FHSU Athletics

Fort Hays State’s Trey Herman earned the MIAA Men’s Golf Athlete of the Week honors for his efforts at the UNK Invitational, held at Awarii Dunes Golf Course in Axtell, Neb. (Sept. 15-16). He finished second individually, shooting 4-under par overall over three rounds.

Herman shot even par in the first round, 4-under in the second round, and then even par again in the final round. Herman and tournament champ Ross Miller of Minnesota State-Mankato tied for the lowest round carded in the tournament, each with a 4-under 68. Herman’s 68 came in the second round, giving him the tournament lead going into the final round, but Miller’s came in the final round. He was three back of Herman to start the day and jumped him by one stroke at 5-under overall.

Over his last five tournament rounds, Herman is 6-under par overall. Three of those rounds have been even par, coupled with a 4-under par and 2-under par performance. He has an overall stroke average of 72.0 so far this year and an average relation to par of +0.5 for all six of his rounds. He has finished in the top 10 of both events he has played this year.

Fort Hays State football coach Chris Brown and selected players met with the media Tuesday during their weekly football news conference to discuss the Tigers game with Lindenwood on Saturday.

Head Coach Chris Brown Part 1

Head Coach Chris Brown Part 2

K/P Drew O’Brien

RB Kenneth Iheme

LB Michael Terry

FHSU Athletics

Fort Hays State pushed nationally-ranked Nebraska-Kearney to the brink, but couldn’t pull off the upset as the Tigers fell, 3-2 (11-25, 25-23, 20-25, 25-15, 12-15), to No. 4 UNK. 
 
The Tigers (5-4, 0-1 MIAA) forced a fifth set with the Lopers for the first time since 2003, when FHSU last defeated UNK.

Rebekah Spainhour and Mallory Flagor had 11 kills apiece to lead the team, followed by  Taylor Mares‘ 10 kills. Callie Christensen, a true freshman, played heavily in the match and had nine kills and six blocks (a team-high).  Mares added five blocks as well.

Libby Ary had 28 assists to lead the squad, sharing the rotation with Kristin Conor, who had 19 assists.
 
Defensively, FHSU had three players with double-digit digs, led by libero Keanu Bradley‘s 19. Kelsey Broadwell played well as a reserve, digging up 15 attacks, while Sara Hewson had 12 digs.
 
FHSU struggled in the opening frame against a Loper attack that hit .500, digging up just eight attacks and hitting .032 as a team. 
 
Trailing 7-3 early in the first, a called timeout helped the Tigers start a 4-2 run to climb back within three (9-6).  From there, however, UNK strung together nine unanswered points, pushing the lead to 12 (18-6), and never looked back. The Tigers broke the run with two quick points of their own, but couldn’t recover as the Lopers took the set, 25-11.
 
Down 1-0 in the match, Fort Hays State rebounded in the second set to tie the match, using a negative hitting percentage by the Lopers (-.050). 
 
Early in the set, with FHSU trailing 5-4, both teams traded three-point bursts before a 6-1 run by the Tigers (including a streak of four unanswered) pushed the visitor’s lead to four (13-9).  Fort Hays State held a lead for much of the second set, though a 5-0 run by UNK midway through the second gave the Lopers a brief 19-18 lead. 
 
FHSU answered to break the run, though back and forth play took it to 21-all, and 23-all.  The Tigers wouldn’t yield, however, and scored two quick points, taking the set on Callie Christensen‘s third kill of the evening, 25-23.
 
Out of the intermission, Fort Hays State hung tough with the nationally-ranked squad, but were unable to take the set.  Tied at 3-all, a kill from Rebekah Spainhour and a Loper attack error gave FHSU a 5-3 lead, but UNK responded to tie it at 6-all and take the lead for good, though the Tigers stayed within striking distance throughout.
 
Behind 16-13, the Tigers allowed fell behind five (18-13) before stalling the momentum and answering with three points of their own – two of which came on a block assist and kill from Christensen.
 
It was all Tigers in the fourth, capitalizing on a .306 hitting percentage, 13 kills and an 86 percent side-out percentage to roll to a 25-15 set victory.
 
Tied 6-6 early on, the Tigers broke out on a 7-3 run to take a 13-9 lead on a kill from Flagor, forcing a UNK timeout.  Though the Lopers answered with a point after the pause, FHSU started a 5-0 run to jump ahead eight points and take control for good.  The Tigers’ largest lead of the night, 10, came at 24-14 and set point, 25-15.
 
For the fifth and decisive set, Fort Hays State battled tough but couldn’t pull out the road victory.
 
Down 8-6 at the switch, FHSU gave up one more point before rebounding with a two-point run, pulling back within one on a block assist from Christensen and Taylor Mares.  Facing match point, 14-10, FHSU rallied to 14-12 with kills from Flagor and Wade, but couldn’t complete the upset as they fell, 15-12. 
 
Fort Hays State returns to Gross Memorial Coliseum for its home opener on Friday (Sept. 19) against Missouri Southern at 6 p.m.

