The Fort Hays State football team is once again receiving votes in the latest American Football Coaches Association poll released Monday. The Tigers picked up six votes after their win over Missouri Western Saturday. They were the second highest vote getter two weeks ago before losing to Washburn.

Northwest Missouri State remains No. 1 with Emporia State jumping up two spots to No. 10. The Hornets host the Tigers Saturday at Welch Stadium.

Central Missouri is the highest team receiving votes not in the rankings.

Rank	School (1st votes)	Rec.	Pts.	Prev.	Week 8	Next Game
1.	Northwest Missouri St. (30)	8-0	750	1	D. Lindenwood (Mo.), 47-12	Oct. 29 vs. Pittsburgh St. (Kan.)
2.	Grand Valley St. (Mich.)	8-0	717	2	D. Hillsdale (Mich.), 35-17	Oct. 29 vs. Findlay (Ohio)
3.	Shepherd (W.Va.)	7-0	692	3	D. Concord (W.Va.), 21-7	Oct. 29 at West Liberty (W.Va.)
4.	Sioux Falls (S.D.)	8-0	649	6	D. Concordia-St. Paul (Minn.), 51-17	Oct. 29 at Minnesota St.
5.	Harding (Ark.)	8-0	614	7	D. East Central (Okla.), 35-7	Oct. 29 vs. Southwestern Oklahoma St.
6.	California (Pa.)	7-0	598	8	D. Gannon (Pa.), 35-14	Oct. 29 at Mercyhurst (Pa.)
7.	North Alabama	5-1	541	10	D. North Greenville (S.C.), 52-21	Oct. 29 at Delta St. (Miss.)
8.	Texas A&M-Commerce	6-1	540	9	D. Angelo St. (Texas), 62-14	Oct. 29 vs. West Texas A&M
9.	Ashland (Ohio)	7-1	507	11	D. Kentucky Wesleyan, 70-14	Oct. 29 at Michigan Tech
10.	Emporia St. (Kan.)	7-1	448	12	D. Pittsburg St. (Kan.), 41-36	Oct. 29 vs. Fort Hays St. (Kan.)
11.	LIU-Post (N.Y.)	8-0	432	14	D. American International (Mass.), 22-7	Oct. 29 vs. Pace (N.Y.)
12.	Indiana (Pa.)	6-1	414	13	D. Clarion (Pa.), 42-17	Oct. 29 at Gannon (Pa.)
13.	Midwestern St. (Texas)	6-1	361	4	Lost to West Texas A&M, 35-27	Oct. 29 vs. Texas-Permian Basin
14.	Valdosta St. (Ga.)	6-1	350	16	D. Delta St. (Miss.), 56-27	Oct. 29 at Florida Tech
15.	Azusa Pacific (Calif.)	7-1	325	17	D. Simon Fraser (B.C.), 57-0	Oct. 29 vs. Central Washington
16.	Assumption (Mass.)	7-1	285	18	D. New Haven (Conn.), 38-24	Oct. 29 at Stonehill (Mass.)
17.	Tuskegee (Ala.)	6-1	258	5	Lost to Kentucky St., 10-9	Oct. 29 at Central St. (Ohio)
18.	North Carolina-Pembroke	7-1	253	20	D. Catawba (N.C.), 41-31	Oct. 29 at West Virginia St.
19.	Wayne St. (Mich.)	7-1	221	22	D. Saginaw Valley St. (Mich.), 42-14	Oct. 29 at No. 22 Ferris St. (Mich.)
20.	Fairmont St. (W.Va.)	8-0	201	23	D. Virginia-Wise, 58-3	Oct. 27 vs. No. 25t Notre Dame (Ohio)
21.	Minnesota-Duluth	7-1	174	24	D. No. 21 Bemidji St. (Minn.), 54-47	Oct. 29 at Minnesota-Crookston
22.	Ferris St. (Mich.)	6-2	115	25	D. Lake Erie (Ohio), 42-10	Oct. 29 vs. No. 19 Wayne St. (Mich.)
23.	Newberry (S.C.)	7-1	98	NR	D. Brevard (N.C.), 34-7	Oct. 29 vs. Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.)
24.	Wingate (N.C.)	7-1	55	NR	D. Carson-Newman (Tenn.), 29-16	Oct. 29 at North Greenville (S.C.)
25t.	Notre Dame (Ohio)	7-1	27	NR	D. West Liberty (W.Va.), 30-14	Oct. 29 at No. 20 Fairmont St. (W.Va.)
25t.	Southwest Baptist (Mo.)	7-1	27	NR	D. St. Joseph’s (Ind.), 61-37	Oct. 29 vs. Missouri S&T

