TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – Sophomore Hannah Perkins led all Fort Hays State women’s golfers as she tied for 21st at the NSU Women’s Classic. She shot rounds of 77 and 80 for a total score of 157. FHSU finished 15th as a team.

Madison Roether tied for 69th individually with rounds of 81 and 93. Taylor DeBoer tied for 75th with identical rounds of 89 each day. Hadley Tharp finished 89th with rounds of 96 and 92, while teammate Kelsey McCarthy tied for 90th with scores of 96 and 93.

Southwestern Oklahoma State won the tournament as a team, shooting 606 as a team. MIAA teams Northeastern State (607) and Central Oklahoma (613) finished second and third respectively. Fort Hays State shot 697 as a team. Baylee Price of Northeastern State was the individual champion at 2-over par overall (146 total).

FHSU Sports Information

AXTELL, Neb. – The Fort Hays State University men’s golf team competed for the first time of the year this week at the UNK Invitational. The tournament was held at Awarii Dunes Country Club, an Irish-inspired links course in the sandy, rolling hills of southern Nebraska. The event, the first of four MIAA designated events that will decide the conference champion, concluded after 36 holes due to potential weather concerns.

The field fought through a wide variety of conditions on Monday, ranging from clear and calm wind in the morning, to intermittent showers in the afternoon and ultimately cold with gale-force winds over the last few hours. The competition concluded with the final five holes of the second round on a windy and chilly Tuesday morning.

The Tigers recorded a team score of 650 (328-322) to finish 20th overall and 11th in the MIAA standings. Dalton Ayres led FHSU with a two-round total of nine-over 153 (79-74), finishing in a tie for 49th. The junior transfer jumped 29 spots between rounds with his second round two-over 74, the sixth-largest jump in the 105 individual field.

Freshmen Marcus Willey (83-81) and Colton Bobek (82-82) both finished with a score of plus-20 164. Isaiah Grover (84-85-169) and Jake Weller (84-88-172) rounded out the scoring for FHSU.

The team will return to action in two weeks when it heads to Monkey, Island, Okla. for the MSSU Fall Invitational at Shangri-La Country Club. The first two rounds are scheduled for Monday, Sept. 26 before the final round takes off Tuesday.

FHSU Sports Information

Fort Hays State Weekly Football Press Conference
September 13, 2016

Fort Hays State head football coach Chris Brown along with select players met with members of the media on Tuesday afternoon at Lewis Field.

The Tigers (1-1) are coming off their first loss of the season at then No. 16 Central Missouri this past Thursday. Fort Hays State returns home this Saturday night to face Central Oklahoma. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. at Lewis Field.

Head coach Chris Brown

 

 

Senior wide receiver Isaiah Maxi

Sophomore linebacker Jose Delgado

Redshirt-Freshman bandit back Tanner Hoekman

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State Women’s Soccer entered the NSCAA Division II Top 25 Poll for the first time in program history on Tuesday (Sept. 13). The Tigers debut in the poll at No. 16 after a 4-0 start to the season.

This is the first time the FHSU women have cracked the top 25 of the poll. The 2014 team received votes in the first regular season poll, but didn’t break into the top 25. That was the first time FHSU was ever referenced in the poll.

Fort Hays State currently owns the seventh-best scoring offense in the nation, averaging 4.25 goals per match. But the defense has been rock solid as well so far, allowing just a 0.24 goals-against average. The Tigers have three shutouts out of four matches already and the only goal surrendered for the season was a penalty kick. FHSU has outscored its opponents 17-1 for the season.

Fort Hays State and Central Missouri are the only MIAA teams currently referenced in the women’s poll. Central Missouri moved up to No. 3 in the nation this week after holding the No. 4 spot in the first regular season poll. FHSU did not receive any votes in the first regular season poll, but jumped all the way to No. 16 this week.

Below is the NSCAA Division II Top 25 Poll for September 13, 2016.