FHSU Athletics

Fort Hays State’s Trey Herman finished second individually at the UNK Invitational, held at Awarii Dunes Golf Course in Axtell, Neb., on Tuesday. Herman held the lead heading into the final round and shot very well, an even-par 72, but Ross Miller of Minnesota State-Mankato had a great round of 4-under par 68 and passed Herman by one stroke. The Tigers as a team finished 12th.

Herman finished the tournament at 4-under par overall, shooting even par in the first round, 4-under in the second round, and then even par again in the final round. Herman and Miller tied for the lowest round carded in the tournament, unfortunately Miller was only three strokes back of Herman entering the final round. Even though he did not come out on top, Herman topped several individuals from schools within the region head-to-head and that will help him at the end of the year for a chance to play in the NCAA Super Regional for the second straight year.

In his last five tournament rounds, Herman is 6-under par overall. Three of those rounds have been even par, coupled with a 4-under par and 2-under par performance.

Grant Storey finished in a tie for 24th and 10-over par overall. He had rounds of 78, 71, and 77. Nick VonLintel tied for 63rd with rounds of 76, 77, and 86. Billy Frey had rounds of 81, 83, and 88. Kade Magaffin had rounds of 94, 87, and 102.

Minnesota State won the team title by 20 strokes with a total of 867, shooting an impressive 3-over par as a team. Two of their four scorers combined to shoot 7-under par. Nine teams from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference competed in the tournament, while Nebraska-Kearney and Fort Hays State were the only two from the MIAA. Nebraska-Kearney finished 10th at 919, while the Tigers finished 12th at 929.

FHSU Athletics

Fort Hays State women’s golf finished 15th at the Northeastern State Classic in Tahlequah, Okla., on Tuesday (Sept. 16). Megan DeWerff led the way for the Tigers with a two-round total of 171.

DeWerff opened with a 91 in the first round of the tournament, but improved by 11 strokes on the second day with an 80. Samantha Hobson shot rounds of 89 and 88 to finish with a 177. Abi Schmidtberger remained consistent in her first collegiate tournament, shooting two rounds of 89. Quillen Eichhorn had rounds of 97 and 93. Hadley Tharp shot rounds of 96 and 100.

As a team the Tigers improved by 15 strokes on the second day, but remained in 15th place. FHSU shot 715 as a team. Central Oklahoma won the tournament with a total of 604. Marla Souvannasing of Central Oklahoma and Megan Jeffery of Arkansas Tech tied for top individual honors with totals of 147, but Souvannasing won the playoff.

FHSU Athletics

Fort Hays State men’s soccer remains at No. 23 in the latest NSCAA National Poll, released on Tuesday (Sept. 16). The Tigers currently sit at 2-1-1 overall and have held the No. 23 ranking in the first two regular season polls and the preseason poll.

The Tigers are coming off a weekend in which they went 1-0-1, earning a 1-1 draw with University of Mary and a 2-0 win over South Dakota School of Mines. The Tigers jump into MIAA play this week, which begins with a match-up of ranked teams. The 23rd-ranked Tigers visit 15th-ranked Northeastern State this week. Northeastern State is currently 2-2 overall. The Tigers then head to Southern Nazarene (1-4) on Saturday. Lindenwood (1-1-2), which sat at No. 13 last week, fell out of the rankings to receiving votes, so FHSU and NSU are the only teams from the MIAA represented in the top 25.

Below is the national poll for Tuesday, September 16…

 

 
Also receiving votes: Lindenwood University (12), Ohio Dominican University (10), Colorado School Of Mines (8), Concordia College (NY) (7), Seton Hill University (6), Chowan University (1), Azusa Pacific University (1).

FHSU Athletics

Fort Hays State’s Austin Clifton was named the MIAA Men’s Soccer Athlete of the Week after his two goals at the MIAA/GNAC Soccer Classic in Rapid City, S.D., this weekend.

Clifton, a junior from Wichita, Kan., started both games for the Tigers, playing 83 minutes with two goals and firing five shots.  Four of his shots were on goal for a .400 shot percentage.

Clifton’s two goals came in FHSU’s 2-0 shutout of South Dakota Mines, helping the Tigers close out the weekend with a win.  Clifton gave the Tigers a lead just 6:19 into the game, taking a low cross from Michael Cole in the box and scoring on a one touch from five yards out. Clifton’s second goal of the day solidified the Tigers victory in the waning minutes of regulation.  At 86:46, Clifton broke away from the SD Mines defense, finding the lower left corner of the net from 18 yards out.

The Tigers are on the road this weekend to open MIAA play, taking on No. 7 Northeastern State this Thursday (Sept. 18) and Southern Nazarene on Saturday (Sept. 20).

FHSU Athletics

Fort Hays State men’s golfer Trey Herman holds the lead at the UNK Invitational heading into the final round on Tuesday. Herman’s four-under par 68 in the second round on Monday at Awarii Dunes Golf Course in Axtell, Neb., pushed him to the top of the leaderboard, where he holds a two-shot lead at four-under par overall.

