FHSU Sports Information

GOODWELL, Okla. – The Fort Hays State University volleyball team wrapped up the opening weekend of the 2016 season with a perfect 4-0 record after a pair of victories Saturday. The Tigers opened the day with an outstanding performance against Texas-Permian Basin, handing the Falcons (2-1) their first loss of the season in straight sets. FHSU steamrolled tournament hosts Oklahoma Panhandle State (0-4) in three to cap off a strong opening to the year.

The Tigers were the lone team to go undefeated in the Aggies Challenge, dropping just two sets on the weekend. It was the first time the team opened the season 4-0 since 2012, also at the Aggies Challenge.

FHSU will return to the floor next weekend when it travels to Salt Lake City, Utah for the Fairfield Inn & Suites Volleyball Invitational, hosted by Westminster College. The Tigers will face off with Texas A&M-International and Western New Mexico on Friday (Sept. 9) before a pair of contests with Westminster and Minot State on Saturday.

Fort Hays State 3, Texas-Permian Basin 0 (25-19, 25-16, 25-13)
The Tigers started the day a bit sluggish, but the slow start didn’t last long in a dominating sweep over Texas-Permian Basin. FHSU hit at a .351 clip for the match, highlighted by a .440 attack percentage in the third set, while holding the Falcons to a -.022 hitting percentage overall.

UTPB jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the first set, prompting head coach Kurt Kohler to call an early timeout. After scoring six of the next eight points, the Tigers tied the score at 13 on a block from Rebekah Spainhour and Callie Christensen, never trailing for the remainder of the set. A five-point run with Kailey Klibbe serving extended the lead to 22-15 before Crystal Whitten ended the set on a kill from Hannah Wagy.

Fort Hays State once again rallied from an early deficit in the second set to win, 25-16. The Falcons scored the first five points of the frame, leading the way until FHSU leveled the score at 13 with a solo block from Christensen. The Tigers scored the final eight points of the set with Klibbe serving with Whitten once again delivering the final kill.

Stellar defense complimented the impressive hitting percentage in the 25-13 third set victory, with Ari Jacobsen and Chandler Hillman making several diving saves and Megan Anderson and Whitten combining for two blocks. The Tigers scored seven-straight points in the heart of the game to extend a 15-5 lead. Consecutive kills from Whitten on sets from Wagy brought the match to a close.

Whitten led the way with 14 kills, adding seven digs and three block assists. Anderson hit .500 for the game, tallying six kills and three total blocks. Spainhour turned in seven kills, three blocks and one service ace while Magan Alexander hit .417 with six kills. Wagy assisted on 33 kills, blocking one attempt and contributing four digs on defense. Hillman led the way with nine digs.

Fort Hays State 3, Oklahoma Panhandle State 0 (25-5, 25-9, 25-11)
The Tigers returned to the court Saturday evening with a bang, storming past Oklahoma Panhandle State in straight sets. The Aggies managed just 25 points in the match, the fewest points allowed in a match since Kurt Kohler took over as head coach in 2009. The Tigers hit a blistering .385 for the match, holding OPSU to a -.179 hitting percentage.

Callie Christensen was a perfect six-for-six on swing attempts while adding five total blocks. Crystal Whitten paced the Tigers with eight kills and nine digs in the match, turning in two service aces. Becca Page recorded a team-best four service aces, the most in a match by a Tiger this season, and tallied 8 assists. Sydney Dixon turned in a .556 hitting percentage after totaling five kills and zero attack errors.

OPSU captured the first point of the match on a kill from Rylee Abert, but the Tigers rebounded to score 11 of the next 12 points to take a commanding 11-2 lead. Christensen led the way in the opening set with three kills in a five-point stretch. Abbie Hayes served the team to a 25-5 victory over the final six points, recording one service ace and forcing numerous Aggie mishits.

The Tigers jumped out to an 8-0 lead in the second set with Whitten serving. Dixon picked up four kills in the set, including back-to-back points to extend the lead to 13-2. Page recorded a pair of service aces down the stretch before an Aggie attack error handed the Tigers a 25-9 victory.

