EDMOND, Okla. – The Fort Hays State baseball team struggled to get the bats going in Sunday’s MIAA opener against Missouri Western (Feb. 24), falling to the Griffons 7-1. The Tigers (0-9, 0-1) and Griffons (3-5, 1-0) will wrap up their series with a doubleheader Monday beginning at noon.

The Griffons wasted little time getting started, pushing across three runs over the first two innings. The Tigers got a run back in the top of the fourth after Landon Erway drew a leadoff walk. The sophomore swiped two bases before coming around to score on Tyler Olson’s double down the left field line, helping the Tigers close within 3-1.

But Missouri Western Starter Anthony Castaneda continued to stymie the Tiger offense, allowing just three hits while striking out 12 over 7.0 innings of work. The Griffons tacked on four insurance runs against the Tiger bullpen down the stretch, pushing across two in the sixth and two in the eighth.

Ethan Booe (0-1) took the loss after tossing five effective innings, allowing just one earned run on five hits while striking out six batters. Ryan Ruder struck out three Griffons over two innings of relief, allowing two runs on two hits. Chase Werth finished the game on the mound, allowing a pair of runs on three hits while striking out one batter.

Kyler Cox added a pinch-hit double in the ninth, the only other extra-base hit of the evening for the Tigers.

MARYVILLE, Mo. – In the 2019 edition of the MIAA Indoor Conference Championships, the Fort Hays State women’s track and field team produced a strong weekend as they earned a 7th place team finish. The Tigers captured multiple podium finishes to cap on a solid weekend. The event was hosted by Northwest Missouri State in Maryville, Mo.

Mirena Goncalves appeared on the podium twice with two runner-up finishes. In the 3,000-meters, Goncalves clocked a second place finish at 9:58, while receiving her runner-up time of 17:41 in the 5,000-meters. Yessenia Gonzales was close by in both events, coming in fifth in the 5,000-meters at 17:50, and seventh in the 3,000-meters at 10:09.

Mattie Rossi had a big weekend for the Tigers, claiming a provisional in the pentathlon with her sixth place finish. Rossi captured 3,258 points in her first season as a multi athlete for the Tigers. This calculation puts Rossi fourth on the FHSU all-time list.

Another podium finish for FHSU came after a third place finish for Summer Kragel in the high jump. Kragel claimed a provisional with her jump of 5 feet, 6 ½ inches. Teammate Haley Jones came in the sixth place with a personal best of 5 feet 4 ¼ inches.

Rohey Singhateh received her place on the podium following a third place finish in the triple jump while improving her NCAA qualifying mark at 39 feet, 9 ¾ inches.

A new school record was set by the women’s 4×400 relay team who compiled a time of 3:54.27 for a fifth place finish. The quad made up of Lindsay Shupe, Mattie Rossi, Peri Lange and Lyric Holman capitalized on the success.

Up next, the Tigers await their fate at the 2019 NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships. The event runs from March 8-9 at Pittsburg State University.

MARYVILLE, Mo. – The Fort Hays State men’s track and field team ended a successful weekend at the 2019 installment of the MIAA Indoor Track and Field Championships with a 6th place team finish. Alongside the strong team performance, multiple Tigers completed record-breaking and high-placing finishes. The event last Feb. 22 – 24 and was hosted by Northwest Missouri State in Maryville, Mo.

Among the highlights for the team on the weekend was the distance medley relay team claiming the title in their event. The quad, consisting of Brett Meyer, Israel Barco, Malcom Gardner and Seppe van ‘t Westende completed the relay with a new school and MIAA record time of 9:52.80. This also gives the Tigers the 10th-best time in NCAA Division II.

Meyer defended his previous MIAA title in the mile with a time of 4:09. 98, followed closely by van ‘t Westende in fourth place at 4:12.01 and Oscar Carmona clocking a seventh place finish at 4:16.26. Philip Landrum completed his weekend with an upset in the 60-meters with an NCAA Division II qualifying time of 6.83 to win the event.

Matthew Pieper earned a new school record in the decathlon with a fourth place finish by accumulating 5,083 points. This total also gave Pieper an improved provisional. Kolt Newell earned an NCAA qualifying mark in the high jump by finishing in the runner-up position with a jump of 6 feet, 11 ½ inches. This was also a personal best for Newell. Lucas Broxterman finished the high jump in eighth
place.

