FHSU Sports Information
Two weeks removed from a third-place finish at the MIAA Championships, Fort Hays State Wrestling is headed into the NCAA Super Regionals with a No. 17 national ranking, up two spots from the previous poll. FHSU grabbed 33 votes in this week’s rankings, up from 30 last week.

Individually, three Tigers stayed in the rankings while Josh Rodriguez (174) fell out for the first time this season. Noah Killip (141) entered the rankings last week at No. 8 and jumped two spots to No. 6 headed into NCAA postseason. At 184 pounds, Jon Inman stayed put at No. 89, while Trey Page remained fifth at 285 pounds. Rodriguez was previously seventh.

The complete Division II Wrestling Coaches Association rankings for Feb. 25 are below…

Rank School (State) Points Last Ranking
1 St. Cloud State (Minn.) 154 1st
2 Maryville (Mo.) 151 2nd
3 Ouachita Baptist (Ark.) 150 4th
4 Notre Dame (Ohio) 136 3rd
5 McKendree (Ill.) 119 8th
6 Mercyhurst (Pa.) 108 5th
7 Nebraska-Kearney 99 9th
8 Western State (Colo.) 91 7th
9 North Carolina-Pembroke 78 11th
10 Colorado Mesa 67 6th
11 Central Oklahoma 63 14th
12 Augustana (S.D.) 61 NR
13 Minnesota State-Mankato 60 NR
14 Upper Iowa 54 10th
T15. Lindenwood (Mo.) 39 12th
T15. Newberry (S.C.) 39 13th
17 Fort Hays State (Kan.) 33 19th
18 Kutztown (Pa.) 32 15th
19 Lake Erie (Ohio) 30 17th
20 Findlay (Ohio) 28 20th

Others receiving votes: Ashland (Ohio), California Baptist, Central Missouri, Indianapolis (Ind.), Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.), Tiffin (Ohio).

125 Pounds
1. T.J. North, Augustana (S.D.)
2. Matt Turek, Gannon (Pa.)
3. Jerry Huff, Adams State (Colo.)
4. Willie Bohince, Mercyhurst (Pa.)
5. Garrett Evans, Ouachita Baptist (Ark.)
6. Da’Wayne Robertson, Minnesota State-Mankato
7. Tim Prescott, St. Cloud State (Minn.)
8. Josh Kieffer, Indianapolis (Ind.)

133 Pounds
1. Daniel DeShazer, Nebraska-Kearney
2. Michael Labry, Ashland (Ohio)
3. Nate Rodriguez, Ouachita Baptist (Ark.)
4. Dustin Reed, Central Oklahoma
5. Mike Rhone, St. Cloud State (Minn.)
6. Nick Crume, Indianapolis (Ind.)
7. Zak Hale, Anderson (S.C.)
8. Eric Hughes, Colorado State-Pueblo

141 Pounds
1. Daniel Ownbey, North Carolina-Pembroke
2. Josh Myers, Ouachita Baptist (Ark.)
3. Darren Wynn, McKendree (Ill.)
4. Maurice Miller, Notre Dame (Ohio)
5. Sam Hanau, Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.)
6. Noah Killip, Fort Hays State (Kan.)
7. Jeremiah Peterson, Augustana (S.D.)
8. Alphonso Vruno, Minnesota State-Mankato

149 Pounds
1. Keenan Hagerty, Maryville (Mo.)
2. Frank Cagnina, Central Missouri
3. Terrel Wilbourn, Lindenwood (Mo.)
4. Cameron Throckmorton, Shippensburg (Pa.)
5. Nick Goebel, Findlay (Ohio)
6. Tyler Mies, Newman (Kan.)
7. Destin McCauley, Nebraska-Kearney
8. Jeremy Landowski, Mercyhurst (Pa.)