It was more of the same in the third set, with Fort Hays State scoring six of the first seven points. Whitten picked up three quick kills to bring the score to 14-8. Megan Anderson and Makaleigh Yantzie combined for a pair of blocks down the stretch before an Aggie service error brought the match to a close.

FHSU Sports Information

MARSHALL, Minn. – Fort Hays State rolled to another 3-0 shutout on Saturday in its match against Upper Iowa. FHSU is out to a 2-0 start to the season after knocking off a pair of NSIC teams in Marshall, Minn.

Eden Stoddard is red-hot to start the season, burying two goals for the Tigers in the first half. In the 11th minute, she received a ball from Darby Hirsch to put the Tigers up 1-0, then added to the lead in the 35th minute on an assist from Hannah Smith. The junior transfer now has three goals in the first two matches.

FHSU put a cap on the shutout in the 85th minute when Vianei Sanchez found the back of the net on a ball from Savannah McClease.

FHSU limited Upper Iowa to just four shots the entire match and just one shot on goal. Abbie Flax picked up her second shutout win on the weekend in goal with the one save. FHSU recorded 16 shots in the match, with nine on goal. Caila Petrie took the loss in goal for UIU.

FHSU travels to Sioux Falls, S.D. on Monday to complete the three-match holiday weekend trip. The Tigers take on Minot State at 11 am in a neutral site match.

FHSU Sports Information

JOHNSON CITY, Kan. – The Fort Hays State University women’s cross country team opened the 2016 campaign with a strong outing at the Border Classic Friday evening, finishing second in the four-team event. The Tigers matched Colorado State-Pueblo with 31 points, but the Thunderwolves picked up the victory via tiebreak. All five scorers for FHSU finished in the top nine.

Sophie Dalmasso led the Tigers to the finish line in the four-kilometer race, finishing fourth in a time of 14:42.6. Shea Bonine placed fifth after crossing the line in 14:50.7, with Micki Kresinski following close behind in sixth (15:04.1). Chelsea Jackson traversed the course in 15:16.0, good for seventh place, with Yessenia Gonzales rounding out the scoring for FHSU in ninth with a time of 15:34.6.

West Texas A&M finished third in the event with 64 points while New Mexico Highlands finished in fourth with 93 team points.

The Tigers will return to action on familiar turf when they host the Sand Plum Invitational at their home course outside Victoria, Kan. on Thursday, September 15. The five-kilometer race is set to commence at 6 p.m.

GOODWELL, Okla. – Fort Hays State set two new NCAA Division II scoring records on Friday  in its season opener. The Tigers set a new record for most points in a set with 38 in the third set of a 3-0 win over UC-Colorado Springs. They also set a new record for points scored in a three-set match with a total of 92, winning 29-27, 25-20, and 38-36 over the Mountain Lions. Both records are for the 25-point rally scoring era, which began in 2008.

The 38 points in a set broke the old record by one of 37 set by Minnesota-Crookston on November 2, 2013 against Augustana (S.D.). The 92 points in the three-set match broke the record of 87, also set by Minnesota-Crookston in that same match in 2013.

Fort Hays State has a knack for setting NCAA Division II records when playing UC-Colorado Springs. Back in 1995 in the side-out scoring era, Fort Hays State set the Division II record for digs in a four-set match with 188. So Fort Hays State now owns three single-game records in the NCAA Division II record book against UC-Colorado Springs.

NCAA records are broken into three categories. Side-out scoring was utilized up until 2000. Rally scoring started in 2001, but sets went to 30 points until 2007. The current 25-point rally scoring format was put into place in 2008, giving the Tigers a record for an era that started its ninth year in 2016.

FHSU is out to a 2-0 start to the young 2016 season and gets back to action on Saturday with two more matches in Goodwell, Oklahoma against Texas-Permian Basin and Oklahoma-Panhandle State.

