Listen to FHSU head coach Tony Hobson’s teleconference on the MIAA Media Day. The Tigers are picked fifth in both the coaches  and media poll.

Tony Hobson MIAA Media

The Fort Hays State women’s basketball team was selected fifth in both the MIAA Preseason Coaches and Media Polls released on Wednesday, part of MIAA Women’s Basketball Virtual Media Day. Fort Hays State finished 20-9 overall and fifth in the MIAA standings at 12-8.

The top three teams in each poll mirror the finish in the standings from last year as Washburn is picked first, Pittsburg State second, and Emporia State third. Conference newcomer Northeastern State is picked to finish fourth in each poll, followed by Fort Hays State and Central Missouri.

There was nearly a 50/50 split on the first-place voting for Washburn and Pittsburg State. In the Coaches Poll, Washburn had eight first place votes compared to six for Pittsburg State and had 11 more voting points overall. Washburn and Pittsburg State each had eight first-place votes in the media poll and Washburn held the edge in total voting points by just three.

FHSU returns four starters from last year, which includes their top two scorers in Kate Edwards and Kate Lehman. Edwards, a junior this year, averaged 14.6 points game and Lehman, a sophomore this year, averaged 10.7 points per game. The other returning starters include seniors Traci Keyser and Kelsie Sorenson. Edwards and Lehman were All-MIAA selections last year, while Keyser was in the year prior. FHSU has 11 of its letterwinners from last year returning in 2012-13. The Tigers have also added five freshman and one junior transfer to the squad this year.

2012-13 MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Washburn (8) 189
2. Pittsburg State (6) 178
3. Emporia State (1) 171
4. Northeastern State 154
5. Fort Hays State 139
6. Central Missouri 135
7. Truman 112
8. Central Oklahoma 110
T9. Lincoln 65
T9. Missouri Southern 65
11. Missouri Western 64
T12. Lindenwood 62
T12. Southwest Baptist 62
14. Northwest Missouri 51
15. Nebraska-Kearney 18

2012-13 MIAA Preseason Media Poll
1. Washburn (8) 257
2. Pittsburg State (8) 254
3. Emporia State (2) 235
4. Northeastern State 204
5. Fort Hays State 193
6. Central Missouri 183
7. Central Oklahoma 156
8. Truman 152
9. Lindenwood 117
10. Southwest Baptist 93
11. Lincoln 87
12. Missouri Western 69
13. Missouri Southern 65
14. Northwest Missouri 60
15. Nebraska-Kearney 35

Fort Hays State football coach Chris Brown and selected players met with the media Tuesday evening to talk about the the Tigers win over Lincoln and look ahead to their non-conference game at South Dakota Mines this Saturday.

Chris Brown Press Conference (Part 1)
Chris Brown Presser 1 10-23-12

Chris Brown Press Conference (Part 2)
Chris Brown Presser 2 10-23-12

Keke Paul
Keke Paul 10-23-12

Seth Klausmeyer
Seth Klausmeyer 10-23-12

Shaquille Cooper
Shaquille Cooper 10-23-12

Anthony Sheppard
Anthony Sheppard 10-23-12

The Fort Hays State volleyball team saw a four-match win streak snapped at the hands of No. 4 ranked Nebraska-Kearney on Tuesday evening in Kearney, Neb. The Tigers had the early momentum in the first set, but the Lopers rallied back to take the opening set and rolled from that point. FHSU is now 22-9 overall and 6-6 in the MIAA.

Fort Hays State jumped out to an early 12-6 advantage in the first set. The lead dwindled to four at 16-12 and then the Lopers made a couple of bursts at the Tigers to eventually tie the first set at 17-17. The teams fought a close battle to 22-22, but the Lopers rallied for the final three points with a block and a pair of kills by reigning MIAA Player of the Week Katie Sokolowski.

Nebraska-Kearney (24-2, 10-1 MIAA) did not look back from that point on, hitting over .300 in the final two sets, while holding FHSU under .050 in all three sets for the evening. The Lopers finished the match at .255 overall, while the Tigers hit just .028 for the match.

Madison Schwartz led FHSU in kills with seven, followed by Sara Hewson with six. Kayla Zoglman had 23 assists and she tied Makenzie Weinman for the team lead in digs, each with 10.

Sokolowski led UNK in kills with 15, followed by Ariel Krolikowski with 12. Jenna Rouzee had 33 assists and Liz McGowan had a team-high 14 digs.

Fort Hays State returns home for a pair of matches this coming weekend against Central Oklahoma and Pittsburg State. FHSU faces Central Oklahoma at 6 pm on Saturday and Pittsburg State at 2 pm on Sunday.

– FHSU Sports Information –

Listen to FHSU head coach Mark Johnson’s teleconference on the MIAA Media Day. The Tigers are picked in a tie for fourth in the coaches poll and tie for sixth in the media rankings.

Mark Johnson MIAA Media

Fort Hays State men’s basketball has been selected fourth and sixth in the MIAA Preseason Polls, released as part of MIAA Virtual Men’s Basketball Media Day on Tuesday, October 23. The Tigers tied for fourth in voting in the coaches poll and tied for sixth in voting in the media poll. Fort Hays State finished 19-9 overall last year and fifth in the MIAA standings at 12-8.

