FHSU Athletics

JOPLIN, Mo. – Fort Hays State women’s cross country finished sixth at the NCAA Central Regional Cross Country Championship on Saturday. The Tigers came up just one place shy of qualifying for the NCAA Championships, finishing with 166 points.

Shea Bonine led the Tigers individually for the second straight race, finishing 25th. She ran a time of 21:59 on the 6K course. Micki Krzewski, Chelsea Jackson and Sophie Dalmasso packed together to finish 27th, 28th, and 30threspectively. Krzesinski ran a time of 22:05, Jackson ran 22:08, and Dalmasso ran 22:10. Keanu Bradley rounded out the scorers for FHSU in 57^th with a time of 22:49.

The Tigers were the second-best MIAA team in the field on Saturday. After finishing third at the MIAA Championships, the Tigers bested Missouri Southern on its home course. Southwest Baptist won the regional with 79 points, Minnesota-Duluth was second with 99 points, and Augustana was third with 115. University of Mary had 123 points and Harding had 132.

MANHATTAN, Kan – Fort Hays State opened the second half on a 10-2 run to pull within five points of Kansas State, but the Wildcats responded with a 10-2 run to push the lead back to 13 and beat the Tigers 70-52 in an exhibition game Friday night at Bramlage Coliseum.

Mark Johnson Postgame Interview

Craig Nicholson Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

K-State hit their first three 3-pointers to grab a 9-0 lead to start the game but the Tigers regrouped to pull within nine late in the first half. KSU scored the final four points to close out the first half and led 37-24 at halftime.

FHSU was held to 34-percent shooting and were just 5-for-25 from 3-point range. Kansas State hit 42-percent and was 6-for-22 from beyond the arc. FHSU was only outrebounded by the bigger Wildcats by three.

Craig Nicholson and Dom Samac both scored nine points to lead FHSU in scoring. Hadley Gillum added seven. Wesley Iwundo led the Wildcats with 17 points, Justin Edwards added 14 and Stephen Hurt 13.

FHSU Athletics

HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State squandered a golden opportunity to knock off Missouri Western on Friday evening. Up 2-1 in the match, FHSU had a four-point fourth set lead vanish as MWSU evened the match and then took the final set 15-11 to escape Hays with a win. Hitting and serving errors were a sore thumb for the Tigers in a match where they dominated almost every major stat category.

Looking at the final box score, one would think FHSU ran away with the match. FHSU had 69 kills compared to 44 for MWSU. The Tigers outhit the Griffons .179 to .104. FHSU had 111 digs to 96 for MWSU. FHSU tallied 82 points in the match to just 64 for MWSU. But it still was not enough as mental mistakes and errors proved too costly.

Missouri Western (20-6, 11-3 MIAA) recorded 14 blocks in the match, but 18 of Fort Hays State’s hitting errors were unforced. The Tigers had eight blocks in the match as 16 of Missouri Western’s attacking errors were unforced. There were just too many errors of other varieties for FHSU, including eight servce errors, six reception errors, five blocking errors, and eight ball-handling errors.

The match was a defensive battle with massive amounts of digs racked up by both teams. Ari Jacobsen tied the third-most digs recorded in a match during the rally scoring era at FHSU with 39, just six shy of the school record. Crystal Whitten finished with 25 and Mallory Flagor had 17 for the Tigers. On the Missouri Western side, five players reached double figures in digs with Kayla Ruff’s 24 leading the way.

After Missouri Western took the opening set 25-21, FHSU dominated the second and third sets by scores of 25-15 and 25-18. The Tigers outhit the Griffons .227 to .059 in the second set and .225 to .000 in the third set. It felt as though the Tigers were going to run away with the match in four sets, but the momentum shifted back to the Griffons midway through the fourth. The Tigers even took a 5-1 lead in the fifth set and looked to be running away again, but the Griffons stormed back once more. Unfortunately, the Tigers committed three consecutive errors for the final three points of the match.

Rebekah Spainhour had a great match offensively with 17 kills and just two errors to hit .441. Whitten and Flagor each had 16 kills to record double-doubles with their dig counts. Sydney Dixon had 11 kills. Hannah Wagy had 61 assists, but struggled with control at times recording seven ball-handling errors.

Shellby Taylor led the Griffons with 12 kills, while Blair Russell added 10. Jordon Chohon had a double-double of 36 assists and 21 digs.

The Tigers, now 18-12 overall and 7-8 in the MIAA, look to bounce back on Saturday (Nov. 7) when they host Northwest Missouri State at 2 pm.

HAYS, Kan. – The Fort Hays State men’s soccer team saw their MIAA Championship hopes disappear on Friday night. The 25th-ranked Tigers needed two wins in their last two regular season games to clinch the title for the first time in school history, but came up short suffering a 1-0 loss to 20th-ranked Upper Iowa.

