KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Sophomore quarterback Chance Fuller and redshirt-freshman running back Te’Corey Tutson of Fort Hays State received MIAA Football Athlete of the Week honors, presented by Mammoth Turf, for their efforts in the 42-41 win over Pittsburg State last week. Fuller earned Offensive Athlete of the Week, while Tutson earned Special Teams Athlete of the Week.

Fuller threw for 306 yards and four touchdowns in the 42-41 win for Fort Hays State at Pittsburg State. He completed 71.8 percent of his passes (23-of-32) and had touchdown passes of 1, 12, 67, and 68 yards. Both of his touchdown passes of over 60 yards went to Layne Bieberle, who finished with 152 yards on four catches. His 67-yard connection with Bieberle on 3rd-and-20 for a touchdown pushed FHSU in front 35-34 early in the fourth quarter, then added his 12-yard touchdown pass a few minutes later to push the FHSU lead to 42-34, which proved to be the game-winning touchdown.

Tutson finished with 130 kick return yards in the win at Pittsburg State. His longest return went for 44 yards. He averaged 21.7 yards per return. Tutson finished with 135 all-purpose yards for the game, also rushing the ball for five yards on the touchdown drive that pushed FHSU back into the lead early in the fourth quarter.

Fuller and Tutson joined Nebraska-Kearney linebacker Sal Silvio (Defensive Athlete of the Week) for the weekly honors from the conference office on Monday, October 21.

WACO, Texas – Fort Hays State Football is back in the receiving votes section of the AFCA Division II Top 25 Poll, released on Monday (Oct. 21). The Tigers are among four MIAA teams in the receiving votes section, while two teams from the conference remain in the top 25. FHSU is currently on a five-game winning streak.

By knocking off Pittsburg State this past Saturday, Fort Hays State pulled Pitt State from the top 25. The Gorillas went into the game ranked 19^th. Pittsburg State is now at the top of the receiving votes list, just on the outside the top 25 looking in. Fort Hays State is fourth among teams receiving votes, while Missouri Western is right behind as the fifth team listed receiving votes. This week’s opponent for the Tigers, Nebraska-Kearney, is also among the receiving votes list after a 24-17 win over nationally ranked Northwest Missouri State. The Lopers pushed the Bearcats from No. 7 in the poll to No. 14 this week.

Fort Hays State, Pittsburg State, Missouri Western, and Nebraska-Kearney all sit in a tie for third place in the MIAA standings at 5-2. Central Missouri leads the conference at 7-0, ranked No. 11 in the latest national poll, and Northwest Missouri State is second at 6-1.

Below is the AFCA Top 25 Poll for October 21, 2019.

