FHSU Sports Information

Fort Hays State junior Trey Herman closed out his 2013-14 season at the Midwest/Central Regional on Wednesday at the Fox Run Golf Club in Eureka, Mo. Herman finished in a tie for seventh at 5-over par for the three-round tournament. Herman was the third-best individual in the standings not on a team advancing to the NCAA Championships, but only the top two individuals advance.

Herman started Wednesday in a tie for 32nd at 7-over par and saw that total balloon to 9-over after two bogeys in his first three holes (he started on the back nine for the second straight day). But he did not go quietly as he quickly caught fire by posting an eagle 3 at the par-5 13th hole. After a par at 14, he knocked in back-to-back birdies at the par-3 15th and par-5 16th. He finished his first nine of the day at 2-under par on a back nine that he had played 8-over par through the first two rounds.

Herman had made four straight pars until carding his third bogey of the day at the 3rd hole, but then back-to-back birdies at the par-4 5th and the par-5 6th pushed his round to 3-under par. Unfortunately, another bogey at the 7th hole pushed his round back to 2-under and he made par at the final two holes, carding a round of 70.

When he finished his round, Herman had gained 12 spots from 32nd to 20th. He got in the clubhouse early and watched a majority of the field come back to him and he moved all the way up to a tie for seventh by the end of the day, a gain of 25 spots in the standings.

Unfortunately Herman’s big climb in the standings was not quite enough to get to the NCAA Championship, as only the top two individuals in the standings on teams that did not qualify move on. Michael Colgate of Nebraska-Kearney won the tournament at 4-under par overall and Marcos Sevilla of Southeastern Oklahoma State finished third at 1-over par overall. They will be the two advancing to the NCAA Championship site as individuals. Herman and Ross Miller of Minnesota State-Mankato tied for seventh at 5-over par. They rounded out the top four individuals not on qualifying teams.

Teams that moved on to the NCAA Championships include Malone University, Central Missouri, Saginaw Valley State, and Central Oklahoma.

Herman finished the tournament with rounds of 74 (+2), 77 (+5), and 70 (-2). He had a very successful year triggered by his success at the Kansas Amateur last summer, where he topped a very talented field in stroke play, earned the No. 1 seed for match play, and finished as a semifinalist. He finished second in the MIAA Individual Point Standings this season and earned All-MIAA honors. Second is the highest any Tiger has ever finished in the MIAA point standings. Herman will look to carry this success into his senior year of 2014-15.

FHSU Sports Information

Fort Hays State junior Trey Herman shot a 5-over par round of 77 on day two of the Midwest/Central Regional in Eureka, Mo. The round pushes Herman to 7-over for the tournament after a 2-over par opening round on Monday. Herman is now tied for 32nd heading into the final round on Wednesday.

Herman could not find a birdie in his second round after carding four on Monday. He started on the back nine, a side he struggled with for the second straight day. He was 3-over after two holes with a double bogey on No. 10 (par 4) and a bogey on No. 11 (par 3). He settled in with three straight pars before carding two more bogeys in his last four holes of the opening nine.

Herman has not experienced any problems with the front nine at Fox Run Golf Club so far. He played the front even on Tuesday, carding nine straight pars. So far through two rounds, Herman is 1-under on the front nine and 8-over on the back nine.

Michael Colgate of Nebraska-Kearney is now the tournament leader at 4-under par overall after a round of 3-under on Tuesday. Only three golfers are under par and two are at even.

FHSU Sports Information

Fort Hays State junior Trey Herman completed his first round at the NCAA Division II Midwest/Central Regional in Eureka, Mo. on Monday (May 5). Herman finished Monday with a 2-over par round of 74, currently in a tie for 24th. The tournament is being held at the Fox Run Golf Club, a par-72 layout.

Herman had a solid start to the day, shooting 1-under par on the front nine. After a bogey at par-4 2nd hole, Herman responded with back-to-back birdies at the par-4 3rd and the par-3 4th to move to 1-under. He slipped back to even with a bogey at the par-3 8th, but then birdied the par-5 9th to go out with a 35.

Holding steady through the first two holes of the back nine, Herman went further into red numbers by making a birdie at the par-4 12th. That pushed him into a tie for fourth at the time, just a stroke back of the lead. However, he ran into trouble on his next two holes with a bogey at the par-5 13th and a double-bogey at the par-4 14th. After three straight pars, he carded one more bogey at the par-4 18th, leaving his round at 2-over par.