157 Pounds
1. Clint Poster, St. Cloud State (Minn.)
2. Jon Rivera, Notre Dame (Ohio)
3. James Martinez, Colorado Mesa
4. Jordan Rinken, Upper Iowa
5. Adam Cooling, Minnesota State-Mankato
6. Francis Mizia, Mercyhurst (Pa.)
7. Alex Abono, San Francisco State (Calif.)
8. Chase White, Nebraska-Kearney

165 Pounds
1. Chris Watson, Central Oklahoma
2. Gabe Fogarty, St. Cloud State (Minn.)
3. Nick Haferkamp, McKendree (Ill.)
4. Cody Quinn, Minnesota State-Mankato
5. Dimitri Willis, Maryville (Mo.)
6. Tyler Reinhart, Pittsburgh-Johnstown (Pa.)
7. Angelo Bortoluzzi, Mercyhurst (Pa.)
8. Nick Fishback, Wisconsin-Parkside

174 Pounds
1. Joey Davis, Notre Dame (Ohio)
2. Elliot Copeland, Western State (Colo.)
3. Zeb Wahle, Maryville (Mo.)
4. Terrence Zaleski, North Carolina-Pembroke
5. August Mizia, Mercyhurst (Pa.)
6. Payne Hatter, Ouachita Baptist (Ark.)
7. Jacob Begin, Southwest Minnesota
8. Archie Williams, Central Missouri

184 Pounds
1. Dallas Smith, Ouachita Baptist (Ark.)
2. Blake Sorensen, Upper Iowa
3. John Vogt, McKendree (Ill.)
4. Nick Burghardt, Maryville (Mo.)
5. Garrett Lineberger, Notre Dame (Ohio)
6. Terrence Smith, Shorter (Ga.)
7. Kyle Piatt, Western State (Colo.)
8. Jon Inman, Fort Hays State (Kan.)

197 Pounds
1. Romero Cotton, Nebraska-Kearney
2. Julian Smith, McKendree (Ill.)
3. Ryan Beltz, Maryville (Mo.)
4. Kenny Breaux, Lindenwood (Mo.)
5. Jayd Docken, Augustana (S.D.)
6. Sam Mangum, Western State (Colo.)
7. Huston Evans, Newberry (S.C.)
8. Jake Cramer, Tiffin (Ohio)

285 Pounds
1. Ziad Haddad, Kutztown (Pa.)
2. Garrett Gray, Tiffin (Ohio)
3. Austin Goergen, St. Cloud State (Minn.)
4. Donnell Walker, Maryville (Mo.)
5. Trey Page, Fort Hays State (Kan.)
6. Chris Giddens, North Carolina-Pembroke
7. Jordan Passehl, Colorado Mesa
8. Ross Janey, McKendree (Ill.)

The Fort Hays State women’s basketball team moves up one spot to No. 4 in the latest USA Today/WBCA poll. Alaska-Anchorage remains at No. 1 for a second consecutive wee.

Pittsburg State, who lost at home to Missouri Southern, falls four spots to No. 11 while Emporia States is up one to No. 12.

Washburn and Missouri Southern continue to receive votes.

Rank	Institution – First Place Votes	Previous Rank	Record	Total Points
1.	Alaska – Anchorage – 21	1	25-1	783
2.	Lewis (Ill.) – 10	2	26-1	772
3.	Limestone College (S.C.) – 1	3	26-1	706
4.	Fort Hays State (Kan.)	5	24-2	681
T5.	Columbus State (Ga.)	6	26-1	645
T5.	West Texas A&M	4	23-2	645
7.	Indiana (Pa.)	9	23-2	592
8.	Drury (Mo.)	11	22-3	525
9.	Michigan Tech	8	23-2	504
10.	Adelphi (N.Y.)	12	24-3	475
11.	Pittsburg State (Kan.)	7	24-4	451
T12.	Emporia State (Kan.)	13	21-4	413
T12.	Stonehill College (Mass.)	10	21-3	413
14.	Bloomsburg (Pa.)	19	22-3	362
15.	Humboldt State (Calif.)	22	22-3	304
16.	Union (Tenn.)	23	22-3	278
17.	Wayne State (Mich.)	14	21-4	250
18.	Wayne State College (Neb.)	16	24-4	234
19.	Seattle Pacific (Wash.)	15	20-4	204
20.	California (Pa.)	18	22-4	192
21.	University of New Haven (Conn.)	NR	22-3	140
T22.	Cedarville (Ohio)	25	24-3	129
T22.	University of District of Columbia	NR	23-3	129
24.	Rollins College (Fla.)	17	19-5	85
25.	Nova Southeastern (Fla.)	NR	20-5	74