Rank	School	Prev.	W-L-T
1	Columbus State University	1	3-0-0
2	Grand Valley State University	2	3-0-1
3	University of Central Missouri	4	3-0-0
4	East Stroudsburg University	5	4-0-0
5	Colorado School Of Mines	6	4-0-0
6	University of California-San Diego	7	3-1-0
7	Adelphi University	11	3-0-0
8	Rollins College	16	4-0-0
9	Bellarmine University	8	4-0-0
10	University Of Bridgeport	3	2-1-0
11	Edinboro University	15	4-0-0
12	University of North Georgia	17	2-0-1
13	California State University Chico	23	4-0-1
14	Florida Tech	RV	4-0-0
15	Texas Woman’s University	25	4-0-0
16	Fort Hays State University	NR	4-0-0
17	Western Washington University	9	3-0-1
18	Texas A&M University-Commerce	14	2-2-0
19	Winona State University	13	3-1-0
20	Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Fla.)	24	2-0-0
21	Ashland University	22	3-0-1
22	Armstrong State University	RV	2-1-0
23	West Chester University	RV	4-0-0
24	Stonehill College	NR	4-0-0
25	Truman State University	RV	3-0-1

Also receiving votes: Notre Dame College (3), Nova Southeastern University (2), Carson-Newman University (2), Central Washington University (1).

FHSU Sports Information

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State Men’s Soccer moved up two spots in the latest NSCAA Division II Top 25 Poll, released on Tuesday (Sept. 13). The Tigers check in at No. 18 this week after holding the No. 20 spot last week.

The most recent poll was conducted while the Tigers were still 1-1-1 overall. The Tigers moved to 2-1-1 on Monday night with a win over UC-Colorado Springs. FHSU picked up an overtime win back on Thursday night at Texas A&M-International to help improve their standing in the poll.

Fort Hays State is the only MIAA school currently in the top 25. Lindenwood is in the receiving votes section of the poll.

Below is the NSCAA Top 25 Poll for September 13, 2016.

Rank	School	Prev.	W-L-T
1	University Of Charleston	2	4-0-0
2	Lynn University	4	5-0-0
3	Rockhurst University	3	4-0-0
4	Southern New Hampshire University	5	2-0-0
5	St. Edward’s University	7	4-0-0
6	Simon Fraser University	6	3-0-0
7	Pfeiffer University	1	3-1-0
8	LIU Post	8	4-0-0
9	Saint Leo University	10	1-0-0
10	Wingate University	11	2-0-0
11	Northwood University (Mich.)	13	2-0-0
12	Regis University	NR	3-0-0
13	Barry University	16	3-0-0
14	Limestone College	19	3-0-0
15	Fresno Pacific University	14	1-1-1
16	Urbana University	12	2-1-0
17	Midwestern State University	9	2-0-1
18	Fort Hays State University	20	1-1-1
19	Tiffin University	NR	4-0-0
20	Adelphi University	NR	2-1-0
21	University Of Tampa	24	3-0-0
22	Drury University	NR	4-0-0
23	Cal Poly Pomona	NR	3-1-1
24	University of Montevallo	NR	4-0-0
25	Millersville University	18	3-1-0

Also receiving votes: Wilmington University (13), Lindenwood University (12), California State University-Los Angeles (9), Colorado Mesa University (5), California Pennsylvania (3), Saginaw Valley State University (3), Rollins College (1), Gannon University (1).

FHSU Sports Information

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State junior forward Thayla Dwyer was named the MIAA Women’s Soccer Offensive Athlete of the Week on Tuesday (Sept. 13) for her efforts in Fort Hays State’s win over Northwestern Oklahoma State this past Sunday.

Dwyer became the first player in FHSU women’s soccer program history to record a hat trick in a 9-0 win over Northwestern Oklahoma State. She scored all three of her goals within a span of six minutes, between the 67:12 and 73:04 marks of the match. Her third goal pushed the lead to 7-0, which broke the program’s single-game record for goals in a game as a team. She added an assist earlier in the game, giving her seven points for the match, also a new single-game FHSU record.

Dwyer joins Jordan Woodruff of Northeastern State (Goalkeeper of the Week) and Michele Keleher of Washburn (Defender of the Week) as the weekly honorees from the MIAA.

FHSU Sports Information

HAYS, Kan. – The Fort Hays State University men’s soccer team saw their offense come to life on Monday (Sept. 12) with a 7-3 rout of University of Colorado-Colorado Springs. The 20th-ranked Tigers improved to 2-1-1 on the season while the Mountain Lions moved to 1-2-1 overall.