Even at 2-over, Herman is just six strokes back of the lead (4-under) held by Marcos Sevilla of Southeastern Oklahoma State. Eleven players had under-par rounds on the first day and four players shot even par. Of the eight individuals selected to play in the regional, Herman is tied as the second-best after day one. Ross Miller of Minnesota State-Mankato is the top individual in the tournament so far at 1-over, while Herman and Ryan Buerk of Missouri Southern are just one stroke behind. The top 15 golfers in the field so far are affiliated with teams that qualified for the tournament.

A 1-2 showing at the MIAA tournament coupled with Southern Arkansas winning the Great America Conference tournament to secure an automatic bid has kept the Fort Hays State softball team out of the NCAA national tournament.

The Tigers found out Monday morning they are not one of the eight teams selected to participate in the Central Regional which begins Friday in Winona and Mankato, Minnesota.

Emporia State is the No. 3 seed and they will take on six-seed and defending champion Central Oklahoma in the first round. Missouri Western is the five seed and they take on No. 4 seed Augustana (SD).

The Tigers, who hosted the regional last year, finish the season 29-20.

FHSU Sports Information

The Fort Hays State women’s track and field team had a solid performance at the MIAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, finishing eighth as a team. The Tigers were in fifth with one event remaining, but dropped to eighth. They finished just four points back of fifth. The FHSU women set three new school records and Madison Wolf won the javelin, giving FHSU the champion in that event for the third straight year.

Fort Hays State finished with 55 points as a team. Lincoln ran away with the team title at 182 points, Central Missouri was second at 104.5 points, and Pittsburg State was third at 93 points.

Madison Wolf won the javelin on Saturday with a throw of 155′ 1″. That gave Fort Hays State the MIAA women’s javelin champion for the third straight year after Makayla McPhail won the last two before graduating. Wolf was the only individual champion for FHSU, women or men on the weekend. It improved on Wolf’s NCAA automatic qualifying mark in the event. Wolf generated 10 points toward the team total with her win.

The 4×100-meter relay team of Lexi Riedel, Whitney Taylor, Mindy Wilson and Samantha Woodburn took second behind Lincoln. Lincoln turned in the fourth-fastest time in the nation to win (45.74), but the Tigers upped their provisional qualifying mark with the 20th-fastest time of 46.60 seconds. They churned out eight team points with their finish.

Woodburn set two FHSU records in the 100 and 200-meter prelims on Saturday with times of 11.71 seconds and 23.95 seconds respectively. She finished third in each of the finals on Sunday with times of 11.86 seconds and 24.16 seconds. She broke the records of 11.77 seconds and 23.97 seconds set by Sabrina Jensen in 2003. She generated the most points of any Tiger individually at the championships with 12, gaining six points for the team in each event.

Kykie Gaughan and Janessa Kobza each turned in fourth-place finishes. Gaughan had a time of 11:31.93 in the 3000-meter steeplechase and Kobza threw 148′ 3″ in the discus. Each scored five points for the team.

Danielle Berry finished fifth in the high jump with a height of 5′ 6″, giving the Tigers four team points. She earned a provisional qualifying mark in the event with the 28th-best effort nationally.

FHSU had four seventh-place finishes. The most notable was Sam Szczublewski in the 800 meters. On Saturday in the prelims, she broke the longest-standing women’s outdoor record at Fort Hays State with a time of 2:14.71, edging Martha Martin’s 2:14.74 from 1977. She bettered that time by two-tenths of a second to set a new record on Sunday at 2:14.51. Also finishing seventh were Megan Honas in the javelin at 132′ 2″, Anna Eigruber in the long jump at 18′ 6″, and the 4×400 team of Hanna Pfannenstiel, Whitney Taylor, Sam Szczublewski and Mindy Wilson with a time of 3:54.28. Each result generated two team points.

Eigruber also generated a point in the triple jump finishing eighth at 37′ 7.75″. Sydney Lower was eighth in the 3000-meter steeplechase in 12:07.67 and Ramsey McCarter was eighth in the 10,000 meters in 38:18.14.

Fort Hays State had four All-MIAA performances at the championship. Two were from Samantha Woodburn in the 100 and 200 meters, finishing third in each. Wolf won the javelin and the 4×100 team finished second. Top three performers in each event earn All-MIAA honors.