In the 5,000-meters, Carmona clocked a fifth place finish with a time of 14:57, while teammate Layton Werth captured eighth place at 15:01. Landrum documented a fourth place finish in the 200-meters with his time of 21.73, an NCAA provisional.

In the pole vault, Ryan Stanley finished in seventh place with a mark of 15 feet, 5 ¾ inches.

Up next, the Tigers await their fate at the 2019 NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships. The event runs from March 8-9 at Pittsburg State University.

ST. CHARLES, Mo. – The No. 10 ranked Fort Hays State wrestling team competed at the Super Region IV Tournament on Saturday (Feb. 23), hosted by Lindenwood University. Junior Brandon Ball (141 pounds) secured his third-consecutive trip to the NCAA Division II National Championships. Sophomore Marty Verhaeghe (165 pounds) and Aryus Jones (174 pounds) each captured a fourth-place finishes. Seniors Ryne Cokeley (149 pounds) and Micquille Robinson (184) both earned fifth-place finishes.

No. 1 ranked Brandon Ball made easy work of his regional title as he began his day with a fall (2:50) over James Loi of Kentucky Wesleyan. Ball then earned another fall after pinning Caleb Osborn (Truman) in 3:58. In the semifinals, Ball defeated Danny Swan of Lindenwood with a commanding 12-3 major decision, punching his ticket to nationals with one match to spare. The Great Bend, Kan. native went on to defeat Nate Keim (Central Oklahoma) with a narrow 3-2 decision and improved his undefeated season to 24-0 on the year.

Marty Verhaeghe started his first regionals appearance with a bye in the first round. Verhaeghe was then defeated by Dan Fillipek of McKendree in a 5-3 decision. He then rattled off three straight victories on the back side of the bracket with a 17-2 technical fall over Charley Genisio of Drury, a fall (1:43) over Zach Taylor (Truman) and a nifty 7-5 sudden victory over Wyatt Jordan of Central Oklahoma to earn a spot in the consolation championship. Verhaeghe suffered a narrow 7-6 decision defeat as the hands of No. 5 ranked Tyler Harrington of Maryville, missing a trip to nationals by one place.

Aryus Jones defeated Vin Kriegshauser (Truman) in the first round with a 16-0 technical fall in the first period. Jones was then defeated by Matt Pratt of Maryville by fall (4:52) before defeating Angelo Talabert (Kansas Wesleyan) with a 19-0 technical fall in the second round of the consolation side of the bracket. He then picked up two more wins after defeating Dylan Komperda (Drury) with a 6-1 decision and then defeated Nate Panagakis of Newman in an 8-5 decision to earn a spot in the consolation championship. The Junction City, Kan. native was then defeated by Matt Pratt again in a 14-6 decision in the third-place match.

Ryne Cokeley began his day with a commanding pin in the first round (1:47) over Robert Otero of Ouachita Baptist. Cokeley then fell victim to a 2-0 decision at the hands of No. 10 ranked Gavin Londoff (Lindenwood) in the quarterfinals. On the back side, Cokeley received a bye in the second round before defeating Daide Agnew of Central Missouri with a strong 21-6 technical fall. The Eudora, Kan. native was then defeated by Brik Filippo (Central Oklahoma) in a 10-5 decision before earning fifth-place on a medical forfeiture by Gavin DeWitt of Maryville.

Micquille Robinson received a bye in the first round of the 184-pound weight class before being defeated by Bailey Kelly of Maryville in a 7-5 decision. Robinson began the back side of the bracket with another bye. He then defeated Shane Gallagher (Truman) with a dominating 16-2 major decision. In the consolation semifinals, Robinson was defeated by No. 10 ranked Colton Clingenpeel (Lindenwood) by decision (8-1). The Wichita, Kan. native earned his fifth-place finish by medical forfeit of Dominique Hampton (Central Missouri).

FHSU finished sixth in the team standings. McKendree won the Super Regional with 135 team points, followed by Lindenwood with 123.5 and Maryville with 120.5.

Brandon Ball will now have about two weeks to prepare for the NCAA Division II National Championships (March 8-9) in Cleveland, Ohio.

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – Brady Werth scored 12 of his team-high 18 points in the second half but Fort Hays State couldn’t overcome 36-percent shooting in the second half and lost 72-62 to Northeastern State Saturday afternoon at the NSU Event Center.

