WACO, Texas – Fort Hays State fell out of the AFCA Top 25 on Monday (Oct. 8) after a 28-24 loss at Emporia State. The 4-2 Tigers the third-highest listed team in the receiving votes section this week with 37 votes.

The Tigers were in the AFCA Top 25 for a little over a year after entering last year on September 11. They remained in the top 25 for 16 consecutive releases of the poll (includes final 2017 poll and 2018 preseason poll).

The MIAA has only two ranked teams remaining in the poll. Pittsburg State fell from No. 8 to No. 18 this week after a loss to Northwest Missouri State on Saturday. Both teams are now 5-1. Northwest Missouri moved up a little bit in the poll to No. 13 this week.

Fort Hays State currently sits in a tie for third place in the MIAA standings with Missouri Western and Nebraska-Kearney. The Tigers look to knock off one of the MIAA frontrunners this week in Hays when Pittsburg State comes to town. The game kicks off at 2 pm on Saturday (Oct. 13) at Lewis Field Stadium.

Below is the AFCA Top 25 Poll for October 8, 2018.

Others Receiving Votes: Ohio Dominican, 57; Davenport (Mich.), 46; Fort Hays St. (Kan.), 37; Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.), 33; Morehouse (Ga.), 23; Florida Tech, 19; Azusa Pacific (Calif.), 17; Slippery Rock (Pa.), 17; West Texas A&M, 13; Hillsdale (Mich.), 11; Saginaw Valley St. (Mich.), 7; Bemidji St. (Minn.), 5; Colorado Mesa, 5; Virginia Union, 2; Winona St. (Minn.), 2; Sioux Falls (S.D.), 1.

MARYVILLE, Mo. – Sustained rain at Mozingo Lake Golf Course forced the cancellation of the Midwest Fall Classic, scheduled to be the fourth event of the season for the women’s golf team.

The Tigers will wrap up the fall season next week in Muskogee, Okla. for the Central Super Regional Preview, hosted by Northeastern State University at Muskogee Country Club. The 36-hole event will be contested Tuesday and Wednesday, October 16-17.

HAYS, Kan. – On a rainy, cold day in Hays, the Fort Hays State women’s soccer team dampened Northwest Missouri State in a 3-0 tilt. The Tigers leave the Bearcats winless in MIAA play at 0-4, while FHSU improves their conference record to 3-2 alongside a 5-5-2 overall mark. Fort Hays State increases their win-streak to three contests, all accounting for MIAA victories.

After neither team was able to get on the board in the first half, the Tigers and Bearcats headed to the locker room locked at 0-0. However, Fort Hays State was set on ensuring the victory as they went off in the second half, accounting on three goals.

Darby Hirsch netted her third goal of the season in the 51st minute off a reversed cross pass from Zariah Smith to put the Tigers up 1-0. This would remain the score for over 20 minutes before freshman Macy Decker took the game into her own hands. Decker would not only earn her first goal of her Tiger career, but added one more for good measure. In the 73rd minute, Decker captured a pass from Olympia Katsouridis to put Fort Hays State up 2-0. Just 10 minutes later, Decker connected with Smith as she earned her second assist of the match while Decker captured her second goal in the contest. This would prove to be the final goal of the contest, but would give the Tigers a 3-0 shutout win over Northwest Missouri State.

The Bearcats had the slight advantage in shots in the game, edging the Tigers 10-9. Gloria Hanrahan for Northwest Missouri State and Chloe Montano for Fort Hays State led all players with three shot attempts each.

Megan Kneefel adds another win to her goalkeeping record as she improves to 5-4-2 on the season. In the match, Kneefel added four saves to up her season total to 47. Alexis Serna-Castillo took the loss for the Bearcats and drops to 1-7 on the season while adding one save to her number for the year.

The Tigers are back on the road this coming weekend as they face No. 17 Central Missouri in Warrensburg on Friday (Oct. 12). They continue their Missouri visit with a Sunday (Oct. 14) matchup at Lindenwood.