Dropped Out: Henderson St. (Ark.) (15), Florida Tech (19), Bemidji St. (Minn.) (21).

Others Receiving Votes: Central Missouri, 20; Colorado School of Mines, 19; Henderson St. (Ark.), 19; Edinboro (Pa.), 8; Bemidji St. (Minn.), 7; Central Washington, 6; Fort Hays St. (Kan.), 6; West Alabama, 5; Florida Tech, 4; Southern Arkansas, 2; Colorado Mesa, 1; Truman St. (Mo.), 1.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State had two of the three MIAA Football Athletes of the Week named on Monday. Both earn the distinction for the second time this year as Sie Doe, Jr. was named the Defensive Athlete of the Week and Brandon Brown was named the Special Teams Athlete of the Week.

Sie Doe, Jr. had another big weekend with 11 tackles, two sacks, and a forced fumble in Fort Hays State’s 35-27 win over Missouri Western. With the two sacks, Doe tied the single season record at FHSU now with 12 on the season. His record-tying sack was a big key to the win, forcing a fumble on the sack that FHSU recovered with 8:25 to go in the game. The Tigers scored a touchdown just two plays later to gain breathing room with a 28-19 lead. He was one of four Tigers to reach double figures in tackles for the game.

Brown averaged 43.5 yards per punt in the 35-27 win for Fort Hays State over Missouri Western. He punted eight times with two resulting in drives starting inside the 20 and three resulting in touchbacks. His longest punt of the game was a 78 yarder for a touchback, tying the second-longest punt in FHSU history. He averaged 54.4 yards on kickoffs with three touchbacks, and went 5-of-5 on extra-point conversions.

Garrett Fugate of Central Missouri was named the Offensive Athlete of the Week, joining Doe and Brown for the weekly honors.

HAYS, Kan. – The 23rd-ranked Fort Hays State women’s soccer team earned another big MIAA win on Sunday with a 3-1 victory over Central Oklahoma. The Tigers moved to 12-3-1 overall and 8-1 in the MIAA, remaining on top of the conference standings with just two matches to play. The Bronchos drop to 10-5-1 overall and 6-3 in the conference.

This is another big win for the Tigers in the NCAA Regional picture. The Tigers went into the week ranked No. 5 in the Central Region, but knocked off No. 3 ranked Northeastern State and No. 4 ranked Central Oklahoma. FHSU also handed No. 2 ranked Minot State its only loss of the season. Now with wins over the No. 2, 3, and 4 ranked teams in the region, the Tigers could make a big leap in next week’s rankings. Central Missouri is No. 1 in the region and is the only team to defeat the Tigers in conference play this year. But UCM has a conference loss and went into Sunday tied with FHSU for first in the MIAA standings.

Kelsey Steffens gave the Tigers the 1-0 lead in the 25th minute when she recorded her fifth goal of the season. Dani Harris sent a great through pass to the sprinting Steffens who fired a shot from 10 yards out to beat the diving keeper.

Mikayla Lowery knotted the score at 1-1 when she tallied her fourth goal of the season for the Bronchos. After a corner kick, Kelsey Gordon sent a header that a Tiger defender was able to block on the goal line but Lowery took the rebound and had a header of her own that found the back of the net at the 30:04 mark.

