie Bildner, So., Lindenwood
Desirea Buerge, Jr., Missouri Southern
Morgan Fleming, So., Central Missouri
Tatyana Legette, Jr., Fort Hays State
Reagan Phelan, So., Washburn

All-MIAA Third Team
McKenzie Brown, Sr., Nebraska-Kearney
Jesheon Cooper, Sr., Central Oklahoma
Paige Imhoff, Sr., Pittsburg State
Tyra Jones, Jr., Emporia State
Caylee Richardson, Jr., Southwest Baptist

All-Defensive Team
Jesheon Cooper, Sr., Central Oklahoma
Paige Imhoff, Sr., Pittsburg State
Kayonna Lee, Sr., Central Missouri
Megan Rosenbohm, Sr., Southwest Baptist
Jessica Wayne, So., Emporia State

Honorable Mention All-MIAA
Kayonna Lee, Sr., Central Missouri
Megan Skaggs, So., Central Missouri
Kelsey Williams, Sr., Central Missouri
Blake Blessington, Jr., Central Oklahoma
Carly Heim, Jr., Fort Hays State
Kacey Kennett, So., Fort Hays State
Lanie Page, So., Fort Hays State
Emma Stroyan, Sr., Fort Hays State
Gabby Walker, So., Lindenwood
Chelsey Henry, Jr. Missouri Southern
Cera Ledbetter, Sr., Missouri Western
Dossou Ndiaye, Jr., Missouri Western
Melia Richardson, Jr., Missouri Western
Alyssa Frauendorfer, Gr., Nebraska-Kearney
Kelsey Sanger, Fr., Nebraska-Kearney
Cailyn Long, Jr., Northeastern State
Jaelyn Haggard, Fr., Northwest Missouri
Tanya Meyer, Sr., Northwest Missouri
Madison Northcutt, Jr., Pittsburg State
Axelle Bernard, Sr., Washburn

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State women’s basketball junior Tatyana Legette has been named MIAA Women’s Basketball Athlete of the Week for the second time this season, announced Monday (Feb. 26) by the league office.

The forward averaged 23.5 points per game in two wins for the Tigers last week, dropping in 22 points against Nebraska-Kearney before posting a career-high 25 points against Southwest Baptist. Legette added 11 rebounds, five assists, two steals and one block in the OT win against the Bearcats, picking up her sixth double-double of the season. The Topeka, Kan. hit 65.5 percent of her shots for the week (19-for-29), raising her field goal rate this season to 60.0 percent, tops in the league and tenth nationally.

Legette previously earned the award after the second week of the season (11/20/17), making her one of three individuals to pick up the honor multiple times this season. Fort Hays State has now earned three player of the week accolades (Kacey Kennett, 12/4/17), tied for the most for any team in the MIAA this season (Lindenwood).

The Tigers will open postseason play on Thursday (March 1) when they take on the winner of Emporia State and Northeastern State in the quarterfinals of the MIAA Tournament. Opening tip is set for noon from Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo.

NEW ORLEANS – Three Fort Hays State men’s track and field athletes have been named United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Central Region honorees. The list was released Monday (Feb. 26), with 559 male athletes earning the nods. The three Tigers claiming a spot on the list are Decano Cronin, Sam Dreiling and Brett Meyer.

The top-5 individuals in each event from each region earned the all-region distinction, in addition to each regions’ top-3 relay teams. The regions for this award include – Atlantic, Central, East, Midwest, South, South Central, Southeast and West.

Cronin earned his All-Central Region honor in the 800-meters after boasting a time of 1:49.45. This time was also good enough for a national automatic qualification mark, as well as a personal record. To add on, it was also a school and meet record at the MIAA Indoor Championships.

Dreiling picked up his mention with his fifth place finish at the championships with a height of 4.72 – good enough for a provisional. Meyer claimed two honors in both the 800-meters and mile. Meyer was crowned the conference champion in the mile at the MIAA Championships with a time of 4:13.

PITTSBURG, Kan. – The Fort Hays State baseball team came up on the losing end of both games in Sunday’s (Feb. 25) doubleheader against Pittsburg State, 12-2 and 7-3. The Tigers dip to 7-5 overall while Pittsburg State is now 8-4 on the year. It was the MIAA opener for both teams.

Game One: Pittsburg State 12, Fort Hays State 2 (8 innings)
The Tigers jumped in front after Addison Kaasch led off the day with a triple to right center and scored on an RBI groundout from Clayton Basgall. The Gorillas showed off their offensive prowess early and often, scoring eight runs over the first three innings to quickly take control.

After just two runners reached base from the second through sixth innings, Fort Hays State added another run when Ryan Grasser singled up the middle to open the seventh frame. Jordan Wilkerson and Jason Nicholson followed with singles to load the bases with no outs. Dawson Sramek was hit by a pitch two batters later, helping the Tigers close within 10-2.

The Gorillas scored their 12 runs on 12 hits and three Tiger errors, while FHSU put together six hits. Tanner Smith (1-1) took the loss after allowing six runs on six hits over 1.2 innings of work.

Game Two: Pittsburg State 7, Fort Hays State 3
Fort Hays State once again took an early lead in game two, holding onto the advantage for much of the game. However, Pittsburg State scored six runs over the sixth and seventh innings to secure the come-from-behind victory.

After stranding runners in scoring position in both the first and second innings, the Tigers put together a two-out rally to jump in front in the third inning. Nicholson worked a walk to lead things off before the next two batters were retired. A walk to Alex Weiss brought Dayton Pomeroy to the plate with two on and two out. The senior first baseman crushed his fourth home run of the season to center, giving FHSU a 3-0 advantage.

Starting pitcher Ryan Ruder held PSU at bay over the first five innings, giving up just one run and allowing just five baserunners during that span. The Gorillas chased Ruder from the game in the sixth inning after back-to-back singles, both of which came in to score later in the inning before PSU added four runs on the bullpen in the seventh inning.

Nicholson reached base in all four of his at bats in game two, collecting two singles and drawing two walks. Ryan Grasser added two hits, including one double. The Tigers had seven hits as a team, while PSU collected a dozen base knocks for the second game in a row.

The teams will wrap up the series on Monday (Feb. 26) with first pitch set for 1 p.m.