Tiger men finish 10th
Fort Hays State men’s track and field finished 10th at the MIAA Championships in Jefferson City, Mo., hosted by Lincoln University. The Tigers had two All-MIAA performers with Brady Tien in the pole vault and Nelson Vazquez in the 100 meters.

Fort Hays State generated 25 points as a team at the championships. Pittsburg State won the team title with 145 points, followed by Nebraska-Kearney with 118.25 and Central Missouri with 108.

Tien set a new personal best in the pole vault with a height of 16′ 8″, which tied the second-best height at the meet but he cleared it on his second attempt compared to the second-place finisher clearing it on his first attempt. The effort moved him up to ninth on the national performance list.

Vazquez stepped up his performance over the last couple of weeks and finished third in the 100 meters with a time of 10.73 seconds. He was fifth in the prelims on Saturday with a slightly better time of 10.68 seconds, but the former FHSU football player turned in a good enough time on Sunday for All-MIAA honors. His best effort of the season, 10.57 seconds, ranks 28th in the nation. Both Vazquez and Tien were the top individual point performers for FHSU, each with six points for the team.

Vazquez joined Nathan Simpson, Ed Williams and DeAndre James in the 4×100 meters to finish fourth with a time of 41.59 seconds. The all-football player lineup generated five team points.

Jonny Bernnasky finished fifth in the 10,000 meters with a time of 31:45.63 to grab four team points. Nathan Purdue was seventh in the 1500 meters with a time of 3:57.74 and Bryan Bombardier was seventh in the high jump with a height of 6′ 6″, each generating two team points. Jameson Klein finished eighth in the shot put with a throw of 49′ 2.5″ to give FHSU one team point.

FHSU Sports Information

Fort Hays State saw its MIAA Softball Championships run come to an end in a 5-4 loss to Lindenwood in the second round of the consolation bracket on Friday (May 2).

FHSU (29-20) will now wait for the NCAA Division II Softball Selection Show, set for March 5 at 10 a.m. ET, to determine if it advances to postseason play.  The eight teams selected will compete in the NCAA Regional, set for May 9-11.

Erin Kinberger Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

Paxton Duran (17-9) started the game, tossing 4.1 innings with five strikeouts, but was tagged for five runs in the fifth. Kelsey Kimminau threw the final 2.2 innings in shutout fashion, not allowing a hit with two strikeouts.

Offensively, Biance Adame was 2-for-4 with two runs scored while Kellsi Olsen was 1-for-3 with a double.

The Tigers jumped ahead early, taking a 1-0 lead in the first on Danie Brinkmann’s RBI single.  Adame led off the game with a single to right before stealing second during Courtney Dobson’s at-bat.  Dobson reached on an error on a fly ball to right field, pushing Adame to third, and Brinkmann took a 1-1 pitch through the left side to give FHSU a lead by plating Adame.

Fort Hays State pushed that lead to three in the second, starting with Olsen’s one-out double down the left field line. Adame’s bunt single pushed Olsen to third before Adame stole second.  Later in the inning, with two down, Brinkmann reached on an error by LWU’s Courtney Kitson, allowing Olsen and Adame to dash home.

A five-run fifth inning proved fatal for the Tigers, however, as LWU strung together four hits and took advantage of an FHSU error to take the lead, 5-3.

In the seventh, Fort Hays State loaded the bases with no outs and looked for its second walk-off win of the tournament, but fell just short of the comeback victory.

Dobson led off the inning with a single to right, and after Brinkmann reached on an error by Kitson, Tori Beltz ripped a pinch hit single up the middle to load the bases.  Later in the inning, Kylei Strand hit a sacrifice fly to right field deep enough to score Dobson, but that was it for the Tigers as LWU advanced to the consolation semifinals.

By GERARD WELLBROCK

The Fort Hays State Tigers go 1-1 on the opening day of the MIAA softball championships Thursday night at the Blue Valley Recreation Complex in Overland Park, Kan. The Tigers rallied from a couple of two-run deficits to beat Central Missouri 6-5 in their opener but lost 7-4 in the quarterfinals to No. 8 seed Northeastern State, who upended regular season champ Emporia State in the first round.

Central Missouri hit a pair of two-run homers to grab leads of 2-0 and 4-2 then added a run in the sixth to go up[ 5-2. The Tigers rallied with two in the sixth on an Amanda Vaupel two-run homer. Courtney Dobson led off the seventh with a homer to tie the game, then Vaupel hit a two-out single to left scoring Danie Brinkmann with the game winning run.

