FHSU Athletics

Fort Hays State volleyball was picked 10th in the MIAA Volleyball Preseason Coaches’ Poll, released Wednesday (Aug. 13) by the league.  The Tigers are slotted one spot above their finish last season, when FHSU was 14-19 overall, finishing 11th in the MIAA.
 
FHSU is one year removed from a 20-win season, going 23-14 in 2012, and will look to return to that level with a roster of 12 returners and 16 new faces.  Two of those returners, rightside hitters Mallory Flagor and Taylor Mares, were All-MIAA selections last year.  Other key outside hitters for the Tigers include senior Sarah Hewson, who was All-MIAA in 2010, and sophomore Haley Corkill, who impressed in limited playing time last season.
 
In the middle, Rebekah Spainhour and Rachel Szxzepanski played in a limited role last year, and will be pushed from freshman Mikalah Hughes, Callie Christensen and Halle Connally.
 
Two returners (Raegan Vanderplas and Libby Ary) will compete for the starting setter role alongside newcomers Kristin Conor, a sophomore transfer from Cincinnati, and Bethany Farres, a junior transfer from Johnson County Community College. 
 
Keanu Bradley is the lone defensive specialist returning to the team, though transfers Sarah Williams, a junior from Fort Scott Community College, and sophomore Rebecca Guevara of Hill College will be among the newcomers fighting for a spot.
 
Kelsey Broadwell (utility) and Chelsea Payne (libero/outside hitter) will see time by playing multiple roles for the Tigers in 2014.
 
The top five in the preseason poll match last year’s standings, as Central Missouri was picked first with 115 votes and six first-place tallies, just ahead of Washburn’s 110 votes (four first-place).  Nebraska-Kearney had two first-place votes and 108 total points, creating a separation of just seven points for the top three schools.  From there, a falloff in points leads to Central Oklahoma in fourth (86 points). 
 
Three Kansas schools sit ranked Nos. 5-7, with Emporia State in fifth (76 points), Missouri Western (68 points) and Pittsburg State (59 points) just ahead of Northwest Missouri State (55 points).  Lindenwood was ranked just ahead of FHSU, with four points separating the pair (42 and 39 votes, respectively).  Missouri Southern and Southwest Baptist fill out the remaining spots.
 
The complete 2014 MIAA Preseason Coaches’ Poll is below…
 
2014 MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Central Missouri (6)  115
2. Washburn (4)  110
3. Nebraska-Kearney (2) 108
4. Central Oklahoma    86
5. Emporia State    76
6. Missouri Western    68
7. Pittsburg State    59
8. Northwest Missouri    55
9. Lindenwood    42
10. Fort Hays State   38
11. Missouri Southern    18
12. Southwest Baptist    17 
 

Right around 110 players greeted head coach Chris Brown as the Fort Hays State football team held their first practice Monday morning at Lewis Field. Listen to coach Chris Brown as well as defensive lineman Jesse Trent and quarterback Treveon Albert.

Chris Brown

Jesse Trent

Treveon Albert

 

Fort Hays State head coach Chris Brown and wide receiver Ed Williams and defensive tackle Jess Trent addressed the media Tuesday morning as part of the MIAA Media Day at Sporting KC Park in Kansas City.

Part 1

Part 2

FHSU Sports Information

Fort Hays State football was picked eighth in both the 2014 MIAA Coaches and Media Preseason Polls, released on Tuesday morning (Aug. 5) at MIAA Football Media Day in Kansas City, Mo. The Tigers were picked eighth for the second straight season and finished eighth last season at 6-5 overall and 4-5 in the MIAA.

The Tigers are at MIAA Football Media Day on Tuesday in Kansas City, Mo.  Head Coach Chris Brown, wide receiver Ed Williams and defensive lineman Jesse Trent will speak with the media in a press conference at 9 am.