Hannah Jurgens put the Tigers back on top 2-1 before the half was over with her second goal of the year. Thalya Dwyer sent a nice ball to Jurgens inside the box and she ripped a shot from right around the penalty kick stripe that found the back of the net.

The Tigers extended their lead to 3-1 in the second half when Hannah Smith tallied her third goal of the season. Darby Hirsch sent a beautiful corner kick into the box and Smith gained position to send an uncontested header past the UCO keeper at the 71:50 mark.

Abbie Flax picked up the win for FHSU saving six of the seven shots put on goal by UCO. She is now 10-3-1 on the season.

Fort Hays State’s quest for an MIAA Regular Season Championship continues when they head to Nebraska-Kearney on Friday. The match is set for 2 pm.

By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

Hays, Kan. – Jacob Mezera passed for 309 yards and three touchdown, Shaquille Cooper rushed for 103 yards and two scores as Fort Hays State ended an 11-game losing streak to Missouri Western with a 35-27 win Saturday afternoon at Lewis Field. The Tiger defense came up big in the second half with five sacks and two interceptions and holding the high-flying Griffons below their season average for yardage and points.

Mezera connected on a 41-yard scoring strike to give the Tigers a 7-6 lead midway through the first quarter. After the Griffons took the lead back on a 70-yard touchdown pass from Skyler Windmiller to Dijuan Ussery, Mezera found Layne Bieberle on a 36-yard pass which gave Fort Hays State (6-2) the lead for good. He found Charles Tigner on a 5-yard pass late in the second quarter.

Chris Brown Postgame Press Conference

Justin McPhail Postgame Interview

Shaquille Cooper Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

Leading 21-19 after three quarters, Cooper scored on touchdown runs of 24 and 49 yards to push the lead to 35-19 with 2:39 to play. The first came after a Sie Doe sack and fumble recovery by Justin McPhail. The second after Rashad Dunnigan’s second interception of the second half.

Alex Schmidtberger led the Tiger defense with a career-high 21 tackles. Sie Doe and Justin McPhail each had two sacks and Kiel Simas one. Doe tied the single-season sack record now with 12.The Tigers finished with five total sacks and 10 tackles for loss, two interceptions and a fumble recovery.

HAYS, Kan. – The 23rd ranked Fort Hays State women’s soccer team remained in a tie for first place in the MIAA on Friday with a thrilling 1-0 double overtime win against Northeastern State. The Tigers are tied with Central Missouri at 7-1 in the conference standings. FHSU moved to 11-3-1 overall. The RiverHawks dropped to 5-3 in the MIAA and 12-3 overall.

It was a defensive battle for all 103:42 of play. Both teams had chances in regulation, but neither could capitalize. In the first 90 minutes the Tigers had 12 shots with four on net, while NSU scattered nine shots with four on net.

In the first 10-minute overtime neither team could gain the control. In the second overtime, however, the Tigers took advantage of 1-on-1 breakaway opportunity. Just over three minutes in, the RiverHawks were attacking and had the ball in the FHSU box. A loose ball was cleared by the Tigers that landed at the feet of Hannah Smith. Smith then launched a deep pass to Kelsey Steffens and it was off to the races as she just had one defender to beat.

With a step on her defender streaking down the left side, Steffens put on the breaks and cut right about six yards out from the goal. The keeper did all she could to get a piece of the ball but there was no chance to stop a rocket from Steffens. She buried the ball with 6:18 remaining on the scoreboard to claim the win for the Tigers. It was her fourth goal of the season.

Abbie Flax was big for the Tigers in goal with five saves on the night. With the victory her record improved to 9-4-1. Jordan Woodruff took the loss for NSU but was equally solid with five saves.

The Tigers ran their win streak to five matches and the last four have been shutouts. The last three contests have all been decided by the narrow 1-0 margin.