Kellsi Olsen homered in the third to get the Tigers on the board. She tied the game with an RBI double in the fourth.

Paxton Duran picked up the complete game victory to move to 17-8, striking out 13 while walking just one.

The Tigers fell behind early in their second game against Northeastern State. Alyssa Aguilar’s three-run homer put the RiverHawks up 3-0. The Tigers would score on a Samantha Villarreal groundout in the first. They would tie the game with two in the second on sac fly from Bianca Adame and a Courtney Dobson RBI single. They took a 4-3 lead in the third on an Amanda Vaupel RBI single.

Northeastern tied the game with an unearned run in the fourth after Rilee Krier dropped a deep fly ball to right with two outs. The RiverHawks took the lead back for good with three in the fifth.

The Tigers tried to rally in the seventh. After reaching with a one-0ut double, Danie Brinkmann was thrown out at the plate to end the game after Paxton Duran singled.

Kelsey Kimminau took the loss, allowing all seven runs on nine hits over four 1/3 innings.

The 29-19 Tigers face Lindenwood in an elimination game at 11am Friday.

Central Missouri Highlights

Northeastern State Highlights

FHSU Sports Information

Fort Hays State Softball had eight selections to the 2014 All-MIAA team, headlined by First Team selection Callie Wright, announced Thursday (May 1) by the conference office.  Paxton Duran was named to the Second Team, while Danie Brinkmann, Courtney Dobson, Kellsi Olsen, Bianca Adame, Amanda Vaupel and Samantha Villarreal all earned honorable mention nods.

Wright, a senior from Topeka, Kan., was theTigers’ lone first team representative after starting 35 games at catcher and appearing in 38, hitting .348 (16-for-46) with five doubles and  two home runs, leading the team with a .587 slugging percentage.  For the second straight season, Wright has compiled at least 200 chances in the field without committing an error, and has caught eight no-hitters, including two perfect games, in her career. Wright’s two home runs of the season came in extra-innings as the go-ahead runs against Missouri Southern and Pittsburg State earlier in the year.  This is the second All-MIAA nod for Wright in her career, as she earned Second Team  honors in 2012.

Duran picked up her first career All-MIAA nod after going 16-8 in the regular season with a 3.01 ERA in 28 appearances.  A sophomore from Brighton, Colo., Duran has thrown 13 complete games this season and four shutouts this season, leading the Tigers with 127 strikeouts and a .249 batting average against in 139.1 innings.  Duran has struck out at least five batters in 15 games, and at least four in 18 games, including a streak of nine straight appearances with at least four strikeouts.  Additionally, the pitcher threw her first career no-hitter against Northeastern State on March 21.

The three Tiger infielders who earned All-MIAA honorable mention – Dobson, Brinkmann and Olsen – started all 46 games for the FHSU at their respective positions.

Brinkmann led the team with 30 RBI, 22 walks and a .409 on-base percentage this season, and broke the school’s career walks record with 76 free passes in three seasons.  Brinkmann’s .305 average and three home runs ranked among the team’s leaders this season, going with eight multi-hit games and six multi-RBI contests.  This is the third All-MIAA honorable mention honor for Brinkmann in her career, as she earned the nomination in 2011 and 2013.

Dobson’s .350 average led the Tigers this season, as she drove in 26 with eight multi-RBI games and 14 multi-hit games, including four three-hit performances. Dobson is second on the team with 94 assists in the field this season and sports a .967 fielding percentage.  At the plate, the sophomore from Broken Arrow, Okla., has drawn 14 walks and slugged .420 with seven doubles and one home run. This is the second straight year Dobson earned All-MIAA honorable mention after earning the honors in 2013.

Olsen, a senior from Wickenburg, Ariz., provided 104 assists and 72 put outs in the field this season to go with six doubles and three home runs.  The shortstop’s .366 on-base percentage was fourth among FHSU starters, and her.261 average came with a game-winning walk off home run against Metro State earlier this season. Olsen was named All-MIAA honorable mention in 2013

Adame started all 46 games in the outfield for the Tigers this season, leading the team with five triples and 27stolen bases.  Tied with Wright for second on the team with a .348 average, Adame hit leadoff for most of the year, scoring a team best 31 runs.  The senior from El Paso, Texas holds the school’s career stolen base record with 67 swipes in 74 career attempts.  On senior day this season, Adame doubled her season RBI total with eight runs batted in in Game 1of a doubleheader with Nebraska-Kearney.  This is the second All-MIAA honor for Adame in her career, as was earned honorable mention in 2013.