For the second consecutive season, the 2013 Tigers saw an improvement in wins under Brown, finishing above the .500 mark (6-5) for the first time since 2009.  FHSU was 5-6 the season prior and 4-7 in 2011, Brown’s first season at the helm.  The Tigers matched their highest amount of wins in MIAA play for a season with four, also accomplished in the 2012 and 2009 seasons.  This is the ninth year of competition for Fort Hays State in the MIAA.

Fort Hays State opens practice next week at Lewis Field Stadium, with full-time access to the state-of-the-art Schmidt-Bickle Indoor Training Facility next to the stadium.

The Tigers have 15 starters from 2013 returning, six on offense, nine on defense.

Defensive players Michael Jordan and Jesse Trent were named to the USA College Football 2014 NCAA Division II Preseason All-America Watch List, and were All-MIAA selections last season.  Additionally, Jordan was named All-Region First Team by Daktronics last season, and Michael Terry, Justin McPhail and DeAndre James return as 2013 All-MIAA selections.

Jordan ranked third on the team in tackles with 70 and led the team in interceptions with five. He had at least seven tackles in six contests last year with 10 as his season high.  Trent, a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American, record 41 tackles last year, including seven for loss with a half-sack along the way. Both Jordan and Trent have started 22 consecutive games dating back to the start of the 2012 season.  McPhail led FHSU with 90 tackles on the season, while Terry was second with 75 tackles, leading the Tigers with two fumble recoveries.

Offensively, Edward Smith returns after a 2013 campaign that saw him gain 438 yards on 74 attempts, leading the team with eight rushing touchdowns.  Treveon Albert enjoyed one of the most successful seasons in history for a Tiger quarterback last season, throwing for 2,338 yards and 28 touchdowns with 59.2 percent accuracy (170-for-287), in addition to rushing for 596 yards and seven rushing touchdowns.  On the receiving end, Williams caught seven touchdowns last season and emerged as a deep threat for FHSU.

NCAA Division II National Champion Northwest Missouri State tops both MIAA polls, with Pittsburg State earning the second slot in each.  NWMSU gained 121 votes (11 first-place votes) in the coaches poll and 466 votes (37 first place votes) in the media poll, while PSU had 106 votes (one first-place) in the coaches and 422 tallies (one first-place) in the media.  Central Missouri (94 votes), Emporia State (88 votes) and Missouri Western (82 votes) round out the top five of the coaches’ poll, with Washburn and Missouri Southern sitting just ahead of FHSU.  The Tigers had 50 votes in the coaches’ poll.

The media poll’s top five is slight re-arranged, with Emporia State (353 votes, one first-place), Missouri Western (348 tallies) and Washburn (306 votes) earned slots three through five.  Central Missouri and Missouri Southern, with 285 and 258 votes, respectively, are ahead of Fort Hays State’s 191 votes.

The Tigers open their 2014 campaign with a home matchup against Central Oklahoma on Thursday, Sept. 4, at 7 pm.

Below are the complete preseason polls for the 2014 season…

2014 MIAA Preseason Coaches’ Poll
1. Northwest Missouri (11)  121
2. Pittsburg State (1)  106
3. Central Missouri    94
4. Emporia State    88
5. Missouri Western    82
6. Washburn       79
7. Missouri Southern    67
8. Fort Hays State    50
9. Lindenwood    39
10. Central Oklahoma    26
11. Nebraska-Kearney    23
12. Northeastern State    17

2014 MIAA Preseason Media Poll
1. Northwest Missouri (37)  466
2. Pittsburg State (1)  422
3. Emporia State (1)  353
4. Missouri Western  348
5. Washburn  306
6. Central Missouri  285
7. Missouri Southern  258
8. Fort Hays State  191
9. Lindenwood  142
10. Nebraska-Kearney  109
11. Central Oklahoma    96
12. Northeastern State    66

 

FHSU Sports Information
Fort Hays State Football kicks off its 2014 campaign with MIAA Football Media Day on Tuesday, Aug. 5, in Kansas City, Mo.  The event is held at KC Sporting Park, with head coaches and players representing teams from across the conference.  The Tigers will be represented by Head Coach Chris Brown, wide receiver Ed Williams and defensive lineman Jesse Trent.  Fort Hays State’s press conference time is set for 10 a.m.