Mark Johnson Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

The Tigers (16-10, 10-7 MIAA) led by 11 late in the first half but NSU (13-13, 7-10 MIAA) scored the final seven points to pull within four at halftime. The Tigers scored the first five of the second half to build the lead to nine but a 9-0 run by the
RiverHawks gave them their first lead at 45-44 with 13:25 play.

Werth hit two free throws to tie the game 53-53 with 7:21 to play. Northeastern scored 14 straight as part of an 18-2 run which saw them go up 14 with 3:16 to play.

Nyjee Wright came off the bench to score 12 and dish out six assists with no turnovers in 24 minutes. Devin Davis added 10.

Caleb Smith scored 17 of his game-high 19 in the second half to lead Northeastern who shot 58-percent in the second half and 50-percent for the game.

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – Kacey Kennett scored 23 points, Lanie Page added 20 and fourth-ranked Fort Hays State rolled to a 90-66 win over Northeastern State Saturday afternoon at the NSU Event Center to wrap up the outright MIAA regular season title. The Tigers (25-1, 16-1 MIAA) have won 10 straight and have two wins streaks of 10 or more games in the same season for only the second time in program history.

Tony Hobson Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

Page got the Tigers off to a good start hitting three of her four 3-pointers in the first half. She scored the Tigers first 10 points as they built an 11-point first quarter lead. A Tatyana Legette layup and Hailey Walker three pushed the lead to 14 early in the second quarter.

NSU (6-10, 3-14 MIAA) responded with a 16-8 run to pull with eight but Kacey Kennett scored late in the quarter to push the lead to nine. Page hit a three and Legette scored on a layup to bookend a 13-3 third quarter run which pushed their lead to 17.
FHSU then scored 11 unanswered in the fourth quarter to push the lead to 29.

Legette scored 15 of her 19 points in the second half. Belle Barbieri had her second straight double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds and Walker added 10.

The Tigers shot 54-percent in the game including 9-of-20 from beyond the arc and were 11-of-13 from the free throw line.

The RiverHawks shot 47-percent and were 11-for-21 from beyond the arc. They were led by Cenia Hayes’ 16 points.

EDMOND, Okla. – Brady Werth scored 22 points, Jared Vitztum added 15 and hit a key 3-pointer with less than a minute to play to lift Fort Hays State to a 69-66 win over Central Oklahoma Thursday night at Hamilton Fieldhouse. Devin Davis came off the bench to add 13 as the Tigers (16-9, 10-6 MIAA) moved into sole possession of fourth place in the MIAA and clinched a spot in next month’s MIAA Tournament.

Mark Johnson Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

FHSU, who played most of the game without Marcus Cooper who’s was sidelined wth an ankle injury, trailed by five at halftime and were down eight early in the second half before a 10-0 run capped by a Jared Vitztum three put them up 43-41. UCO (10-15, 3-13 MIAA) scored the next seven to go up five but a 7-0 FHSU run put them up 50-48.

The two teams would exchange baskets before a 7-0 run by the Tigers put them up 67-61 with 34 seconds to play.
After a couple of Brady Werth free throws pushed the lead to 69-63 with 28 seconds to play, the Bronchos got a three from Adarius Avery to pull within three.

The Tigers turned the ball over in the back court but Josh Holliday missed a wide open corner three. Avert had a chance to tie the game following a missed Kyler Kinnamon free throw but his 75-foot have at the horn bounced off the backboard.

Avery led all scoring with a career-high 36 points.

EDMOND, Okla. – Lanie Page scored 20 points and tied a career-high with nine rebounds to lead the fourth-ranked Fort Hays State women to a 70-48 win over Central Oklahoma Thursday night. Their victory coupled with a Washburn loss at Lindenwood locked up a share of the MIAA regular season title for the Tigers (14-1, 15-1 MIAA) and snapped a three-game Hamilton Fieldhouse losing streak.

Tony Hobson Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

The Tigers took control with a 32-13 run during the second and third quarters and led by as many as 19 in the second half.

UCO (15-11, 6-10 MIAA) used a 12-0 run to pull within seven early in the fourth quarter but FHSU outscored the Bronchos 16-2 the rest of the way to seal the victory.

Page went 7-for-15 from the floor including 4-of-8 from beyond the arc and hit both of her free throws. She also dished out two assists and blocked two shots.

Kacey Kennett added 14 points and nine rebounds. Belle Barbieri chipped in with 11 points and 10 boards while Tatyana Legette scored  11 points.