With a favorable wind in the first half, FHSU managed to push four goals across while allowing zero. A corner kick in the 18th minute gave the Tigers the lead as Luis Torres was able to corral the ball from Maurizio Costa and bury it in the back of the net.

In the 24th minute, the Tigers doubled their lead when Mauricio Castorino netted his first goal of 2016. Derick Gonzalez riffled a shot that caught the post, just out of reach of the sprawling Mountain Lion keeper. The rebound landed right at Castorino’s feet, who did not miss the wide open net. 58 seconds later, Torres and Costa connected again on another corner. This time Torres caught the ball in the air and was able to volley it pass the keeper for his second goal of the match. Later in the half, the Tigers made it a four-goal advantage when Tomiwa Olaniran recorded his first goal of the season at the 43:42 mark. Olaniran made a run to the center of the box and athletically volleyed a high long ball from Arsenio Chamorro over the keeper’s head.

In the second half, UCCS used the wind to their favor and struck less than 10 minutes into the period. The Tigers responded in the 65th minute after Costa, Castorino and Luis Mendes executed phenomenal passing with the give and go technique to record Mendes’ first goal of the season.

Dylan Kintner joined the scoring parade in the 82nd minute, recording his first goal of the season. Damion Cooper sent a nice through ball into the box that Kinter possessed before beating a Mountain Lion defender and rifling a shot that beat the keeper diving to the right.

With the game looking like it was out of reach, UCCS once again found the back of the net, but just like earlier the Tigers responded just minutes later. Tyler VanCamp recorded his first assist of the season after sending a long through ball between a defender’s legs to a sprinting Derick Gonzalez. Gonzalez then used some nifty footwork to go around the keeper, making the game 7-2 in the 88th minute.

Hats off to UCCS, however, as they played until the very end, adding another goal with 22 seconds left remaining to make the score 7-3.

Michael Yantz picked up the win for the Tigers, saving three of the six shots on goal and bringing his record to 1-1-1 on the season.

The seven goals and eight assists for the Tigers are both tied for the second most in program history. In addition, Costa’s three assists are the second most in a single match in program history and the most since 2014.

Moving forward, the Tigers will prepare for a trip out west as they head to Washington for a pair of matches starting on Thursday (Sept. 15), with the Tigers dueling with Western Washington and Seattle Pacific.

FHSU Sports Information

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State senior setter Hannah Wagy has been named the MIAA Co-Specialist of the Week on Monday (Sept. 12) for her efforts at the Fairfield Inn & Suites Invitational, hosted by Westminster College in Salt Lake City. Wagy shares the weekly honor with Central Missouri libero Katie Carlson.

Wagy averaged 11.4 assists per set at the tournament, helping Fort Hays State go 4-0 on the weekend and remain undefeated overall at 8-0. She averaged 2.29 digs per set, while adding 11 blocks and three kills for the weekend. She helped outside hitter Crystal Whitten and middle hitter Rebekah Spainhour earn all-tournament honors. Whitten was named the tournament’s most valuable player.

On day two of the tournament, she produced 61 assists (12.2 per set) in a five-set win over tournament host Westminster, then had 49 assists (12.3 per set) in a four-set win over Minot State. She had a total of 194 assists for the weekend. For the season, Wagy is averaging 10.97 assists per set.

Carlson was the defensive glue for Central Missouri at the Colorado Premier Challenge, leading her team with 4.69 digs per set. She also corralled 57 of 60 serve receptions and landed two aces. She also chipped in 12 assists. Carlson reached double figures in digs in three of four matches with a high of 19 in a three-set win over Regis.

Kasey Hohlen of Central Missouri was named the MIAA Hitter of the Week. She hit a stellar .447 for the weekend with 3.23 kills per set and only four errors on 85 attempts. She hit at least .475 in three of her four matches played. Against host Metro State, Hohlen landed a new career-high 17 kills, hitting .577 for the match.

FHSU Sports Information

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – It took a different road to get there, but the Fort Hays State University volleyball team ended with a familiar result Saturday afternoon at the Fairfield Inn & Suites Volleyball Invitational. The Tigers extended their season-opening winning streak to eight matches with a pair of victories, opening the day with a thrilling five-set victory over tournament host Westminster College (2-5) before outlasting Minot State (4-4) in four sets.