For the first time in conference history, the MIAA Football Media Day will be streamed live online; allowing fans a glimpse at the event.  Streamed free of charge, the online look-in will go live at 8:45 a.m., with press conferences set to begin at 9 a.m.

The live stream can be accessed by clicking the link below:

http://portal.stretchinternet.com/miaa/

The MIAA preseason polls will be announced tomorrow morning in the first press conference slot (9 a.m.) by MIAA Commissioner Dr. Bob Boerigter, and can be found online through the MIAA website and www.fhsuathletics.com.

A complete schedule of press conference times with attendees listed is below…

Press Conference Room Schedule
9 a.m. MIAA Commissioner Dr. Bob Boerigter
9:15 Northeastern State Head Coach Rob Robinson | RB Joel Rockmore & LB Jack Gray
9:30 a.m. Central Oklahoma Head Coach Nick Bobeck | WR Marquez Clark & DL Tyler Newton
9:45 a.m. Nebraska-Kearney Head Coach Darrell Morris | TBA
10 a.m. Fort Hays State Head Coach Chris Brown | WR Ed Williams & DL Jesse Trent
10:15 a.m. Lindenwood Head Coach Patrick Ross | TBA
10:30 a.m. MIAA Supervisor of Football Officials Phil Laurie
10:45 a.m. Missouri Southern Head Coach Daryl Daye | QB Jay McDowell
11:00 a.m. Central Missouri Head Coach Jim Svoboda | QB Hayden Hawk & DL Ramond Hunter
11:15 a.m. Missouri Western Head Coach Jerry Partridge | DB Michael Jordan & DE Janis Matulis
11:30 a.m. Washburn Head Coach Craig Schurig | RB Vershon Moore & FS Calvin Kenney
11:45 a.m. Pittsburg State Head Coach Tim Beck | QB Anthony Abenoja & S Keeston Terry
12:00 p.m. Emporia State Head Coach Garin Higgins | QB Brent Wilson & LB Tariq Allen
12:15 p.m. Northwest Missouri Head Coach Adam Dorrel | WR Bryce Young & LB Eric Reimer
 

FHSU Sports Information

Fort Hays State head wrestling coach Chas Thompson announced the signing of seven more wrestlers for the 2014-15 season, bringing his total recruiting class amount to eight. All seven were state placers in high school and enter their first year of college from the prep ranks. The latest signees include Brik Chesley, Kalin Collins, Casey Hilton, Skylar Hittle, William Homalon, Zach Kearney, and Justin Scott.

Chesley hails from Sparks, Nevada, where he was a two-time state placer for Spanish Springs High School. As a junior in 2013, he finished second in the state at 195 pounds and then took third place as a senior in 2014 in the same weight class. He is projected to wrestle at 285 pounds in college.

Collins, native of Wichita, Kansas, comes to FHSU from Wichita West High School. He was a three-time state placer, all at 160 pounds. His highest finish was second place in 2013 as a junior, while he finished third as a senior in 2014 and sixth as a sophomore in 2012. He was ranked No. 5 for all 160 pound wrestlers in the state of Kansas. He is projected to wrestle at 165 pounds in college.

Hilton, native of Marysville, Kansas, was a state placer as a senior in 2014 at Marysville High School. He finished fifth at 220 pounds and is projected to wrestle at 197 pounds in college.

Hittle is a three-time state placer at 195 pounds that hails from Concordia, Kansas. At Concordia High School, he claimed the state championship in class 4A as a junior in 2013 and finished second as a senior in 2014 after bouncing back from an injury in time to qualify for the state tournament. He also finished third in 2012 as a sophomore. He was ranked ninth for all 195 pound wrestlers in the state of Kansas. He is projected to wrestle at 197 pounds in college.

