Fort Hays State vs. Adams State
Friday, November 15, 2019 – 7 pm
Radio: KJLS (103.3-FM)
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Fort Hays State vs. Cameron
Saturday, November 16, 2019 – 5 pm
Radio: KAYS (94.3-FM, 1400-AM)
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HAYS, Kan. – The No. 7/3 Fort Hays State women’s basketball team makes its home debut this weekend with a pair of non-conference matchups. The Tigers will open their home schedule Friday (Nov. 15) against Adams State at 7 p.m. before facing off with Cameron on Saturday (Nov. 16) at 5 p.m.

Both contests will be the second game of a doubleheader, with Nebraska-Kearney battling Cameron at 5 p.m. Friday and Adams State at 3 p.m. Saturday. Daily upper level general admission tickets are available for $10 and will be good for both games that day.

The Tigers return to Gross Memorial Coliseum with a 2-0 record after opening the season with a pair of wins last weekend in St. Joseph, Mo. Just one week into the season, FHSU is one of three remaining undefeated MIAA programs (UCO 3-0, UNK 2-0). Adams State brings an 0-2 record to Hays, while Cameron is 1-1 so far this season.

Fort Hays State has won 15 straight home openers, with the last loss coming at the start of the 2003-04 season. The Tigers are 23-4 in home openers during the NCAA DII era.

The Tigers have won their last 36 non-conference regular season games and 69 of their last 70. The streak is even longer at home, as the Tigers have not lost a regular season non-conference game inside Gross Memorial Coliseum since 2008, winning the last 52 such contests. Head coach Tony Hobson is 77-5 in regular season non-conference games, including a 54-2 mark at home.

It will be a renewal of an old RMAC rivalry Friday when the Tigers face off with the Adams State Grizzlies. Fort Hays State dominated the annual series, winning 23 of the 24 matchups between 1990 and 2006, including an unblemished 12-0 record in Hays. This is the first meeting between the teams since FHSU joined the MIAA in advance of the 2006-07 season. The Tigers are 9-0 against RMAC schools under Hobson

This is the third meeting all-time with Cameron, all of which have been played inside Gross Memorial Coliseum. The Tigers are 2-0 against the Aggies all-time, including one win under Hobson back in 2014-15 (93-52, 11/22/14). FHSU is 4-0 against schools from the Lone Star Conference under Hobson.

Belle Barbieri opened her senior year with a solid weekend in St. Joe, averaging a double-double with 11.0 points and 15.0 rebounds per game. Her 15.0 rebounds per contest leads the conference and ranks third nationally in NCAA Division II.

Kacey Kennett had a game to remember in Saturday’s win over Concordia-St. Paul. The senior led the Tigers with 20 points, her seventh 20-point performance as a Tiger, while matching her career-best with five assists and seven steals. She capped off the memorable day by eclipsing 1,000 career points for her career on a free throw that gave the Tigers the lead for good.

Lanie Page was FHSU’s leading scorer for the weekend, averaging 13.5 points per night. The senior paced the Tigers with 14 points in Friday’s victory before adding 13 points on Saturday.

Adams State dropped its first two games of the year last weekend in Stephenville, Texas, scoring 53.5 points per game while surrendering 72.5 points per game to its opponents. The Grizzles are led in scoring by Zakiya Beckles, who averages 10.0 points per contest. Ally McKenzie scored 19 points in Saturday’s loss to Adams State, including a 13-for-16 effort from the charity stripe.

The Aggies averaged 65.5 points per game last weekend while allowing opponents an average of 76.5 points per night. Sophomore Maighan Hedge leads Cameron in scoring with an average of 17.5 points per game. Freshman Kami Porter added 13.5 points per contest in her first action with the Aggies. CU turned the ball over 43 times last weekend, averaging 21.5 turnovers per contest. Head coach Emma Andrews is in her fourth season leading the Aggies, compiling a 33-53 record over that span.

RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – Fort Hays State Men’s Soccer had seven student-athletes named to the All-GAC Team for the 2019 season on Thursday evening (Nov. 14). Santiago Agudelo is the Offensive Player of the Year, Sergio Villalba is the Defender of the Year, Alec Bevis is the Freshman of the Year, and Gerry Cleary is the Coach of the Year. The Tigers received three first-team, two second-team, and two honorable mention selections.