The win was big for FHSU in the region rankings as Northeastern State is No. 3. The Tigers are No. 5, but now have wins over the No. 2 and No. 3 ranked teams in the region.

Fort Hays State looks to stay hot Sunday when they welcome Central Oklahoma, the No. 4 ranked team in the region. The match is set for 11 am. Central Oklahoma fell out of a tie for first place in the conference with an overtime loss at Nebraska-Kearney on Friday.

WARRENSBURG, Mo. – The Fort Hays State volleyball team came up on the losing end Friday evening against 15th-ranked Central Missouri, falling in straight sets. The Tigers are now 20-7 on the year and 6-6 in MIAA play, while the Jennies improve to 16-6 and 6-4 in conference action.

After the Tigers scored the first three points in the match, UCM grabbed the lead by going on a 9-3 run. Back-to-back kills from Crystal Whitten followed by a block from Whitten and Rebekah Spainhour helped the Tigers tie the score at 11, but the Jennies answered by taking the next three points. The Jennies later scored nine out of 12 after the Tigers had leveled the set at 15 to reach set point, 24-18. The back-and-forth set wasn’t over yet, as Fort Hays State strung together six-straight points to tie things up once again. UCM put the set on ice by taking the next two points on a kill and a block. The Jennies followed that up with a dominating performance in the second set, leading wire-to-wire to take a 2-0 lead in the match.

The Tigers had their best chance to take a set out of the locker room, managing two set point opportunities after leading much of the way in the third. The teams traded blows through the majority of the set, with neither team leading by more than two until late in the game. With the score tied at 18, FHSU went on a 5-1 run to open up a 23-19 lead. The Jennies answered with four-straight to tie the score once more, but a kill from Megan Anderson gave the Tigers a serve for the set. The Jennies again answered the call before Anderson once again handed FHSU a serve at set point. UCM completed the comeback by stealing the next three points, winning 27-25.

Whitten led the team with 12 kills, adding seven digs and one block. Anderson contributed 11 kills to just two attack errors, good for a .429 hitting percentage. Spainhour posted a team-high five blocks, adding seven kills and one service ace. Hannah Wagy contributed 36 assists and two service aces, while Kailey Klibbe led the way defensively with 17 digs.

Fort Hays State hit an efficient .228 for the match, but UCM countered with an impressive .310 effort. The Tigers managed two more blocks (5-3), but were outmatched in nearly every other category for on the night.

The Tigers will return to the floor next weekend when they wrap up their home schedule with a pair of MIAA matches. Fort Hays State will open the weekend against Southwest Baptist on Saturday, October 29 at 6:30 p.m.

SHAWNEE, Okla. – The 25th-ranked Fort Hays State men’s soccer team improved to 9-3-1 on Thursday with a 3-1 win at Oklahoma Baptist. The Bison dropped to 9-6-1 overall.

Oklahoma Baptist struck first and early when it managed to get on the board in the 6th minute. Jesus Andrade sent a ball into the box that Sam Smith was able to get his head on, and it beat FHSU keeper Alex Rodela for the first goal of the match.

The Tigers got the equalizer in the 25th minute when Luis Mendez scored the first of his two goals on the night. Michael Cole slotted a ball between two defenders that Mendez took and beat the keeper to the left side. Mendez then made it a 2-1 game when he found the back of the net again exactly three minutes later, this time on the receiving end of a Mauricio Castorinio pass that split two defenders.

Luis Torres extended the Tiger lead to 3-1 at the 61:31 mark with his seventh goal of the year. Once again Castorino set up the goal, this time on a ball crossed from the left side of the field that Torres took and beat the keeper to the far post.

Alex Rodela picked up his second consecutive win for the Tigers and is now 4-0 on the season. He stopped two of the three shots on goal that he faced.

The Tigers are back in action on Saturday in Bethany, Okla. against Southern Nazarene, looking for their third consecutive win. The match is set for 1 pm.