The Tigers were the only team to finish the tournament 4-0, leading the competition with a .242 hitting percentage on the weekend and 42 total blocks. FHSU is now 8-0 for the first time since 2003 (14-0) and for the sixth time in program history.

With one match yet to play, Rebekah Spainhour led all players in the tournament with a .378 attack percentage, 22 total blocks and 72.0 points while ranking second with 55 kills, five behind teammate Crystal Whitten.

The squad will return to action next weekend for four matches in Denver, Colo. The Tigers will open the weekend against Central Christian at 9 a.m. (CDT) on Friday (Sept. 16) before a 3 p.m. duel with Graceland. The tournament continues Saturday with a match against Haskell at 11 a.m. before wrapping up with tournament hosts Johnson & Wales at 7 p.m.

Fort Hays State 3, Westminster 2 (18-25, 28-26, 25-13, 19-25, 15-7) 
In a matchup between the only teams to go 2-0 on Friday, the Tigers emerged victorious in a five-set duel against the Westminster Griffins. FHSU hit .200 for the match while holding the Griffins to a .127 attack percentage. The Tigers brought the match home with a blazing .389 hitting effort in the fifth set, recording nine kills to just two errors.

Senior Rebekah Spainhour matched her career record with 19 kills in the match, also leading the way with an unstoppable .415 attack percentage and seven total blocks (one solo). Crystal Whitten contributed 18 kills, two service aces and a team-high 21 digs. Setter Hannah Wagy tossed up a personal-best 61 assists for the third time in her career at FHSU, adding five total blocks (one solo) and seven digs. Callie Christensen turned in five block assists and five kills while Megan Anderson tallied 12 kills and three total blocks.

After taking the first set, 25-18, the Griffins scored the first point in the second set and seemed to be on the way to a two-set lead. But the Tigers kept things close, never falling behind by more than four, before finally taking the lead at 23-22 on a big block from Christensen and Spainhour. The Griffins managed three set points after taking the next two rallies, but two kills from Spainhour and a Westminster attack error kept the Tigers alive. After Spainhour returned serve to the Tigers at 26-26, back-to-back attacks from Whitten and Anderson leveled the match at one set apiece.

The Tigers found their groove in the third set, winning 25-13 after taking eight of the first 10 points in the frame. Spainhour extended the lead to 20-10 with a kill on a pass from Wagy after a solo block. Kailey Klibbe came in to serve for the final four points, recording one service ace before a block from Spainhour and Wagy made the score 23-13. Two Griffin attack errors put the Tigers within one set of victory.

The Griffins leveled the match after taking the fourth set, 25-19, with Westminster going on multiple five-point runs. The teams traded points to open the final frame before a kill from Spainhour returned serve to FHSU trailing 7-6. Klibbe then subbed in to serve, helping the Tigers score nine-straight points to win the match. Wagy and Spainhour combined for a block before each recorded a kill to extend the lead to 12-7. After a pair of Griffin attack errors, Whitten ended the match on a kill after a pass from Wagy.

Fort Hays State 3, Minot State 1 (21-25, 25-12, 25-15, 25-19) 
The Tigers returned to the floor after a two-hour break and struggled to find a rhythm against Minot State. The Beavers kept the first set within reach before making their move late in the game, scoring five of the last six points to take the set, 25-21. But the momentum quickly shifted back to Fort Hays State, with the Tigers limiting MSU to just 12, 15 and 19 points in the final three sets, respectively.

The Tigers hit an eye-popping .314 for the match, including three sets with an attack percentage above .355 (2nd .357, 3rd .390, 4th .355). Just as impressive was the Tigers’ season-high 14 total blocks while the Beavers managed just three blocks in the match.

Rebekah Spainhour continued a tremendous day on the floor, hitting .480 with 14 kills compared to just two attack errors. The senior added four total blocks and one service ace. Callie Christensen tied a personal-best with nine total blocks, while Megan Anderson added eight blocks and 10 kills. Crystal Whitten led the team with 16 kills, adding eight digs and two blocks. Ari Jacobson led the team with 16 kills wit Hannah Wagy leading the way with 49 assists.