The Tigers can clinch the outright league title with a win at Northeastern State Saturday afternoon.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State wrestling had three individuals earn MIAA dual meet honors, announced Wednesday (Feb. 20). Brandon Ball was the champion at 141 pounds, while Efe Osaghae(157 pounds) and Micquille Robinson (184 pounds) earned runner-up finishes.

Nebraska-Kearney was tabbed as the 2018-19 MIAA dual meet champions, with four individual’s earning titles and one runner-up finisher. Lindenwood has three wrestlers receive champions of their weight classes and two who finish runner-up. Central Oklahoma finished with two champions and four runner-ups, while Newman earned one champion and one runner-up.

The champions and runners-up were awarded by dual meet results and head coach voting determination. Below is the complete list of 2018-19 MIAA wrestling dual meet awards.

2018-19 MIAA Dual Meet Individual Weight Class Champions

Weight	Place	Wrestler	School
125	Champion	Carlos Jacquez	Lindenwood
125	Runner-Up	Josh Portillo	Nebraska-Kearney
133	Champion	Tanner Hitchcock	Lindenwood
133	Runner-Up	Tyler Lawley	Newman
141	Champion	Brandon Ball	Fort Hays State
141	Runner-Up	Nate Keim	Central Oklahoma
149	Co-Champion	Kameron Frame	Newman
149	Co-Champion	Gavin Londoff	Lindenwood
149	Runner-Up	Brik Filippo	Central Oklahoma
157	Champion	Matt Malcom	Nebraska-Kearney
157	Runner-Up	Efe Osaghae	Fort Hays State
165	Champion	Calvin Ochs	Nebraska-Kearney
165	Runner-Up	Kyle Jolas	Lindenwood
174	Champion	Zach Stodden	Nebraska-Kearney
174	Runner-Up	Devin Crawl	Central Oklahoma
184	Champion	Heath Gray	Central Oklahoma
184	Runner-Up	Micquille Robinson	Fort Hays State
197	Champion	Colton Looper	Central Oklahoma
197	Runner-Up	Jared McKindley	Lindenwood
285	Champion	Jarrod Hinrichs	Nebraska-Kearney
285	Runner-Up	Greg Wilson	Central Oklahoma

INDIANAPOLIS – The fourth-ranked Fort Hays State women’s basketball team is listed atop the initial set of NCAA Division II Central Region rankings, released Wednesday afternoon (Feb. 20). This is the first of three sets of regional rankings that will be announced before the NCAA Championship bracket is released on March 10.

The 23-1 Tigers are one of two teams in the region with just one loss this season, joined by second-ranked Southwestern Oklahoma State (23-1). Every other team in the region has at least five losses so far this season.

Fort Hays State is 5-1 against teams listed in the top 10 in the region.

The Tigers are one of six MIAA programs mentioned in the initial release, with Central Missouri ranked third, Emporia State ranked sixth, Pittsburg State sitting in eighth, Lindenwood ranked ninth and Washburn slotted 10th.

The champions of the MIAA, GAC and NSIC tournaments will all earn an automatic bid into the NCAA Championship field, with the next five teams in the region also earning an at-large selection. The top team in the region earns the right to host the regional tournament, which will be held March 15-18.

With just four games remaining in the regular season, the Tigers will hit the road for the final time this weekend with a trip to Oklahoma. Fort Hays State will take on Central Oklahoma Thursday (Feb. 21) at 5:30 p.m. before facing off with Northeastern State at 1:30 p.m. Saturday (Feb. 23).

Rank	School	Overall DII Record	In-Region Record
1	Fort Hays State	20-1	20-1
2	Southwestern Oklahoma State	23-1	23-1
3	Central Missouri	18-5	16-4
4	Minnesota State University Moorhead	21-5	19-5
5	Minnesota Duluth	17-6	17-6
6	Emporia State	19-5	17-5
7	Concordia-St. Paul	17-6	17-6
8	Pittsburg State	16-5	15-5
9	Lindenwood (Missouri)	17-5	17-5
10	Washburn	16-7	14-7

The Fort Hays State women’s basketball team picked up a pair of double-digit home wins last week, and as a result maintained its position in the top five in both Division II national polls released Tuesday (Feb. 19). The Tigers are again ranked fourth in the WBCA Coaches Poll while they hold steady at No. 3 in the D2SIDA Media Poll.

The Tigers are just 11 points behind Indiana (Pa.) for third place in the coaches poll while sitting 16 points clear of the Crimson Hawks in the media poll.

