HAYS, Kan. – The 18th-ranked Fort Hays State wrestling team picked up its first dual win of the season on Thursday by winning the final three matches to force a 19-19 tie with Colorado School of Mines. The NCAA tiebreaker protocol was used and gave the Tigers the victory. Since FHSU had more 6-point wins in the match after the teams tied 5-5 in the matches won for the first criteria, the Tigers won on the second criteria.  With the win the Tigers now sit at 1-2 overall on the season, while the Orediggers moved to 2-2.

Dual Box Score

Dual Scoresheet

The Orediggers took an early 3-0 lead in a very close match in the 125-pound bout. It was a back-and-forth battle between Conrad Cole and Matthew Lavengood of CSM, a battle that Cole tied late in the third with an escape. Unfortunately, a riding time point was awarded to Lavengood, who walked away with the 8-7 decision.

Noah Au-Yeung extended the Oredigger lead to 8-0 in the ensuing 133-pound match after a technical fall, but the Tigers rebounded in the 141-pound bout cutting the lead to 8-3. Seventh-ranked Brandon Ball got the Tigers on the board as he handled Lukas Erickson with a 6-0 decision for his 20^th victory of the season.

Colorado Mines extended its lead to eight once again after the No. 9 ranked wrestler in the nation, Jacob Gerken, avoided an upset with a tight 6-5 victory over Jacob Kay in the 149-pound bout. Then in the 157-pound bout, Greg Tooley picked up his tenth win of the season and trimmed the Oredigger lead back to five, 11-6, after an 8-4 decision over Ethan Ruby.

After a second technical fall for the Orediggers in the 165-pound bout and a decision in the 174-pound bout, the Tigers saw themselves trailing 19-6 with just three matches remaining. Rakim Dean did his part to keep the Tigers in the dual, cutting the lead to 19-9 with a 6-1 decision over Colorado Mines’ Benjamin Krantz at 184 pounds.

With the Tigers needing at least four points to stay, Austin Brandt stepped up for FHSU at 197 pounds. The freshman got the better of Anthony Spallino by 10 points (12-2), earning the major decision and cutting the lead to six with one match remaining.

With the Tigers needing a fall in the final match, they had the right man for the job in the likes of redshirt-freshman Christian Lance, the No. 9 ranked wrestler at 285 pounds. With 25 seconds remaining in the match and Lance up big, Jake Feldman of Colorado Mines was called for his fifth stall of the match. That disqualified Feldman and gave Lance a fall, producing just what the Tigers needed.

Oddly enough, that fall would prove to be the match decider in the tiebreaking protocol. Both teams won five matches in the dual, so the next criteria is which team has more 6-point wins in the match. FHSU had the only 6-point win, produced on the odd finish to the dual. A team point was added for FHSU, making the final score 20-19.

LILBURN, Ga. – The Fort Hays State women’s basketball team continued its climb towards the Top 25 in the WBCA NCAA Division II Coaches’ Poll, receiving votes for the fourth week in a row. The Tigers are the first team listed in the others receiving votes section of the latest edition of the poll, released Tuesday (Jan. 10) by the organization. The Tigers received 35 points in the voting process, four shy of 25th-ranked Adelphi University.

It is the sixth time the Tigers have been mentioned in the poll this season, reaching as high as 25th in the poll after their 6-0 start.

Fort Hays State is one of five MIAA schools recognized in the latest release. Emporia State maintained its spot at No. 2 in the country, while Pittsburg State climbed one spot to No. 5. Sixteenth-ranked Central Oklahoma took advantage of a pair of victories to climb four spots this week. Central Missouri is still receiving votes after falling to the Tigers last week. In total, 10 schools representing the Central Region are listed in the poll, including those also receiving votes.

In addition, the Tigers are ranked 22nd in the latest D2SIDA Media Poll, a poll voted on by sports information directors across the country.

The Tigers will play just once this week, a road contest at 5:30 p.m. Thursday (Jan. 12) against Nebraska-Kearney.

Below is the WBCA Division II Top 25 Coaches’ Poll for January 10, 2017.

Rank	School (First Place Votes)	Record	Points	Last Week
1	Ashland (22)	16-0	598	1
2	Emporia State	13-1	557	2
3	Virginia Union (2)	12-0	532	3
4	Bellarmine	12-1	499	4
5	Pittsburg State	14-1	489	6
6	Angelo State	12-0	485	5
7	Alaska-Anchorage	13-1	475	7
8	California (Pa.)	13-1	431	8
9	Lincoln Memorial	12-0	406	10
10	Colorado State-Pueblo	15-0	404	9
11	California Baptist	15-2	353	11
12	Drury	13-2	315	12
13	Arkansas Tech	9-1	297	13
14	Seattle Pacific	13-1	252	15
15	Bentley	12-3	228	17
16	Central Oklahoma	13-1	206	20
17	North Georgia	12-1	169	21
18	Minnesota State-Moorhead	13-1	159	24
19	Lewis	12-3	143	16
20	Winona State	13-3	125	14
21	Grand Valley State	10-3	98	21
22	Eckerd	12-2	78	RV
23	Wheeling Jesuit	11-2	77	18
24	Columbus State	9-1	68	19
25	Adelphi	13-2	39	RV

Dropped Out: No. 23 Clayton State (10-3); No. 25 Northern State (11-3).