Amanda Vaupel started in centerfield for all 42 of her appearances this season, tying for the team lead in doubles (10) while sitting second with three home runs, one triple and a .466 slugging percentage.  The junior from Olathe, Kan., hit .284 on the year, closing out the final 20 games of the season with a .304 batting average.  Vaupel had seven multi-hit games and four multi-RBI games, finishing second among the team’s outfielders with 40 putouts.  This is the third career All-MIAA selection for Vaupel, having earned Second Team honors in 2013 and honorable mention honors in 2012.

Freshman Samantha Villarreal earned the honors as a utility/non-pitcher, appearing in 40 games and starting 25 in the outfield or at designated  player.  Villarreal leads the team with four home runs and is batting .287 this season, slugging .437 with 18 RBI.  From Loveland, Colo., Villarreal drew 10 walks this season with five multi-hit games and four multi-RBI performances.  Villarreal had two homeruns in a game versus Northwest Missouri earlier this year.

Fort Hays State is the fourth seed in the MIAA Softball Championships this weekend, taking on fifth-seeded Central Missouri in the first round on Thursday (May 1) in Overland Park, Kan.

The complete 2014 All-MIAA Teams are below…

Player of the Year: Tiffany Brown, Sr., Pittsburg State**
Pitcher of the Year: Jackie Bishop, Sr., Missouri Western
Defensive Player of the Year: Tori Collet, C, Central Oklahoma
Freshman of the Year: Chantel Adams, SS, Northwest Missouri
Coach of the Year: Julie LeMaire, Emporia State**

1st Team
Pitcher: Jackie Bishop, Sr., Missouri Western
Pitcher: Kalynn Schrock, Sr., Central Oklahoma
Catcher: Callie Wright, Sr., Fort Hays State
First Base: Tiffany Gillaspy, Jr., Missouri Western
Second Base: Ally Dziadula, So., Central Oklahoma
Shortstop: Taylor Zordel, Jr., Emporia State$
Third Base: Jessica Gragg, Jr., Emporia State
Outfield: Tiffany Brown, Sr. Pittsburg State**
Outfield: Stephanie Goodwin, Jr., Emporia State**
Outfield: Kaylee Brunson, Jr., Central Oklahoma
Designated Player: McKenzie Rynard, Jr., Pittsburg State
Utility/Non-Pitcher: Marina Quimby, So., Washburn
Utility/Pitcher: Jakki Prater, Jr., Central Missouri
**= Unanimous Selection
$= Repeat First Team Selection

2nd Team
Pitcher: Kaitlyn Caston, Jr., Emporia State
Pitcher: Paxton Duran, So., Fort Hays State
Catcher: Tori Collet, So., Central Oklahoma
First Base: Courtney Opich, Sr., Lindenwood
Second Base: Torri Blythe, Jr., Northwest Missouri^
Second Base: Katie Schroeder, Sr., Washburn^
Shortstop: Chantel Adams, Fr., Northwest Missouri
Third Base: Ashton Smith, So., Central Oklahoma
Outfield: Cheslyn Mitchell, Jr., Pittsburg State#
Outfield: Brooke Zukerman, So., Central Oklahoma#
Outfield: Devyn Frazier, Jr., Central Oklahoma#
Outfield: Shelby Romines, Sr., Missouri Southern#
Designated Player: Alexah Replogle, Fr., Missouri Southern
Utility/Non-Pitcher: Ashleigh Tramel, Fr., Central Oklahoma
Utility/Pitcher: Samantha Carson, Fr., Washburn
^= Two second basemen due to tie in the voting
#= Four Outfielders due to tie in the voting