Dropped Out: Arkansas Tech University; Florida Institute of Technology; Midwestern State University (Texas).

Others receiving votes: Arkansas Tech University 53; Colorado Mesa University 46; University of Southern Indiana 40; Florida Institute of Technology 39; Midwestern State University (Texas) 28; California State University – Dominguez Hills 24; Northern State University (S.D.) 22; Ashland University (Ohio) 21; Hawaii Pacific University 21; California Baptist University 20; Northern Michigan University 15; Washburn University (Kan.) 15; California State Polytechnic University – Pomona 13; Missouri Southern State University 11; Minnesota State University – Mankato 10; Lander University (S.C.) 8; University of Charleston (W.Va.) 6; University of Colorado – Colorado Springs 5; Harding University (Ark.) 4; Winona State University (Minn.) 3; Augustana College (S.D.) 2; Grand Valley State University (Mich.) 2; University of the Sciences In Philadelphia (Pa.) 2; California State University – San Bernardino 1; Philadelphia University (Pa.) 1; University Of Sioux Falls (S.D.) 1; West Chester University of Pennsylvania 1.

Fort Hays State’s mid-week doubleheader with Arkansas Tech on Wednesday has been cancelled due to field conditions and unsure weather conditions.

FHSU Athletics

Fort Hays State Softball split on its final day at the Kelly Laas Memorial MIAA/NSIC Crossover Softball Invite on Sunday, picking up a 7-6 win over Wayne State College before losing its finale, 4-0, to No. 23 Augustana.

FHSU closes out the Kelly Laas Memorial MIAA/NSIC Crossover Softball Invite at 2-3, putting the Tigers at 3-6 on the year.  Next on the schedule is a doubleheader in Hays, Kan., on Wednesday against Arkansas Tech.  Game times are set for 2 and 4 p.m.

Fort Hays State 7, Wayne State College (Neb.) 6
Fort Hays State started the final day with a 7-6 comeback victory over NSIC foe Wayne State College on Sunday (Feb. 22) at the Husky Dome.

Missed opportunities hurt the Tigers early, as FHSU left 11 runners on base throughout the game, but patience at the plate and key hits late eventually paid off as FHSU picked up the win.  All told, the Tigers had just five hits as a team but worked 11 walks in the effort.

Paxton Duran threw the first four innings, striking out seven and allowing just one earned run (five total runs).  Sarah Cochran (1-0) earned her first career win by throwing the final three innings, giving up one run on two hits.

Offensively, Samantha Villarreal  was 1-for-1 with a double, three walks and three RBI, while Tori Beltz was 1-for-2 with two walks. Kylie Strand, Jenna Lang and Veronica Knittig each had RBI’s for FHSU as well.

FHSU got the scoring started in the first, taking advantage of three walks to push two across.  With bases loaded, Villarreal drew a walk that brought Amanda Vaupel home, and Strand followed with an RBI ground out to plate Erin Elmore.

Duran was sharp through the first two, throwing just 19 pitches with four strikeouts before running into trouble in the third.  WSC strung together four hits and took advantage of an error that originally sparked the rally, taking a 4-2 lead after 2.5 innings of play.

FHSU looked to strike back in its half of the third, loading the bases with one out, but a pop up and force out at third ended the threat and kept the Tigers at bay.

WSC extended its lead in the fourth as Melanie Alyea hit a two-out, solo home run to center field and put the Wildcats in front, 5-2.