The first half was a defensive battle with only two shots in the half, both from the Peacocks. The Tigers had a couple good looks, but the Peacock defense was able to thwart the opportunities before the Tigers could get a shot off.

In the second half the Tigers were able to get off eight shots, including three on goal, but Upper Iowa goalkeeper Connor Rortvedt was up to the task of saving everything sent his way.

Fort Hays State goalkeeper Michael Yantz was equally impressive on the night with three saves, including one impressive diving stop early in the first half to keep the game all square. At the 78:46 mark, the Peacocks were able to find a way to get the ball past Yantz. After a Tiger foul down the left side of the 18 yard box the Peacocks were awarded a free kick. The ball was crossed into the box by Rhys Williams and Yantz was able to get a piece of it but not enough as the ball bounced to Johnny McBeth and he was able to tap it in for his third goal of the season. That was all Upper Iowa needed to claim the 2015 MIAA Men’s Soccer Championship.

Fort Hays State has one remaining regular season game that takes place on Sunday against Lindenwood. Fort Hays State entered the week ranked No. 1 in the NCAA Central Region Rankings.

FHSU Athletics

WARRENSBURG, Mo. – Fort Hays State rallied to force overtime against No. 9 Central Missouri in the MIAA Tournament Semifinals on Friday, however, the rally came up short as the Jennies scored at 99:01 to end the match and the Tigers’ season by a score of 3-2. Fort Hays State finished the year with a record of 11-8-1.

The Jennies took the early lead when Hailey Womack was able to get her head on a free kick from Callie Henshaw into the back of the net in the 33rd minute.

Shortly afterwards the Jennies were able to extend their lead to 2-0 when Mikala Modiri took a pass from Emily Franchett and beat FHSU keeper Abbie Flax for her seventh goal of the season with 9:35 remaining in the half.

Before the half ended Kelsey Steffens was able to bring the Tigers back within one when Reagan Lawler launched a ball that found Steffens, and with an aggressive keeper out of position Steffens fired the ball across the line for her fourth goal of the season at the 41:35 mark.

The Tigers were able to tie the game up with just under 14 minutes to play in the second half when Cenayda Guzman leveled the score with her third goal of the season (all in consecutive games). Hannah Jurgens provided the pass as the Tigers had a top-10 ranked Central Missouri squad sweating once again. The Tigers upset the Jennies earlier this year in Hays when UCM was No. 1 in the nation by a score of 2-1.

A rally for a second victory over the Jennies this year came up short when Megan Wooley of UCM ended the game 59 seconds remaining in the first overtime period. She took an assist from Jada Scott for the game winner.

Fort Hays State had a tremendous run down the final stretch of the season, winning four consecutive matches before the loss to UCM. Impressively, the Tigers did it with limited subs due to several injuries. Fort Hays State finished in fourth place in the MIAA regular season standings at 7-4.

FHSU Athletics

HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State moved on to the semifinals of the MIAA Tournament by defeating the Bearcats of Southwest Baptist on Wednesday 2-1. The fourth-seeded Tigers pushed their win streak to four matches and move on to face No. 1 seed Central Missouri on its home field in Warrensburg, Mo., on Friday.

Cenayda Guzman got the Tigers on the board first, when she was able to place a header off a corner kick from Vianei Sanchez in the back of the net at 60:00.

After a hard foul just outside the SBU box Jasmine Beaulieu rifled a laser free kick past the Bearcat keeper extending the Tiger lead to 2-0 with just 4:31 remaining in the game.

SBU did not go down without a fight as 2014 MIAA Offensive Player of the Year Karla Jamison had a rebound off FHSU goalkeeper Abbie Flax bounce right to her and she buried it in the back of the net for her 14th goal of the season. It cut the Tiger lead in half, just 15 seconds after Beaulieu’s goal. SBU had a few more opportunities in the final four minutes but were unable to find the equalizer and buzzer sounded with the Tigers on top 2-1.

Flax recorded her fifth win of the season for FHSU in between the pipes, saving seven shots.

Wind played a huge factor in the match, steady out of the south at about 20-30 mph throughout the match. SBU was downwind the first half and recorded 12 shots to Fort Hays State’s three, but the Tigers kept the Bearcats off the board. In the second half, FHSU had 13 shots to SBU’s three.

Fort Hays State takes on Central Missouri at 4 pm on Friday. The Jennies are ranked No. 9 in the latest national poll. FHSU defeated Central Missouri earlier this year in Hays, 2-1, when UCM was ranked No. 1 in the nation.

