The Fort Hays State football team wrapped up their second week of preseason camp with their second of two scheduled scrimmages Thursday afternoon at Lewis Field.
Head coach Chris Brown visited with the media afterwards and said he was pleased with both sides of the ball.
The Tigers open the 2019 season in less than two weeks (September 5th) at Central Missouri.
RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – After winning conference championships each of the last two seasons, the Fort Hays State men’s soccer team has been picked to make it three straight as they sit atop the 2019 GAC Men’s Soccer Preseason Poll, released Thursday (August 22) by the league office. The poll is comprised of ballots from head coaches of all eight programs, with coaches ranking the other seven teams in the league.
Fort Hays State, ranked No. 3 nationally in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Top 25, picked up five of seven possible first-place votes, earning 40 points in the balloting process. Northeastern State came in just behind the Tigers, picking up 39 points and three first-place votes. Rogers State enters the year ranked third in the league with Newman slotted fourth. Defending GAC champion Ouachita Baptist is listed fifth in the preseason poll, just in front of 2018 regular season GAC champion Harding. Southern Nazarene and Oklahoma Baptist round out the poll in seventh and eighth, respectively.
The Tigers are coming off the program’s first trip to the national semifinals in 2018. It was the seventh-straight year FHSU reached the NCAA Division II Championship tournament, the second-longest active streak in the nation. Fort Hays State returns five All-Conference performers and three All-Region athletes from last year’s team that finished the year 17-2-2. Included in that list is Santiago Agudelo, the reigning D2CCA National Player of the Year. Agudelo etched his name up and down the record books in his junior campaign, scoring 26 goals alongside six assists. Other returning All-Region honorees include defender Sergio Villalba and midfielder Moritz Walther.
The new season will be the first year under new head coach Gerry Cleary, announced as the second head coach in program history in early 2019. Cleary has earned three national titles as a head coach, winning two NAIA championships with the Martin Methodist women’s program before leading the Martin Methodist men’s squad to the 2013 national title.
After turning in the first perfect MIAA record in history (8-0-0), the Tigers will compete in the Great American Conference beginning in 2019. The MIAA and GAC announced a sport sponsorship partnership last year in which the MIAA will oversee men’s tennis competition while the GAC administers men’s soccer. The Tigers will play a 14-game double round-robin conference schedule against the other seven programs.
The Tigers open the year at home against perennial power Rockhurst on Thursday, September 5 at 7 p.m., the first of eight regular season home matches.
2019 GAC Men’s Soccer Preseason Poll
1. Fort Hays State (5 1st-place votes) – 40 points
2. Northeastern State (3) – 39 points
3. Rogers State – 32 points
4. Newman – 22 points
5. Ouachita Baptist – 21 points
6. Harding – 20 points
7. Southern Nazarene – 14 points
8. Oklahoma Baptist – 8 points
–– FHSU Sports Information —
HAYS – The Fort Hays State football team closed out the first week of their preseason camp with a controlled scrimmage Thursday morning at Lewis Field.
The team will take a mandatory day off Friday then return to the practice field Saturday morning. They will practice again Sunday evening then shift their workouts to the afternoon once classes begin Monday.
Tiger head coach Chris Brown along with quarterback Chance Fuller and linebacker Colt Trachsel shared their thoughts on the scrimmage and camp so far.
HAYS – The Fort Hays State football team practiced in full pads for the first time Tuesday morning as they continue to prepare for the 2019 season.
One of the players on the field was left offensive tackle Pat Kelly. The redshirt sophomore from Staten Island, N.Y. has suffered two severe injuries in the last two games he’s played. Kelly went down with an ankle injury in the Tigers 2017 regular season finale which kept him out of their playoff game with Ferris State. He then injured his knee in the 2018 season opener against Central Missouri which forced him to miss all of last season.
Kelly talked about his return following Tuesday’s practice.
HAYS – The Fort Hays State football team held their first practice of the 2019 season Friday morning at Lewis Field. Around 130 players greeted Chris Brown as he began his ninth season as the Tigers head coach.
The Tigers are coming off their second straight MIAA title and were picked first by the conference coaches and second by the media in the MIAA Preseason Poll.