ST. CHARLES, Mo. – Facing a deficit at every turn, the Fort Hays State volleyball team rallied on multiple occasions to defeat Lindenwood in five sets Thursday evening. The win gives the Tigers (20-6, 6-5) a second-straight 20-win season for the first time since 2003-04. Lindenwood falls to 8-12 overall and 4-6 in MIAA play after the loss.

Fort Hays State is now 4-0 in five-set matches this season, while the Lady Lions dip to 2-2 in matches that go the distance.

The Tigers hit .177 for the match, racking up 62 kills, 53 assists and 11 blocks. FHSU held the Lady Lions to a .130 hitting percentage, with the home team posting eight blocks and five service aces.

Crystal Whitten led the Tigers with her 14th double-double of the season, chipping in 21 kills and 21 digs to become the first Tiger with a 20-20 match since Lilian Rezende accomplished the feat three times in 2008. Megan Anderson added a career-high 15 kills with just four errors, totaling a .379 hitting percentage. Callie Christensen posted eight blocks (one solo) to go along with eight kills and a .353 swing rate. Senior setter Hannah Wagy topped the 50-set plateau for the fifth time this year, accumulating 50 assists, two kills, two blocks and nine digs. Libero Kailey Klibbe recorded a match-high 23 digs.

The Tigers were strong from the first serve, jumping out to a 9-4 lead to open the match after back-to-back kills from Whitten. Lindenwood rallied to take the lead, scoring seven of the next eight points. Fort Hays State grabbed a slim lead shortly after, 14-13, but another big run from the Lady Lions put the set out of reach.

Fort Hays State took the lead in the second set and never looked back, never trailing in the frame. After Lindenwood tied the score at one, the Tigers captured the next two points to grab the lead for good. Leading 8-6, FHSU scored nine of the next 12 points to extend an eight-point lead, prompting the Lady Lions to burn their second timeout of the set. After the home team closed within five (18-13), the Tigers put the set on ice by outscoring the Lady Lions 7-2 down the stretch with Chandler Hillman delivering the final blow with a perfect serve between the defenders dropping in for an ace.

Although the Tigers stayed within striking distance, the Lady Lions led for the majority of the third frame before taking a 2-1 lead in the match with a 25-23 win. Any time Lindenwood would string together a few points, the Tigers would answer to narrow the gap. After the Lady Lions extended a 23-20 lead, a service error and a kill from Anderson helped the Tigers close within one. Lindenwood then went to Jessica Krygsheld, its leading hitter with 14 kills, for the final two points of the set.

The Tigers again answered back with a strong fourth set, never trailing in the frame and hitting .306, their best set of the day. Service aces from Azlyn Cassaday and Rebekah Spainhour helped the Tigers extend a 5-1 lead early in the set, and the rout was on. The Lady Lions picked up points on their serve just four times in the frame, with FHSU siding out at a 75% rate. Conversely, Fort Hays State tallied 13 points while serving, holding LWU to a .054 hitting percentage. A block from Wagy and Spainhour brought the set to a close and sent things to a deciding fifth set.

Both teams had their chances in the final frame, in which there were eight ties and four lead changes. The Tigers appeared to have the match in hand after they extended a 12-7 lead behind three-straight Lindenwood attack errors, but the Lady Lions strung together six-consecutive points to take a 13-12 lead. Consecutive Lady Lion errors gave the Tigers match point, but the home team again bounced back to tie things up at 14. Anderson handed FHSU a serve for the match with a kill before Christensen delivered the final swing on an over pass from Lindenwood, securing the 16-14 fifth set victory.

The Tigers will return to the floor on Friday, October 21 when they face off with 15th-ranked Central Missouri at 7 p.m. in Warrensburg, Mo. The Tigers and Jennies (15-6, 5-4) currently sit in a virtual tie for fifth place in the MIAA. Fort Hays State topped UCM in their meeting earlier this season, just the second win over the Jennies in program history.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Fort Hays State women’s basketball team has been picked to finish fourth in the conference this year according to the 2016-17 MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll, released Thursday (Oct. 20) by the league office. It is the fourth-straight year the team has been picked to finish in the top-four in the league. The poll is comprised of votes from all 14 head coaches in the league, who are not allowed to list their own institution on their ballot.