Rank	School (1st votes)	Record	Pts.	Prev.	Week 7	Next Game
1.	Valdosta St. (Ga.) (30)	7-0	774	1	D. Florida Tech, 55-28	Oct. 26 at North Greenville (S.C.)
2.	Ferris St. (Mich.)	7-0	737	2	D. Northwood (Mich.), 44-17	Oct. 26 vs. Saginaw Valley St. (Mich.)
3.	Minnesota St.	7-0	708	3	D. Mary (N.D.), 74-17	Oct. 26 at Minnesota-Crookston
4.	Tarleton St. (Texas) (1)	7-0	663	4	D. No. 20 Texas A&M-Commerce, 35-21	Oct. 26 at Texas A&M-Kingsville
5.	Ouachita Baptist (Ark.)	7-0	644	5	D. Oklahoma Baptist, 42-14	Oct. 24 at Southern Nazarene (Okla.)
6.	Notre Dame (Ohio)	7-0	608	6	D. Wheeling (W.Va.), 51-13	Oct. 26 vs. Findlay (Ohio)
7.	Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.)	7-0	586	8	D. Carson-Newman (Tenn.), 36-23	Oct. 26 at Limestone (S.C.)
8.	Indianapolis (Ind.)	6-0	526	10	Idle	Oct. 26 vs. Missouri S&T
9t.	Colorado School of Mines	7-0	519	11	D. Fort Lewis (Colo.), 42-0	Oct. 26 at Azusa Pacific (Calif.)
9t.	Slippery Rock (Pa.)	7-0	519	9	D. Edinboro (Pa.), 41-30	Oct. 26 vs. Clarion (Pa.)
11.	Central Missouri	7-0	421	14	D. Emporia St. (Kan.), 34-27	Oct. 26 vs. Pittsburg St. (Kan.)
12.	Wingate (N.C.)	7-0	417	13	D. UNC-Pembroke, 48-38	Oct. 26 vs. Virginia-Wise
13.	Colorado St.-Pueblo	6-1	368	15	D. Colorado Mesa, 48-22	Oct. 26 vs. Adams St. (Colo.)
14.	Northwest Missouri St.	6-1	343	7	Lost to Nebraska-Kearney, 24-17	Oct. 26 vs. Lincoln (Mo.)
15.	Bowie St. (Md.)	7-0	337	16	D. Virginia St., 24-14	Oct. 26 vs. No. 25 Virginia Union
16.	Grand Valley St. (Mich.)	6-1	311	17	D. Northern Michigan, 45-17	Oct. 26 vs. Davenport (Mich.)
17.	Kutztown (Pa.)	7-0	305	18	D. Lock Haven (Pa.), 35-12	Oct. 26 vs. Shippensburg (Pa.)
18.	Harding (Ark.)	6-1	247	21	D. Southwestern Oklahoma St., 45-14	Oct. 26 at Northwestern Oklahoma St.
19.	Indiana (Pa.)	6-1	209	22	D. Clarion (Pa.), 59-21	Oct. 26 vs. Gannon (Pa.)
20.	West Florida	5-1	177	24	D. West Georgia, 30-2	Oct. 26 at Florida Tech
21.	West Chester (Pa.)	6-1	151	12	Lost to Shepherd (W.Va.), 35-23	Oct. 26 vs. East Stroudsburg (Pa.)
22.	Angelo St. (Texas)	6-1	142	25	D. West Texas A&M, 17-14	Oct. 26 vs. Texas-Permian Basin
23t.	Henderson St. (Ark.)	6-1	71	NR	D. East Central (Okla.), 48-17	Oct. 26 at Southeastern Oklahoma St.
23t.	Texas A&M-Commerce	4-2	71	20	Lost to No. 4 Tarleton St. (Texas), 35-21	Oct. 26 vs. Western New Mexico
25.	Virginia Union	6-1	67	NR	D. Chowan (N.C.), 41-34	Oct. 26 at No. 15 Bowie St. (Md.)

Dropped Out: Pittsburg St. (Kan.) (19), Minnesota-Duluth (23)

Others Receiving Votes: Pittsburg St. (Kan.), 39; Dixie St. (Utah), 37; Sioux Falls (S.D.), 20; Fort Hays St. (Kan.), 12; Missouri Western St., 11; Fayetteville St. (N.C.), 5; Minnesota-Duluth, 5; Truman St. (Mo.), 5; Eastern New Mexico, 4; Frostburg St. (Md.), 4; Tiffin (Ohio), 4; Nebraska-Kearney, 3; Assumption (Mass.), 2; Southern Arkansas, 2; Miles (Ala.), 1.

HAYS, Kan. — After only playing 28 minutes Friday night before weather interfered, the Tigers were back in action on Sunday against Missouri Southern. The defense stood tall all afternoon and the offense put three goals on the board, as Fort Hays State ended the weekend with a 3-0 victory. The Tigers improved their record to 8-3-1 (4-1-1 MIAA), while the Lions fell to 2-11-2 (1-5-1 MIAA).

The Tigers tested goalkeeper Riley Laver (2-9-1) from opening kick. After putting nine shots on goal, Cailey Perkins was able to make the tenth shot in the 25th minute off assists from Darby Hirsch and Jenna Prince. Hirsch threaded a pass through to Jenna Prince near midfield, then Prince found Perkins ahead at the top of the box where she rifled in her third goal of the year. Fort Hays put six more shots on goal, while the defense only allowed three shots before ending the first half with a 1-0 lead.