There was a three-way tie for the regular season championship in the MIAA last year and those teams top each preseason poll this year, which includes Washburn, Central Missouri and Northwest Missouri State picked in that order in both polls. Washburn was the conference tournament champion.

In the coaches poll, the Tigers tied for fourth in voting with Pittsburg State, each with 137 voting points. Behind them in sixth is Missouri Southern, which finished fourth in the conference last year. Pittsburg State was seventh in the MIAA last year, but came on strong at the end of the year finishing as the conference tournament runner-up.

In the media poll, the top four teams hold form from last year’s regular season standings, while Pittsburg State is picked alone in fifth, just two voting points ahead of Fort Hays State and Lindenwood, which are tied for sixth. Lindenwood is in transition to NCAA Division II but has been highly successful at the NAIA level.

Central Oklahoma, also a conference newcomer this year, is picked seventh in the coaches poll and ninth in the media poll. The Bronchos played host to the Division II South Central Regional a couple of years ago as the region’s top seed in 2010-11. They knocked FHSU from the NCAA Tournament that year in the regional semifinals, so the Bronchos are not a stranger to success in recent years.

Fort Hays State has finished fifth or higher in the MIAA regular season standings in each of the last four years. The Tigers do not have any returning starters from last year’s team back. Lance Russell is the top scorer and rebounder back from last year’s squad and Ben Conguista returns in 2012-13 after sitting out last year with an injury. Congiusta was a strong contributor to the team that finished second in the MIAA in 2010-11 and won the conference tournament championship. FHSU has 10 newcomers to the team this year and just four returners.

Below are the complete preseason polls…

2012-13 MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Washburn (11) 188
2. Central Missouri (3) 180
3. Northwest Missouri (1) 170
T4. Fort Hays State 137
T4. Pittsburg State 137
6. Missouri Southern 131
7. Central Oklahoma 119
8. Lindenwood 107
9. Southwest Baptist 89
10. Emporia State 73
11. Nebraska-Kearney 70
12. Missouri Western 65
13. Truman 54
14. Northeastern State 39
15. Lincoln 16

2012-13 MIAA Preseason Media Poll
1. Washburn (17) 267
2. Central Missouri 243
3. Northwest Missouri 236
4. Missouri Southern (1) 204
5. Pittsburg State 173
T6. Fort Hays State 171
T6. Lindenwood 171
8. Southwest Baptist 146
9. Central Oklahoma 132
10. Emporia State 96
11. Nebraska-Kearney 94
12. Truman 89
13. Missouri Western 74
14. Northeastern State 43
15. Lincoln 21

 

Fort Hays State senior quarterback/defensive back Anthony Sheppard has been named the MIAA Special Teams Player of the Week on Monday for his efforts in the 28-26 win this past Saturday against Lincoln University. Sheppard had half of Fort Hays State’s four touchdowns in the game.

Sheppard had two punt block returns for touchdowns in the first quarter of a 28-26 win over Lincoln. Down 6-0, he recovered a blocked punt by Shaquille Copper in the end zone, which gave FHSU a 7-6 lead. He then scooped up a punt blocked by Seth Klausmeyer on the next Lincoln possession and dashed 25 yards for the score to give FHSU a 14-6 lead. The touchdowns were the first special team scores for FHSU since the 2009 season.

The 6-2 senior quarterback is a native of Pahokee, Fla. where he played football at Pahokee High School before attending Hinds Community College. Over the past two games, Sheppard has been utilized in several positions this year, which includes quarterback, running back, defensive back, and special teams.

– FHSU Sports Information –

The Fort Hays State women’s soccer team allowed two goals in the first 28 minutes and couldn’t overcome the deficit, falling 2-1 to Lindenwood on the road in St. Charles, Mo. on Sunday afternoon. The Tigers dropped to 9-6-1 and 5-5-1 in the MIAA.

Lindenwood’s Courtney Bresnahan started the scoring with a goal in the 18th minute. The Lions pushed the margin to 2-0 in the 28th minute when Bailey Cody scored on a header off the corner kick from Bresnahan.

The Tigers tried to claw back into the match, scoring their only goal right behind halftime in the 44th minute. Kylie Watsonscored her third goal of the season off a pass from Joanne Glynn for a 2-1 score.

Although the Tigers outshot the Lions 5-1 in the second half, FHSU couldn’t score the equalizer. In the match, FHSU totaled 13 shots to eight by LU.

Rachael Schaadpicked up the loss in goal, dropping to 4-4 on the season. She made three saves and allowed the two goals.

The Tigers end the regular season with two home matches this weekend. FHSU faces Nebraska-Kearney on Friday at 6 p.m. at the FHSU Soccer Stadium. The Tigers take on Western State on Sunday at 11 a.m.

– FHSU Sports Information –

The Fort Hays State Tigers blocked two punts for touchdowns and used an interception to set up a third score and hold off the Lincoln Blue Tigers 28-26 Saturday afternoon at Lewis Field.

