FHSU Athletics

Fort Hays State scored just two runs over 16 innings of play on Tuesday (March 3) but walked off with two 1-0 extra inning wins to complete the sweep over No. 13 Arkansas Tech. The games, played at the Mustang Softball Academy Indoor Facility, were regional victories for the Tigers and brought them to 5-6 on the year.

FHSU begins conference play this weekend with games at Central Missouri and Southwest Baptist, taking on the Jennies on Friday (March 6) and the Bearcats on Saturday (March 7).

Complete recaps of Tuesday’s games are below…

FHSU 1, ATU 0 (9 innings)
Fort Hays State was held hitless until the ninth, when a walk-off single up the middle from Kylie Strand scored Paxton Duran and gave the Tigers a 1-0 win in extra innings.

Duran threw all nine innings, striking out 11 with just one walk for the game while improving to 2-3 on the year.

At the plate, Strand had the Tigers only hit, but Amanda Vaupel drew three walks and Duran had two free passes.

FHSU threatened throughout the game thanks to nine walks on the day, though they left 11 runners on base – including the second and fourth innings, when the Tigers had two on but couldn’t convert.

Arkansas Tech’s best scoring opportunity came in the fifth, when Chelsea Reeves singled to right field to start the inning. From there, however, two pop ups and a fly out to center followed as FHSU got out of the inning.

In the sixth, Fort Hays State loaded the bases with just one out after two walks and a fielder’s choice error, but couldn’t push a runner home as the game remained scoreless – where it stayed until the ninth.

With one out in the ninth, Duran walked before stealing second base during Madison Putman’s at-bat. Putman and Courtney Dobson followed with walks of their own, sending Strand to the plate with bases loaded. After working a full count, Strand broke up the Golden Suns’ no-hitter with a single up the middle to score Duran and walk off with the win.

FHSU 1, ATU 0 (8 innings)
Again scoreless through seven, FHSU used an eighth inning rally to walk-off with a 1-0 win on Rilee Kreir’s single into center field.

Kelsey Kimminau (2-3) took the win, throwing all eight innings while scattering four hits, striking out five with no walks allowed.

At the plate, Krier was 2-for-4 with an RBI to lead the team while Amanda Vaupel (single) and Madison Putman (double) added the Tigers’ other two hits.

FHSU put runner on in the first, sixth and seventh innings, but otherwise saw the game move quickly with three up, three down throughout. Twice ATU had a runner on third, but clutch pitching by Kimminau and strong defense got the Tigers out of both jams.

In the bottom of the eighth, Mackenzie Villarreal pinch hit to lead off the inning, earning a walk before being replaced by Veronica Knittig on first. Madiaon Putman  followed by taking the first pitch she saw to the left center wall for a stand up double, moving Knittig to third. After two outs put the Tigers on the verge of headed to the ninth, Rilee Krier took a 1-1 pitch over the head of the shortstop into center field, providing the walk-off hit to score Knittig.

Fort Hays State holds at No. 4 in the latest USA Today/WBCA national rankings out Tuesday afternoon. There was no change in the top nine teams. Emporia State moves up two to No. 10 while Pittsburg State drops two spots to No. 13.

Washburn, Missouri Southern and Central Missouri are all receiving votes.

Complete poll below…

Rank	Institution – First Place Votes	Previous Rank	Record	Total Points
1.	Alaska – Anchorage – 24	1	27-1	786
2.	Lewis (Ill.) – 7	2	27-1	769
3.	Limestone College (S.C.) – 1	3	28-1	707
4.	Fort Hays State (Kan.)	4	26-2	684
5.	Columbus State (Ga.)	T5	28-1	655
6.	West Texas A&M	T5	24-2	630
7.	Indiana (Pa.)	7	24-2	572
8.	Drury (Mo.)	8	23-3	559
9.	Michigan Tech	9	24-2	531
10.	Emporia State (Kan.)	T12	22-4	485
11.	Adelphi (N.Y.)	10	25-3	481
12.	Bloomsburg (Pa.)	14	23-3	392
13.	Pittsburg State (Kan.)	11	25-5	361
14.	Stonehill College (Mass.)	T12	22-4	352
15.	Union (Tenn.)	16	23-3	340
16.	Wayne State (Mich.)	17	22-4	310
17.	Wayne State College (Neb.)	18	27-4	276
T18.	California (Pa.)	20	23-4	200
T18.	Humboldt State (Calif.)	15	23-4	200
20.	Seattle Pacific (Wash.)	19	21-5	153
21.	University of New Haven (Conn.)	21	23-4	151
22.	Cedarville (Ohio)	T22	25-3	135
23.	University of District of Columbia	T22	25-3	128
24.	Nova Southeastern (Fla.)	25	21-5	79
25.	Rollins College (Fla.)	24	21-5	77

Dropped Out: None.