First-team selections went to senior forward Santiago Agudelo, senior defender Sergio Villalba, and sophomore midfielder Rogelio Lopez.

Agudelo adds another conference player of the year honor to his impressive resume as a Tiger. The Frisco, Texas native was the MIAA Player of the Year in 2018 and adds the GAC Offensive Player of the Year honor this season. Agudelo has 34 points on the season, producing 14 goals and 6 assists to lead the GAC-Champion Tigers. Last year, he also received the D2CCA Central Region and National Player of the Year awards with 58 points (26 goals, 6 assists). He now has a total of 92 points in his two seasons on the field for the Tigers, which is a school record.

Villalba receives the GAC Defender of the Year honor and the first all-conference first team honor of his career at FHSU. A native of Asuncion, Paraguay, Villalba is now a three-time all-conference recipient after earning All-MIAA Second Team honors in 2016 and 2018. Last year, he also earned D2CCA All-Central Region 2nd Team honors. Villalba has appeared in 78 matches throughout his career at FHSU playing 6,285 minutes, accmumulating 32 points (13 goals, 6 assists).

Lopez is now a two-time all-conference performer by earning first-team honors in the midfield. The Katy, Texas native was the MIAA Freshman of the Year in 2018, while also garnering an all-conference second team selection. Has 10 points this season to rank fifth on the team and has a total of 24 points over 36 matches in two seasons at FHSU.

Second-team selections went to junior defender Moritz Walther and senior midfielder Mauricio Etcheverry.

Walther is now a two-time all-conference performer at Fort Hays State. The Wiesloch, Germany native earned All-MIAA First Team and D2CCA All-Central Region Second Team honors last year as a midfielder. Walther moved to the back line to strengthen the Tiger defense this year, but still ranks third on the team in scoring with 12 points (5 goals, 2 assists). Walther has 24 points over two seasons at FHSU. He was also named a GAC/MIAA Distinguished Scholar Student-Athlete for having more than 70 college credit hours and at least a grade point average of 3.7.

Etcheverry picks up the first all-conference honor of his career at FHSU. The Asuncion, Paraguay native has 12 points in his career over 60 matches at FHSU, producing 3 goals and 6 assists.

Earning honorable mention nods were freshman defender Alec Bevis and freshman midfielder Jacob Basden.

Bevis is the 2019 GAC Freshman of the Year. The Wichita, Kansas native leads FHSU in minutes played this year with 1,580. He has played entire matches in 14 of 18 contests so far this year, while helping FHSU allow an average of 1.3 goals per match. He also has two points this year, both on assists.

Basden has been a nice steady addition to the midfield for FHSU this year. The Dural, Australia native has logged 817 minutes and started 11 of the last 14 contests.

Cleary picks up conference coach of the year honors in his first season guiding Fort Hays State. By guiding FHSU to the conference regular season title, Cleary has now led collegiate programs he has coached to 16 conference titles. This is Cleary’s eighth conference coach of the year honor after earning the distinction seven times as a head coach at Martin Methodist College.

Below is the 2019 All-GAC Men’s Soccer Team.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR – FORT HAYS STATE – Santiago Agudelo, F, Sr., Frisco, Texas

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR – FORT HAYS STATE – Sergio Villalba, D, Sr., Asuncion, Paraguay

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR – ROGERS STATE – Jaime Ponce, D, Jr., Enid, Oklahoma

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR – FORT HAYS STATE – Alec Bevis, D, Wichita, Kansas

COACH OF THE YEAR – FORT HAYS STATE – Gerry Cleary

GAC/MIAA ELITE SCHOLAR STUDENT-ATHLETE
Joshua Tatarian, Northeastern State

GAC/MIAA DISTINGUISHED SCHOLAR STUDENT-ATHLETES:
Moritz Walther, Fort Hays State
Andre Cunha, Harding
Jonathan Curnutt, Harding
Matheus Ribeiro, Harding
Erol Banuelos, Rogers State
Jarrod Cooper, Rogers State
Jake Simpson, Rogers State