The second half was exactly like the first as the wind shifted around and favored the Tigers once again. After five more shots, Perkins scored her second of the day and her fourth of the year in the 62nd minute. Off a corner kick, Darby Hirsch crossed the ball into the box and Perkins headed it past Laver to double the lead. Hirsch also picked up her second assist of the day on that goal. Sophomore defender Karli Potts checked into the match following the second goal from Perkins. Six minutes later, she was able to find the back of the net for her first career goal. Potts capitalized on MSSU’s inability to clear the ball, and she cashed in on a loose ball chance in front of the net to put the Tigers up 3-0. Following another great defensive performance from the back line and senior goalkeeper Megan Kneefel (7-2-1), the Tigers closed out their eighth victory of the year and seventh shutout of the 2019 campagin.

The offense came alive in this match as the Tigers attempted 24 shots throughout the 90 minutes with 12 on goal. Nine different Tigers were able to put pressure on the Lion’s back line with shot attempts. Perkins led the team with 5 shots (4 on goal) and Hirsch followed with four shots and one on goal.

The Tiger defense was a brick wall, allowing just four shots and one on goal to Missouri Southern. Kneefel recorded her 15th career shutout, placing her in a tie for second place all-time with Abbie Flax (2014-16) for career shutouts. Darby Hirsch also made a mark in the record books on the first goal of the match. She picked up career assists 16 and 17 and now owns the record for most career assists in the FHSU women’s program history.

The Tigers continue their home stand with another match Friday night (Oct. 25) against the Hillcats of Rogers State. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at FHSU Soccer Stadium.

PITTSBURG, Kan. – The Fort Hays State volleyball team fell in three sets to Pittsburg State Saturday evening (Oct. 19), 25-14, 25-10, 25-19. The loss moves the Tigers to 6-13 overall and 3-8 in MIAA play, while the Gorillas improve to 10-10 on the year and 5-6 in conference action.

Pittsburg State jumped in front early in all three sets, with the Tigers’ latest lead coming at 7-6 in the third set. The Tigers could not find a rhythm on offense, posting an attack percentage of .054. Pittsburg State, on the other hand, recorded just 10 attack errors en route to a swing rate of .324. FHSU totaled six blocks on the night, one better than the Gorillas.

Emily Ellis recorded three solo blocks in the match, tied for the second-most in a three-set match during the rally scoring era (2001-present). Isabelle Reynolds led the team with seven kills and tallied the lone service ace for the Tigers. Morgan Christiansen added five kills and two blocks (one solo). Katie Darnell totaled 14 assists with Taylor White chipping in six assists and nine digs. Libero Abbie Hayes led the way with 10 digs.

The Tigers will return home to host fourth-ranked Washburn on Tuesday (Oct. 22) inside Gross Memorial Coliseum. First serve is set for 6 p.m.

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – For the first time in 734 days, No. 18 Fort Hays State men’s soccer fell in a conference matchup. On Saturday afternoon (Oct. 19), the Northeastern State defeated FHSU, 4-1.

The RiverHawks Flynn Semmerling began the scoring inside of the first five minutes and continued on to a hat trick, adding goals in the 19th and 25th minutes.

Northeastern State remained very persistent on the offensive end, registering 20 shots at goalkeeper Kieran Brown, who recorded four saves in the contest.

FHSU attempted to ignite their offensive play late in the match when Arsenio Chamorro collected his second goal of the season in the 85th minute, but were unable to add any more.

Over two years ago, similarly, the Tigers traveled to Tahlequah and fell to Northeastern State, 3-1. Since that loss, FHSU has created a remarkable streak of 17-0-1 in all conference games – winning its final two in 2017, all eight in MIAA play in 2018, and the first seven of the current season now as members of the GAC.

The RiverHawks’ latest victory splits the season series at one win each. The Tigers found their victory on a game-winning overtime goal by Santiago Agudelo in September. With the loss, Fort Hays State is now 8-4-1 on the season and 7-1-1 in Great American Conference games. Northeastern State, following their victory, advances to 7-6 overall and 5-4 in the GAC.

FHSU will get ready to host Harding University (7-3-2, 6-2-1 GAC) next week in a pivotal conference game. The Bisons currently sit second in the Great American Conference standings with a record of 7-3-2 (6-2-1 GAC), just one game back in the loss column to the Tigers.

CLAREMORE, Okla. – For the second time in the 2019 campaign, the Fort Hays State Tigers have defeated the Rogers State Hillcats in conference play. The first result, which occurred at home in Hays, was a 2-0 victory for FHSU. Thursday night’s match ended, 1-0, in favor of the black and gold.