Others receiving votes: Colorado Mesa University 49; Arkansas Tech University 46; University of Southern Indiana 44; Midwestern State University (Texas) 25; California State University – Dominguez Hills 24; Northern State University (S.D.) 23; Hawaii Pacific University 22; Ashland University (Ohio) 19; California Baptist University 19; California State Polytechnic University – Pomona 16; Northern Michigan University 15; Washburn University (Kan.) 15; Florida Institute of Technology 13; Lander University (S.C.) 10; Missouri Southern State University 10; University of Colorado – Colorado Springs 7; University of Charleston (W.Va.) 6; Kentucky State University 5; Minnesota State University – Mankato 5; University of West Florida 4; Benedict College (S.C.) 3; West Chester University of Pennsylvania 3; Grand Valley State University (Mich.) 2; Harding University 1; University of Central Missouri 1.

FHSU Athletics

Fort Hays State senior Kate Lehman has been named the MIAA Player and Defensive Player of the Year, head coach Tony Hobson earned Coach of the Year honors and four other Tigers were named to the 2014-15 All-MIAA Team, announced Tuesday by the conference office.

Lehman was named to the All-MIAA First Team and All-Defensive Team, while Beth Bohuslavsky was picked to the third team and Jill Faxon and Keriann Shaw were tabbed honorable mention.  Shaw also joined Lehman on the MIAA All-Defensive Team. Lehman has been picked first team the previous three seasons, all-defensive in all four years at FHSU and is now the three-time defending MIAA Defensive Player of the Year.  Bohuslavsky repeated as well on the list, earning All-MIAA Honorable Mention honors last season. The five all-conference individual selections is the most for FHSU since joining the MIAA and the most since 2000-01 when five Tigers were picked to the All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference teams.

Lehman has been one of the top players in the nation this season, leading the team to a 26-2 overall record and 18-1 conference mark.  The Newton, Kan., native leads FHSU with 19.2 points, 10.3 rebounds and 4.3 blocks per game.  She has scored double figures 25 times this season and has recorded 16 double doubles, adding to her career total of 53.  She also has one triple double this season and three in her career.  Additionally, Lehman finished the regular season in the Top 2 for six different categories, including field goal percentage (first), blocked shots (first), offensive rebounds (first), scoring (second), rebounds (second) and defensive rebounds (second).  Lehman has been the team’s leading scorer in 21 games and the leading rebounder in 24 games, reaching the 20-point margin in 12 contests.  At the national level, Lehman ranks second all-time in NCAA Division II career blocks (495) is on pace to become the first player in at that level to reach 1,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 500 blocks for a career.  This is the fifth All-MIAA first team selection for FHSU (with Lehman owning three).

Bohuslavsky has served as the Tigers’ floor-general all season, starting all but one game at point guard for the squad.  The Dwight, Neb., native ranks seventh nationally and second in the MIAA with a 2.5 assist-to-turnover ratio, dishing out 3.8 assists per game this season.  On the offensive end, Bohuslavsky ranks fourth on the team with 8.9 points per game and has reached double figures nine different times this year, including a career-best 25-point effort against Washburn on Feb. 18.  The guard leads FHSU with 103 assists this season and has grabbed four rebounds per game.

Faxon is one of the Tigers’ sharpshooters this season, hitting 37 three-point field goals at a rate of 41.6 percent.  The sophomore guard is averaging 9.6 points and 3.3 rebounds per game, ranking third on the team in scoring.  Faxon has started 10 games and been a key reserve for the Tigers in 17 others, playing an average of 22.6 minutes each night.  13 games have seen Faxon reach double figures and the Beatrice, Neb., native enters postseason play with double-digit scoring efforts in four of the previous five games.  The All-MIAA award is the first for Faxon’s career.

Shaw has developed a reputation as one of the toughest defenders in the league and now has the hardware to represent, being picked to the all-defensive team with overall honorable mention honors for her senior season.  Shaw is one of the key reasons FHSU’s defensive is ranked second nationally and first in the MIAA at 54.3 points per game.  On the floor, FHSU is ranked fifth nationally in field goal defense (33.9 percent) and second in the MIAA. Statistically, the Deweese, Neb., product has 24 steals on the year and is second on the team with seven rebounds on average, passing the 500 career rebounding mark last month.  These are the first all-conference honors for Shaw.

In his seventh season at the helm of the Tigers, Hobson’s squad has seen it success grow yearly into the 2014-15 campaign.  FHSU has already set a new program record for wins in its NCAA Division II era (26), put together the second longest win streak in program history (21), set a school record for MIAA wins (18) while tying the conferences’ win mark – previously set by Washburn in 2011-12.