FHSU Athletics

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State had nine players named to the 2015 All-MIAA Women’s Soccer Team, announced on Wednesday (Nov. 4) by the conference office. The Tigers have three second team selections, one third team selection, and five honorable mention selections. Kelsey Steffens, Hannah Smith and CheyAnn Queener earned second team honors, Kristen Thompson was a third team selection, and Baylie Schmitz, Gabrielle Makatura, Jasmine Beaulieu, Cassi Moosburger and Kylee Loneker all earned honorable mention nods.

Steffens earned second team honors at forward. She currently ranks second on the team in goals with three, which includes one game winner, and points with nine. She ranks third on the team in assists with three. This is her second career All-MIAA honor after earning a third-team selection last year.

Smith earned second team honors in the midfield for the second straight year. She is a defending midfielder with one goal on the season in 1,018 minutes played. She has helped the Tiger defense to eight shutouts this season. Smith was an all-region third team selection as well last year.

Queener has done a tremendous job on defense in her first year with the Tigers, earning a second-team nod. The junior defender has logged a team-high 1,591 minutes and has one assist to her credit. She has helped FHSU post a 0.76 goals against average and eight shutouts for the regular season, while starting all 18 contests. Queener adds more honors to her resume after earning an all-region selection at Laramie County Community College last year.

Thompson earns third-team honors at goalkeeper for the second straight year. Although she has a record of 5-6, she has just a 1.1 goals against average this year in 984 minutes between the pipes. She now has 18 career wins and 14 career shutouts for the Tigers in just her second year of collegiate competition. She was an all-region selection last year as well.

Schmitz earns her first career all-conference honor at defender. She ranks second on the team in minutes played with 1,402, starting all 18 contests. She has helped FHSU post a 0.76 goals against average and eight shutouts for the regular season, while starting all 18 contests.

Makatura earned honorable mention status for the second straight year, but this year as a midfielder after grabbing the honors at defender last year. She has done a great job transitioning into the midfield, recording two goals and four assists for the season. The four assists is tied for the team lead. Her eight points for the season ranks third on the team. She ranks fourth on the team in minutes played with 1,133.

Beaulieu picks up her first all-conference honor, an honorable mention selection in the midfield. She ranks third on the team in minutes played this year with 1,287 and has one assist to her credit. She has been instrumental defensively in preserving eight shutouts for the Tigers this year.

Moosburger has burst onto the scene for FHSU this year at forward to earn an honorable mention selection. The true freshman leads the team in goals with four, points with 12, and is tied for the team lead in assists with four. She had two game-winning goals in the regular season. She has also been very efficient with her shots, placing 75 percent of them on goal.

Loneker earns an honorable mention selection for the second straight year. This year she gets the honor at forward after a selection at midfielder last year. She was leading the team in goals with three when she suffered a season-ending injury in the 10th match of the season. She still ranks fourth on the team in points with six.

Below is the 2015 All-MIAA Women’s Soccer Team.

2015 ALL-MIAA SOCCER TEAM
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Julie Ireland, F, Central Missouri

DEFENDER OF THE YEAR
Abby Rhodes, D, Central Missouri

GOALKEEPER OF THE YEAR
Ana Dilkes, GK, Central Missouri

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Katie Killion, F, Central Oklahoma

CO-COACH OF THE YEAR
Lewis Theobald, Central Missouri & Chase Wooten, Northeastern State

FIRST TEAM
GK: Ana Dilkes, So., Central Missouri
D: Abby Rhodes, Jr., Central Missouri**
D: Emily Eldridge, Jr., Central Missouri
D: Quinn Tookey, Sr., Central Oklahoma
D: Emily Burch, Sr., Northeastern State
MF: Jennifer Cudjoe, Jr., Northeastern State
MF: Megan Woolley, So., Central Missouri
MF: Kate Jamison, Sr., Southwest Baptist
F: Julie Ireland, Sr., Central Missouri
F: Jada Scott, Fr., Central Missouri
F: Katie Killion, Fr., Central Oklahoma
F: Anastasia Robinson, Jr., Northeastern State
F: Karla Jamison, Sr., Southwest Baptist
Results reflect tie in voting
**Unanimous Selection

SECOND TEAM
GK: Sarah Lyle, Jr., Missouri Western
GK: Jordan Woodurff, Jr., Northeastern State
D: Sydney Andrews, Sr., Missouri Western
D: CheyAnn Queener, Jr., Fort Hays State
D: Cadence Bourne, Jr., Washburn
MF: Kenna Dyess, Jr., Central Oklahoma
MF: Nicole Pond, Sr., Central Missouri
MF: Hannah Smith, Jr., Fort Hays State
F: Amelie Heun, So., Emporia State
F: Kentia Kokis, Fr., Central Oklahoma
F: Kelsey Steffens, So., Fort Hays State
F: Julia Mathis, So., Northeastern State