The majority of the rematch was filled with back and forth play. At the conclusion of the match, the Tigers held 52-percent of the possession, with a large portion of that number being controlled in the midfield.

Meanwhile, the Hillcats spent a large portion of their 90 minutes in the attacking half of the field.

Although Rogers State pressured the Tigers with 11 shots throughout the match, they were unable to find the back of the net due to a strong defensive presence from Fort Hays State’s back line. Each of the four defensive players (Mariano Benitez, Alec Bevis, Moritz Walther, and Joey McCain) played all 90 minutes in the victory.

Freshman goalkeeper Kieran Brown collected two saves en route to his second career clean sheet.

With just over 10 minutes remaining in the second half, Alonso Rodriguez struck Fort Hays’ eighth shot of the match. From a few yards inside the 18-yard box, the junior midfielder slotted the ball in the lower right-hand corner of the goal, registering his third of the season.

Almost two minutes later, Rogers State’s James Connor attempted to equalize the scoresheet, but had his shot ring off the crossbar.

Now 8-3-1, FHSU will battle against conference foe, Northeastern State University on Saturday afternoon.

The Tigers and the RiverHawks clashed in Hays earlier in the season when an overtime goal by Santiago Agudelo sealed the result for the black and gold. Their second matchup this season is slated for a 1 p.m. kickoff.

DALLAS – The Dallas Renegades of the newly reformed XFL professional football league selected former Fort Hays State standout safety Doyin Jibowu in the 2019 XFL Draft on Wednesday. Jibowu was an undrafted free agent signing in the spring of 2019 with the Chicago Bears of the NFL, but was released prior to the start of the regular season in September.

Jibowu played in four preseason games with the Chicago Bears in 2019 before his release when the Bears trimmed their roster for the regular season. Over the four games, he recorded seven tackles and one interception.

Training camps for XFL teams will begin in November of 2019. The first regular season games are set to begin in February of 2020. The regular season will consist of 10 weeks, while the playoffs and championship game will be in April. The Dallas Renegades will be playing home games inside of Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas, the long-time home of the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball.

Jibowu was a two-time All-America selection by the Don Hansen Football Committee and finished his senior year of 2018 with 57 tackles, including 6 for loss, 2 interceptions, 1 sack, and 11 pass breakups. He wrapped his impressive four-year career at FHSU with 276 tackles, 27.5 tackles for loss, 5.0 sacks, 9 interceptions, and 26 pass breakups. Jibowu was a three-time All-MIAA First Team selection at defensive back and received Academic All-America honors from CoSIDA in his time at FHSU. Jibowu helped FHSU to back-to-back MIAA Championships and NCAA Playoff appearances in 2017 and 2018 and a pair of bowl game appearances in 2015 and 2016.

Former University of Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops is the head coach and general manager of the Renegades.

With the 8th pick of Round 8 (No. 64 overall) in the Defensive Backfield #XFLDraft, the #XFLRenegades select saftey @DoyinJi!#RenegadesDraft // #RaisingHell pic.twitter.com/iZQuKHLzB0

— Dallas Renegades (@XFLRenegades) October 16, 2019

Hutchinson native Ben Heeney also was drafted by the XFL’s New York Guardians.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The FHSU men’s golf team placed third overall at the Blue Tiger Invitational hosted by Lincoln University. The tournament was held at Jefferson City Country Club, a par-72 course.

As a team, the Tigers finished in their highest position of the season. They led the tournament after the first round, shooting 308. After rounds of 313 and 316, the Tigers finished with a 937 overall, good for third place as a team. Concordia-St. Paul won the tournament with a total of 917. Central College of Iowa claimed second place over the Tigers by one stroke, shooting a 936 over three rounds.

Pete Carney led the team by turning in a 12-over par 228 total (72-77-79). Carney finished in sixth place overall individually. Bryce Cowan followed Carney, putting together an 18-over par performance of 234 (78-77-79). Cowan ended the tournament tied for eighth place individually and led the team in birdies sinking ten throughout the three rounds. Isaiah Grover had a top-15 performance as he finished tied for 15th. Grover carded a 239, shooting 23-over par for the tournament (82-79-78). Marcus Willey earned a top 20 finish by placing in a tie for 18th overall. He ended the tournament with a 240 total, shooting 24-over par (79-81-80). Cole Gritton rounded out the team with a 241 total (79-80-82). Gritton finished in a tie for 21st individually.