HAYS, Kan. – The Fort Hays State men’s soccer team staved off a second half comeback effort from Lindenwood, defeating the Lions 2-1 on a frigid and rain-soaked afternoon in Hays on Sunday (Oct. 7). The Tigers improved to 9-2-1 overall and 4-0 in the MIAA, while the Lions dipped to 5-4-2 on the season and 1-2-1 in conference play.

The Tigers collected their sixth-consecutive victory on the heels of Santiago Agudelo and Rogelio Lopez. Agudelo connected on the first score for the Tigers at the 4:34 mark in the first half. Agudelo recorded his team-leading 14th goal of the season with an assist from Moritz Walther.

Lindenwood outshot FHSU in the first half eight to four. The Tigers held their 1-0 edge heading into the break.

In the 56th minute, Rogelio Lopez took a centering pass from Santiago Agudelo and recorded his fourth score of the season, as Agudelo picked up his fifth assist on the year. The Lions made things interesting as they cut the Tiger lead in half with a goal in the 72nd minute after a rebound from a blocked shot by FHSU, beating Fernando Pina into the back of the net.

The aggressive nature between the two squads was apparent as they combined for 35 fouls and five yellow cards in the match. Lindenwood held the advantage in shots as they struck the ball towards the net 13 times, including six on goal. Fort Hays State took 12 shots, with five of those on frame.

Fernando Pina earned the victory in goal for FHSU, improving his overall record to 4-0-1 in the process. Pina allowed just his fifth goal of the season. Santiago Agudelo led the Tiger offense with three total points (one goal and one assist) and eight shots in the match, three of which were on frame.

The Tigers are back in action next weekend as they continue their MIAA home stand by welcoming the Southwest Baptist Bearcats to town on Friday (Oct. 12) before hosting 17th-ranked Northeastern State on Sunday (Oct. 14). Kickoff against the Bearcats is slated for 7 p.m. while the contest against the RiverHawks is set to commence at 1 p.m.

HAYS, Kan. – The Fort Hays State men’s soccer team returned home on Thursday (Oct. 4) to take on the Upper Iowa Peacocks inside FHSU Soccer Stadium and increased their win-streak to five matches in a row with a 3-0 shutout victory over the Peacocks. The Tigers improved to 8-2-1 overall and 3-0 in the MIAA, while the Peacocks dipped to 3-4-2 on the season and 2-2 in conference play.

On a gloomy and frigid night in Hays, the Tigers and Peacocks faced each other for the first time this season and the 13th meeting all-time. Fort Hays State improved its overall record against Upper Iowa to 10-2-1.

In a match overpowered by the Tiger offense, FHSU outshot UIU 26-3 in the contest. The Tigers held a 15-0 edge in shots on goal, including eight from forward Santiago Agudelo, who broke his own previous record of six shots on frame in a single match on Saturday (Sept. 29) against Southern Nazarene.

Agudelo got the scoring started off in the right direction for the Tigers in the 30th minute when Moritz Walther struck a pass to Alonso Rodriguez, who then flipped the ball over to Agudelo for his 13th goal of the season.

FHSU held the 1-0 advantage over Upper Iowa heading into intermission.

The Tigers continued their aggressive offensive game plan in the second half as they produced ten shots to the Peacocks one in the final 45 minutes of play.

In the 56th minute of the contest, defender Luis Torres connected on his fourth goal of the year after accepting a header pass from Walther on a corner kick entry from Rogelio Lopez, making the score 2-0 in favor of the Tigers.

Abdoulaye Cisse collected his second score of the season in the 63rd minute after taking a rebound off of Peacock goalkeeper Nikolai Gogol’s save from a Tobias Patino shot, giving the Tigers the 3-0 lead. The score would prove to be the final score.

Santiago Agudelo broke two more records against the Peacocks as he took 13 shots, with eight of which on frame. Fernando Pina earned the victory in goal for the Tigers, improving his record to 4-0-1 as a Tiger. Pina picked up his second shutout in the process.

The Tigers are back in action Sunday (Oct. 7) as they face the Lindenwood Lions inside FHSU Soccer Stadium. Kickoff is slated for noon.

