CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Fort Hays State track and field team kicked off the 2018 NCAA Division II Track and Field Outdoor Championships Thursday (May 24), with four student-athletes competing against the nation’s best. Three individuals ran in preliminary races on the track, while one athlete competed in the pole vault finals.

Brett Meyer advanced to Saturday’s finals of the 1,500m run after finishing fourth in the first heat, crossing the line in 3:52.41. The junior hung in the back of the pack until the final stretch, passing multiple runners in the final straightaway to secure a spot in the finals.

Kelly Wycoff earned a spot in the finals of the 400m dash after placing third in her heat, completing her lap in 54.47. She had the seventh-fastest time in the preliminary round, advancing thanks to posting the second-fastest time among runners that did not finish in the top two of their heat.

Amber Forbes finished fifth in the second heat of the 100m dash prelims, running in 11.93. The senior posted the 12th-fastest time on the day, securing second team All-American honors.

Selam Ball was the lone Tiger to compete in the finals of an event on day one, placing 14th in the pole vault after clearing the 11-11.75 bar on her second attempt.

Seven Tigers will compete on day two of the national meet on Friday (May 25), including Wycoff and Forbes taking to the track once again in the 200m dash prelims. A full daily schedule can be found HERE.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State junior defensive back Doyin Jibowu has been selected as a finalist for the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association’s Ken B. Jones Award. The award recognizes the conference’s male and female student-athletes of the year.

The winners will be announced at the 2017-18 MIAA Awards Celebrations presented by Husch Blackwell on Monday, June 4 at the Truman Forum Auditorium in the Kansas City Public Library’s Plaza Branch.

Jibowu, a native of Denver, Colorado, is one of five male finalists for the award, joining junior Brad Currier of Lindenwood (golf), senior Sedeekie Edie of Lincoln (track and field), senior Bo Farrow of Pittsburg State (football/track and field), and senior Brady Skeens of Washburn (basketball).

Senior track and field athlete Kelly Wycoff was the women’s nominee for Fort Hays State this year. A native of Scott City, Kansas, Wycoff holds a 3.75 GPA as a Health and Human Performance major at FHSU. Wycoff is an All-America and All-MIAA performer for the Tigers, who now holds four individual school records and two as a member of relay teams.

Jibowu earned All-America Honorable Mention status for the 2017 from the Don Hansen Football Committee. He was an All-Super Region First Team pick by both D2CCA and the Don Hansen Football Committee, while also receiving All-MIAA First Team honors. He finished the season with 62 tackles, including 7.5 for loss, with five interceptions, 14 passes defended, and two forced fumbles. Jibowu helped FHSU to its first MIAA Championship in football as the team went undefeated during the regular season at 11-0. The team made its first NCAA Playoff appearance since 1995 and finished at 11-1 overall. Jibowu served as one of the team’s captains.

Jibowu is not only impressive on the field, but also in the classroom where he holds a 3.56 cumulative GPA as a Management major. He was a CoSIDA Academic All-America Second Team selection this year at defensive back, one of only eight defensive backs in NCAA Division II to receive Academic All-America honors. He is now a two-time MIAA Scholar-Athlete Award recipient (2015 and 2017) for earning all-conference honors and maintaining a GPA of 3.5 or higher.

Jibowu serves as an FHSU VIP Ambassador, a prestigious group of student leaders chosen to represent FHSU at official campus events. Volunteer work with Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Special Olympics and FHSU youth football camps also highlight Jibowu’s impact on the community.

Female Finalists
Taylor Bevis – Junior, Central Oklahoma, Volleyball
Mikaela Burgess – Senior, Pittsburg State, Basketball
Diana Cauldwell – Junior, Lincoln University, Track & Field
Allie Heckemeyer – Senior, Missouri Southern, Track & Field
Abby Rhoades – Senior, Central Missouri, Soccer

Male Finalists
Brad Currier – Junior, Lindenwood, Golf
Sedeekie Edie – Senior, Lincoln University, Track & Field
Bo Farrow – Senior, Pittsburg State, Football/Track & Field
Doyin Jibowu – Junior, Fort Hays State, Football
Brady Skeens – Senior, Washburn, Basketball

HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State volleyball coach Jessica Wood-Atkins has announced the hiring of Kamri Nehls as assistant volleyball coach. Nehls will officially join the coaching staff on June 1.

“As a former Hays resident and growing up around FHSU athletics, I am extremely grateful for this opportunity to be a part of the Tiger volleyball program,” said Nehls. “I am eager to meet the team, get involved and start supporting Coach Atkins’ methods of taking this program to the next level.”

Nehls comes to Hays from Dodge City (Kan.) Community College, where she served on the coaching staff for the last four seasons. Before serving as head coach for the last two seasons (interim in 2016), she was the top assistant in 2014 and 2015. Nehls has a 40-31 record as head coach, guiding the Conquistadors to back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2003-04 (21-16 in 2016, 19-15 in 2017). Nehls coached four All-Conference performers in her two years as head coach and was named DCCC Coach of the Year in 2017. She has also served as head coach and assistant director at the club level since 2013.

“We’re very excited to have Coach Nehls join the Tiger staff,” said Wood-Atkins. “As a native of Hays, Kamri understands the tradition, values and atmosphere that makes Hays such a special place to play. She has already proven her ability to recruit and develop young talent. We are happy to have her on board and are looking forward to a great season this fall.”

Nehls brings MIAA experience with her to Hays, playing one year for Missouri Southern State before graduating in 2014. She began her collegiate career at Barton (Kan.) Community College, helping the Cougars to a pair of NJCAA national tournament appearances after winning the Region VI championship in 2010 and 2011. She served as team captain in 2011 when BCC went on to win the Jayhawk Conference.

Nehls is a 2014 graduate of Missouri Southern State University, earning a degree in general studies and a minor in psychology while emphasizing on kinesiology. She played prep volleyball at Hays High School before serving as team captain and graduating from Riley County (Kan.) High School.

INDIANAPOLIS – Fourteen Tigers have been selected to compete in the 2018 installment of the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships hosted in Charlotte, N.C. May 24-26. Eight men and six women for the Tigers earned the right compete in the meet.

For the men, Malcom Gardner, Decano Cronin, Brett Meyer, Kolt Newell, Lucas Broxterman, Jake Morrow, Sam Dreiling and TJ Dozier received the invitation. Kelly Wycoff and Amber Forbes will both compete in two events for the women, while Selam Ball, Courtney Geiger, Madison Wolf and Alexcia Deutscher will take part in one throughout the weekend.

Gardner will compete in the 200-meters with his 13th-best time at 20.97. Cronin looks to the 800-meters as he holds the second-strongest time in Division II at 1:47.98. