FHSU Athletics

Fort Hays State needed a bit of extra time to find its ninth straight win as Maurizio Costa’s corner kick found Michael Cole for the golden goal in a 2-1 overtime win at Lindenwood on Thursdaynight (Oct. 23) in St. Charles, Mo. The win pushed FHSU to 11-3-1 overall and 8-2 in the MIAA, giving the Tigers separation in the standings from Lindenwood, which dropped to 7-6-3 overall and 5-4-1 in the MIAA.

After Mauricio Castorino nearly ended the match right at the beginning of overtime with a shot from midfield that the goalkeeper barely got back to in time to punch over the bar Costa would find Cole on a corner kick from the right corner that went through traffic and found Cole near the back post at the 93:10 mark.

Lindenwood was the agressor early in the match, keeping the Tigers on their heels for a good chunk of the first half. The Lions outshot the Tigers 7-2 in the first half as the teams played to a scoreless tie at the break.

A mistake by the Lions just over 11 minutes into the second half led to the Tigers’ first goal. Castorino sprinted to a loose ball that Lindenwood’s last defender did not control, took it off his foot and got a one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper, beating him in close low to the right to make it 1-0 in favor of the Tigers.

Fort Hays State was on the verge of wrapping up the match in regulation when Lindenwood’s Andre Hayne gathered a loose ball near the top of the box, turned and fired a shot that found the upper left corner of the net. FHSU goalkeeper Kent Freund had little time to make any adjustment to the sudden strike of the ball that found the net at 84:24.

However, the Tigers picked up their keeper with the overtime goal to keep the longest win streak in program history alive. Freund moved to 10-2-1 on the season between the pipes, setting a new school record for wins by a goalkeeper in a season, pushing past the nine by Jason Babyak last year and Ryan Pakieser in 2011. Freund made six saves on the evening.

Lindenwood goalkeeper Jonathan Newkirk moved to 1-1 on the season with the loss.

The win sets up a huge regional showdown on Sunday (Oct. 26) at 12 pm when the Tigers host Northeastern State in a battle of the top two teams in the MIAA. Northeastern State has already grabbed at least a share of the MIAA regular season title, currently 10-0 in conference play. FHSU enters at 8-2 in the conference. Both teams have just two conference matches remaining.

Northeastern State is currently No. 1 in the Central Region rankings. The first set was released on Wednesday, October 22. Fort Hays State was No. 2 in the rankings. Lindenwood was No. 3, so the win for FHSU was huge to move to 2-0 against Lindenwood this season and gain separation in overall records.

FHSU Athletics

Fort Hays State men’s basketball was picked to finish second in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll, released on Thursday (Oct. 23) by the conference office. The Tigers finished with a record of 22-8 in 2013-14 and made their sixth appearance in the NCAA Tournament under head coach Mark Johnson.

2014-15 MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Central Missouri (10) 151
2. Fort Hays State (2) 145
3. Washburn (1) 137
4. Northwest Missouri (1) 129
5. Missouri Southern 120
6. Central Oklahoma 110
7. Nebraska-Kearney 103
8. Emporia State 82
9. Lindenwood 79
10. Pittsburg State 73
11. Missouri Western 53
12. Northeastern State 39
13. Southwest Baptist 29
14. Lincoln 15

Fort Hays State received two first place votes in the poll and was just six voting points behind last year’s national champion, Central Missouri. The Mules received 10 first place votes after tying for the MIAA regular season title last year. Washburn and Northwest Missouri State also received first place votes.

The Tigers return four players with starting experience, including one All-American, and six letterwinners from last year’s team that finished fourth in the MIAA regular season standings. FHSU looks to continue its success in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association, as it has averaged just over 21 wins per season over the last seven seasons. The Tigers reached 20 or more wins in five of those seasons and produced at least 19 in all seven.

Junior point guard Craig Nicholson headlines the returners after earning an All-America Honorable Mention by Division II Bulletin. Nicholson was a unanimous All-MIAA First Team selection, and a Daktronics All-Central Region First Team and NABC All-District First Team selection. Nicholson had a record-setting season in 2013-14, dishing out 7.4 assists per game to break the school record he set one year earlier with 6.9 per game. Nicholson set the table for all his teammates, but still led the team in scoring at 17.2 points per game. He gave defenses fits with his dribble-drive ability drawing several fouls that allowed him to shoot 237 free-throws on the season, making 190, which set a new school record for made free-throws in a season and he shot 80.2 percent in the process. That shattered the old record of 169 made by Mark Wilson in 1978-79. He was just two attempts shy of Wilson’s attempts record for a season. Nicholson’s 222 assists in 2013-14 were third-most for a season in school history, only behind Raymond Lee who played more games in seasons with 237 and 228. Through two years, Nicholson has 904 points and 414 assists at FHSU.

Tomislav Gabric returns at guard after starting all 30 games last year. He gave the Tigers an all-around threat on the floor. Gabric averaged 8.0 points and 4.3 rebounds per game with an ability to shoot outside or get to the basket off the dribble. His 6-foot, 6-inch frame at the No. 3 position gave several teams a match-up problem defensively. He shot 50 percent from the field, 37.1 percent beyond the 3-point line, and 76.7 percent at the free-throw line.

Junior Jake Stoppel and senior Jared Tadlock return for the Tigers in the post after combining for 30 starts last year. Stoppel was second on the team in rebounding and sixth in scoring, while Tadlock was eighth in scoring. Stoppel started 23 games and ranked second on the team in rebounding last year with 4.4 per game. He added 6.1 points per game to rank sixth on the team. Tadlock started seven games last year. He averaged 3.9 points and 2.1 rebounds per game, while hitting 19 three-point field goals and shooting 39.6 percent beyond the arc.

Also returning at the guard position are seniors James Fleming, Achoki Moikobu and Nick Capiti. Fleming was the top scorer off the bench and a strong three-point shooting threat, while Moikobu was utilized as both a point guard and shooting guard off the bench. Capiti redshirted last year after playing in 26 games for the Tigers in 2012-13. Fleming finished last year at 9.6 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game and played in all 30 games. He drained 46 three-point field goals (most of any returner) and shot a great percentage at the free-throw line (83.7 percent, 77-of-92). Moikobu also played in all 30 games, averaging 4.7 points and 1.6 assists per game. Capiti averaged 2.5 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game in 2012-13.

Looking to make a splash immediately for the Tigers will be three transfers, two coming from NCAA Division I schools. Senior Royce Williams is a transfer from Weber State University, where he played 58 games in two years and shot 41 percent from the field last year to help the Wildcats to a Big Sky Conference title and trip to the NCAA Tournament. Dom Samac is a junior transfer from Denver University, where he played for two years. He made 11 starts last year for Denver, averaging 3.5 points and 1.5 rebounds per game. Jeremy Wilson is a junior transfer from Garden City (Kan.) Community College, where he played in all 31 games last year, averaging 11.2 points and 6.0 rebounds per game.

Drew Kite looks to bolster the Tiger lineup in the post after redshirting his first year out of high school. The Scott Community High School product from Scott City, Kan., was a Kansas All-Class First Team selection as a senior, averaging 19.5 points and 10 rebounds per game. He helped Scott Community to three consecutive state championships in basketball, while averaging a double-double his final two years of high school.

The Tigers have three freshmen newcomers in Grant Holmes, Kade Spresser and Hadley Gillum. Holmes was the all-time leading scorer at Concordia (Kan.) High School and a four-time all-state selection Class 4A, earning first-team honors as a senior. He averaged 21 points per game as a senior. Spresser played at Hoxie (Kan.) High School and was named the Class 1A Player of the Year as a senior by Kansas-Sports.com. He was an all-state first team selection twice and averaged 20.8 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game as a senior. Gillum was a Class 2A All-State First Team selection twice at Plainville (Kan.) High School, averaging a double-double over his final two years. As a senior, he averaged 21 points and 14.5 rebounds per game.

The Tigers open the season with a pair of neutral site region games against Upper Iowa and Minnesota State-Moorhead in Maryville, Mo., November 14-15. The home opener for the Tigers will be on November 19 against Central Christian College.

MIAA

2014-15 MIAA Women’s Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Emporia State (5)      160
2. Pittsburg State (5)     153
3. Washburn (3)             142
4. Fort Hays State (1)    138
5. Central Missouri         127
6. Missouri Southern        94
7. Lindenwood                  85
8. Northeastern State       83
9. Northwest Missouri       74
10. Central Oklahoma       66
11. Missouri Western        60
12. Southwest Baptist       44
13. Nebraska-Kearney      30
14. Lincoln                        18

Fort Hays State Weekly Football Press Conference
October 21, 2014

Head Coach Chris Brown

Wide Receiver Garrison Hendricks

Linebacker Justin McPhail

Safety Michael Jordan

FHSU Athletics

Fort Hays State women’s golf finished sixth at the Park University Fall Classic, held in Parkville, Mo. The Tigers were tied for fifth after the first day of competition and shot 18 strokes better on day two, but still dropped a spot in the standings. The tournament was held at The National Golf Club of Kansas City, with day two action on The Deuce.

Samantha Hobson made a huge improvement from her first day 96 by shooting 79. Her total of 175 tied for 14th individually. Abby Schmidtberger struggled on the second day, shooting 99 after a first day 89. She tied for 26th overall.

Hadley Tharp shaved seven strokes off her first day score of 101 by shooting 94 on day two. She finished 39th. Quiellen Eichhorn tied for 44th with a 97 on day two after a 101 on day one. Megan DeWerff also competed, shooting scores of 109 and 107.

Fort Hays State shot 756 as a team. Rockhurst won the tournament with a score of 679. Brianna Bondon of Rockhurst and Kamie Rash of Kansas Wesleyan tied for medalist honors, both shooting a total of 159.

The tournament completes the fall slate for the Tigers. They will return to action in the spring.

FHSU Athletics

Fort Hays State returned to No. 24 in the latest NSCAA National Rankings, announced Tuesday by the organization. FHSU slipped one spot to No. 25 last week, but returned to the 24th spot after two shutout victories last week.

The Tigers have won eight straight games, outscoring opponents 36-5 during that span, with six shutouts. MIAA opponent Northeastern State remained No. 15 for the third consecutive week, setting up a Top 25 matchup this weekend between the two squads.

Prior the NSU contest, FHSU hits the road for a contest at Lindenwood on Thursday (Oct. 21) at 7 p.m. Sunday’s game versus the RiverHawks, held at FHSU Soccer Stadium, is set for noon.

The complete NSCAA Top 25 is below…

Also receiving votes: Midwestern State University (9), Tiffin University (8), Azusa Pacific University (8), Florida Tech (6), West Virginia Wesleyan (2)

MIAA

Fort Hays State defender Jamie Babyak and goalkeeper Kritsten Thompson have both been honored by the MIAA as Women’s Soccer Athlete’s of the Week. Babyak being named the Defensive Athlete of the Week and Thompson Goalkeeper of the Week for the second straight time.

MIAA Defensive Athlete of the Week
Jamie Babyak, D, Fort Hays State
Babyak played all 180 minutes in two shutouts last weekend, limiting opponents to just 10 total shots and four shots on goal over two games. FHSU defeated Northwest Missouri State, 3-0, on Friday, before setting a new school record with its ninth team shutout of the season last Sunday, a 1-0 win over Missouri Western. The Tigers have shutout opponents in four consecutive games, with Babyak being one of two Tigers to play every minute of the weekend (and last four games). Babyak also added one shot on goal last weekend. The 5-9 senior defender is a native of Austin, Texas where she competed at McNeil High School.

MIAA Goalkeeper of the Week
Kristen Thompson, GK, Fort hays State

Thompson once again held script in goal last weekend, posting two shutouts in complete game performances. FHSU defeated Northwest Missouri State, 3-0, with Thompson picking up one save and facing five shots. Against Missouri Western, Thompson had three saves, once again facing five shots en route to her school record ninth shutout this year. The games were also her third and fourth consecutive shutout, as Thompson hasn’t allowed a goal since Oct. 5. The 5-8 redshirt freshman goalie is a native of Manhattan, Kan. her third and fourth consecutive shutout, as Thompson hasn’t allowed a goal since Oct. 5. The 5-8 redshirt freshman goalie is a native of Manhattan, Kan.

Fort Hays State’s Mauricio Castorino has been named the MIAA Men’s Soccer Athlete of the Week. Castorino tied for the team lead in FHSUs two shutout victories last week, scoring one goal and assisting in two others en route to a 5-0 win over Southwest Baptist and a 2-0 win versus Harding. All four points came versus SBU, as Castorino assisted in goals by Austin Clifton and Anthony Hernandez, before scoring his first career goal in the 60th minute.

The 5-7 freshman forward is a native of Asuncion, Paraguay where he competed at Universidad Americana.

FHSU Athletics

Fort Hays State Women’s Soccer pushed its shutout streak to four matches with a 1-0 victory against Missouri Western on Sunday(Oct. 19) afternoon.

The win was an important for the Tigers (8-4-2, 6-2-2 MIAA) in the MIAA standings, as FHSU entered the game tied for third in the conference standings with Central Oklahoma, while Missouri Western sits fifth in the MIAA.

A defensive battle with neither team hitting double-digits in shots, the wind played a factor in possession throughout the day at FHSU Soccer Stadium. FHSU fired eight shots on the afternoon, putting two on goal, while Missouri Western had five shots (three on goal).

After a scoreless opening half, FHSU grabbed a 1-0 lead early in the second period on Kelsey Steffens’ fifth goal of the season. Hailey Davey. who assisted on the play, dribbled deep in the field on the right side of the box before dishing a late, low cross towards the far post.

The pass slipped through two Griffon defenders into Steffens’ control, who finished past the keeper from five yards out at 49:18.

Davey picked up her fourth assist of the weekend (and ninth assist on the year) after tying her own school record with three in Friday’scontest. Steffens’ score regained her possession of the team-lead in goals.

Hannah Smith led the team in shots, fired three over 81 minutes of play. Steffens, Bailey Schmitz, Kylee Loneker and Vianei Sanchez had the Tigers’ other shots on the afternoon.

Kristen Thompson once again followed script in goal, saving three shots in a complete game performance. The shutout was Thompson’s (and the team’s) ninth of the year, setting a school record for team shutouts in a single-season. Thompson broke the season’s individual shutout mark last week.

FHSU begins a three-game road stretch next weekend, traveling to Topeka, Kan., on Friday (Oct. 24) against Washburn. The Tigers will square off with Emporia State and Nebraska-Kearney before returning to FHSU Soccer Stadium on Nov. 2, for Senior Day against WU.

By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

The Fort Hays State Tigers raced out to a 21-0 first quarter lead then held on for a 24-21 win at Emporia State Saturday afternoon at Welch Stadium. The win snapped the Tigers two-game losing streak and a six-game losing streak in Emporia dating back to 2000. FHSU is now 4-3 while the Hornets drop to 3-4 both overall and in MIAA.

Chris Brown Postgame Interview

Nathan Lindsey / Zach Gaughan Postgame Interview

Treveon Albert connected on touchdown passes of 52 and 42 yards to grab an early 14-0 lead. Zach Gaughan caught the first scoring strike and Ed Williams the second. Both caught four passes on the day. Gaughan finished with 96 receiving yards and Williams 68. Ed Smith’s five-yard TD run put FHSU up by three scores with 0:22 to play in the first quarter. Neither team

Game Highlights

Emporia State would drive deep into Fort Hays State territory of the third quarter, but had to settle for a field goal. After FHSU missed a 47-yard field goal attempt, the Hornets scored on a 17-yard Kai Callins run to pull within 21-10.

The Hornets kicked a 32-yard field goal with 11:40 to play in the fourth quarter to pull within 21-13. The Tigers answer with a seven-play drive and used a 40-yard Drew O’Brien field goal that just flew over the crossbar to go up 24-13.

E-State scored on a 10-yard touchdown pass to Austin Brown then converted on the two-point conversion to make up 24-21 with 5:27 to play.

After a punt pinned the Hornets at their own 15 yard line, Daniel Lindsey’s second interception gave the ball back to FHSU and allowed them to run out the clock.

Treveon Albert completed 14-of-29 passes for 235 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Edward Smith rushed for 70 yards and a score.

Nathan Lindsey picked off two passes, Ed Brown also had an interception and Micheal Jordan a fumble recovery. Justin McPhail led FHSU with 15 tackles.

FHSU Athletics

Fort Hays State closed out its weekend with its second and third straight wins, defeating Central Oklahoma (3-1) and Bacone (3-0) on Saturday (Oct. 18) afternoon.

The Tigers (10-12, 4-9 MIAA) return to Gross Memorial Coliseum next weekend for conference games against Southwest Baptist (Friday, Oct. 24) and Pittsburg State (Saturday, Oct. 25).

A complete recap of individual matches is below…

Fort Hays State 3, Central Oklahoma 1

An all-around effort carried FHSU past Central Oklahoma, 3-1 (25-19, 25-23, 17-25, 29-27) on Saturday afternoon, in the first game of a triangular in Edmond, Okla.

Close throughout the entire match, FHSU pulled away late in the first two sets to take a 2-0 lead.

Tied 7-7 in the first, FHSU went on a 5-1 run (which included three kills from Teresa Wade) to lead 12-8, but the Bronchos climbed back to tie it, 12-12, soon after.  Later in the set, tied 16-all, a kill from Rebeka Spainhour sparked a four-point burst that gave the Tigers much needed breathing room late in the set.  FHSU stretched the lead to six (24-18) before taking the set, 25-19.

FHSU jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second set, but again would have to battle, as the teams traded points until 10-all. Down one (11-10), a kill from Wade started a 5-0 run for FHSU that brought the score to 15-11, giving the Tigers the lead for good in the set.

Nearing set point, the Bronchos cut the deficit to one (23-22), but couldn’t complete the comeback as kills from Mallory Flagor and Taylor Mares sandwiched a UCO point, giving the Tigers a 2-0 lead with a 25-23 set victory.

UCO played well in the third set, never trailing in a 25-17 win.  The Bronchos strung together two 4-0 runs and one 3-0 run in the set, keeping the Tigers at bay to pull within one, 2-1, in the match.

After a slip in the third set, the Tigers needed a win-by-two situation to put the match away, but eventually did, completing a comeback in the fourth set after facing a tying set point (27-26).

In a set that saw 13 tie scores, the largest lead for either team in the set was three (8-5 for UCO and 21-18 for FHSU).  Looking to put the match away, up 24-22, FHSU was forced into a win-by-two situation after allowing two quick points from the Bronchos to tie it, 24-all.

FHSU went up 25-24 and 26-25, but couldn’t complete the win as UCO continued to answer.  At 26-25, two straight for the Bronchos put UCO in the driver’s seat (27-26), forcing an FHSU timeout.  After the reset, a kill from Flagor tied it, 27-all, and back-to-back blocks (an assist by Flagor and Callie Christensen and a solo block by Flagor) sealed the win for the Tigers, 29-27.

Three Tigers hit double digits in kills, led by Taylor Mares’ 13 kills.  Wade had 12 kills, while Mallory Flagor added 11 kills from the right side.  Spainhour neared the 10-kills mark with eight kills.

Callie Christensen, who had six kills, led the team with five blocks (one solo) on the afternoon, contributing the nine total team blocks.  Flagor (one solo) and Mares each had three blocks.

Raegen Vanderplas led the team with 27 assists in the setter role, sharing the rotation with Kristen Conor, who had 22 assists.  Vanderplas’ 10 digs was fourth on the team, behind Wade (13 digs), Kaitlin Bradley (15 digs) and team-leader Keanu Bradley, who had 29 digs.

Fort Hays State 3, Bacone College 0
FHSU grabbed its third sweep of the season with a 3-0 (25-23, 25-15, 25-16) win over Bacone in the second game of a triangular in Edmond, Okla.

Trailing early, the teams traded points until FHSU grabbed its first lead of the day (5-4).  The Tigers never trailed after that, though BC stayed close.  Up 16-14, a quick four-point burst for FHSU gave the Tigers their largest lead of the night, 20-14, but Bacone rallied late to tie it, 23-all. Fort Hays State, recovered, however, and took the set, 25-23, on a kill from Mares.

Tied 6-6 in the second set, a kill from Spainhour started a 6-0 rally for the Tigers that put them in control for good.  Up 14-9, the Tigers broke out on an 8-0 burst to lead, 22-9, eventually taking the set, 25-15.

The teams remained close early in the third, when tied 5-5, the Tigers went up 8-5 to grab the final lead of the day.  Ahead by five (18-13) later on, FHSU closed the set on an 8-2 run, including a stretch of seven unanswered, to win, 25-16.

18 Tigers saw time in the match, and though no FHSU player hit double-digits in kills, Flagor led the team with seven kills while Spainhour had six kills, and Mikalah Hughes grabbed five kills.

Conor’s 15 assists led the Tigers’ setters, as Vanderplas added 13 assists and nine digs – tied for the team-high with Kelsey Broadwell.