Receiving Votes: Fort Hays State (13-2) 35; Glenville State (12-1) 31; Simon Fraser (14-2) 30; Queens, NY (12-3) 23; Kentucky Wesleyan (11-1) 21; Clayton State (10-3) 19; Northern State (11-3) 18; Limestone (9-3) 16; Central Missouri (11-2) 16; Anderson, SC (10-2) 13; Lander (9-3) 13; Saint Mary’s, TX (12-3) 13; Regis (Colo.) (12-2) 12; West Florida (10-2) 12; Wayne State (Neb.) (12-3) 10; Caldwell (12-3) 6.

[Note: 6 teams mentioned on only one ballot for a total of 29 combined points.]

By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

HAYS, Kan. – For the second time in three years, Southwest Baptist beats Fort Hays State on a last second shot at Gross Coliseum. Cartier Dean, who lead the Bearcats with 11 points, hit a 3-pointer from the right wing with less than one second to play in the 56-54 victory. Dean’s heroics came after Kyler Kinnamon hit a layup with 13 seconds left to put the Tigers up one. Kinnamon was fouled but missed the free throw which would have given them a two-point lead.

Mark Johnson Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

The Bearcats (9-5, 2-3 MIAA) opened the second half on a 14-0 run to go up 10, holding the Tigers (9-5, 3-3 MIAA) scoreless for the first 4:58. FHSU responded with an 11-0 run over the next 7:48 to retake the lead on a Rob Davis 3-pointer.

A Brady Werth basket with 5:08 to play pushed the Tigers lead to four at 47-43 but SBU answered with a 7-0 run to go up 50-47 with 1:30 to play. Trey O’Neil answered with a 3-pointer on the next possession to tie the game 50-50 with 1:17 to play.

Werth led the Tigers with a career-high 13 points along with eight rebounds and was the only Tiger to reach double-figures.

Rob Davis, who led the MIAA in scoring at 24.2 points per game coming into the contest, was held to eight on 3-of-12 shooting.

 

By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

HAYS, Kan. – The Fort Hays State women outscored Southwest Baptist 30-8 in the third quarter to build a 25-point lead and beat the Bearcats 88-63 Saturday afternoon at Gross Coliseum. The Tigers (13-2, 4-2 MIAA) held SBU (10-4, 2-3 MIAA) without a field goal for six and half minutes over the third and fourth quarters as they pick up their fourth straight conference win.

Tony Hobson Postgame Interview

 

Game Highlights

Tatyana Legette led four Tigers in double-figures with 17 points. Kacey Kennett added 14, Jill Faxon 11 and Madison Mittie 10.

FHSU shot 44-percent for the game including 5-for-24 from beyond the arc. They went 10-of-25 from the free throw line and outrebounded the Bearcats by nine.

Taylor Chandler had five of the Tigers 15 steals as they outscore SBU 30-8 off turnovers and 17-4 on second chance points.

By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State outscored Central Missouri 8-2 over the final 1:15 to overcome a five-point deficit and beat the Mules 74-73 Thursday at Gross Coliseum. Rob Davis, who scored a game-high 34 points, hit the go-ahead jumper with 27-seconds to play. He added two free throws to extend the lead to three with four second to play.

Aaron Nicholson fouled Spencer Reeves with two seconds left. Reeves hit the first free throw then intentionally missed the second but after securing the rebound, the Tigers Drew Kite was called for a foul. Gabriel Williams hit the first free throw but missed the second. Jaquan Smith secured the rebound to end the game, which saw 52 combined fouls and 68 combined free throws.

Mark Johnson Postgame Interview

Rob Davis Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

The Tigers (9-4, 3-2 MIAA) led by 10 in the first half, but the Mules (8-4, 2-2 MIAA) responded with a 16-4 run to take their first lead early in the second half. They would hold Fort Hays State without a field goal for over eight minutes in the second half and build the lead to seven on two different occasions, the latest with 5:40 to play.

Hadley Gillum scored 15 points and pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds.

Spencer Reeves and DJ Richardson both scored 14 to lead the Mules with Dushaun Rice adding 11.

UCM scored 33 of their 73 points from the free throw line, hitting 33-of-40. FHSU was 21-of-28 from the foul line.

INDIANAPOLIS – Fort Hays State holds steady as they remain tied as the 18th-ranked team in the nation according to the Division II Coaches Association Poll, released Wednesday. Tied with FHSU is Augustana, which moved up from the 23^rd spot, and UNC-Pembroke, which jumped three places from the previous poll.

In the individual rankings, 197-pound senior Jon Inman jumped two places and now sits as the No. 2 wrestler at 197 pounds. Despite suffering a minor injury last time out, Inman is the only Tiger to remain undefeated this season posting an unblemished 14-0 record. The No. 2 slot is the highest for Inman’s career as he was ranked sixth all last season at 184 pounds and kicked the 2016-17 campaign off at No. 4.