Honorable Mention
Pitcher: Katie Shockley, Jr., Central Missouri; Kendall Ryndak, Jr., Lindenwood; Janie Smith, So., Missouri Western; Kayce Wooldridge, So., Northeastern State; Sam Grove, Jr., Pittsburg State.
Catcher: Shantae Duren, Sr., Lincoln; Brittany Rozier, Jr., Lindenwood; Kathryn Goins, Jr., Missouri Southern; Kat Steponovich, Sr., Missouri Western; Navada Campos, Sr., Northeastern State; Nicole Nease, Fr., Pittsburg State
First Base: Lauren Mabe, Fr., Central Missouri; Emily Ditmore, Jr., Central Oklahoma; Tricia Vogel, Sr., Emporia State; Danie Brinkmann, Sr., Fort Hays State; Erin Sommerer, Sr., Lincoln; Dawn Grass, Sr., Missouri Southern; Kate Ruwe, So., Nebraska-Kearney; Allyson Pogue, Sr., Northeastern State; Stephanie Mark, Jr., Northwest Missouri; Alex Perez, So., Pittsburg State; Lauren Thimmesch, Jr., Washburn
Second Base: Ali Jo Rogers, So., Central Missouri; Taylor Reichard, Sr., Emporia State; Courtney Dobson, So., Fort Hays State; Madison Boyd, Fr., Northeastern State
Shortstop: Braylyn Bivens, Sr., Central Missouri; Hannah Justus, Sr., Central Oklahoma; Kellsi Olsen, Sr., Fort Hays State; Sam Kircher, Jr., Lincoln; Courtney Kitson, So., Lindenwood; Michala Wood, So., Missouri Southern; Taylor Anding, Sr., Missouri Western; Alyssa Aguilar, Jr., Northeastern State; Jordan Bradshaw, Fr. Pittsburg State; Shelby Erickson, Sr., Washburn
Third Base: Emily King, So., Central Missouri; Diedre Merli, Jr., Lindenwood; Katie Klosterman., Fr., Missouri Western; Caitlyn Cooner, So., Southwest Baptist.
Outfield: Alex Groeger, Sr., Central Missouri; Jess Neely, Jr., Central Missouri; Andrea Piezuch, Sr., Emporia State; Bianca Adame, Sr., Fort Hays State; Amanda Vaupel, Jr., Fort Hays State; Hannah Braun, Jr., Lindenwood; Jessica Castoe, Fr., Missouri Southern; Chloe Brown, Sr., Missouri Southern; Bre Fleschner, Jr., Missouri Western; Sydney Washington, Fr., Missouri Western; Morgan Rathman, Fr., Missouri Western; Madison Reed, Sr., Northeastern State; Megan Robison, Sr., Northeastern State; Jordan Ereth, Sr., Northwest Missouri; Brenna George, Sr., Pittsburg State; Haylee Marsteller, So., Washburn
Utility/Non-Pitcher: Lindsey Dawson, Fr., Central Missouri; Samantha Villareal, Fr., Fort Hays State; Rachel Harding, So., Missouri Southern.
Utility/Pitcher: Eryn Stockman, Fr., Emporia State

The Fort Hays State softball team drops a spot in the latest NCAA II Central Region rankings. The Tigers fall to No. 9 after spending the last couple of weeks in the No. 8 position. Arkansas Tech jumps past the Tigers to the No. 8 spot.

Winona State (Minn.) takes over the top spot with last week’s No. 1, Emporia State, falling to No. 2. Defending national champ Central Oklahoma and Missouri Western are also ranked from the MIAA.

The top eight teams in the final region ranking advance to next week’s NCAA tournament.

Complete Region Rankings

Fort Hays State is the four-seed and opens with Central Missouri in the MIAA tournament Thursday at 6pm in Overland Park, Kan. You can hear the game on KAYS (1400-AM).

	Central Region	Overall DII	In-Region
1	Winona State	38-6	28-6
2	Emporia State	43-10	42-10
3	Minnesota State-Mankato	41-9	36-7
4	Augustana (S.D.)	40-11	34-11
5	Central Oklahoma	39-13	39-13
6	Missouri Western State	34-16	34-16
7	Southeastern Oklahoma	35-15	35-15
8	Arkansas Tech	31-25	31-25
9	Fort Hays State	28-18	26-17
10	Southern Arkansas	31-23	28-21

 

Missouri Athletics

COLUMBIA, Mo. – The University of Missouri announced on Monday that former University of Central Missouri head coach Kim Anderson, 58, a two-time graduate of Mizzou (’79 and ’81) and the 2014 NABC National Coach of the Year, has agreed to become the 18th men’s basketball coach in school history.

Anderson will be officially introduced at a press conference in the Great Room of the Reynolds Alumni Center at 10 a.m. on Tuesday morning. Fans and media are welcomed to attend this event.