Hobson’s squad has been recognized nationally this season, holding a top five ranking in three polls – the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association/USA Today Top 25, Massey Ratings and BennettRank.  The Tigers have been slotted No. 1 in the first two NCAA Central Region rankings this season and head into postseason winning their first ever outright conference title at the NCAA Division II level.  This is Hobson’s first MIAA coaching honor and his 11th Coach of the Year honor for his career.  Hobson was named the NAIA National Coach of the Year three times and the GPAC Coach of the Year twice while at Hastings College, in addition to other nods.

The Tigers will look to reach the MIAA semifinals for the third consecutive season as they enter the MIAA Tournament on Friday.  FHSU will take on the winner of the Washburn-Northeastern State game on Friday, March 6 at 12 p.m., at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo.

The complete 2014-15 All-MIAA Women’s Basketball Team is below…

Player of the Year
Kate Lehman, Sr., C, FHSU

Defensive Player of the Year
Kate Lehman, Sr., C. FHSU

Freshman of the Year
Addie Lackey, Fr., G, ESU

Coach of the Year
Tony Hobson, FHSU

All-MIAA First Team
Kate Lehman, Sr., C, FHSU**[r3]
Lizzy Jeronimus, Sr., F, PSU**[r4]
Merissa Quick, Sr., C, ESU**
LaQuinta Jefferson, Jr., G, MWSU
Shelby Winkelmann, Jr., G, UCM
Kelly Moten, So., G, ESU
**Unanimous Selection
[r3] Three time repeat First Team Selection
[r4] Four time repeat First Team Selection
Six players due to tie in the voting

All-MIAA Second Team
Casyn Buchman, Sr., G, WU
Sharese Jones, Jr., G, MSSU
Ariel Easton, Sr., G, NWMSU
Nicole Hartzog, Sr., G, MSSU
Kassidy Gengenbacher, So., G, LWU

All-MIAA Third Team
Beth Bohuslavsky, Jr., G, FHSU
Julia Mason, Jr., F, UCO
Revonnia Howard, Sr., F, UCM
Amarah Williams, Sr., F, UNK
Kylie Gafford, Jr., F, PSU

All-Defensive Team
Kate Lehman, Sr., C, FHSU
Merissa Quick, Jr., C, ESU
Keriann Shaw, Sr., F, FHSU
Kelly Moten, So., G, ESU
Nicole Hartzog, Sr., G, MSSU

Honorable Mention All-MIAA
Jasmine Thompson, Sr., UCM
Kylie Mayes, Sr., UCO
Olivia Mason, So., UCO
Addie Lackey, Fr, ESU
Keriann Shaw, Sr., FHSU
Jill Faxon, So., FHSU
Kelsey Williams, So., LU
Kate Frazier, Sr., LU
Hunter Yoakum, So., LU
Jenny Rocha, Jr., LWU
Sarafina Handy, Jr., MWSU
Laramey Lewis, Jr., UNK
Chelsey Beathard, Sr., NSU
Fontana Tate, Sr., NSU
Tanya Meyer, Fr., NWMSU
Cathy Brugman, Jr., PSU
Dilonna Johnson, Jr., SBU
Taylor Ignoto, Sr., WU
Honor Duvall, Sr., WU

By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

For the first time since joining the MIAA in 2006, the The Fort Hays State men’s basketball team will not play in the conference tournament in Kansas City. Washburn used a 13-1 second half run to build a 12-point lead and beat the Tigers 66-57 in their MIAA tournament first round game Monday night at Lee Arena in Topeka. The Tigers drop their final four games finish their season at 16-13. Washburn is now 16-15 and advances to the quarterfinals where they will play regular season champ Northwest Missouri State Friday at noon.

Mark Johnson

 

Game Highlights

Fort Hays State rallied from a 10-point first half deficit to pull within two at halftime. They would tie the game on a Jake Stoppel layup with 14:09 to play but managed just one point over the next 6:31 to fall behind by 12. They would never get any closer than seven the rest of the way.

Achoki Moikobu led the Tigers with a career-high 22 points. Jake Stoppel added 12 points and 12 rebounds. The Ichabods were led by seniors Alex North and Kyle Wiggins who score 18 and 13 respectively.

FHSU shoots 40-percent from the floor including 4-of-14 from 3-point range. They went 11-of-17 from the free throw line but were outrebounded by three. Washburn shoots 44-percent including 7-of-18 from beyond the arc. The Ichabods hit their first 16 free throws and finish 19-of-23 from the line. They also score 20 points off of 14 FHSU turnovers.