The Tigers earned 127 points in the poll to finish fourth. The four Kansas universities were ranked one through four in the poll, with Emporia State, winners of four-straight conference tournament titles, leading the way with 12 first-place votes and 168 total points. Defending NCAA Division II Central Region champion Pittsburg State was listed atop the final two ballots, earning 156 points to come in second. The third- through fifth-ranked teams are separated by just eight points, with Washburn earning five more points than the Tigers and the Griffons of Missouri Western just behind FHSU at 124 points.

Entering his ninth season at the helm, head coach Tony Hobson returns seven players from a year ago, including two starters and two All-MIAA honorees. Jill Faxon, a third team All-MIAA honoree last season, returns for her senior season after averaging over 12 points and nearly six rebounds per game. Fellow senior Nikola Kacperska averaged 8.3 points and nearly two assists per game last year, garnering honorable mention All-MIAA accolades. Taylor Chandler, Tatyana Legette and Carly Heim all return valuable experience after playing in at least 29 contests a year ago. The seven returners are joined by eight newcomers, including seven freshmen and one Division I transfer.

The Tigers reached the NCAA Central Region tournament for the second-straight time last season, earning a trip to the NCAA tournament in consecutive years for the first time in program history. The Tigers have won 18 conference games in each of the last two seasons, finishing in the top-two in the final standings each year.

The Black and Gold will get their first taste of game action in less than two weeks when they travel to Lawrence, Kan. for an exhibition contest against Kansas on Sunday, October 30. The Tigers open up the regular season on Friday, November 11 against Upper Iowa in St. Joseph, Mo.

2016-17 MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll

1. Emporia State (12)	168
2. Pittsburg State (2)	156
3. Washburn	132
4. Fort Hays State	127
5. Missouri Western	124
6. Central Oklahoma	96
7. Nebraska-Kearney	95
8. Central Missouri	89
9. Missouri Southern	83
10. Southwest Baptist	75
11. Northeastern State	43
12. Lindenwood	40
13. Northwest Missouri	31
14. Lincoln	15

The season’s first set of region rankings released by the NCAA has the Fort Hays State men at No. 2 in the Central Region. The rankings reflect a battle between Lindenwood and FHSU for the top spot in the region.

Lindenwood is ranked No. 1 in the Central Region in the first edition of the region rankings this year. A head-to-head win over FHSU likely has Lindenwood in the driver’s seat for the time being. The teams will not meet again until the regular season finale on November 6 in St. Charles, Mo. Lindenwood is 9-2-2 overall and FHSU is 8-3-1. Northeastern State holds the No. 3 spot in the rankings, while Harding is No. 4.

The top two teams in the region will be selected to the NCAA Tournament in November. Fort Hays State is the two-time defending Central Region champion is seeking its fifth consecutive trip to the tournament.

Below are the NCAA Men’s Soccer Central Region rankings for October 19, 2016.

Rank	Team	In-Region Record	Overall DII Record
1	Lindenwood (MO)	9-2-2	9-2-2
2	Fort Hays State	7-2	8-3-1
3	Northeastern St.	5-4	5-5
4	Harding	8-3	8-3

The Fort Hays State women’s soccer team has been tabbed No. 5 in the first set of Central Region Rankings released by the NCAA on Wednesday. The Tigers are one of five MIAA teams inside the top six.

Central Missouri currently owns the No. 1 spot in the region rankings. Minot State of the NSIC is No. 2, but its only loss of the season was to Fort Hays State. The Tigers have a big chance to move up in the rankings this week when they host the No. 3 and No. 4 ranked teams, Northeastern State and Central Oklahoma, at home. Lindenwood is No. 6 in the region, another team FHSU has a head-to-head win against this season.