Chris Brown Postgame Interview
Coaches Interview

Game Highlights
Game Highlights

Austin Hubert / Shaquille Cooper Postgame Interviews
Player Interviews

Shaquille Cooper blocked the first punt which was picked in the endzone by Anthony Sheppard to give the Tigers a 7-6 lead. Seth Klausmeyer  blocked a punt on Lincoln’s next possession which was returned for a score by Sheppard to give FHSU a 14-6 lead.

Keke Paul’s 42-yard interception return to the four set up Tarean Austin’s 5-yard TD run to give the Tigers a 21-6 lead with 0:26 to play in the first quarter.

Lincoln would score the final 13 points of the half to pull within 21-19 at the half.

Lincoln used a 13-play 75-yard scoring drive to go up 26-21 with 8:32 to play in the third. The Tigers answer with a 63-yard touchdown run from Shaquille Cooper to take the lead for good.

A.J. Woodall picked off a pass near the goal line late in the game. Cooper added a nine-yard for a first down which allowed the Tigers to run out the cloc.

Lincoln outgained the Tigers 465 yards to 221 and held the time of possession advantage 36:54 to 23:06.

Shaquille Cooper led FHSU with 115 rushing yards on 13 carries with his first game on offense. Tarean Austin completed 6-of-15 passes for 82 yards with one interception. Cornelius Gallon had five catches for 84 yards.

FHSU has won three of their last four and is how 3-5 on the season.

The Fort Hays State men’s cross country team swept the individual and team championships at the MIAA Cross Country Championships on Saturday, hosted by Northwest Missouri State in Maryville, Mo. Sophomore Cory Keehn won the individual MIAA title, giving FHSU the team championship and individual championship.

The Tigers won by 10 points over Southwest Baptist, scoring 64 points. SBU was second with 74, Missouri Southern was third with 78 and Nebraska-Kearney was fourth with 98 points.

Keehn led the way, winning the individual championship by 10 seconds over SBU’s Phillip Miller. Keehn timed a 25:11 in the 8k race.

Alex Hendee also earned All-MIAA with a sixth place finish. He timed 25:43 in the race. Earning All-MIAA Honorable Mention were Tanner Christensen and Chris Ramsgard in 17th and 18th place, respectively. The duo finished one second apart in 26:12 and 26:13. Michael Wolf barely missed out on All-MIAA Honorable Mention, placing 22nd with a time of 26:22.

The Tigers now travel to the NCAA Central Regional on Saturday, November 3 in Joplin, Mo.

– FHSU Sports Information –

The FHSU women’s soccer team picked up a big road win on Friday afternoon at Truman State University by a score of 2-1, moving to 9-5-1 overall and 5-4-1 in the MIAA. It was just the third loss of the season for Truman, which entered the match at 11-2-1 and 7-1 in the MIAA. Jordan Hester had the game-winning goal for the Tigers early in the second half.

FHSU jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first half on Alexis Aiman’s fourth goal of the season at the 15:04 mark. She put the ball in the top left corner from the top of the box on an assist from Cindy Benitez.

Truman responded quickly and knotted the game 1-1 just a minute later when Emily McMeekin beat FHSU keeper Rachael Schaad in a one-on-one situation.

FHSU struck quickly in the second half, scoring just 19 seconds into the action. Cindy Benitez picked up her second assist by putting a shot on goal that was denied by the keeper, but Jordan Hester was there to stick in the rebound.

Schaad moved to 4-3 on the season with the win in goal. She stopped three Truman shots in the game.

Truman is currently in second in the MIAA standings at 7-2 with 21 points. FHSU moved into fifth in the standings with 16 points.

The Tigers continue their road trip with another conference match at Lindenwood on Sunday in St. Charles, Mo. at 12 pm. Lindenwood is currently last in the MIAA standings and has yet to win a conference match entering its contest with Nebraska-Kearney on Friday.

– FHSU Sports Information –

The FHSU men’s soccer team had a 1-0 halftime lead, but 19th-ranked Northeastern State was able to get the equalizing goal in the 82nd minute to force overtime in Tahlequah, Okla. on Thursday night. Neither team could find the golden goal in the extra 20 minutes of play. The tie puts FHSU at 9-4-2 overall and 5-2-1 in the MIAA.

Tanner Brock put the Tigers in front before halftime with a goal in the 41st minute, his second of the season. Northeastern State’s Juan Peralta knotted the score with just over eight minutes remaining in the match with a penalty kick.

Kent Freund had a strong night in goal for the Tigers making nine saves. He made two of those saves with under two minutes remaining in the match to keep the score level. Freund made another save with just over two minutes remaining in the second overtime to keep the Tigers unbeaten against the Riverhawks this year. His record is now 4-2-2 on the season.

FHSU finished the regular season 1-0-1 against Northeastern State and could see the Riverhawks again here in a couple of weeks at the MIAA Tournament, as the Tigers are closing in on sealing their spot in the four-team event.

The Tigers play their final road contest of the regular season on Saturday at Harding University in Searcy, Ark. FHSU defeated Harding earlier this year in Hays by a score of 2-1. FHSU has just two matches remaining in the regular season.

– FHSU Sports Information –