All-GAC/MIAA First Team
* F FORT HAYS STATE – #9 Santiago Agudelo, Sr., Frisco, Texas
F NEWMAN – #14 Eddie Jabbari, Sr., Reading, England
F NORTHEASTERN STATE – #19 Flynn Semmerling, So., Hamburg, Germany
F ROGERS STATE – #7 Jake Simpson, Sr., Cambridge, England
* MF NEWMAN – #10 Victor Rubio Lopez, So., Madrid, Spain
MF FORT HAYS STATE – #6 Rogelio Lopez, So., Katy, Texas
MF HARDING – #14 Christian Ramos, Sr., Denton, Texas
MF ROGERS STATE – #8 Noah Robson, Sr., Liverpool, England
* D FORT HAYS STATE – #13 Sergio Villalba, Sr., Asuncion, Paraguay
D NORTHEASTERN STATE – #15 James Doyle, Jr., Merseyside, England
D ROGERS STATE – #5 Jaimie Ponce, Jr., Enid, Oklahoma
D ROGERS STATE – #6 Micheal Turner, Jr., Ramford, England
G ROGERS STATE – #1 Dillon Dean, Jr., Mustang, Oklahoma

All-GAC/MIAA Second Team
F HARDING – #7 Jeremy Nwonumah, Sr., Chicago, Illinois
F NEWMAN – #9 Ignacio Lerech, Jr., Tucuman, Argentina
F NORTHEASTERN STATE – #11 Aaron Ugbah, Sr., Tulsa, Oklahoma
F ROGERS STATE – #10 Jordan Watson, Jr., London, England
MF NORTHEASTERN STATE – #14 Scott Adams, Sr., Jenks, Oklahoma
MF OKLAHOMA BAPTIST – #8 Alejandro Castillo, Sr., Peralta, Spain
MF FORT HAYS STATE – #17 Mauricio Etcheverry, Sr., Asuncion, Paraguay
MF SOUTHERN NAZARENE – #18 Angel Lopez, So., Dallas, Texas
D OUACHITA – #12 Kobe Coleman, So., Georgetown, Texas
D HARDING – #15 Adrian Renteria, Fr., Grand Prairie, Texas
D FORT HAYS STATE – #20 Moritz Walther, Jr., Wiesloch, Germany
D NORTHEASTERN STATE – #7 Ben Watson, Sr., Sherman, Texas
G NEWMAN – #1 Jean Claude Console, So., Aosta, Italy
G NORTHEASTERN STATE – #0 Justin Hinman, So., Little Rock, Arkansas

All-GAC/MIAA Honorable Mention
MF FORT HAYS STATE – #8 Jacob Basden, Fr., Dural, Australia
MF OUACHITA – #11 Noa Cuellar, Sr., Frisco, Texas
MF ROGERS STATE – #9 Callum Hubble, Jr., Chelmsford, England
MF OUACHITA – #10 Abraham Lazo, Sr., Irving, Texas
MF HARDING – #10 Matheus Ribeiro, Sr., Belo Horizonte, Brazil
MF NORTHEASTERN STATE – #4 Sam Scarth, Fr., Liverpool, England
MF NEWMAN – #7 Santiago Martinez Zuviria, Jr., Buenos Aires, Argentina
D FORT HAYS STATE – #5 Alec Bevis, Fr., Wichita, Kansas
D OUACHITA – #5 Jakob Cuellar, Sr., Frisco, Texas
D NEWMAN – #12 Enzo Nalis, Jr., Bastia, France
D SOUTHERN NAZARENE – #25 Eric Romero, Fr., Dallas, Texas
D NEWMAN – #4 Fernando Rubio Garcia, Sr., Sevilla, Spain
D NORTHEASTERN STATE – #5 Sadaam Yousufzai, Jr., Toronto, Ontario, Canada
G HARDING – #00 Carlos Calderon, Sr., Santander, Spain
G OUACHITA – #1 Matt Day, So., Texarkana, Texas

INDIANAPOLIS – In the latest installment of the NCAA Regional Rankings, Fort Hays State men’s soccer checks in at No. 8 in Super Region 3.