Six teams are selected to the NCAA Tournament at the end of the regular season. Below are the NCAA women’s soccer Central Region Rankings for October 19, 2016.

Rank	Team	In-Region Record	Overall DII Record
1	Central Missouri	12-1-0	12-1-0
2	Minot State	11-1-0	11-1-0
3	Northeastern State	12-2-0	12-2-0
4	Central Oklahoma	10-3-1	10-3-1
5	Fort Hays State	10-3-1	10-3-1
6	Lindenwood (MO)	6-6-1	6-6-1
7	Bemidji State	10-4-0	10-4-0
8	Minnesota State	10-3-1	10-3-1

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Coming off its seventh appearance in the NCAA Tournament under head coach Mark Johnson, Fort Hays State Men’s Basketball has been picked third in the MIAA Preseason Poll. The poll is voted on by MIAA coaches.

MIAA Men’s Basketball Virtual Media Day Link

Northwest Missouri State, the three-time defending conference champion, is picked No. 1 in the poll receiving all first-place votes possible for a total of 169. Coaches exclude their own team from their selections, so the first place vote from NWMSU went to Washburn.

Washburn is picked second in the poll with 147 points. Fort Hays State is third with 127 and Lincoln was close behind with 123.

Fort Hays State, Northwest Missouri State, and Nebraska-Kearney represented the MIAA in the NCAA Tournament last year. Nebraska-Kearney is picked sixth after finishing second last year. FHSU finished fourth in the regular season standings last year.

The Tigers have All-MIAA First Team selection Rob Davis returning for his senior year after averaging 16.7 points per game last year. He is the only regular starter returning from last year’s squad, but FHSU has several others returning that saw plenty of time as reserves. Hadley Gillum, Kyler Kinnamon, Trey O’Neil and Drew Kite all played in at least 28 games last season.

Below is the 2016-17 MIAA Preseason Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll.

2016-17 MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Northwest Missouri (13)             169
2. Washburn (1)                                147
3. Fort Hays State                       129
4. Lincoln                                            123
5. Missouri Southern                        111
6. Nebraska-Kearney                       104
7. Central Oklahoma                         94
8. Pittsburg State                               93
9. Central Missouri                           92
10. Lindenwood                                 72
11. Emporia State                              55
12. Missouri Western                       45
13. Northeastern State                     22
14. Southwest Baptist                       18

Former Fort Hays State guard James Fleming is currently playing professional basketball in Italy. Fleming signed with Olympia Club Rutigliano and has seen great success in his first two games.

Fleming scored 45 points and had seven assists in his debut and then backed that with a 30-point performance in his second game. Fleming and another former NCAA Division II player, J.J. Mina from Sonoma (Calif.) State, have provided the majority of the offense for the team early in the season.

Fleming played two seasons at Fort Hays State from 2013-15. He averaged 10 points per game, while shooting 37 percent beyond the 3-point line and 83 percent at the free-throw line in his career with the Tigers.

Here is a link to the club’s website – https://olympiarutigliano.com/

Fleming joins a long list of players from Fort Hays State coached by Mark Johnson to go on and play professionally. Below is a list of former players under Johnson to play professionally. Years listed are years played at FHSU.

Dom Samac (2014-16)
Craig Nicholson (2012-16)
James Fleming (2013-15)
Tomislav Gabric (2012-15)
Ben Congiusta (2009-13)
KC Rodenburg (2011-12)
Moses Dayee (2010-12)
Karron McKenzie (2010-12)
Dominique Jones (2009-11)
Dijon Smith (2009-11)
Ken Bowman (2009-11)
Terry Jeffries (2007-09)
Rob Igbawua (2007-09)
Tyrone Shephard (2004-06)
Jonathan Raney (2001-03)
Melroy McKelvey (2001-03)