The Tigers continue in helmets Saturday before adding shoulder pads Sunday. They have their first full pad practice on Tuesday.
Listen below as coach Brown along with senior Harley Hazlett and Tanner Hoeckman talk about the first practice of the season.
Chris Brown
Harley Hazlett
Tanner Hoeckman
LIMA, Peru – Former Fort Hays State Men’s Basketball standout Dominique Jones and Team USA teammates Jon Octeus, Kareem Maddox, and Sheldon Jeter stood victorious atop the medal podium for 3×3 Basketball on Monday (July 29) at the Pan American games. The USA defeated Brazil 21-13 in the semifinals and defeated Puerto Rico 21-19 in the finals to earn the gold medal. The United States swept gold in 3×3 basketball overall as the women’s squad defeated Argentina in the finals.
Jones led Team USA in overall scoring for the tournament with 50 points. His two highest scoring efforts of 12 points each occurred against Venezuela and Argentina in the preliminary round. He scored at least five points in six contests and led the team in scoring in five of the seven games Team USA played throughout the Pan American Games. 3×3 basketball is played on a half court with a 10-minute clock, and a 12-second shot clock, the first team to 21 points, or the team in the lead at the end of regulation. This was the first year for the sport at the Pan American Games and it will be a sport at the Olympics in 2020.
Team USA bounced back on Monday after taking three tough losses in the preliminary round by two points or less. They avenged preliminary round losses to both Brazil and Puerto Rico in bracket play that determine medals.
Jones has enjoyed a tremendous professional career on the FIBA 3×3 Basketball World Tour. He is currently holds a No. 2 national ranking in the FIBA points system for players from the United States on the World Tour, and sits among the top 30 players in the world. Jones has helped his 3×3 team from New York/Harlem to over 10 team titles in FIBA World Tour tournaments over the past five years. Jones can now add a gold medal for representing the United States to his tremendous list of accomplishments during his basketball career.
Jones was a two-year standout player at Fort Hays State from 2009-2011, helping the Tigers to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances as the team’s point guard. He nearly scored 1,000 points in his two years, finishing with 983. He also averaged 5.1 assists per game in his career, good for fifth-best in program history with a total of 324. Tiger fans also remember him for his unique one-handed free-throw shooting style, as he shot 80 percent at the line in his career at FHSU. He shot 40.2 percent from beyond the 3-point line, draining 132 shots from long range.
Jones was an NABC All-America selection as a senior at FHSU in 2010-11 with 592 points and 207 assists for the season (17.9 ppg, 6.3 apg). He was a two-time All-MIAA First Team selection and helped guide the Tigers to an MIAA Tournament Championship in 2011. He helped the team to a record of 49-14 over the two years, reaching No. 3 in the NABC national rankings both seasons. He is one of four players to earn All-America honors under current FHSU head coach Mark Johnson.
For three years, Nathan Shepherd called Hays and Fort Hays State University home. After sitting out of football for several years for financial reasons, the Ajax, Ontario, Canada, native took a chance a moved to northwest Kansas to jump start his dream of playing in the NFL.
After leaving an indelible mark on the Tiger program that included two bowl game appearances and the school’s first MIAA title, Shepherd realized his dream and was drafted in the third round by the New York Jets.
Nathan Shepherd
Now as he prepares to report to training camp prior to his second season in the NFL, Shepherd returned to Hays along with a television crew from TSN (Canada’s version of ESPN) to retrace his footsteps in Hays as part of a feature on the Canada native.
“You never realize how many people you’ve impacted and how you don’t always get to realize how many people have impacted you” Shepherd said after signing autographs and taking photos with Tiger fans Wednesday at the Smoky Hill Country Club.
“Looking back, there’s so many people, so many stories, so many thank yous to be given that maybe at the time while I was leaving wasn’t able to get done” he said. “This helps me to feel better to come back and give back in a way that I can and to show my gratitude for everything this town’s provided me with.”
Fort Hays State Men’s Basketball head coach Mark Johnson made two announcements in regards to his coaching staff for the upcoming 2019-20 season. After serving as Assistant Coach for 13 consecutive years at FHSU, Jeremy Brown will now hold the title of Associate Head Coach at FHSU. Johnson also announced the addition of Todd Johnston as an Assistant Coach for the program.