The Tigers ahead showed life in the fourth, pushing Vaupel to third with one out before WSC gathered itself and ended the inning with a foul out and strikeout.

In the top of the fifth, FHSU found itself in a jam as the Wildcats put runners on second and third with no outs.  After getting a ground out, FHSU allowed one run on a sacrifice fly to center but limited the damage after that, trailing 6-2 after the top of the fifth.

Struggling to find clutch hits for the first five innings, FHSU broke through in the sixth with five runs on three hits, all with two outs, to take a 7-6 lead. Courtney Dobson  and Elmore started the rally with back-to-back walks before loading the bases on Beltz’s infield single.  From there, Villarreal took the first pitch she saw to the right center fence for a two-RBI double, bringing the Tigers within two (6-4).

Strand then worked a walk, and FHSU scored again as Jenna Lang reached on a fielder’s choice that allowed Beltz to score, and after a WSC error, Villarreal dashed home to tie it, 6-all. Knittig continued the rally with a single into center, scoring Strand on the eventual game-winner.

WSC threatened in the seventh and put a runner on third with one out, but a tough snag by Knittig on a line drive to third and a soft liner to Strand closed out the win for the Tigers.

No. 23 Augustana (S.D.) 4, Fort Hays State 0
Fort Hays State was shut out for the second time this season in the final game of its stay in St. Cloud, falling 4-0 to No. 23 Augustana.

FHSU mustered just three hits in the game, coming from Samantha Villarreal, Jenna Lang and Madison Putman.  Villarreal had the Tigers’ only extra base hit – a double in the second inning.

In the circle, Kelsey Kimminau (1-3) took the loss with four runs allowed in four innings. Sarah Cochran threw the final three innings and scattered three hits with three strikeouts.

Augie took a 1-0 lead in the first off a bloop single into left, allowing the Vikings’ Jordan Schaffer to come home.  That lead was extended to 4-0 in the third off a three-run home run from Jenelle Trautmann.  That lead held up for the remainder of the game, though both teams threatened throughout the afternoon.

The Tigers put runners on in every inning after the first, showing patience with five walks on the day, but saw each scoring opportunity fall short.  FHSU’s best chance to score came in the seventh, when Lang and Veronica Knittig reached third and second, respectively, with one out, but the Tigers’ couldn’t bring them home.

FHSU Athletics

After sweeping a doubleheader against Central Missouri on Thursday, Fort Hays State was swept by Central Missouri on Friday (Feb. 20) in Hays, having to settle for a four-game split in its first conference series of the season. The Tigers are now 2-4 overall, 2-2 in the MIAA, while the Mules are 6-5 overall, 2-2 in the MIAA.

Game 1: Central Missouri 5, Fort Hays State 2
Fort Hays State had a golden scoring opportunity slip through its hands in the first inning and struggled to find offensive rhythm the remainder of the seven-inning contest on Friday. The Tigers loaded the bases with no outs in the first inning, but Kevin Czarnecki lined out to second base and Austin Unrein grounded into a double play to end the threat.

Central Missouri starting pitcher Jake Heissler settled in from that point to hold the Tigers scoreless over four innings. That was long enough for UCM to build a 5-0 lead, scoring two in the second and three in the third, all charged to FHSU starter Gabe Cook, who lasted 2.1 innings. Cook surrendered seven hits and a walk, while striking out one.

FHSU finally got to Heissler in the fifth as Gus Strunk had a RBI double and Alex King had a sacrifice fly RBI, but runners were left at second and third to end the inning. Grant Gavin of UCM picked up the final two outs of the fifth in relief, then went on to retire the side in the sixth and seventh for his first save of the year. Heissler got the win, moving to 2-0.

Joe Mapes and Chase Newman threw in relief for the Tigers. Mapes allowed three hits and struck out two in 2.1 innings of work, then Newman pitched a spotless 1.1 innings of work. Connor Ross  went 2-for-2 at the plate in the game.

Game 2: Central Missouri 7, Fort Hays State 5
The Tigers took a 2-0 lead with a pair of runs in the top of the first, but UCM matched the output in the bottom half and then went on to lead the remainder of the game after a run in the third in the nine-inning contest.

UCM built a 6-2 lead after three runs in the fourth, but FHSU would mount a rally in the seventh with three runs to cut the lead back to one. The rally ended with a bases loaded fielder’s choice on a grounder. That was as close as the Tigers would get as UCM added an insurance run in the bottom half of the seventh on a FHSU error, making it 7-5.

That was plenty for UCM reliever Trevor Ezell, who recorded his fourth save of the season in 2.1 scoreless innings of work. Ezell did not allow a hit and struck out two. UCM starter Ricky Rivera went 6.2 innings to earn the win, allowing five runs on eight hits with four walks and five strikeouts.

FHSU starter Brad Spires was charged with six runs over 3.1 innings of work, allowing four hits and five walks. He struck out five batters, but took the loss moving to 0-2 on the year. Ty Thomas  entered from the pen to face one batter, then Will Amen, Justin Hersch and Giles Fox combined to pitch the final 4.2 innings and not allow an earned run.

Andre Vieyra and Caleb Cherryholmes each drove in two runs in the game, while Austin Unrein drove in one. Kevin Czarnecki and Gus Strunk each had two hits in the game.

Fort Hays State returns to MIAA play next weekend (Feb. 27-28, March 1) against Washburn University. The four-game conference series is set to begin on Friday in Hays at 2 pm.

FHSU Athletics

Fort Hays State used a balanced attack of eight hits and strong pitching to knock off Concordia-St. Paul, 9-2, on Friday (Feb. 20) at the Kelly Laas MIAA/NSIC Memorial Softball Invite, held at the Husky Dome.

Paxton Duran (1-2) picked up her first win of the season in a complete game performance, striking out 13 with four walks allowed in seven innings.  Duran kept CU’s bats silent until the fifth, when a single broke up her no-hitter.

Tori Beltz led the Tigers with a 2-for-2 effort at the plate, racking up a home run, two walks and three RBI on the day.  Additionally, Amanda Vaupel (2-for-4) had a home run and two RBI, while Erin Elmore went 2-for-4 with a double.

With one out in the first, Vaupel singled up the middle before moving to third on Elmore’s double.  From there, Beltz drove a 2-2 pitch over the center field fence to give FHSU a 3-0 lead.

After a scoreless second, the Tigers added two more runs in the third off four hits, though they left two on base.  Vaupel led off the inning with a solo shot to right center and was followed by two straight singles from Elmore and Beltz.  After Kylie Strand reached on a fielder’s choice (moving Elmore to third), Samantha Villarreal  singled up the middle to drive Elmore home at give the Tigers a 5-0 advantage.

FHSU added one run in both the fourth and fifth innings to lead 7-0 and put the game on the verge of a run-rule contest. Rilee Krier reached on an error to lead off the fourth, and after stealing second, moved to third on a ground out.  From there, Vaupel hit a deep fly ball to right brought Krier home on the sacrifice.  In the fifth, the Tigers loaded the bases with one out, eventually seeing Villarreal come home as Krier drew a walk.

Leading by seven headed into the seventh, FHSU used a one-out pinch hit single from Jenna Lang to score two.  Madison Putman led off the inning with a walk and after stealing second, saw Gabrielle Sandoval earn a free pass as well.  During Lang’s at-bat, the Tigers put a double steal in motion and moved both runners up a base before Lang drove both runners home on a 2-1 pitch.

Though CU got two runs back in its half of the seventh, FHSU’s lead was too much for the Golden Bears and the Tigers took the win, 9-2.

FHSU returns to the Husky Dome for two more games on Saturday (Feb. 21.  The Tigers are scheduled to take on St. Cloud State at 5 p.m., and Minnesota State-Mankato at 7 p.m.

By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

Fort Hays State closes on an 18-6 run over the final 4:30 as they rally for an 87-79 win over Washburn in front of 4,026 at Gross Coliseum Thursday night. The Tigers improve to 16-9 overall and 9-7 in the MIAA. The Ichabods fall to 13-15 and 8-9 in the conference.

Mark Johnson

James Fleming

Game Highlights

FHSU hit a season 15 three-pointers and the Ichabods 12. The Tigers led by nine in the first half and were up six in the second half before the Ichabods used an 11-2 run to build a four-point lead with 4:30 to play. Royce Williams hit a three to tie the game. A three-point play from Dom Samac gave FHSU the lead for good. Williams would add another three-pointer and Jeremy Wilson olley-oop jam pushed the lead to six.

James Fleming hit his first six three’s and led the Tigers with 22 points. Williams added 15, Samac 14 and Jared Tadlock 10. Washburn was led by Kyle Wiggins who scored 17.

By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

Beth Bohuslavsky scores a career-high 24 points, Kate Lehman and Jill Faxon both add 16 leading the 5th-ranked Fort Hays State Lady Tigers to a 74-67 win over Washburn. The Lady Tigers are now 23-2 overall and 15-1 in the MIAA where they maintain their one-game lead over Pittsburg State. The Ichabods fall to 16-9 and 8-9 in the conference.

Tony Hobson

 

Game Highlights

 
Fort Hays State only trailed once at 9-8 then went on an 18-5 run to go up 12 in the first half. An 11-0 second half run saw their lead grow to 19 but the Ichabods respond with a 36-14 run over the next 10 minutes to pull within four with 2:39 to play. Jill Faxon hit a runner to push the lead to six then Keriann Shaw hit a stickback after a Chelsea Mason miss to give FHSU a seven-point lead with less than a minute to play.

The Tigers were outstanding from the free throw line, hitting 32-of-36. Bohuslavsky went 14-for-14 and Lehman 12-for-12. The Tigers shoot 42-percent but were just 2-of-10 from beyond the arc.

Washburn hit only 37-percent and was 6-of-19 from 3-point range (5-10 in the second half). The Ichabods, who are second in the country in rebound margin, out board the Lady Tigers by 12 and score 13 points off their 18 offensive rebounds.

FHSU Athletics

No. 5 Fort Hays State was listed as the top ranked team in the first edition of the NCAA Central Region Rankings for 2015, announced Wednesday (Feb. 18).  Two other versions of the poll will be released weekly 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 (22-2, 14-1 MIAA) are 18-2 against NCAA Division II teams on the year – with all matchups coming against regional opponents.  FHSU is one of four MIAA schools listed in the rankings, joining Pittsburg State (No. 2), Emporia State (No. 4) and Central Missouri (No. 9) in the rankings.  Four teams from the NSIC are listed in the poll, with Wayne State (No. 3), Minnesota State-Mankato (No. 7), Northern State (No. 8) and Augustana (No. 10) representing the conference. Arkansas Tech (No. 5) and Harding (No. 6) are representing the GAC.

Fort Hays State holds a one-game lead in the MIAA standings over Pitt State and a three-game lead over ESU with four games to go, and has already locked up a first round bye in the MIAA Tournament, held March 5-8.  FHSU is the only team so far in the conference to guarantee itself a spot in the MIAA quarterfinals in Kansas City, Mo.

FHSU hosts Washburn this evening (Wednesday, Feb. 18) for Senior Night at Gross Memorial Coliseum, and closes the regular season with three games on the road.

The complete NCAA Central Region Rankings for Feb. 18 are below…

Rank	School	DII Record	In-Region Record
1.	Fort Hays State	18-2	18-2
2.	Pittsburg State	21-3	23-3
3.	Wayne State (Neb.)	21-3	21-3
4.	Emporia State	18-4	18-4
5.	Arkansas Tech	16-2	18-3
6.	Harding	17-5	17-5
7.	Minnesota State – Mankato	17-7	18-7
8.	Northern State	18-6	18-6
9.	Central Missouri	14-8	16-8
10.	Augustana (S.D.)	15-8	15-9