Fort Hays State also had three individuals competing aside from players chosen for the team scoring. Colton Bobek finished the highest in a tie for 23rd. He put in rounds of 84, 79, and 79 for a 242. Reese Emert followed Bobek with a 250 (81-89-80), finishing in 33rd. Luke Russell carded rounds of 84, 87, and 82 for a 253 and tied for 34th.

Gabe Trowbridge of Lincoln claimed first individually by shooting a 5-over 221 (73-74-74).

The Tigers will play their final tournament of the fall season next week at the Jerry Hrnciar Invitational in Duncan, Okla (Oct. 21-22).

RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – Junior defender Moritz Walther and freshman goalkeeper Kieran Brown of FHSU Men’s Soccer earned GAC Player of the Week honors on Tuesday (Oct. 15). Walther earned Defender of the Week, while Brown earned Goalkeeper of the Week. This is the first weekly honor for both individuals this season.

Walther scored two of the three goals for Fort Hays State in a 3-1 win at Southern Nazarene. His penalty kick goal proved to be the game winner in the 31st minute, then added another goal on a header off a pass into the box just over four minutes later to help FHSU build a 3-0 lead by halftime. Walther played all 180 minutes possible for the week, also helping the Tigers claim a 3-1 win against Oklahoma Baptist in Hays.

Brown moved to 4-0 on the season with a pair of wins against Oklahoma Baptist and Southern Nazarene. He averaged three saves per match in Fort Hays State’s pair of 3-1 wins over Oklahoma Baptist and Southern Nazarene. Brown has a .786 save percentage so far on the season in his four matches played.

Walther and Brown joined Jake Simpson of Rogers State (Offensive Player of the Week) as the weekly honorees from the conference office.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – In this latest national poll, the Fort Hays State men’s soccer program has earned their spot at No. 18.

The Tigers, who were ranked two positions lower one week ago, have moved up following their 3-1 victories over Oklahoma Baptist and Southern Nazarene. Fort Hays State’s six goals in the previous week came from Santiago Agudelo, Alonso Rodriguez, Nathan De La Hoya, and Moritz Walther.

The black and gold hold the top spot in the Great American Conference boasting a 6-0-1 record, and 7-3-1 overall. FHSU will face off against a pair of conference foes in the coming days – Rogers State on Thursday and Northeastern State on Saturday.

The Hillcats currently hold a record of 7-3-1 and received votes but did not crack the top 25. While, the RiverHawks are 6-5 overall. Both programs are 4-3 in the GAC and have suffered losses to Fort Hays State earlier in the 2019 campaign.

The Tigers previous victories came on an overtime goal from Agudelo to seal a 2-1 result against Northeastern State, while Rogers State was handed a two-goal defeat in mid-September.

Harding University, whom FHSU also defeated earlier in the season, also received votes but was not selected in the national poll.

 

Below is the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 poll for October 15, 2019:

Rank	School	Prev	W-L-T
1	Azusa Pacific University	1	10-0-0
2	California State University-Los Angeles	3	9-0-0
3	Adelphi University	4	10-0-1
4	Lynn University	8	8-0-1
5	Lake Erie College	6	12-0-0
6	Midwestern State University	9	9-1-0
7	Florida Tech	5	8-0-1
8	University Of Charleston	10	9-2-0
9	Mercy College	11	10-1-1
10	Gannon University	12	9-1-0
11	Lander University	21	6-1-2
12	Texas A&M International University	16	8-1-1
13	California State University-San Bernardino	13	7-1-1
14	Bellarmine University	17	8-0-3
15	University Of West Florida	14	8-1-1
16	Wilmington University	19	10-1-1
17	Carson-Newman University	NR	8-2-1
18	Fort Hays State University	20	7-3-1
19	St. Mary’s University (Texas)	NR	7-2-1
20	Francis Marion University	7	6-2-1
21	Palm Beach Atlantic University	24	7-1-2
22	McKendree University	NR	8-1-2
23	West Chester University	18	7-2-1
24	Post University	RV	6-1-3
25	Maryville University of St. Louis	2	10-2-0

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Senior goalkeeper Megan Kneefel was named MIAA Co-Goalkeeper of the Week on Tuesday (Oct. 15) following a 1-0-1 weekend and recording a shutout victory over Missouri Western last Friday (Oct. 11). Kneefel shares the honor with Lindsey Johnson of Central Missouri.