FHSU Athletics

Fort Hays State had two players named to the 2015 All-MIAA Men’s Basketball Team, released on Monday (Mar. 2) by the conference office. Dom Samac earned third-team honors, while Craig Nicholson, whose season was cut short due to injury, still received an honorable mention nod.

Samac earns honors in his first year with the program after transferring from Denver University. Samac leads active FHSU players in scoring at 10.7 points per game heading into the MIAA Tournament. Samac scored in double figures 18 times during the regular season. He scored a season-high 25 points in back-to-back games, which earned him MIAA Athlete of the Week honors once this year. Samac also averaged 4.9 rebounds per game during the regular season and ranked second in the conference in field goal percentage at .587.

Nicholson earned All-MIAA status for the third time in his career, despite playing just 16 games in 2014-15. His season was cut short in the game against Central Oklahoma on January 15 in Hays when he suffered a fracture in his leg while driving to the basket. After earning All-MIAA Second Team and MIAA Freshman of the Year honors in 2013, and All-MIAA First Team honors in 2014, Nicholson put up big numbers once again this season at 14.9 points and 6.1 assists per game. He led the MIAA once again in assists per game before suffering the injury. Nicholson will enter his senior year with 1,143 career points and 511 career assists.

Below is the entire 2014-15 All-MIAA Men’s Basketball Team.

Player of the Year
Connor Beranek, Jr., F, UNK

Defensive Player of the Year
Matt Wallace, Sr., G, NWMSU

Freshman of the Year
Justin Pitts, Fr., G, NWMSU

Co-Coach of the Year
Kevin Muff, PSU & Ben McCollum, NWMSU

All-MIAA First Team
Connor Beranek, Jr., F, UNK**
Brennen Hughes, Sr., F, UCM
Ethan Brozek, Jr., F, UNK
Justin Pitts, Fr., G, NWMSU
Josiah Gustafson, So., PSU
**Unanimous Selection

All-MIAA Second Team
Taevaunn Prince, Jr., F, MSSU
Rakeem Dickerson, Sr., G, UCM
Conner Crooker, Jr., G, NWMSU
Darris Smith, Sr., G, LWU
Kyle Wiggins, Sr., G, WU

All-MIAA Third Team
Dom Samac, Jr., F, FHSU
Terrence Moore, Jr., G, ESU
Devon Branch, Sr., G, PSU
Menas Stephens, Sr., G, SBU
Mahlon Jones, Sr., G, UCO

All-Defensive Team
Matt Wallace, Sr., G, NWMSU
TJ White, Sr., G, UCM
Javis Flynn, Jr., G, PSU
Greg Renfroe, Jr., C, MSSU
Preston Brunz, Sr., G, UCM

Honorable Mention All-MIAA
Dillon Deck, Sr., UCM
Phillip Brown, Sr., UCO
Craig Nicholson, Jr., FHSU
Joshua Buie, Sr., LU
Cory Arentsen, Jr., LWU
Chance Creekmur, Sr., LWU
Cameron Cornelius, Sr., MSSU
Lane Barlow, Sr., MSSU
Cortrez Colbert, Sr., MWSU
Trey Mohair, Jr., NSU
Grant Cozad, Sr., NWMSU
Zach Schneider, So., NWMSU
Alex North, Sr., WU

FHSU Athletics

Fort Hays State men’s basketball finished alone in ninth place in the MIAA standings at 9-10 and received the No. 9 seed in the MIAA Tournament, which begins on Monday evening (Mar. 2). The Tigers will face No. 8 seed Washburn in Topeka, which finished one game ahead of the Tigers in the MIAA standings. Game time is set for 7 pm at Lee Arena.

After dropping their final three games of the season on the road, the Tigers slipped to ninth place in the MIAA standings. The Tigers now look to snap their three-game road skid on Monday.

Fort Hays State and Washburn split the regular season series, FHSU with a win in Hays and WU with a win in Topeka. The Ichabods won the meeting in Topeka by a score of 69-58 on January 31st. FHSU will enter the game at 16-12 overall, while Washburn enters at 15-15 overall.

The winner of this game will move on to the quarterfinals on at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo., to take on the No. 1 seed Northwest Missouri State on Thursday, March 5 at 12 pm. Northwest Missouri State claimed the MIAA regular season crown on Saturday with a win against Central Missouri.

Central Missouri is the No. 2 seed, while Missouri Southern (No. 3) and Lindenwood (No. 4) grabbed the other two byes to the quarterfinals in Kansas City, coming out of a five-way tie for third place in the standings. Pittsburg State, Nebraska-Kearney, and Central Oklahoma, which also finished in the tie for third, host first-round home games as the No. 5, 6 and 7 seeds respectively.