The move by Director of Athletics Mike Alden signaled a return to Missouri’s proud history and helps the program welcome back a “True Son” (Sedalia, Mo.) who is coming off a 30-5 record with the Mules and the 2014 NCAA Division II National Championship. Anderson’s national title run at UCM becomes even more impressive considering the program welcomed in 10 new players last season and had just one returning student-athlete averaging more than 4.7 points per game.

“We are pleased and excited to have Kim Anderson leading our program,” Alden said. “He’s a man of great character, integrity and respect. He has demonstrated the ability to mentor young men on and off the court, academically and socially. He’s a proven winner on all levels, and he’s built tremendous relationships around the country in the basketball community, which assists greatly with recruiting and other important aspects for a program. Lastly, the fact that he’s a Missouri Tiger at heart is important, he is committed to Mizzou and has a passion to build a program of which all Tiger fans will be proud.”

“I am excited that Kim Anderson will lead our men’s basketball program moving forward, and I welcome him back to Mizzou” said Chancellor Bowen Loftin. “Kim is a tremendous teacher and coach with a proven track record as a winner, both as a player and as a person. More importantly, his integrity and values-centered approach will help us recruit elite student-athletes who will win championships and make us proud both on and off of the court.”

It’s easy to see why Anderson was targeted early by Alden. He embodies the key characteristics of his fan base and his former mentor, Norm Stewart. Anderson spent 12 seasons in total at UCM and won nearly 75 percent of his games over a decade-plus worth of work. Anderson went 274-94 (.743) during that span and finished his career ranked among the Top 10 in career winning percentage all-time at the NCAA Division II level. In addition to his consistent winning approach, Anderson helped the Mules collect league and national hardware, winning or sharing six Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) regular season conference titles and advancing to seven NCAA Tournaments. The Mules advanced to three Final Fours under his watch, reaching the national semifinals in 2007 and 2009 before defeating West Liberty, 84-77, in the title game this year in Evansville, Ind. During its 2014 national title charge UCM earned tournament wins over Top 10 programs No. 4 Southern Connecticut State (98-88), No. 1 Metro State (71-69) and No. 7 West Liberty.

In addition to being one of the Top 10 winningest coaches in Division II history, Anderson resigns his spot in Warrensburg as the school’s all-time winningest coach. He led the Mules to three 30-win seasons, the only 30-win seasons in school history. He finished above .500 his 11 finals seasons and won 20 games seven times in 12 years, finishing among the MIAA’s top three in the league standings nine times over his final 10 seasons.

“I’m honored and humbled to have the opportunity to return to Mizzou and lead a program that our family is so vested in,” Anderson said after accepting the head coaching position Monday afternoon. “When we took over in Warrensburg 12 years ago, we faced an uphill battle. We had support, we had a winning history and great campus leadership, but the program had lost its identity. I see that same opportunity here at Missouri. We have great leadership with Dr. Loftin and Mike Alden, and I know we have a passionate fan base. We have a lot of work ahead of us and that work starts today, but as a Missourian I embrace this challenge and look forward to bringing championship basketball back to Norm Stewart Court and Mizzou Arena.”

Anderson spent 11 seasons on staff at Mizzou over two stints (1982-85 and 1991-99) and served six years as an assistant coach at Baylor (1985-91) under Gene Iba. Anderson was first a graduate assistant for Stewart from 1982-85 and helped the program to the 1983 Big Eight title, the program’s fourth straight, before taking his first full-time assistant coaching role with the Bears two years later.

In Waco, Texas, Anderson and Iba teamed to help Baylor to its first NCAA Tournament in 38 years in 1988 and returned to Missouri in a full-time capacity three seasons later, serving as an assistant coach for five more NCAA Tournament teams, including the 1993-94 squad that finished 14-0 in conference action and won the Big Eight Championship. That team earned a No. 1 seed in the 1994 NCAA Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight.

As a player, Anderson embodies what it means to be a student-athlete at Mizzou. He graduated from Missouri with degrees in education in 1979 and in 1981 (Masters). He was an Academic All-Big Eight selection in 1975 and 1977. He helped Mizzou win its first Big Eight crown under the Hall of Famer Stewart in 1976 and was the Big Eight Player of the Year in 1977, averaging 18.3 points and 7.9 rebounds per game as a senior. He finished his Tiger career with 1,289 points, currently No. 24 all-time in program history, and his final two seasons saw Mizzou win 20 games in back-to-back years for just the second time ever.