Brown has been alongside Mark Johnson on the Tiger bench for 13 consecutive years since the 2006-07 season. He has helped FHSU to five NCAA Tournament Appearances, two MIAA Championships, and a record of 253-132 in that span, while helping coach three All-America and 33 All-MIAA selections. He has helped three Tiger teams to a top-three ranking in the NABC Division II Top 25 Poll, while six teams he has been a part of have seen time in the national rankings. Brown has been on the sidelines at FHSU for a total of 17 years after serving as a student assistant and graduate assistant four years. He was an assistant coach for two years at Southwestern Oklahoma State before returning to FHSU, where he has been ever since.
Johnston joins the Fort Hays State coaching staff after spending two years as an assistant coach at Cloud County (Kan.) Community College. He helped the T-Birds to a 10-win improvement in his second year with the program and helped five players move on to four-year colleges over his two seasons. Johnston also spent time as an assistant coach at Missouri Southern for one year (2014-15) and Benedictine College for two years (2015-17). A native of Kincaid, Kansas, he played collegiately at Cloud County for two years and then Baker University for two years, where he received bachelor’s degrees in Secondary Education and History. Johnston averaged 10 points per game his senior year at Baker and helped the program to an appearance in the NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball National Tournament in his junior season.
Fort Hays State will enter its 19th season under head coach Mark Johnson in 2019-20. Johnson is the all-time coaching wins leader at FHSU with a record of 359-172 (.676). The Tigers have enjoyed 17 winning seasons in his 18 years leading the program, including 12 consecutive going into the upcoming season. The Tigers have reached at least 20 wins in a season nine times under Johnson, while making seven NCAA Tournament appearances and collecting three conference championships (2 MIAA, 1 RMAC).
KINGSVILLE, Texas – Fort Hays State track and field senior Brett Meyer wrapped up the 2019 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships in style for the Tigers Saturday, winning the national championship in the 1,500m run. The title was the third individual national championship for the Tigers in the last three years and the 14th in NCAA history.
Meyer’s race was similar to his preliminary run on Thursday, cruising towards the back of the pack before making a final burst around the last turn to take the crown in 3:58.24. His final lap time of 53.37 was more than enough to make up the ground necessary, finishing a half second in front of second place. It was the Scott City, Kan. native’s sixth All-American honor in his storied career at FHSU.
Fellow senior Kolt Newell also earned All-American honors Saturday after finishing in a tie for 10th in the high jump. Newell needed just one jump to clear each of his first two heights, soaring over the 6-6.25 and 6-8.25 bar on his first attempts. The second team All-American honor is Newell’s third career All-American accolade.
Junior Alexcia Deutscher competed in the javelin throw at the national meet for the third time in her career Saturday, finishing 19th after a final toss of 134-2. The Ellis, Kan. native posted a career-best 160-2 earlier in the season.
Meyer’s win and freshman Ryan Stanley’s fourth-place finish in the pole vault earlier in the week gave the Tiger men 15 points in the team race, third-most among MIAA programs.
KINGSVILLE, Texas – After entering the 2019 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships in the 24th and final spot of the 200m dash, freshman Philip Landrum finished well above that mark in the preliminary round Friday evening (May 24).
Competing in the fastest of the three heats, Landrum placed 15th at the national meet after crossing the line in 21.48. The Wichita, Kan. native was the second-fastest freshman in the field.
The race capped off a successful freshman campaign for Landrum, who placed 14th in the 60m dash at the Indoor National Championships after capturing the indoor MIAA title in the same event. Landrum also climbed the podium at the outdoor conference meet after placing third in the 100m dash earlier this month.
Three Tigers will wrap up the national meet Saturday, beginning with junior Alexcia Deutscher in the javelin throw at 11:30 a.m. Kolt Newell will compete in the high jump beginning at 5:30 p.m. while the gun is set to go off in Brett Meyer’s 1,500m finals at 5:45 p.m.
KINGSVILLE, Texas – The Fort Hays State track and field team opened the 2019 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships with two strong performances on Thursday. Freshman Ryan Stanley picked up All-American honors in the pole vault in his first appearance at the national meet while Brett Meyer advanced to Saturday’s finals of the 1,500m run.