Previously, the Tigers earned the seventh spot the super region before falling to Newman. FHSU then became the No. 9 ranked team but this week moves back up one spot after finishing the regular season with a pair of wins and a regular season conference title.

The top five teams in Super Region 3 remained unchanged from last week. Lake Erie (Ohio) tops the field, followed by Bellarmine (Ky.), Ohio Valley (W.Va.), Maryville (Mo.) and McKendree (Ill.).

Along with FHSU, Cedarville (Ohio), which occupies the sixth spot, and Tiffin (Ohio), clocking in at seven, also have moved up one spot from the previous release.

Great American Conference foe Rogers State remains in the ranks, moving up one spot from No. 12 to No. 11.

With the GAC Tournament yet to be played, both FHSU and Rogers State will have an opportunity to rise in the NCAA rankings. The Tigers go head-to-head against the Bisons from Harding University on Friday (Nov. 15), while the Hillcats take on the Northeastern State RiverHawks.

The winner of those two matchups will be slated in the championship game on Sunday (Nov. 17).

This week’s release of the NCAA Super Region Rankings will be the last before the NCAA Division II Selection Show, which airs on Monday, Nov. 18.

 

Below are the rankings for Super Region 3 through games as of Nov. 10, 2019:

 

SUPER-REGION 3
Rank	School	In-Region Record	DII Record
1	Lake Erie	18-1-0	18-1-0
2	Bellarmine	14-0-4	14-0-4
3	Ohio Valley	12-3-2	12-3-2
4	Maryville (Mo.)	15-2-2	15-2-2
5	McKendree	14-2-2	14-2-2
6	Cedarville	10-2-6	10-2-6
7	Tiffin	9-4-5	9-4-5
8	Fort Hays State	12-5-1	12-5-1
9	Indianapolis	12-5-1	12-5-1
10	Saginaw Valley State	12-5-1	12-5-1
11	Rogers State	12-5-1	12-5-1
12	Walsh	8-6-3	10-6-3
12	Wisconsin-Parkside	11-5-2	11-5-1

HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State men’s soccer head coach Gerry Cleary announced this morning the signing of Class of 2020 freshman, Ethan Doud.

Doud will be making the move from one tiger family to the next as he prepares to continue his soccer journey in black and gold. Currently a senior at Goddard-Eisenhower High School, he was ranked the preseason No. 1 high school player in the Greater Wichita area and will be bringing his highly touted skills to a program riddled with success.

As an All-Metro selection in 2018, the central midfielder posted seven goals and 13 assists through 18 games. Doud led his team to an 18-1-1 record in the 2019 campaign, a top four placement in the Class 5A bracket, and a top 10 ranking in Kansas according to MaxPreps.

“No player in the Wichita area controls the game the same way,” wrote Hayden Barber of the Wichita Eagle. “Last year, Doud pulled the strings for Eisenhower on its way to a share of the AVCTL II title. Although not a high-volume scorer like other in the area, Doud’s vision and soccer IQ set him apart from others in Kansas. Those attributes earned himself spot on the Eagle’s All-Metro team and AVCTL II first team.”

Doud has earned an additional accolade on the AVCTL II First Team for the production during his senior season as well as the AVCTL II Player of the Year honor.

“We are excited that Ethan has chosen to be a Tiger,” Cleary stated. “Our staff has a great relationship with him and his family. He is one of the top players in the state and we know he will be the same for us.”

Doud starred as a three-sport athlete collecting three varsity letters in wrestling spending time on the diamond as a member of the baseball team. He has also spent time playing at the club level for FC Wichita’s U20 Academy team.

WACO, Texas – Fort Hays State Football continues to receive votes in the latest AFCA Top 25 Poll, released on Monday, as it heads into the final week of the 2019 season. The Tigers dropped from the D2Football.com Top 25 Poll, a list they found themselves in the last two weeks until the tough double overtime loss to Northwest Missouri State at home last week.