Homalon, native of Katy, Texas, was a two-time state champion at Morton Ranch High School. He topped the 126-pound class as a senior in 2014 and the 120-pound class as a junior in 2013. He is projected to wrestle at 133 pounds in college.

Kearney is also a two-time state champion from Reed Springs High School in Reed Springs, Missouri. Both of his state titles were at 220 pounds, earning top honors as a senior in 2014 and a junior in 2013. He is projected to wrestle at 285 pounds in college.

Keeping with the two-time state champion theme, Scott is a two-time state champion from Jefferson West High School. The Ozawkie, Kansas native moved up to 285 pounds as a senior in 2014, winning the state title, after winning the state title at 220 pounds the year before as a junior. He also finished second in the state at 220 pounds as a sophomore. He is projected to wrestle at 285 pounds in college.

These seven individuals join Cesar Regalado, who signed earlier with the Tigers from Pratt High School in Pratt, Kansas. Regalado was a two-time state champion for Pratt. He went undefeated as a senior at 120 pounds in 2014 and won the state title at 113 pounds as a junior. He also finished third at 113 pounds as a sophomore. He was the top ranked wrestler in 4A last year at 120 pounds and second ranked for all Kansas classes at that weight. He is projected to wrestle at 125 pounds.

FHSU Sports Information
Fort Hays State seniors Micheal Jordan and Jesse Trent have been named to USA College Football’s 2014 NCAA Division II Preseason All-America Watch List. Both were captains last year and help lead a defense that returns nine starters in 2014.

Jordan, native of Kerens, Texas, was a Daktronics All-Super Region 3 First Team and All-MIAA Second Team selection as a safety last year. He ranked third on the team in tackles with 70 and led the team in interceptions with five. He had at least seven tackles in six contests last year with 10 as his season high. He has made 22 consecutive starts dating back to the start of the 2012 season and enters 2014 with 170 career tackles.

Trent, a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American from Dodge City, Kan., is a leader for the Tigers up front as a defensive tackle. He recorded 41 tackles last year, including seven for loss with a half sack on his way to All-MIAA Third Team honors. Like Jordan, Trent has started 22 consecutive games dating back to the start of the 2012 season. He enters 2014 with 90 career tackles.

Fall training camp is less than a month away as players are set to report on August 10th and begin practice a day later.

FHSU Sports Information

The NCAA released its attendance figures for the 2013-14 season and Fort Hays State Men’s Basketball ranked third nationally in average. Fort Hays State moved up seven spots in the rankings this year as it ranked 10th nationally in 2012-13. FHSU averaged 2,717 fans per contest this past season.

Fort Hays State heads three MIAA schools listed in the top 15 nationally and six in the top 30. Central Missouri was sixth (2,257) and Washburn was 15th (1,907). The top two teams were Northern State (3,383) and Dixie State (3,081).

The FHSU men saw their home attendance jump by 449 fans per game in 2013-14, as they averaged 2,268 in 2012-13. That created a home-court advantage helping the Tigers to a 12-2 record at Gross Memorial Coliseum last year.

FHSU reached at least 12 wins at home for the seventh-consecutive year, playing an average of 15 contests per year at home in that span. Since FHSU joined NCAA Division II in 1991-92 (23-year span), the Tigers have produced less than 11 wins at home in a season just twice. Since becoming a member of NCAA Division II, FHSU is 310-48 at home, winning 86.6 percent of its games at home. In 41 years of basketball at Gross Memorial Coliseum, FHSU has a staggering record of 544-101, winning 84.3 percent of its home contests.

The Tigers helped the MIAA lead the nation once again in attendance as a conference, averaging 1,319 fans per game. The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, also in the Central Region, was second at 1,228 fans per game.

Below is the NCAA Division II top 15 men’s attendances for the 2013-14 season.