Kneefel earned a win and a tie in a pair of road matches for Fort Hays State. She picked up her fifth shutout of the season in a 3-0 win at Missouri Western. The only goal she allowed in a 1-1 tie at Northwest Missouri State was on a penalty kick. She stopped 12 of 26 shots she faced for the week, saving four in the shutout at Missouri Western and eight in the tie at Northwest Missouri.

Kneefel joins Central Missouri’s Makayla Toth (Offensive Player of the Week), Allysa Gan (Defensive Player of the Week), and Lindsey Johnson (Co-Goalkeeper of the Week) as recipients of conference honors this week.

MARYVILLE, Mo. – Fort Hays State got off to a slow start but rallied late in regulation to leave Maryville with a 1-1 draw against Northwest Missouri State. FHSU is now 7-3-1 (6-2-1 MIAA), while Northwest Missouri now stands at 3-6-3 (1-2-2 MIAA).

The Tigers could not get much going in the first half. Northwest Missouri was able to capitalize on a penalty kick in the 14th minute by Bri Wawiorka. FHSU only mustered one shot throughout the half, but was only down one goal at halftime.

The second half was a different story as the Tigers came out fast and aggressive. They were able to put three shots on goal within the first five minutes of the half. In the 75th minute, Taryn Schnell found the back of the net in the lower right corner to level the score. She was in the right place at the right time after a crossing pass from Reilly Madden found the foot of Darby Hirsch near the far post. Hirsch’s shot ricocheted off the cross bar right to Schnell who calmly tapped the ball past the keeper for the equalizer.

After two overtimes and a combined 31 shots from both teams, neither could find the golden goal and FHSU escaped with a 1-1 draw.

FHSU made up for the one shot in the first half by taking 13 in the second half and six in overtime. Chloe Montano led the team with seven shots, while Jenna Prince led in shots on goal with five. Megan Kneefel (6-2-1) kept her team in the game by tallying eight saves throughout the match. Northwest Missouri’s Alexis Serna Castillo (2-3-3) stopped nine of ten FHSU shots on goal.

Fort Hays State comes home after two weekends away. They will begin a five-match home stretch on Friday night (Oct. 18) vs. nationally ranked Central Missouri. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. at FHSU Soccer Stadium.

BETHANY, Okla. – Continuing their run of wins in the Great American Conference, the Fort Hays State Tigers defeated Southern Nazarene, 3-1, on Saturday evening.

With the victory, the Tigers improve to 7-3-1 in the 2019 campaign, while the Crimson Storm fall to 2-9.

Nathan De La Hoya struck first for the Tigers in the 11th minute on an assist from Santiago Agudelo, marking his first goal of the season.

In the 30th minute, defender Moritz Walther made his mark on the scoresheet. Inside of the 18-yard box, Crimson Storm defender Diego Rojas committed a foul, sending the Tigers to the penalty spot. Walther, as he has previously done, calmly stepped up to the ball and struck it with confidence past the goalkeeper. On the converted penalty kick, the junior registered his third goal of the season.

Just four minutes later, Walther got himself back on the scoresheet. Sophomore Rogelio Lopez send a corner kick into the box, finding the head of Walther who slotted the ball into the lower right-hand corner.

Heading into halftime, FHSU controlled a 3-0 lead on six attempted shots.

Southern Nazarene turned up the pressure in the second half, attempting seven shots at Tiger’s goalkeeper Kieran Brown, who made two saves on the day.

The Crimson Storm were able to strike back once at Fort Hays State on an Eric Romero free kick that found the top right corner of the goal.

Now entering the second half of conference play, FHSU will travel to Claremore, Okla. to face off against Rogers State. The Tigers faced off against the Hillcats in their second GAC match this season, resulting in a 2-0 victory. Their second meeting this season is set to kickoff at 7 p.m. on Thursday, October 17.