Another Tiger wrestler remaining in the national rankings is 141-pounder Brandon Ball. He is the No. 7 wrestler in his weight class and has been a constant in the FHSU lineup this season. The redshirt-freshman is currently second on the team in wins, posting a 19-3 record this season.

A new Tiger added to the rankings this time around is heavyweight Christian Lance who debuts at No. 9 with the new release. Lance, who has been a force this season for the Tigers, leads the team with 25 wins and has dropped just three bouts this season.

Here is a link to the most recent rankings.

Division II Wrestling Rankings (January 4, 2016)

FHSU Sports Information

LILBURN, Ga. – For the third consecutive week, the Fort Hays State women’s basketball team is receiving votes in the WBCA NCAA Division II Coaches’ Poll. The latest edition of the Top 25 was released Tuesday (Jan. 3) by the organization. The Tigers received seven points in the voting process.

It is the fifth time the Tigers have been listed in the poll this season, reaching as high as 25th in the poll after their 6-0 start.

Fort Hays State is one of five MIAA schools recognized in the latest release. Emporia State climbed to second in the poll after defeating Pittsburg State, with the Gorillas dipping to No. 6. Central Oklahoma fell one spot to No. 20 after losing its first game of the season. Central Missouri, FHSU’s next opponent, is also listed in the receiving votes category, seven slots ahead of the Tigers.

Nine schools representing the Central Region are listed in the poll, including those also receiving votes, three more than the next-closest region (Southeast).

The Tigers will return to conference action this week when they host Central Missouri and Southwest Baptist. First up is a Thursday evening (Jan. 5) duel with the Jennies, with first tip set for 5:30 p.m.

Below is the WBCA Division II Top 25 Coaches’ Poll for January 3, 2017.

Rank	School (1st Place Votes)	Record	Points	Last Week
1	Ashland (22)	(14-0)	598	1
2	Emporia State	(12-1)	556	5
3	Virginia Union (2)	(9-0)	512	6
4	Bellarmine	(10-1)	490	4
5	Angelo State	(10-0)	486	7
6	Pittsburg State	(11-1)	485	3
7	Alaska-Anchorage	(10-0)	476	8
8	California (Pa.)	(11-1)	444	2
9	Colorado State-Pueblo	(13-0)	422	9
10	Lincoln Memorial	(11-0)	405	10
11	California Baptist	(13-2)	362	11
12	Drury	(11-2)	297	14
13	Arkansas Tech	(7-1)	267	15
14	Winona State	(12-2)	261	16
15	Seattle Pacific	(11-1)	228	13
16	Lewis	(11-2)	200	17
17	Bentley	(11-3)	194	12
18	Wheeling Jesuit	(9-1)	186	18
19	Columbus State	(8-0)	156	23
20	Central Oklahoma	(11-1)	104	19
21	Grand Valley State	(9-3)	98	21
21	North Georgia	(10-1)	98	24
23	Clayton State	(9-2)	80	22
24	Minnesota State-Moorhead	(11-1)	71	RV
25	Northern State	(10-2)	65	25

Dropped Out: No. 20 Florida Southern (8-4).

Receiving Votes: Eckerd (10-2) 52; Saint Mary’s, TX (11-2) 29; Adelphi (11-2) 28; Simon Fraser (12-2) 24; Queens, NY (10-3) 17; Central Missouri (10-1) 17; Regis, CO (10-2) 11; West Florida (9-2) 11; Limestone (7-3) 10; Anderson, SC (8-2) 9; Glenville State (9-1) 8; Caldwell (10-3) 7; Fort Hays State (11-2) 7.

FHSU Sports Information

By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

HAYS, Kan. – Rob Davis led four Tigers in double-figures with 17 points as Fort Hays State closed out 2016 with a 96-52 victory over Kansas Christian at Gross Coliseum.

Fort Hays State (8-4) hit eight first half 3-pionters and led 52-21 at the half. They used a 12-0 run early in the second half to push the lead to 38.

Mark Johnson Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

Brady Werth scored 11 points with Grant Holmes and Emir Sabic both adding 10.

The Tigers shot 50-percent from the floor and finished 10-for-24 from beyond the arc but struggled from the free throw line where they went 14-fo-25.

By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

HAYS, Kan. – Kacey Kennett led six Fort Hays State players in the double-figures with 16 points as the Tiger women rolled to a 118-35 victory over Kansas Christian College Saturday afternoon at Gross Coliseum.

Emma Stroyan, Jill Faxon and Taylor Rolfs all scored 12 with Madison Mittie and Tatyana Legette adding 10.

Tony Hobson Postgame Interview

 

Game Highlights

Fort Hays State (11-2) never trailed in the game, building a 30-14 lead after one quarter and 60-21 at the half.

FHSU shot 51-percent from the floor including 9-of-33 from beyond the arc after missing their first nine from 3-point range.

The Lady Falcons (5-10), who suited up only five players, were led by Dajanea Wilson who scored 18 and Cieara Carter who added 11.

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