Rank	School	G	Attendance	Average
1.	Northern State (S.D.)	16	54,129	3,383
2.	Dixie State (Utah)	11	33,895	3,081
3.	Fort Hays State (Kan.)	14	38,031	2,717
4.	Augustana (S.D.)	13	34,366	2,644
5.	Midwestern State (Texas)	11	25,842	2,349
6.	Central Missouri	13	29,340	2,257
7.	Kentucky Wesleyan	16	34,200	2,138
8.	Fort Valley State (Ga.)	13	27,555	2,120
9.	Indiana (Pa.)	15	31,353	2,090
10.	West Georgia	14	28,718	2,051
11.	Fayetteville State (N.C.)	13	25,280	1,945
12.	Tarleton State (Texas)	17	32,763	1,927
13.	Benedict (S.C.)	15	28,864	1,924
14.	Drury (Mo.)	17	32,599	1,918
15.	Washburn (Kan.)	15	28,603	1,907

Conferences

Rank	Conference	Teams	Sessions	Attendance	Average
1.	Mid-America	14	199	262,573	1,319
2.	Northern Sun	16	234	287,403	1,228
3.	Lone Star	8	102	116,352	1,141
4.	Gulf South	8	112	118,397	1,057
5.	CIAA	12	142	144,106	1,015
6.	SIAC	13	163	154,945	951
7.	Great Lakes Valley	16	226	186,538	825
8.	Peach Belt	13	174	142,801	821
9.	Great Midwest	7	98	72,733	742
10.	Great American	9	119	81,264	683

FHSU Sports Information

The NCAA released its attendance figures for the 2013-14 season and Fort Hays State Women’s Basketball ranked third nationally in average. Fort Hays State moved up one spot this year as it ranked fourth nationally in 2012-13. FHSU averaged 1,851 fans per contest this past year.

Fort Hays State heads four MIAA schools listed in the top 10 nationally, which included Emporia State (4th, 1,847), Washburn (5th, 1,761), and Central Missouri (1,366, 9th). The top two teams, Northern State (2,583) and Augustana (1,900) are also from the Central Region, giving the region six of the top 10 attendances in the nation. The top 10 has a nearly all-Midwest feel as two teams from Texas and one other from Missouri are also among the top cluster of schools.

The FHSU women saw their home attendance jump by 161 fans per game in 2013-14, as they averaged 1,690 in 2012-13.

With four teams in the top 10, the MIAA led the nation in attendance as a conference, averaging 1,038 fans per game. It was the only conference to average 1,000 or more fans per game. The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, also in the Central Region, was second at 877 fans per game.

Below is the NCAA Division II top 10 women’s attendances for the 2013-14 season.

Rk.	School	G	Att.	Avg.
1.	Northern State (S.D.)	14	36,165	2,583
2.	Augustana (S.D.)	16	30,402	1,900
3.	Fort Hays State (Kan.)	16	29,617	1,851
4.	Emporia State (Kan.)	15	27,699	1,847
5.	Washburn (Kan.)	13	22,887	1,761
6.	Tarleton State (Texas)	15	24,452	1,630
7.	Glenville State (W.V.)	16	23,355	1,460
8.	Drury (Mo.)	16	23,223	1,451
9.	Central Missouri	12	16,395	1,366
10.	Midwestern State (Texas)	13	17,625	1,356

Conferences

Rk.	School	Teams	G	Attendance	Average
1.	Mid-America	14	190	197,188	1,038
2.	Northern Sun	16	223	195,606	877
3.	Lone Star	9	118	94,394	800
4.	CIAA	12	143	88,863	621
5.	Gulf South	8	110	67,146	610
6.	SIAC	12	146	82,056	562
7.	Great American	9	120	66,139	551
8.	GLVC	16	218	107,544	493
9.	Peach Belt	13	166	80,568	485
10.	Rocky Mountain	14	184	81,801	445

The MIAA recently announced their MIAA Television Network schedule for the 2014 football season, which includes two broadcasts featuring Fort Hays State.

The Tigers game at Northeastern State on September 13 and their game at Pittsburg State on September 27 will be televised.

The eleven game broadcast schedule will kick off with a Thursday night matchup (Sept 4) as defending NCAA National Champion Northwest Missouri hosts Nebraska-Kearney.