Below is the MIAA Men’s Basketball Tournament schedule…

Monday, March 2, 2015 (Campus Sites)
Game 1: #9 Fort Hays State at #8 Washburn  7 p.m.
Game 2: #12 Northeastern State at #5 Pittsburg State  7 p.m.
Game 3: #10 Missouri Western at #7 Central Oklahoma   7 p.m.
Game 4: #11 Southwest Baptist at #6 Nebraska-Kearney  7 p.m.

Thursday, March 5, 2015 (Municipal Auditorium Kansas City, Mo.)
Game 5: #1 Northwest Missouri vs. Winner Game 1   12:00 p.m.
Game 6: #4 Lindenwood vs. Winner Game 2     2:15 p.m.
Game 7: #2 Central Missouri vs. Winner Game 3    6:00 p.m.
Game 8: #3 Missouri Southern vs. Winner Game 4    8:15 p.m.

Saturday, March 7, 2015 (Municipal Auditorium Kansas City, Mo.)
Game 9: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6    12:00 p.m.
Game 10: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8    2:15 p.m.

Sunday, March 8, 2015 (Municipal Auditorium Kansas City, Mo.)
Game 11: Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 10   1:00 p.m.

FHSU Athletics

Fort Hays State Women’s Basketball went 18-1 in conference play to win the MIAA regular season title, earning the top seed in the MIAA Tournament and an automatic bye into the MIAA quarterfinals, held Friday (March 6) at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo.

Fort Hays State (26-2 overall) will face the winner of No. 8 seed Washburn and No. 9 Northeastern State, who will play Monday (March 3) at 7 p.m. in Topeka, Kan.  FHSU swept the season series with Washburn and Northeastern State, closing out the regular season at NSU on Saturday evening (Feb. 28) with a 50-28 win. The Tigers defeated NSU earlier this season, 71-41, in Hays. Against WU, FHSU won, 62-58, at Lee Arena in the first matchup between the teams before pulling out a 74-67 win at Gross Memorial Coliseum to close the home portion of its schedule.

The Tigers are currently ranked No. 4 in the nation and No. 1 in the Central Region. FHSU closed the regular season with a four-game win streak after having a single-season record 21-game win streak snapped on February 14 at Pittsburg State. Sitting at No. 1 in the region over the past two weeks, FHSU looks to lock down a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2004-05 season, and possibly the right to host the Central Regional, which begins March 13.

Emporia State is the No. 2 seed, while Pittsburg State (seeded third) and Missouri Southern (seeded fourth) grabbed the other byes to the quarterfinals.  Along with Washburn, Central Missouri (No. 5 seed), Central Oklahoma (No. 6 seed) and Missouri Western (No. 7 seed) will host first round games.

Below is the MIAA Women’s Basketball Tournament schedule…

Tuesday, March 3 (Campus Sites
Game 1	#9 Northeastern State at #8 Washburn	7 p.m.
Game 2	#12 Lindenwood at #5 Central Missouri	7 p.m.
Game 3	#10 Lincoln at #7 Missouri Western	7 p.m.
Game 4	#11 Nebraska-Kearney at #6 Central Oklahoma	7 p.m.
Friday, March 6
Game 5	#1 Fort Hays State vs. Winner Game 1	12 p.m.
Game 6	#4 Missouri Southern vs. Winner Game 2	2:15 p.m.
Game 7	#2 Emporia State vs. Winner Game 3	6 p.m.
Game 8	#3 Pittsburg State vs. Winner Game 4	8 p.m.
Saturday, March 7
Game 9	Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6	6 p.m.
Game 10	Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8	8:15 p.m.
Sunday, March 8
Game 11	Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 10	3:30 p.m.

FHSU Athletics

No. 17 Fort Hays State saw all four of its NCAA West Super Regional day two qualifiers advance to the NCAA Championships with Top 4 finishes on Saturday (Feb. 28).  Trey Page was named the 285 pound champion, while Bradley Little and Jon Inman finished third at 157 and 184 pounds, respectively, and Noah Killip (141) advanced with a fourth place finish.

Killip, Little and Page are first time NCAA Championships participants, while Inman returns for the second consecutive year.

Page finished 3-0 in the tournament, automatically advancing to the quarterfinals after a first round bye.  From there, Page finished his Friday wrestling with a 17-0 technical fall over Sean Molle (Simon Fraser) in 5:27 and a 5-3 semifinal decision against CSU-Pueblo’s Niko Bogojevis.  In the final match of the tournament, Page clinched the title and berth to nationals with a 7-2 decision against Colorado Mesa’s Jordan Passehl.