HAYS, Kan. – Malik Thomas rushed for 115 yards and scored Fort Hays State’s only offensive touchdown on a 61-yard run on their first offensive possession and the Tigers beat Missouri Southern 22-10 in the season opener for both teams Thursday night in front of 4,134 at Lewis Field. The touchdown run capped a 99-yard drive which started after the Lions botched a field goal attempt on their first possession.

Coach Chris Brown Postgame Press Conference

Malik Thomas Postgame Interview

Tyler Bacon Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

Shaquille Cooper added 98 yards on the ground and sophomore quarterback Jacob Mezera completed 15 of 32 passes for 147 in his first career start as the Tigers win their season opener for the second straight year.

Raheeme Dumas returned an interception 25 yards for a score off a deflection of defensive end Wyatt Parker late in the second quarter to put the Tigers up 13-3 at the half.

Brandon Brown connected on field goals of 29 and 34 yards on the Tigers first two possession of the third quarter. He booted another from 36 yards with under five minutes to play to put the game away.

Tyler Bacon had six catches for 71 yards to lead the Tigers air attack.

Missouri Southern quarterback TJ Fleeton threw for 272 yards and a touchdown but also had the one interception.

The Lions outgained the Tigers 394 to 354 yards and ran 92 plays compared to Fort Hays State’s 65.

Click below to listen to FHSU football vs. Missouri Southern. Kickoff is set for 7 pm with the Auto World Pregame Show at 6 pm on Tiger Radio Mix-1o3.

 

FHSU Sports Information
MARSHALL, Minn. – Fort Hays State women’s soccer started the 2016 season off with a 3-0 victory over Southwest Minnesota State on Thursday (Sept. 1). This is the third straight season that the Tigers have defeated the Mustangs to start the season.

Dani Harris gave the Tigers an early 1-0 lead at the 3:03 mark when she found the back of the net on a ball from Darby Hirsch for the first goal of the season. In the 17th minute, Eden Stoddard increased the lead to 2-0 when she took a Kelsey Steffens cross and headed it into the back of the net. In the second half, a Mustang foul in the box gave the Tigers a penalty shot that Hannah Smith buried increasing the lead to 3-0 at the 56:39 mark.

The first half was pure dominance for the Tigers as the offense was able to muster 11 shots (seven on goal), while the defense held SMSU to just two shots (one on goal). In the second half the Tiger defense played well again as the Mustangs were only able to get one shot on net.

Abbie Flax picked up the win between the pipes for the Tigers and needed just two saves to do so.

The Tigers are back in action on Saturday (Sept. 3) for a neutral site game when they take on Upper Iowa in Marshall, Minnesota at 11 am.

Fort Hays State Weekly Football Press Conference
August 30, 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 for their first weekly press conference of the new season.

The Tigers, who are coming off an 8-4 season a year ago, open the 2016 campaign at home against Missouri Southern Thursday night at Lewis Field. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. Field.

Head coach Chris Brown

RS-Sophomore bandit back Doyin Jibowu

Senior linebacker Justin McPhail

RS-Sophomore QB Jacob Mezera

RS-Senior LB Alex Schmidtberger

 

FHSU Sports Information

HAYS, Kan. – The Fort Hays State University men’s cross country team has been picked fifth in the 2016 MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll, released by the league office Thursday morning (Aug. 25).

The Tigers picked up 51 points in the voting process, just three points behind third-place Northwest Missouri. Nebraska-Kearney tops the poll with 74 points after being listed atop six ballots. Pittsburg State was given three top selections, finishing just behind the Lopers with 71 points. After the two top squads, the next five teams are separated by just six points. Southwest Baptist picked up one more point than FHSU to finish fourth, while Missouri Southern and Central Missouri sit in a tie for sixth with 48 total points. Lindenwood has been picked to finish eighth with Emporia State and Washburn rounding out the top-10.

Head coach Jason McCullough returns three runners that finished in the top-five at the Central Region Championships last season, including seniors Troy Wineinger and Jacob Thomas and sophomore Israel Barco. Notable additions to the squad include junior transfer Oscar Carmona, a member of the 2015 NJCAA National Champion Iowa Central Tritons, and freshman Kaleb Crum, who broke Tiger great Cory Keehn’s freshman record at the team’s annual time trial.