During the next ten consecutive Saturday’s the MIAA TV Network will travel to a different campus each week featuring several key matchups in determining who will win the conference championship.

The MIAA TV Network has left the last Saturday (Nov 15) open as a “flex” game in order to be able to select a game of significant fan interest and impact on the conference championship.

All eleven games will all be carried on KSMO-TV in Kansas City, Cox Communications KS 22, and several other outlets across the MIAA footprint including Eagle Communications.

2014 MIAA Television Network Schedule 
Thursday       Sept. 4         Nebraska-Kearney at Northwest Missouri              7:00 p.m.
Saturday       Sept. 13       Fort Hays State at Northeastern State                    2:00 p.m.
Saturday       Sept. 20       Pittsburg State at Washburn                                   2:00 p.m.
Saturday       Sept. 27       Fort Hays State at Pittsburg State                           2:00 p.m.
Saturday       Oct. 4           Central Oklahoma at Nebraska-Kearney                2:00 p.m.
Saturday       Oct. 11         Missouri Southern at Central Oklahoma                2:00 p.m.
Saturday       Oct. 18         Northeastern State at Missouri Southern               2:00 p.m.
Saturday       Oct. 25         Emporia State at Missouri Western                        2:00 p.m.
Saturday       Nov. 1          Lindenwood at Central Missouri                             2:00 p.m.
Saturday       Nov. 8          Northwest Missouri at Emporia State                     2:00 p.m.
Saturday       Nov. 15        Flex Game                                                              2:00 p.m.

FHSU Sports Information

Fort Hays State’s Madison Wolf concluded a great freshman campaign on Saturday at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Allendale, Mich. with a sixth-place finish in the women’s javelin. With that finish, she earned All-America honors for the 2014 season.

Wolf’s best effort came on her second throw of the competition, a throw of 153′ 7″. At that point in time, she was in second place behind Mary Riley of Central Missouri. She held that position through three attempts for all athletes, but the fourth attempt for three competitors pushed her back to fifth in the standings and then to sixth following the final attempts.

Sophomore teammates from Western Washington, Bethany Drake and Katie Reichert, finished first and second separated by just one inch. Drake threw 165′ 3″ and Reichert threw 165′ 2″. Riley of Central Missouri was third at 163′. The top four competitors all threw at least 160′.

Wolf adds the All-America honor after winning the MIAA Championship, topping Riley a few weeks back for the conference crown.

Wolf was one of two FHSU women to compete at the NCAA Championships. Samantha Woodburn had a pair of 14th-place finishes in the 100 and 200-meter prelims, Thursday and Friday. She was unable to qualify for the finals on Sunday.

Tien 10th in pole vault

Fort Hays State junior Brady Tien was the only member of the men’s track and field team to compete at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Allendale, Mich. on Saturday. Tien finished 10th in the pole vault, tying the fifth-best height cleared but was 10th due to the amount of attempts needed to clear the height.

Tien stayed alive among the top 10 performers in the event by clearing his personal best height of 16′ 8.75″ on his third and final attempt at the height. He attempted to clear 17′ 0.75″, but was unsuccessful on three tries. Due to the ninth-place finisher clearing the first height in just one attempt and Tien taking two attempts, Tien slipped to 10th. The eighth-place finisher cleared 16′ 8.75″ on his second attempt and a pair that tied for sixth cleared it on their first attempt before all missing at the next height.

Jeff Pipenbrink of Pittsburg State won the national title in the event with a height of 17′ 4.5″.

 

FHSU Sports Information

Fort Hays State junior sprinter Samantha Woodburn finished 14th in the prelims of the 200-meter dash at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Allendale, Mich., on Friday. She posted a time of 24.34 seconds, .29 seconds off the ninth-place finisher.

Woodburn finished 14th in both the 100 and 200-meter prelims at the NCAA Championships. She set new school records in both events this year (11.71 seconds in the 100 and 23.95 seconds in the 200) and earned All-MIAA honors in both events.