The double overtime loss in a battle of nationally ranked teams last week in Hays went the way of Northwest Missouri, but was enough to keep the Tigers among the teams receiving votes. Central Missouri remains undefeated at 10-0 going into the final week of the season and holds the No. 9 ranking in the AFCA Poll, while Northwest Missouri remained No. 12 in the AFCA Poll. In the latest D2Football.com Poll released on Tuesday (Nov. 12), UCM is one notch lower in the rankings at No. 10, while NWMSU is No. 12 in that poll as well. FHSU and Missouri Western are receiving votes in the AFCA Poll, both tied for third in the MIAA with 7-3 records.

The Tigers dropped out of the D2Football.com media poll. They had been ranked 24th entering Saturday’s game with the Bearcats.

Fort Hays State finishes its 2019 schedule with Northeastern State on Saturday (Nov. 16) in Tahlequah, Oklahoma at 2 pm. Northeastern State remains winless going into the final week of the season. The Tigers are looking for their fifth-straight season of at least eight wins under Chris Brown, while the senior class is looking to be the winningest in program history by win percentage with the potential of posting a 36-11 mark. If they can reach 36 wins on Saturday, it would match the win total produced by the 2018 senior class.

Below is the AFCA Top 25 Poll for November 11, 2019.

Rank	School (1st votes)	Record	Pts.	Prev.	Week 10	Next Game
1.	Valdosta St. (Ga.) (28)	9-0	772	1	D. No. 20 West Florida, 26-21	Nov. 16 at West Georgia
2.	Ferris St. (Mich.) (1)	10-0	742	2	D. No. 14 Grand Valley St. (Mich.), 21-16	Regular Season Complete
3.	Tarleton St. (Texas) (2)	10-0	710	3	D. William Jewell (Mo.), 58-3	Nov. 16 at Western New Mexico
4.	Minnesota St.	10-0	685	4	D. Sioux Falls (S.D.), 42-39	Nov. 16 at Upper Iowa
5.	Ouachita Baptist (Ark.)	10-0	626	5	D. Arkansas-Monticello, 35-7	Nov. 16 vs. No. 20 Henderson St. (Ark.)
6.	Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.)	10-0	614	7	D. North Carolina-Pembroke, 45-31	Nov. 16 at Catawba (N.C.)
7.	Colorado School of Mines	10-0	590	8	D. Dixie St. (Utah), 35-27	Nov. 16 at Chadron St. (Neb.)
8.	Slippery Rock (Pa.)	10-0	552	9	D. Gannon (Pa.), 56-7	Nov. 16 at No. 13 Kutztown (Pa.)
9.	Central Missouri	10-0	522	10	D. Lincoln (Mo.), 73-6	Nov. 16 at No. 12 Northwest Missouri St.
10.	Colorado St.-Pueblo	9-1	434	11	D. Black Hills St. (S.D.), 58-0	Nov. 16 vs. Western Colorado
11.	Bowie St. (Md.)	10-0	426	13	D. Elizabeth City St. (N.C.), 60-21	Nov. 16 vs. Fayetteville St. (N.C.)
12.	Northwest Missouri St.	9-1	419	12	D. Fort Hays St. (Kan.), 36-33 2OT	Nov. 16 vs. No. 9 Central Missouri
13.	Kutztown (Pa.)	10-0	418	15	D. Millersville (Pa.), 37-17	Nov. 16 vs. No. 8 Slippery Rock (Pa.)
14.	Harding (Ark.)	9-1	371	16	D. Southeastern Oklahoma St., 35-14	Nov. 16 at Arkansas Tech
15.	Notre Dame (Ohio)	9-1	318	6	Lost to Glenville St. (W.Va.), 23-20 OT	Nov. 16 at West Virginia St.
16.	Indianapolis (Ind.)	8-1	315	17	D. No. 23 Truman St. (Mo.), 44-28	Nov. 16 vs. Lake Erie (Ohio)
17.	Wingate (N.C.)	9-1	289	18	D. Newberry (S.C.), 35-28	Nov. 16 at Mars Hill (N.C.)
18.	Indiana (Pa.)	9-1	272	19	D. Edinboro (Pa.), 35-6	Nov. 16 at Shippensburg (Pa.)
19.	Grand Valley St. (Mich.)	8-2	219	14	Lost to No. 2 Ferris St. (Mich.), 21-16	Nov. 16 vs. Wayne St. (Mich.)
20.	Henderson St. (Ark.)	9-1	216	22	D. Southern Arkansas, 38-31	Nov. 16 at No. 5 Ouachita Baptist (Ark.)
21.	Tiffin (Ohio)	8-1	147	25	D. Hillsdale (Mich.), 35-24	Nov. 16 at Findlay (Ohio)
22.	West Florida	7-2	130	20	Lost to No. 1 Valdosta St. (Ga.), 26-21	Nov. 16 vs. West Alabama
23.	Texas A&M-Commerce	7-2	119	24	D. Texas-Permian Basin, 44-13	Nov. 16 at Angelo St. (Texas)
24.	West Chester (Pa.)	8-2	43	NR	D. Lock Haven (Pa.), 56-14	Nov. 16 vs. California (Pa.)
25.	Truman St. (Mo.)	8-2	33	23	Lost to No. 17 Indianapolis (Ind.), 44-28	Nov. 16 at Urbana (Ohio)