Anderson went on to be drafted in the second round of the 1977 NBA Draft by the Portland Trailblazers, playing 21 games for the late Dr. Jack Ramsey during the 1978-79 season. He later completed his professional playing career in Italy and France until returning to assist the Tigers in 1982.

Anderson is a member of numerous Hall of Fames around the state of Missouri. He was inducted into the University of Missouri Athletics Hall of Fame in 1999 and the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in Springfield in 2005 as a student-athlete. He was later inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame for his coaching accomplishments in 2012. In 2006 he was named to the Mizzou Basketball All-Century Team in a fan vote.

Prior to taking over the reins at Central Missouri, Anderson served two years as assistant commissioner of the Big 12 Conference. He was the league liaison for men’s basketball and oversaw the officiating programs and the postseason tournament. Anderson and his wife of 37 years, Melissa, have two sons, Ryan and Brett. Brett will graduate from Missouri next month. Contractual details for Coach Anderson will be released on Tuesday.

Kim Anderson Head Coaching Career
Year	Record	Pct.	MIAA	Finish	Pct.	Postseason
2002-03	13-15	.464	7-11	7th	.389	MIAA Tournament
2003-04	18-10	.643	10-8	4th	.556	MIAA Tournament
2004-05	24-7	.774	14-4	1st	.778	NCAA Tournament
2005-06	24-8	.750	11-5	2nd	.688	NCAA Tournament
2006-07	31-4	.886	15-3	1st	.833	NCAA Final Four
2007-08	18-10	.643	11-7	3rd	.611	MIAA Tournament
2008-09	30-5	.857	16-4	2nd	.800	NCAA Final Four
2009-10	27-4	.871	18-2	1st	.900	NCAA Sweet Sixteen
2010-11	18-11	.620	13-9	5th	.591	MIAA Tournament
2011-12	19-8	.704	15-5	T-1st	.750	MIAA Tournament
2012-13	22-8	.733	13-5	T-1st	.722	NCAA Tournament
2013-14	30-5	.857	16-3	1st	.842	2014 NCAA National Championship

FHSU Sports Information

Fort Hays State junior Trey Herman has been selected as an individual to the Division II Midwest/Central Regional to be held May 5-7 at Fox Run Golf Club in Eureka, Mo., just outside of St. Louis. Herman was one of four individuals on non-qualifying teams from the regional to be selected.

Teams selected to compete in the event from the Central Region include Central Missouri, Arkansas Tech, Henderson State, Northeastern State, Central Oklahoma, Nebraska-Kearney, Southeastern Oklahoma State, Lindenwood, Southwestern Oklahoma State, and St. Cloud State. Individuals selected included Herman, Ross Miller of Minnesota State, Kowan O’Keefe of Minot State, and Ryan Burek of Missouri Southern.

Herman finished second in the MIAA individual point standings in the regular season and earned All-MIAA honors. He looks for the chance to advance to the NCAA Championships if he can be one of the top two individuals at the regional.

FHSU Sports Information

Fort Hays State Softball dropped its regular season finale by an 8-2 decision to Nebraska-Kearney before the second game of a doubleheader was canceled due to severe weather in the area.

FHSU finishes the regular season at 28-18 overall, closing out the MIAA portion with a 17-9 record.

Kylie Strand led the offense, going 2-for-3 with an RBI while Danie Brinkmann was 1-for-3 with an RBI double and a run scored. Bianca Adame was 2-for-4 with a run.

Paxton Duran (16-8) threw the first 3.1 innings, taking the loss after allowing five runs on six hits and walking three with two strikeouts. Jordan Jones tossed the final 2.2 innings, allowing three runs on six hits.

FHSU got the scoring started in the third, as Adame singled before stealing second and taking third on Courtney Dobson’s ground out.  With one down, Brinkmann lined a shot to left field for a double, scoring Adame and giving FHSU a 1-0 lead.  After Callie Wright walked, Strand took a ball the opposite way for a single, scoring Brinkmann and stretching the Tigers’ lead to two.

The Lopers would tie the game in the bottom of the third on Sarah Rome’s two-RBI double before scoring three runs in the fourth and fifth innings to put the game way.

Game 2 was called in the bottom of the first with the score tied, 0-0.

The Tigers are the fourth seed in the MIAA Championships next week (May 1-4) in Overland Park, Kan.  FHSU will face Central Missouri, the fifth-seed, at 6 p.m.