LAWRENCE, Kan. – In their final fall competition of the year, the Fort Hays State women’s tennis team captured a 5-3 win on the road against Ottawa. The Tigers conclude the first half of their season at 3-2, while the Braves drop to 0-1.

The Tigers captured two-of-three doubles contests to gain the early advantage in the match. The duo of Nicole Lubbers and Laura Jimenez-Lendinez earned the 9-7 victory after battling off the Braves’ partners of Bruna Pacheco and Nicole Robbins. Haley Weidemann and Kimberly Stone captured an 8-0 shutout win over Ashlynn Good and Tayler Alterman for the two FHSU victories. The Tigers fell in the No. 1 double spot as Ellea Ediger and Lauren Lindell slipped 5-8 against Shepherd and Arias.

In singles play, the Tigers captured three matches in the No. 4 – No. 6 spots. Weidemann took the 6-2, 6-2 win over Robbins. Stone claimed a 6-1, 6-0 victory against Alterman. Nicole Lubbers defeated Good in the No. 5 spot to help Fort Hays State improve to 3-2 on the season.

The Tigers get a long break before the spring competition starts which features MIAA play. First up in the second half of the season is a road contest at Hastings College on March 2.

Fort Hays State Athletics will welcome five new members into the Tiger Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday, October 13, 2018. The inductees include Carolyn Bird (contributor), Weston Harding (wrestling), Dave Nehls (baseball), Jose Salcido (football), and Ed Schumacher (men’s basketball). The induction ceremony will take place the morning of October 13 at the Memorial Union Ballroom on the campus of Fort Hays State University at 10 am. The inductees will be recognized at halftime of the football game vs. Pittsburg State at 2:00 pm.

Carolyn Bird (Contributor) – Posthumous
Carolyn Bird spent 23 years of her career working with Fort Hays State’s student-athletes and 25 years total at the university. She started a study program for student-athletes at FHSU in 1991 at the request of then FHSU President Dr. Edward H. Hammond and Athletic Director Tom Spicer. Under her guidance as Academic Coordinator for Athletics, the program continued to grow, creating the need for a Technology and Learning Center created in 2002. The center was renamed the Carolyn Bird Technology and Learning Center in her honor in the spring of 2015. Bird was an Assistant Athletic Director, Senior Woman Administrator, and Director of Compliance at FHSU, while serving on numerous athletic committees for FHSU at the conference and NCAA level. Working closely with coaches and administrators, her efforts made an impact on the lives of many student-athletes through the years, while graduation rates and grade point averages improved significantly as a result of her leadership.

Weston Harding (Wrestling, 1987-91)
A native of Salina, Kansas, Harding was a three-time All-America performer and four-time national qualifier for Tiger Wrestling, compiling a career record of 130-40-4, winning 76 percent of his matches. At 134 pounds, he finished sixth nationally in 1988-89 as a sophomore, was the national runner-up as a junior in 1989-90, and then placed fifth his senior year in 1990-91. He was a three-time all-district performer and two-time all-conference performer. Harding won at least 25 matches each year, with a senior record of 43-7 being his single-season best. As a junior, he finished 35-8-2 overall. Following his career as a student-athlete, he served as an assistant coach at Fort Hays State from 1992 to 1994. Harding is now one of the top high school coaches in the state of Oklahoma, guiding Collinsville High School to seven 5A state championships over the last eight years (2011-16, 2018). Collinsville has also claimed five state dual championships in that run. Harding has been named the Tulsa World All-Metro Coach of the Year seven times.