Dropped Out: Angelo St. (Texas) (21)

Others Receiving Votes: Carson-Newman (Tenn.), 25; Angelo St. (Texas), 24; Shepherd (W.Va.), 17; Virginia St., 4; Wayne St. (Mich.), 4; Fayetteville St. (N.C.), 3; Fort Hays St. (Kan.), 3; West Texas A&M, 3; Dixie St. (Utah), 2; Missouri Western St., 2; Sioux Falls (S.D.), 2; Virginia Union, 2; Augustana (S.D.), 1; Eastern New Mexico, 1.

RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – Fort Hays State seniors Santiago Agudelo and Sergio Villalba earned weekly recognition from the Great American Conference for their performances in the final week of the regular season. Agudelo earned Offensive Player of the Week, while Villalba earned Defender of the Week on Tuesday (Nov. 12).

Agudelo had a big week offensively by scoring five goals and adding an assist. In a 6-1 win over Southern Nazarene, Agudelo recorded the fifth hat trick of his career at FHSU. He provided the first two goals of the match, then recorded his hat trick on Fort Hays State’s fifth goal of the match just over three minutes into the second half. In the 3-2 overtime win at Oklahoma Baptist, he scored the last two goals for FHSU. He put the Tigers up 2-0 in the first half before lifting the team to victory just 1:20 into overtime with the game-winner. He assisted on Fort Hays State’s first goal of the match, so he had a hand in all three goals for the team. Agudelo had both game winners for the Tigers on the week and now has 13 career game winners at FHSU.

Villalba had two goals and two assists in the 6-1 win over Southern Nazarene in Hays. He scored the third and fourth goals of the match in the latter part of the first half, giving FHSU a 4-0 lead by halftime. He also assisted on the second and fifth goals of the match, both to Santiago Agudelo, who completed a hat trick on Villalba’s second assist. Villalba also played all 91:20 in the 3-2 overtime win for FHSU at Oklahoma Baptist.

Agudelo and Villalba join Goalkeeper of the Week Dillon Dean from Rogers State as recipients of the weekly honors from the conference office.

HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State men’s soccer head coach Gerry Cleary announced the signing of two newcomers on Tuesday, Nov. 12. Blake Arndt and Taisei Arima will join the Black and Gold in the spring of 2020.

Arndt, a native of Wichita, Kansas, joins the Tigers as a sophomore transfer from the University of Central Arkansas, who played in six matches during the 2018 campaign.

The 6-foot-3 forward reeled in two All-State forward selections, two first team All-City forward selections and one All-Metro nod during his tenure at Wichita Northwest High School. Prior to his senior season, Arndt was named one of the top 10 players to watch in 2017 by The Wichita Eagle.

He boasts a career stat-line of 56 goals and 16 assists through 62 matches played as four-year varsity starter for Wichita Northwest. Arndt also helped lead the Wichita Cyclones to a 2015 USYS National Championship.