The Tigers will to host the 30th Annual FHSU Alumni Run on Saturday, August 27 at the Sand Plum Nature Trail in Victoria, Kan. The race will begin at 9:30 a.m.

Intercollegiate competition will begin on Friday, September 2 when FHSU sends runners to the Border Classic in Johnson City, Kan. and the Trojan Invitational in Colby, Kan. The gun will go off in both races at 6 p.m.

Fort Hays State will host a pair of meets in 2016 at the Sand Plum Nature Trail, beginning with the Sand Plum Invite on Thursday, September 15 at 6 p.m. The regular season comes to a close with the FHSU Tiger Open on Saturday, October 8 beginning at 8:40 a.m. More information on the home meets is available HERE.

2016 MIAA Preseason Men’s Coaches Poll
1. Nebraska-Kearney (6)  –  74
2. Pittsburg State (3)  –  71
3. Northwest Missouri  –  54
4. Southwest Baptist  –  52
5. Fort Hays State  –  51
T6. Missouri Southern  –  48
T6. Central Missouri  –  48
8. Lindenwood  –  21
9. Emporia State  –  18
10. Washburn  –  13

FHSU Sports Information

HAYS, Kan. – The Fort Hays State women’s cross country team has been ranked in the 2016 MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll, released Thursday (Aug. 25) by the conference office.

The Tigers were listed atop four ballots, tied for the most first-place votes, earning 108 total points. Missouri Southern was picked to finish first in the league, also earning four first-place votes en route to 111 total points. Defending conference champion Southwest Baptist was picked to finish third, receiving three first-place selections, with Pittsburg State rounding out the top four and garnering the final top vote. The top four teams in the poll are separated by just 10 points.

After finishing fourth at the MIAA Championships in 2014, the Tigers earned a spot in the top-three in 2015, the highest finish in program history. Head coach Jason McCullough thinks this year’s team has a chance to climb in the standings once again, saying one of the team’s goals this season is to be one of the top two teams in the league.

This year’s team certainly has the credentials to attain that goal with four All-MIAA performers returning from a year ago. Included in that pack are junior Shea Bonine, senior Micki Krzesinski, junior Chelsea Jackson and sophomore Sophie Dalmasso, who all finished in the top-five for FHSU in each meet last season. Bonine added All-Region honors a year ago, finishing 25th at the Central Region Championships. Both Krzesinski and Jackson took home All-Conference honors for the second time after finishing in the top-20 at the league meet in 2014.

Also returning this season will be junior Amanda Morgan, sophomore Yessenia Gonzales and junior Keanu Bradley, who all finished in the top-seven for the Tigers at multiple meets last year.

The Tigers are set to host the 30th Annual FHSU Alumni Run on Saturday, August 27 at the Sand Plum Nature Trail in Victoria, Kan. The race will begin at 9:30 a.m.

Intercollegiate competition will begin a week later when FHSU sends runners to the Border Classic in Johnson City, Kan. and the Trojan Invitational in Colby, Kan. on Friday, September 2. The gun will go off in both races at 6 p.m.

Fort Hays State will host a pair of meets in 2016 at the Sand Plum Nature Trail, beginning with the Sand Plum Invite on Thursday, September 15 at 6 p.m. The regular season comes to a close with the FHSU Tiger Open on Saturday, October 8 beginning at 8:40 a.m. More information on the home meets is available HERE.

2016 MIAA Preseason Women’s Coaches Poll
1. Missouri Southern (4)  –  111
2. Fort Hays State (4)  –  108
3. Southwest Baptist (3)  –  104
4. Pittsburg State (1)  –  101
5. Nebraska-Kearney  –  89
6. Northwest Missouri  –  62
7. Central Oklahoma  –  59
8. Central Missouri  –  55
9. Lindenwood  –  46
10. Emporia State  –  32
11. Washburn  –  17
12. Lincoln  –  16