Stanley made a strong statement in his National Championship debut, placing fourth in the field of 18 vaulters after heading into the event 10th on the national performance chart. The Bennington, Kan. native soared over the 16-11.5 bar on his first attempt, setting a new personal-best that is just one-half inch off the program record. Stanley very nearly cleared the 17-3.5 bar on the following attempt, but barely grazed the bar on the way down. He was one of just two freshman to earn a spot on the All-American podium.
Meyer secured a spot in the finals of the 1,500m run after placing second in his heat. After cruising in the back of the pack for much of the race, the Scott City, Kan. native took off over the final 150 meters. He made his way to the outside down the final stretch, passing all but one runner to finish in a time of 4:02.55. His final lap time of 55.06 was the fastest full lap between both heats. The senior will look for his sixth All-American trophy Saturday at 5:45 p.m. when he takes on 11 other runners in the finals.
Philip Landrum will look to join Meyer in the finals on Saturday when he takes to the track in the 200m prelims Friday. Landrum will run in the third and final heat, the first of which is scheduled for a 5:50 start.
HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State Men’s Basketball head coach Mark Johnson announced seven additions for the upcoming 2019-20 season on Wednesday (May 15). Four of the seven are transfers, while three will be true freshmen. Transfer signings include Jake Hutchings, Perry Carroll, Alvin Thompson, and Jackson Miller, while the freshman class includes Bjarni Jonsson, Kaleb Hammeke, and Devin Walker.
Hutchings is a transfer from Chaminade University in Hawaii with one year of eligibility remaining. A 6-foot, 7-inch native of Las Vegas, Nevada, Hutchings spent his junior season of 2018-19 with the Silverswords, playing in all 31 of the team’s games with one start. He averaged 7.0 points and 2.1 rebounds per game, while shooting over 50 percent from the field and over 85 percent at the free-throw line to help Chaminade to a 23-8 record and appearance in the West Regional of the NCAA Division II Tournament. Prior to his season at Chaminade, Hutchings played two seasons at Howard College in Texas. As a sophomore in 2017-18, he earned All-Western Junior College Athletic Conference First Team honors by averaging 13.8 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. As a freshman in 2016-17, he averaged 5.3 points and 2.0 rebounds per game. During his prep days, Hutchings was an all-state honorable mention selection at Centennial High School in Las Vegas.
Carroll is a junior transfer from Allen County (Kan.) Community College, where he played two seasons. He was an All-KJCCC East Division Second Team selection as a sophomore in 2018-19, averaging a team-best 16.4 points and 3.8 assists per game as the team’s point guard. He also added 4.1 rebounds per game. He scored 20 or more points in a game 12 times, including a pair of games with at least 30 points. As a freshman in 2017-18, Carroll averaged 10.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game. A native of Ottawa, Kansas, the 5-foot, 10-inch Carroll was a two-time all-state selection in his prep career at Ottawa High School.
Thompson is a junior transfer from Cloud County (Kan.) Community College, where he played two seasons. He was an All-KJCCC East Division First Team and All-Region 6 Second Team selection as a sophomore in 2018-19, averaging 16.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game. He scored at least 20 points in a game 13 times, reaching a season-high 27 points twice. He shot over 50 percent from the field, over 40 percent beyond the 3-point line, and over 75 percent at the free-throw line. As a freshman in 2017-18, Thompson averaged 11.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game. A 6-foot, 3-inch guard, Thompson is a native of St. Louis where he was an all-state selection at Cardinal Ritter Prep and also a two-time Class 3A state triple jump champion.
Miller is a junior transfer from Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College, where he played for two years. He is a 6-foot, 7-inch native of Montezuma, Kansas. As a sophomore in 2018-19, Miller played in 19 games averaging 1.7 points and 1.2 rebounds per game. As a freshman in 2017-18, he played in 27 contests averaging 2.9 points and 1.9 rebounds per game. He was a member of two consecutive teams that advanced to the NJCAA National Tournament, including a national semifinal appearance in 2018-19. He also helped Coffeyville to a pair of KJCCC Championships. Prior to college, Miller was a two-time all-state selection at South Gray High School.