Dave Nehls (Baseball, 1985-86)
A native of Longmont, Colorado, Nehls earned NAIA All-America honors in 1985 as a shortstop, setting the single-season record for stolen bases at FHSU with 52, a record that still stands today. But the All-America honor was not just based on speed as he led the team in batting average (.387) and runs scored (71), while tying for the team lead in extra-base hits with 31 (17 doubles, 6 triples, and 8 home runs) and drawing 30 walks. He added 42 RBIs to his impressive offensive onslaught that season, playing in all 66 games. He put together a solid senior year to follow, hitting .320 with 30 extra-base hits (10 doubles, and a team-best 7 triples and 13 home runs). He drove in 60 runs, scored 64, drew 45 walks, and stole 23 bases. Nehls stole 75 bases in his two years at FHSU, caught just eight times for a success rate of 90.3 percent. For his two-year career at FHSU, he finished with a .356 batting average, 27 doubles, 13 triples (tied for the FHSU career record with Brian Keck), 21 home runs, 131 runs scored, and 102 RBI. Nehls was a two-time all-conference and all-district performer, and a member of Fort Hays State’s only two teams to win more than 40 games in a season during the program’s NAIA history. He helped the Tigers to a 45-21 record in 1985 and a 47-16-1 mark in 1986.

Jose Salcido (Football, 1993-95)
A native of Douglas, Arizona, Salcido played three years for the Tigers from 1993 to 1995. He ranks third in tackles during the NCAA Division II era at Fort Hays State with 342 over three seasons (averaged 114 per season), leading the team in the category all three years. He also accumulated 35 tackles for loss, tied for fourth in the NCAA era at FHSU, and 11 interceptions, tied for third most in the NCAA era. He was an all-region first team selection as a senior in 1995 and all-region second team selection as a junior in 1994. Salcido was a three-time All-RMAC First Team selection at linebacker. As a senior, Salcido earned All-America Third Team honors from the Football Gazette. He owns the FHSU career (9) and single-season (5) records for blocked kicks in a season. He also recorded six interceptions in 1993, tied for second most in a season at FHSU.

Ed Schumacher (Men’s Basketball, 1974-76)
A native of Hays, Kansas, Schumacher was an All-American for the Tigers in men’s basketball for the 1974-75 season as a junior. He averaged 18.7 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game as a junior, shooting 43.8 percent from the field and 73 percent at the free-throw line. Schumacher was a two-time All-GPAC First Team and All-District 10 selection alongside teammate Barton Snow. As a senior, he averaged 17.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game. In two years with the Tigers, he averaged 17.9 points per game (9th on the career scoring average list at FHSU) with a total of 930 points, and pulled down 467 rebounds for an average of 9.0 per game.

On the heels of earning his third MIAA Special Teams Athlete of the Week honor for the season, junior kicker/punter Dante Brown received D2Football.com Special Teams Player of the Week honors for all of NCAA Division II on Wednesday (Oct. 3).

Brown accounted for all of Fort Hays State’s points in a 15-0 win over Central Oklahoma in Hays. He set a new single-game school record for field goals with five. He pushed the Tigers out to a 12-0 lead by halftime with four field goals, then added his fifth late in the third quarter for the school record. He made field goals from 21, 39, 30, 25, and 44 yards. Brown also punted the ball six times for an average of 39.8 yards, with a game-long of 63 yards and three punts that started UCO drives inside the 20. Brown is now 12-of-14 on field goal attempts so far this year, with his only misses coming from beyond 40 yards.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – For the third time this season, Fort Hays State kicker/punter Dante Brown earned MIAA Special Teams Athlete of the Week. He earns the honor for a second consecutive week after his record-setting field goal performance against Central Oklahoma this past Saturday.

Brown accounted for all of Fort Hays State’s points in a 15-0 win over Central Oklahoma in Hays. He set a new single-game school record for field goals with five. He pushed the Tigers out to a 12-0 lead by halftime with four field goals, then added another late in the third quarter for the school record. He made field goals from 21, 39, 30, 25, and 44 yards. His only miss in the game was in the fourth quarter from 45 yards, looking to add onto his record. Brown also punted the ball six times for an average of 39.8 yards, with a game-long of 63 yards and three punts that started UCO drives inside the 20. Brown is now 12-of-14 on field goal attempts so far this year, with his only misses coming from beyond 40 yards.

Joining Brown as weekly honorees from the MIAA include Co-Offensive Athletes of the Week Dom Marino, quarterback from Missouri Western, and Jeremy Hunt, quarterback from Central Missouri, along with Defensive Athlete of the Week Kobe Cummings of Missouri Western.