Little finished 4-1 on his way to a third place finish, starting the first day with a fall over Jacob Deaguero (Adams State) in 4:12 and a sudden victory, 3-1, decision against Jeromy Davenport of Central Oklahoma.  After a semifinal loss (7-5) to James Martinez (Colorado Mesa) ended his Friday competition, Little reached the consolation finals with a 7-6 victory of Kellen Pelzel of New Mexico Highlands, taking advantage of a riding time point.  In the third place match, Little shutout Nolan Kistler (Cal Baptist) and won, 4-0.

Inman was also 4-1 in the tournament, defeating Jonathon Costa (San Francisco State), 8-2, in the consolation finals.  Prior to reaching the third place match, Inman started his Saturday action with a 7-5 decision over New Mexico Highlands’ Easton Hargrave.  On the first day, Inman went 2-1 with a decision (7-2) against Central Oklahoma’s Caleb Hawes, a major decision (13-3) over Dylan Fors (Chadron State) and a 7-2 semifinal loss against Western State’s Kyle Piatt.

Killip went 4-2 overall, reaching the semifinals with a technical fall (17-2) over Jon Henderson of Adams State and a 2-1 overtime (tiebreaker-1) win against Colorado Mines’ Jacob Gerken.  After a 4-1 loss to Corbin Bennetts (Western State) ended his first day, Killip rebounded on the second day to take fourth place and reach the NCAA Championships.  Killip won by decision, 5-1, over Dan Gaylor (New Mexico Highlands) in the consolation semifinals before ending the tournament with a narrow 3-2 loss in the third place match against Daniel Salazar (Colorado Mesa).

As a team, the Tigers were fifth in the 63.5 points, just behind fourth place San Francisco State (65 points).  From there, a large gap in scores put the top three as Nebraska-Kearney (128.5 points), Western State (117 points) and Colorado Mesa (107 points).

The NCAA Championships are held Friday, March 13, and Saturday, March 14, in St. Louis, Mo.

Complete results for FHSU at the NCAA West Super Regionals are below…

125 – Adam Ludwin
Champ. Round 1 – Christian Betancourt (Cal Baptist) wins in tiebreaker-1 (4-2) over Ludwin
Cons. Round 1 – Ludwin wins by decision (3-0) over Zachary Gracia (Colorado Mines)
Cons. Round 2 – Dustin Reed (Newman) wins by decision (2-1) over Ludwin

133 – Anthony Calderon
Champ. Round 1 – Dustin Reed (Central Oklahoma) wins by decision (6-0) over Calderon
Cons. Round 1 – Calderon receives a bye
Cons. Round 2 – Jonathon Stelling (Colorado Mesa) wins by decision (11-8) over Calderon

141 – Noah Killip (Fourth Place, Advances to NCAA Championships)
Champ. Round 1 – Killip wins by tech fall (17-2, 4:03) over Jon Henderson (Adams State)
Quarterfinal – Killip wins in tiebreaker-1 (2-1) over Jacob Gerken (Colorado Mines)
Semifinal – Corbin Bennetts (Western State) wins by decision (4-1) over Killip
Cons. Semifinal – Killip wins by decision (5-1) over Dan Gaylor (New Mexico Highlands)
Third Place – Daniel Salazar (Colorado Mesa) wins by decision (3-2) over Killip

149 – Joey Dozier
Champ. Round 1 – Dozier wins by major decision (11-2) over Jake Anderson (Chadron State)
Quarterfinal – Dylan Furtado (San Francisco State) wins by fall (5:55) over Dozier
Cons. Round 2 – Dozier wins by decision (6-6) over Devin Vasquez (Adams State) … Dozier advances due to coaching challenge and fleeing the mat call.
Cons. Round 3 – Drew Schumann (Colorado Mesa) wins by fall (2:36) over Dozier

157 – Bradley Little (Third Place, Advances to NCAA Championships)
Champ Round 1 – Little wins by fall (4:12) over Jacob Deaguero (Adams State)
Quarterfinal – Little wins in sudden victory-1 (3-1) over Jeromy Davenport (Central Oklahoma)
Semifinal – James Martinez (Colorado Mesa) wins by decision (7-5) over Little
Cons. Semifinal – Little wins by decision (7-6) over Kellen Pelzel (New Mexico Highlands)
Third Place Match – Little wins by decision (4-0) over Nolan Kistler (Cal Baptist)

165 – Kregg Clarke
Champ. Round 1 – Clarke wins by decision (8-7) over Vincent Aboytes (San Francisco State)
Quarterfinal – Devin Aguirre (Nebraska-Kearney) wins by major decision (11-3) over Clarke
Cons. Round 2 – Chance Helmick (Chadron State) wins by decision (6-3) over Clarke