“We are excited to give Blake a new home. He has played at Division I for two years. I was able to watch him play a lot with FC Wichita last summer,” Cleary said. “The experience he brings to our squad is unbelievable. He has three years to play as a Tiger and we expect great things from him.”

Taisei Arima will join the FHSU family as a freshman from Machida, Japan, where he played at Seiryo High School and with Yokohama Takeru FC.

During his time with Seiryo High School, Arima logged 335 total minutes in five matches, while recording one goal from the midfield.

For Yokohama Takeru FC, he recorded 391 total minutes in five matches and scored one goal.

Throughout his high school and club career, Arima has helped lead his teams to an overall record of 6-0-4.

“Taisei is coming in as a winger for us. We are excited for him to join us and add to the great culture that we continue to build as a program,” Cleary added.

These two newcomers will join an already solid squad of Tiger veterans, who have reached a national ranking as high as No. 3. FHSU has recently locked up their third consecutive regular season title and is in the mix to make their eighth straight NCAA Tournament appearance.

Fort Hays State Tiger coach Chris Brown held his weekly press conference Tuesday after the Tigers lost a double overtime heartbreaker to Northwest Missouri State Saturday.

The Tigers close out the season Saturday at Northeastern State.

Senior kicker Dante Brown and junior linebacker Drew Harvey also addressed the media and you see their comments below.

Chris Brown

Dante Brown

Drew Harvey

INDIANAPOLIS – The Fort Hays State men’s cross country team will compete in the 2019 NCAA Division II Cross Country National Championships after earning an at-large bid, announced Monday (Nov. 11) by the NCAA. The Tigers will compete against 33 other schools for a national title on Saturday, Nov. 23 in Sacramento, Calif. The 10-kilometer championship race is scheduled to begin at 1:15 p.m. CT (11:15 a.m. PT) from the Haggin Oaks Golf Complex.

It is the Tigers’ fifth trip to the national meet since joining the NCAA in 1991, and their first appearance since 2002. Fort Hays State was one of five teams from the Central Region selected after finishing fourth at the regional championships over the weekend.

In Fort Hays State’s four previous trips to the national meet, the Tigers have placed 13th in 1994, 10th in 1997, 21st in 2001 and 10th in 2002.

Fort Hays State last sent a team to the national meet in 2016 when the women’s team qualified for the third time in team history.

The men were last represented in the National Championships in 2015 when Corey Keehn qualified as an individual for the third time in his career. Keehn earned All-America honors as a senior in 2015 after a 13th-place finish.

HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State and Northwest Missouri State have made a habit of producing instant classics the last three years. After FHSU claimed two straight wins in Maryville, each by one point, the Bearcats countered with a 36-33 double overtime at Lewis Field Stadium Saturday in front of 6.137 at Lewis Field.

Dante Brown’s 56-yard field goal as time expired tied the game 26-26 to force overtime. Both teams scored touchdowns on their first overtime possession. After the Tigers fumbled on 3rd-and one on their second possession, the Bearcats Parker Sampson hit a 38-yard field goal to lift the Bearcats to a 36-33 win which in all likelihood ends the Tiger playoff hopes.

The Tigers (7-3) came out on fire, scoring the game’s first 17 points and led 17-0 at the 13:36 mark of the second quarter. Dante Brown hit a 25-yard field goal on the game’s opening drive. Harley Hazlett crossed the goal line on a nine-yard touchdown run on the final play of the first quarter. An NWMSU fumble deep in Tiger territory set up 20-yard touchdown pass from Hazlett to Manny Ramsey.

The Bearcats (9-1) used big plays to get back in the game. Quarterback Braden Wright found Gus Gomez for a 54-yard pass that took the ball down to the FHSU one yard line. Wright then plunged into the endzone one play later to get teh Bearcats on the board.

The Bearcat defense stuffed a Tiger run on fourth and one near midfield then scored three plays later when Wright found Imoni Donadelle on a 42-yard touchdown pass to pull within 17-14.

Chance Fuller threw the first of his two interceptions near midfield on the Tigers next possession which led to a 41-yard Parker Sampson field goal which tied the game 17-17 just over six minutes after FHSU built its 17-point lead.