The Tigers quickly bounced back after dropping the opening set, jumping out to an 8-2 lead in the second frame. A pair of Whitten kills and service aces from Kailey Klibbe and Spainhour helped FHSU score nine of the final 10 points in the set to capture a dominating 25-12 victory.

The Tigers never trailed in the third set after a block from Anderson and Christensen set the tone on the first point. Three kills from Sydney Dixon gave FHSU a quick 5-2 lead before Whitten knocked down four kills in five points, extending the advantage to 13-5. The set was bookended with Anderson and Whitten going up for a block to give the Tigers a 2-1 lead in the match.

The fourth set belonged to Megan Anderson, who recorded six kills, zero attack errors and two blocks in the frame. Multiple kills from Anderson and Dixon alongside two blocks from Christensen and Anderson put the Tigers in front, 17-10. Later, Anderson gave the Tigers a shot at match point with a kill and ended the contest two rallies later with an attack on a pass from Wagy.

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Fort Hays State University volleyball team continued where it left off last weekend, picking up a pair of victories Friday (Sept. 9) in the Fairfield Inn & Suites Volleyball Invitational. The Tigers are now 6-0 on the season, their most victories to open a season since 2004 (7-0). FHSU cruised past Texas A&M-International (0-5) in straight sets to open the day before holding off Western New Mexico (4-3) in five sets in the nightcap.

The Invitational is being hosted by Westminster College inside Behnken Field House. The Tigers will face off with the tournament hosts, the only other team to finish 2-0 on day one, Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. The weekend will come to a close with a 5 p.m. contest with Minot State.

Fort Hays State 3, Texas A&M International 0 (25-22, 25-17, 25-15)

The Tigers dominated in the opening match of the day, never trailing by more than two points in the three-set sweep. FHSU hit .238 for the match, highlighted by a .324 hitting percentage in the final set. The Dustdevils were held to a .059 attack percentage overall.

Crystal Whitten led the Tigers with 10 kills, adding 12 digs and three service aces. Ari Jacobson picked up 17 digs to go along with two assists, while Hannah Wagy tossed up 35 assists in the match. Magan Alexander, Rebekah Spainhour and Megan Anderson all contributed nine kills with Spainhour leading the team with five total blocks and three service aces.

The teams battled back and forth in the opening set, with neither side leading by more than six. After the Dustdevils took a 5-3 lead, FHSU took the lead for good at 7-5 with Kailey Klibbe behind the line serving. A kill from Alexander handed the Tigers set point before a TAMIU service error closed the set.

After dropping the first two points of the second set, Fort Hays State scored 11 straight points with Whitten serving, highlighted by a pair of service aces. The Tigers ultimately took the set, 25-17, with back-to-back service aces from Spainhour.

The third set stayed close until Alexander recorded a kill to give the Tigers a 17-14 lead. FHSU won eight of the next nine points to capture the match, with Klibbe recording a service ace to seal the victory.

Fort Hays State 3, Western New Mexico 2 (25-20, 25-18, 18-25, 16-25, 15-8)

After a five hour break, the Tigers returned to the court against Western New Mexico Friday evening and picked up their second five-set victory season. The Tigers totaled 10 blocks in the match, recording five service aces and a .229 attack percentage for the match. FHSU hit .459 in the opening set, recording 20 kills to just three errors in the frame.

Crystal Whitten recorded her second double-double of the day and third of the season in the match, totaling 16 kills and 13 digs while adding one block assist. Rebekah Spainhour contributed 13 kills and tying for the team lead with six block assists. Megan Anderson led the team with a .400 attack percentage, recording 12 kills and four block assists. Ari Jacobson tallied 22 digs and a team-best three service aces, while Hannay Wagy turned in a season-best 49 assists.

The Tigers took a commanding two set lead after winning five of the last seven points in the second set, winning 25-18. The Mustangs battled back by taking the third and fourth sets to force a deciding fifth set.

After the Mustangs jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the final set, FHSU took the lead with four-straight points. Spainhour returned serve to the Tigers with a kill to make the score 10-8 before Kailey Klibbe brought the match home as server, highlighted by blocks from Whitten and Spainhour and the match-winning block from Spainhour and Wagy.

(Courtesy FHSU Sports Information)