174 – Josh Rodriguez 
Champ. Round 1 – Rodriguez wins by fall (4:18) over Benjamin Krantz (Colorado Mines)
Quarterfinal – Christian Smith (Cal Baptist) wins by decision (8-6) over Rodriguez
Cons. Round 2 – Rodriguez wins by decision (4-3) over Calvin Nicholls (San Francisco State)
Cons. Round 3 – Steven Ullman (CSU-Pueblo) wins by decision (7-6) over Rodriguez

184 – Jon Inman (Third Place, Advances to NCAA Championships)
Champ. Round 1 – Inman wins by decision (7-2) over Caleb Hawes (Central Oklahoma)
Quarterfinal – Inman wins by major decision (13-3) over Dylan Fors (Chadron State)
Semifinal – Kyle Piatt (Western State) wins by decision (7-2) over Inman
Cons. Semifinal – Inman wins by decision (7-5) over Easton Hargrave (New Mexico Highlands)
Third Place Match – Inman wins by decision (8-2) over Jonathon Costa (San Francisco State)

197 – Cash Drylie
Champ. Round 1 – Drylie receives a bye
Quarterfinal – Romero Cotton (Nebraska-Kearney) wins by major decision (14-5) over Drylie
Cons. Round 2 – Drylie wins by fall (6:53) over Amer Tipura (Adams State)
Cons. Round 3 – Paul Wilson (Colorado Mines) wins by major decision (11-2) over Drylie

285 – Trey Page (First Place, Advances to NCAA Championship
Champ. Round 1 – Page receives a bye
Quarterfinal – Page wins by tech fall (17-0, 5:24) over Sean Molle (Simon Fraser)
Semifinal – Page wins by decision (5-3) over Niko Bogojevis (CSU-Pueblo)
Final – Page wins by decision (7-2) over Jordan Passehl (Colorado Mesa)

By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

The Fort Hays State Tigers couldn’t overcome 22 turnovers as they let a 15-point second half lead slip away in a 79-77 to Northeastern State Saturday afternoon at the NSU Event Center in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. The loss drops the Tigers to 16-12 and 9-10 in the MIAA while the RiverHawks improve to 7-19 and 5-14 in the conference. FHSU will be the No. 9 seed and play at Washburn in the first round of the MIAA tournament Monday. NSU grabs the 12th and final spot into the tournament.

Mark Johnson

Game Highlights

The Tigers shot 54-percent in the first half including 8-of-16 from 3-point range in building a 12-point halftime lead. A James Fleming 3-pointer pushed the lead to 15 with 18:04 to play but the RiverHawks outscore the Tigers 32-10 over the next 12 minutes to go up seven.

The Tigers had a chance to tie or win the game late by a turnover by Tom Gabric prevented a shot attempt with three seconds to play. James Fleming did get a shot away from mid-court after two missed NSU free throws but the shot came up short.

Fleming led the Tigers with 20 points, Royce Williams add 19, 15 of them in first half Jake Stoppel scored 13 and Drew Kite grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds.

NSU scored 28 points off the Tigers 22 turnovers and outscored FHSU 28-18 in the paint.

 

By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

Fort Hays State raced out to a 16-0 first half lead then held on the rest of the way for a 50-28 win over Northeastern State Saturday afternoon at the NSU Event Center in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. The Tigers, playing the game without point guard Beth Bohuslavsky who was injured Thursday at Central Oklahoma, end the regular season 26-2 and 18-1 in the MIAA. Northeastern State is now 11-15 and 7-11.

Tony Hobson

 

Game Highlights

 

Northeastern State rallied in the second half pulling with five on two different occasions, the last with 13:54 to play but FHSU outscores them 21-4 the rest of the way.

The RiverHawks missed their first 15 shots and didn’t score until the 10:49 mark with two free throws. NSU’s first field came at the 8:28 mark, but an 11-4 run pulled them within nine. The Lady Tigers only manage to shoot 28-percent in the first half led 24-13 at the break.

The Tigers shoot just 33-percent for the game and were 3-of-20 from beyond the arc. Northeastern was held to 18-percent shooting and FHSU outrebounds the RiverHawks by 27.

Chelsea Mason led Fort Hays State with a game-high 19 points. Nicola Kacperska added 10 in her first start of the season. Keriann Shaw grabbed 12 rebounds and Paige Lunsford 11.

 

 

By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

Dom Samac hit one of two free throws with 0.2 seconds left to force overtime but Central Oklahoma outscores Fort Hays State 11-4 in the extra period for a 76-69 win Thursday night at Hamilton Field House in Edmond. The loss drops the Tigers to 16-11 and 9-9 in the MIAA. UCO improves to 18-9 and 11-7 and secures a first round home game in the MIAA tournament.