After a Northwest punt pinned the Tigers at their own one, the Bearcats tackled Te’Corey Tutson in the endzone for a safety to give the Bearcats a 19-17 lead at halftime.

The Tigers retook the lead on the first possession of the third quarter, getting down to the NWMSU 10 before Dante Brown booted a 27-yard field goal top put FHSU up 20-19.

The Bearcats responded with a 9-play, 75-yard touchdown drive capped by a 9-yard pass from Wright to Justin Rankin to put Northwest back on top 26-20.

Brown’s third field goal, a 38-yarder with 12:25 to play cut the gap to 26-23. After neither team could muster much over the next five possessions, FHSU got the ball back with 1:05 to play. Three straight pass completions of 12, 24, and 15 yards moved the ball to the Northwest 30 yard line with 12 seconds remaining. A sack pushed the ball back to the 39 with five seconds to play setting up Brown’s career-long 56-yard field goal to force overtime.

Northwest scored a touchdown on a five-yard pass from Wright to Donadelle on thier first overtime possession. The Tigers responded with a 25-yard strike from Fuller to Dandre Reed.

Harley Hazlett fumbled when he reached the ball out trying to convert on third an one. The Bearcats then kicked to game-winning field goal.

Fuller had 342 passing yards, completing 30-of-54 attempts. Ramsey finished with a team-high 115 receiving yards, followed by Hazlett with 86. The Tigers struggled to just 33 rushing yards, led by Te’Corey Tutson with 26. Jordan Starks led the Tiger defense with 12 tackles and an interception, while Drew Harvey added 10 tackles.

Wright led the Bearcat offense with 279 passing yards and 96 rushing yards. Donadelle had a team-high 70 receiving yards for NWMSU. Blake Bayer and Jackson Barnes had a team-high eight tackles each.

The Tigers close out the 2019 regular season next Saturday at Northeastern State.

RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – Fort Hays State limited Southwestern Oklahoma State to just 29.8 percent shooting from the field to grind out a low-scoring battle on Saturday by a score of 58-53. The Tigers moved to 2-0 on the season after a 10-point win over Arkansas Tech the night before. The Bulldogs moved to 1-1 overall.

The Tigers built a 27-20 lead by halftime, limiting the Bulldogs to just nine points in the first 10 minutes and 11 in the next 10 minutes. Calvin Harrington provided a third of the team’s scoring in the opening half with nine points, canning a pair of three-point field goals and adding an old-fashioned three-point play. Jake Hutchings made a one-point lead seven in the final minute of the half with a three-point play and three-point field goal. Fort Hays State’s largest lead in the half was eight when it led 11-3.

Southwestern Oklahoma opened the second half on a 10-2 run to take a 30-29 lead, but that was the only advantage it enjoyed in the second half. SWOSU tied the game twice before FHSU took the lead for good on a Hutchings layup with 9:10 remaining. That bucket triggered an 11-2 run by the Tigers to lead by nine, their largest advantage of the game. The margin reached nine one more time on a Jared Vitztum 3-point field goal with 4:15 to play, but SWOSU trimmed the lead back down to three with just 1:15 on the clock.

Southwestern Oklahoma had one possession with a chance to tie or pull within one, but missed two chances. Aaron Nicholson closed out the game for FHSU from that point, hitting all four of his free throws inside the final 23 seconds. Nicholson was 8-of-8 at the charity stripe in the game for all eight of his points.

Vitztum led the way for FHSU with 15 points, shooting 5-of-7 from the field and 3-of-4 at the free-throw line. He was 2-of-2 beyond the 3-point line. Harrington finished with 12 points, canning three shots beyond the 3-point line, while Hutchings added 11. FHSU shot 38.3 percent as a team, but made up for it with a 94.1 percent effort at the free-throw line (16-of-17).

Damion Thornton led the Bulldog scoring effort with 14 points, while Marquis Johnson added 10.

Fort Hays State heads to Colorado next weekend for another pair of games. FHSU takes on Colorado School of Mines on Saturday (Nov. 16) before facing UC-Colorado Springs on Sunday.