Minus his opening round of the year last week in the first MIAA sanctioned event of the year, Herman is on a tear over his last four rounds which total six-under par overall. He shot even par and two-under par in his final two rounds last week, charging from 34th to finish seventh, and has shot four-under par in his first two rounds this week.

Herman holds a two-shot advantage on Gonzalo Martinez of Minnesota State-Mankato, who sits at 2-under par overall. Ross Miller of Minnesota State-Mankato, and Tyler Koivisto of St. Cloud State are both three back at 1-under overall. Four more golfers sit at even par overall. Herman’s 68 was the lowest round of the day and only two other golfers dipped into the 60s with 69, which included Martinez of Minnesota State-Mankato.

The Tigers as a team sit in eighth place overall with a total of 606. FHSU had a 307 in the first round, and went eight shots lower in the next round with 299. Minnesota State-Mankato leads the tournament at 577.

Grant Storey  is currently tied for 20th after a first round 78, backed up with a 1-under par 71. NickVonLintel is tied for 39th after rounds of 76 and 77. Billy Frey is 72nd after rounds of 81 and 83. Kade Megaffin is 78th after rounds of 94 and 87.

Fort Hays State’s kicker/punter Drew O’ Brien is this week’s MIAA Special Team’s Athlete of the Week. O’Brien was a perfect 2-of-2 on field goal attempts in the Tigers 48-13 win at Northeastern State. He connected from 41 yards and 38 yards in the second quarter, pushing the FHSU lead to 10-6 and then 13-6. He also had three punts go for an average of 44.7 yards, two that went 50 or more yards with 53 as his best effort. He averaged 60.8 yards on kickoffs.

The 6-0 kicker/punter is a native of Hays, Kan. where he competed at TMP-Marian High School.

Central Missouri’s LaVance Taylor is the MIAA Offensive Athlete of the week after his record-setting day in the Mules 50-31 win over #19 Emporia State. Taylor amassed nearly 400 yards of all-purpose yards and scoring six touchdowns. He rushed for 288 yards and four touchdowns on 23 carries for a 12.5 yards per carry average. He had three receptions for eight yards and a touchdown and had a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. He set four single-game school records and tied a career-record in the process. His 288 rushing yards are the most in a single-game in school history, as were his six touchdowns and 36 points scored. His 394 all-purpose yards were also a single-game UCM record. His kickoff return for a touchdown was the third of his career, tying the UCM career record.

Central Oklahoma defensive back Cody Jones is the Defensive Athlete of the Week. Jones came up with two big interceptions during UCO’s 26-17 upset of Missouri Western. The junior cornerback returned the first one 41 yards to the MWSU four-yard-line late in the first half to set up a short UCO field goal that got the Bronchos within 14-10 at halftime and he sealed the win with a 42-yard touchdown return on the final play of the game. Jones added three unassisted tackles, including one for a four-yard loss, and broke up another pass.

FHSU Athletics

Fort Hays State’s Keanu Bradley was named the MIAA Volleyball Specialist of the Week for her performance at the NSIC Challenge this weekend, announced by the conference office on Monday (Sept. 15).

Bradley, a sophomore libero from Rose Hill, Kan., had 75 digs in the Tigers’ four matches over the weekend, averaging 5.00 digs per set in addition to five service aces, leading the team in all three categories.  Bradley had a weekend-best 26 digs in Fort Hays State’s win over Bemidji State, and had double-digit digs in three of the four matches.

For the season, Bradley has 151 digs and is averaging 5.03 digs per set with 10 service aces (0.33 per set) and 25 assists.

The Tigers open MIAA play on Tuesday, Sept. 16, at Nebraska-Kearney before returning to Hays, Kan., for their home opener on Friday, Sept. 19 versus Missouri Southern.

FHSU Athletics

Fort Hays State Volleyball’s Mallory Flagor was named to the 2014 NSIC Challenge All-Tournament Team, announced Sunday (Sept. 14).
 
Flagor, a junior from Hoisington, Kan., started all four matches for the Tigers this weekend in Sioux Falls, S.D., leading the team with 60 kills and a .315 hitting percentage.  Flagor averaged 4.00 kills per set for the weekend, adding seven blocks to go with 63.5 total points (4.23 per set).
 
She had 18 kills in the Tigers’ wins over Sioux Falls and Bemidji State, and added 12 kills against Minnesota State-Moorhead and No. 23 Augustana.
 
Flagor now has 123 kills on the season, averaging 4.10 kills per set with a .343 hitting percentage.
 
The complete 2014 NSIC Challenge All-Tournament Team is below…
 
Most Valuable Player: Ashley Wilson – Augustana
Courtney Ysker – Augustana
Tahlyr Banks – Augustana
Amanda Boender – Missouri Western
Jordan Chohon – Missouri Western
Jessie Thorup – Missouri Western
Kaitlin VanWinkle – MSU Moorhead
Amber Krenske – MSU Moorhead
Sam Johnson – South Dakota School of Mines
Jordan Calef – Sioux Falls
Mallory Flagor – Fort Hays State
Miranda Foster – Northwest Missouri State