Mark Johnson:

Game Highlights:

Fort Hays State had a chance to win in regulation. Dom Samac took an inbound pass with 3.4 seconds to play and drove to the basket but missed the layup when he was fouled. After missing the first free throw, he hit the second to force overtime.

The Tigers hit just two of their 12 shots in overtime and were 0-for-5 from beyond the arc.

The Tigers used a 17-1 run to grab a 12-point lead midway through the first half. The Bronchos answer with an 18-6 run to tie but Achoki Moikobu banks in a 3-pointer to put FHSU up three at the half. UCO outscored the Tigers 12-2 to open the second half to go up seven. FHSU responded with a 12-3 run to pull within one and eventually took the lead at 55-53. Neither team would lead by more than three the rest of regulation.

Samac led Fort Hays State with 16 points. Tom Gabric added 11 and James Fleming and Jeremy Wilson 10. Drew Kite led the Tigers with a career-high eight rebounds.

The Tigers close out the regular season at Northeastern State. FHSU needs to win and have Washburn lose their home game with Pittsburg State to play at home in the first round of the MIAA tournament on Monday.

 

By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

Fort Hays State used a 23-5 first half run to build a 16-point lead then had to hold off a Central Oklahoma second half rally for a 56-55 win Thursday night at Hamilton Field House in Edmond. The Lady Tigers, who clinched their first MIAA title outright the night before when Pittsburg State lost at Emporia State, improve to 25-2 and 17-1 in the MIAA. The Broncos fall to 15-12 and 8-9 in the MIAA.

Tony Hobson:

Game Highlights:

Down 14 at the half, the Bronchos open the second half with a 14-4 run to pull within four. They tied the game 53-53 with 8:28 to play and had a chance to take the lead inside a minute to play but Chelsea Robinson missed two free throws.

Jill Faxon leads the Tigers with 19 points including two big 3-pointers in the second half. Chelsea Mason adds 13. Kate Lehman was held to just five field goal attempts and scores six while grabbing 11 rebounds. Lehman moves past Shauna Porter into to second on FHSU all-time scoring list with 1,794 points.

The win may have been costly. Junior point guard Beth Bohuslavsky went down with a leg injury with 17 seconds to play and didn’t return.

FHSU Sports Information
No. 4 Fort Hays State was listed as the top ranked team for the second straight week in the NCAA Central Region Rankings, released Wednesday (Feb. 25). One other version of the poll will be released next week leading up the NCAA Tournament Selection Show, held March 8. The top eight teams in the region advance to the NCAA Regionals, held March 13-15 at a site to be determined.

The Central Region is made up of teams from the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA), the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) and the Great American Conference (GAC). Automatic bids are granted to the winners of the postseason conference tournaments, with the final five seeds handed out on an at-large basis.

The Tigers (24-2, 16-1 MIAA) are 20-2 against NCAA Division II teams on the year – with all matchups coming against regional opponents. FHSU is one of five teams listed in the rankings, joining Pittsburg State (No. 2), Emporia State (No. 3), Central Missouri (No. 9) and Missouri Southern (No. 10). Three teams from the NSIC are listed in the poll, with Wayne State (No. 4), Northern State (No. 6) and Minnesota State-Mankato (No. 8) representing the conference. Harding (No. 5) and Arkansas Tech (No. 8) are the GAC teams listed in the rankings.

Changes in this week’s poll saw Emporia State and Wayne State switch spots at third and fourth, respectively, while Harding moved up to No. 5 and Arkansas Tech slipped two spots to seventh. Additionally, Northern State moved up to sixth and Minnesota State-Mankato dropped to eighth. Augustana fell out of the rankings, replaced by Missouri Southern.

Fort Hays State has wrapped up at least a share of the MIAA Regular Season Championship and holds a two-game lead over Pitt State with two games remaining. FHSU is one of three teams (PSU and ESU as well) to lock up a first round bye in the MIAA Tournament, held March 5-8. The top four teams in the conference standings guarantee themselves a spot in the MIAA quarterfinals in Kansas City, Mo.

FHSU is on the road this weekend to close the regular season, taking on Central Oklahoma this Thursday (Feb. 26) and Northeastern State on Saturday (Feb. 28).

The complete NCAA Central Region Rankings for Feb. 25 are below…

Rank School DII Record In-Region Record
1 Fort Hays State 20-2 20-2
2 Pittsburg State 24-4 22-4
3 Emporia State 20-4 20-4
4 Wayne State (Neb.) 22-4 22-4
5 Harding 19-5 19-5
6 Northern State 20-6 20-6
7 Arkansas Tech 18-5 16-4
8 Minnesota State – Mankato 19-8 18-8
9 Central Missouri 17-8 15-8
10 Missouri Southern 16-6 16-6