THIRD TEAM
GK: Kristen Thompson, So., Fort Hays State
D: Camrie Hurst, Fr., Central Oklahoma
D: Jaide Allenbrand, So., Emporia State
D: Rebecca Gleason, So, Northeastern State
MF: Montanna Hosterman, Sr., Nebraska-Kearney
MF: Kenzie Sublett, Jr., Central Oklahoma
MF: McKenzie Musella, Sr., Northeastern State
MF: Baylie Edwards, So., Central Missouri
MF: Dani Torry, Sr., Lindenwood
F: Caroline Karlsson, Sr., Southwest Baptist
F: Paige Swanson, Fr., Washburn
F: Hannah Pyle, Jr., Central Missouri
F: Bridget Blessie, So, Missouri Western
Results reflect tie in voting

HONORABLE MENTION
Central Missouri: Kayla Hamner, D; Callie Henshaw, D.
Central Oklahoma: Caitlin Moore, MF.
Emporia State: Yadira Rivera, GK; Maria Walden, MF; Kelsey Wakefield, F.
Fort Hays State: Baylie Schmitz, D; Gabby Makatura, MF; Jasmine Beaulieu, MF; Cassie Moosburger, F; Kylee Loneker, F.
Lindenwood: Jackie Lindner, D; Alexis Robbers, MF; Becky Roberts, MF.
Missouri Southern:.Ronise Miller, D; Carly Cecil, D.
Missouri Western: Taylor Gant, D; Ashlyn Powers, D; Drew Mantio, MF.
Nebraska-Kearney: Kadie Walaszczyk, D.
Northeastern State: Kelsey McIntyre, MF.
Northwest Missouri: Katelynn Lindsey, D; Crystal McElhose, MF.
Southwest Baptist:  A.C. Pettit, D; Whitney Snow, MF; Elin Hammar, MF; Taylor Schmidt, MF.
Washburn: Kaitlin Minnich, GK; Rebecca Weimer, D; Bailey Wobig

Fort Hays State Weekly Football Press Conference
November 3, 2015

Fort Hays State head football coach Chris Brown along with select players met with members of the media on Tuesday. The Tigers are coming off a home win over Nebraska-Kearney to improve to 6-3. They head to Joplin for their final road game of the regular season this Saturday when they face Missouri Southern. Kickoff is at 3 p.m.

Head coach Chris Brown

RS-Freshman defensive back John Wilson

Junior WR Isaiah Maxi

Senior QB Treveon Albert

The Lady Hornets won the MIAA Tournament last season and advanced to the semi-finals of the NCAA Division II National Tournament. Fort Hays State is picked 10th by the coaches after winning the MIAA regular season and earning the chance to host the NCAA Division II Central Regional.

Rank    Institution – First Place Votes   

FHSU Athletics

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State’s Baylie Schmitz was named the MIAA Defensive Athlete of the Week on Tuesday (Nov. 3) for her efforts in a pair of wins for Fort Hays State last week. Schmitz helped the Tigers to a pair of shutout wins in conference play.

Schmitz played all 180 minutes at defender in Fort Hays State’s two 1-0 wins last week. Against Nebraska-Kearney, she helped the Tiger defense surrender just five shots on goal and six total. Against Washburn, she helped the Tigers surrender just three shots on goal and a total of 11 shots. The opposition averaged just four shots on goal over the two matches, helping Kimi Kaniapuio to her first shutout win and Abbie Flax to her fourth at goalkeeper. Schmitz and the Tiger defense has now recorded eight shutouts on the season.

FHSU Athletics

WACO, Texas – The Tiger football team has been bouncing in and out of the AFCA Division II Poll receiving votes section over the past few weeks. After falling out of the receiving votes section for the first time this season following a Week 6 loss to Missouri Western, FHSU jumped back in after a win over then No. 13 Emporia State. The Tigers fell out for the second time last week following a loss to then No. 3 Northwest Missouri State, but jumped back in this week following a 24-7 win over Nebraska-Kearney.

The Tigers are receiving three votes in the latest poll. All other schools from the MIAA referenced in the poll are in the top 25. Northwest Missouri State is No. 2, Emporia State is No. 14, and Central Missouri is No. 24. The Tigers at 6-3 overall head to Missouri Southern (1-8) this weekend, looking to match their win total from last season.

Below is the AFCA Division II Poll for November 2, 2015.

Others Receiving Votes: Assumption (Mass.), 45; Carson-Newman (Tenn.), 28; Virginia Union, 22; Minnesota-Duluth, 19; Augustana (S.D.), 9; Indiana (Pa.), 8; North Greenville (S.C.), 7; Catawba (N.C.), 4; Fort Hays St. (Kan.), 3; Arkansas Tech, 1.