In the 14 sets of rankings released so far this season, the Tigers have been listed in the top five six times in the coaches poll and nine times in the media ranks.

The Tigers are the lone MIAA program represented in both Top 25 lists, with Central Missouri sitting 24th in the coaches poll and Emporia State ranked 22nd according to the media.

The Tigers are 8-1 all-time as the fourth-ranked team in the coaches poll. Two wins would give FHSU more wins at No. 4 than any other position in the coaches poll (9-1 when ranked fifth).

Fort Hays State looks to complete a season sweep of Central Oklahoma when the Tigers and Bronchos battle at 5:30 p.m. Thursday (Feb. 21) in Edmond, Okla.

Below are the complete national polls for February 19, 2019.

WBCA DII Coaches Poll – Week 13						D2SIDA Media Poll – Week 13
Rk.	Team (1st)	Rcd.	Pts.	Prev.		Rk.	Team (1st)	Rcd.	Pts.	Prev.
1	Drury (24)	24-0	600	1		1	Drury (15)	24-0	399	1
2	UC San Diego	22-0	569	2		2	UC San Diego (1)	22-0	385	2
3	Indiana (Pa.)	21-1	529	3		3	Fort Hays State	23-1	361	3
4	Fort Hays State	23-1	518	4		4	IUP	21-1	345	4
5	University of the Sciences	24-1	488	5		5	USciences	24-1	330	T5
6	Union (Tenn.)	25-1	462	6		6	Union	25-1	319	T5
7	Northwest Nazarene	23-1	452	7		7	Southwestern Oklahoma	23-1	292	8
8	Thomas Jefferson Univ.	23-1	425	9		8	Northwest Nazarene	22-1	291	7
9	Alaska Anchorage	23-2	410	10		9	Jefferson	23-1	263	9
10	Ashland	23-2	379	11		10	Anderson (S.C.)	23-2	257	10
11	Grand Valley State	23-2	358	12		11	Lewis	22-2	240	11
12	Southwestern Oklahoma St.	23-1	342	13		12	Alaska Anchorage	23-1	208	15
13	Virginia Union	22-2	299	8		13	Virginia Union	22-2	194	13
14	Bentley	23-2	286	14		14	Grand Valley	23-2	188	17
15	Lewis	22-2	269	16		15	West Texas A&M	21-3	175	RV
16	Anderson (S.C.)	23-2	228	18		16	Bentley	23-2	171	18
17	West Texas A&M	21-3	171	20		17	Glenville State	22-2	136	19
18	California (Pa.)	20-3	155	21		18	Ashland	23-2	127	20
18	Florida Southern	21-3	155	15		19	West Florida	21-4	108	RV
20	Lubbock Christian	21-4	137	22		20	Lubbock Christian	21-4	101	RV
21	Glenville State	22-2	128	23		21	California	20-3	74	23
22	Colorado Mesa	20-3	117	19		22	Emporia State	20-5	59	25
23	Angelo State	18-4	65	17		23	Florida Southern	21-3	55	12
24	Central Missouri	18-5	60	24		24	North Georgia	20-4	49	NR
25	Azusa Pacific	20-4	40	NR		25	Colorado Mesa	20-3	41	16

FAYETTE, Iowa – The Fort Hays State wrestling team stayed put in the Division II Wrestling Coaches Association Rankings, released Monday (Feb. 18) by the organization. The Tigers sit at No. 10 for the second-consecutive set of rankings. Also in the rankings are four other MIAA teams as Nebraska-Kearney slipped to No. 3, Lindenwood stayed at No. 9, Newman sits at No. 18 and Central Oklahoma dipped to No. 20.

In the individual rankings, junior Brandon Ball remained at No. 1 in the 141-pound weight class. Ball is currently 20-0 on the year. He has compiled 17 wins against Division II competition on the season as well as three falls, three major decisions and two technical falls.

Also in the rankings is Efe Osaghae, who jumped up to No. 2 at 157 pounds. The sophomore earned an upset victory against former No. 2 ranked Tyler Mies (Feb. 13) with a narrow 4-3 decision. Osaghae sits at 24-3 overall with 18 Division wins and also paces the team in technical falls (seven).

Fort Hays State is back in action this weekend (Feb. 23) as they make the trip over to St. Charles, Mo. for the NCAA DII Super Regional IV. The regional is set to begin at 10 a.m. inside Hyland Arena.