After a successful run with the U-18 and U-20 Icelandic National Teams, Jonsson comes to the United States for his first year of collegiate basketball. Standing at 6-feet, 7-inches, he had success with Iceland in the European Championships. He played with club team Skallagrimur of the Dominos League, averaging 12.8 points and 5.4 rebounds per game in 2018-19. The year prior, he averaged 9.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. He played alongside former Fort Hays State standout Dom Samac with Skallagrimur, comprised of both amateur and professional players. For the U-20 Iceland National Team in 2018, he averaged 9.6 points and 3.4 rebounds per game in the European Championships. With the U-18 Team a year earlier, he averaged 8.4 points and 6.6 rebounds per game.
Hammeke comes to Fort Hays State from Hutchinson, Kansas, where he competed at Trinity Catholic High School. Hammeke was a two-time all-state selection in basketball, including first team honors as a senior in 2018-19. He was also named to the Hutchinson News All-Area First Team, while earning the distinction of Hutchinson News Player of the Year. During his senior year, Hammeke averaged 17.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 2.8 steals per game. He scored 1,371 points in his prep career, second in Trinity history.
Walker comes to Fort Hays State from Ulysses High School in Ulysses, Kansas. Standing at 6-feet, 8-inches, he was an honorable mention all-state selection in both basketball and football. He received second team all-state honors in basketball from Sports in Kansas. As a senior in 2018-19, he averaged 10.3 points, 9.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.4 blocks, and 2.0 steals per game.
| Name | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Yr. | Hometown | Previous School |
| Jake Hutchings | F | 6-7 | 200 | Sr. | Las Vegas, Nev. | Chaminade University |
| Perry Carroll | G | 5-10 | 195 | Jr. | Ottawa, Kan. | Allen County (Kan.) CC |
| Alvin Thompson | G | 6-3 | 170 | Jr. | St. Louis, Mo. | Cloud County (Kan.) CC |
| Jackson Miller | F | 6-7 | 210 | Jr. | Montezuma, Kan. | Coffeyville (Kan.) CC |
| Bjarni Jonsson | F | 6-7 | 200 | Fr. | Borgarnes, Iceland | Borgarfjardar HS |
| Kaleb Hammeke | G | 6-0 | 165 | Fr. | Hutchinson, Kan. | Trinity Catholic HS |
| Devin Walker | F | 6-8 | 215 | Fr. | Ulysses, Kan. | Ulysses HS |
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Five Tigers have been selected to compete in the 2019 edition of the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships. The event will be hosted in Kingsville, Texas from May 23-25. For FHSU, four men and one woman earned the right to compete in the meet.
Alexcia Deutscher qualified in the javelin after throwing her best of 160 feet, 2 inches to sit her at No. 7 on the national performance list. Last season, Deutscher finished eight at nationals in her event when she recorded her top throw of 145 feet 4 inches.
Brett Meyer earns his qualification after hitting an automatic mark in the 1,500-meters with a time of 3:44.18. This time puts Meyer had No. 4 on the performance list. Last season, Meyer earned his fourth All-American trophy in two years after placing fourth in the event with a time of 3:46.43.
Philip Landrum qualified in the 200-meters following his time of 21.07 to put him at No. 24 on the national performance list. Kolt Newell will be heading to Kingsville to compete in the high jump where he turned in a qualifying mark of 6 feet, 11 inches to put him at No. 14 on the national performance list. The final Tiger to head to nationals is Ryan Stanley who will attempt to earn a title in the pole vault following his best height of 16 feet, 9 ¼ inches and a No. 10 placement on the national performance list.
Below is the schedule for the Tigers at the 2019 National Championships
Thursday, May 23
Men’s pole vault finals (Stanley) – 2:30 pm CT
Men’s 1,500-meter prelims (Meyer) – 6:10 pm CT
Friday, May 24
Men’s 200-meter prelims (Landrum) – 5:50 pm CT
Saturday, May 25
Women’s javelin throw finals (Deutscher) – 11:30 am CT
Men’s high jump finals (Newell) – 5:30 pm CT
Men’s 1,500-meters finals (Meyer) 5:45 pm CT
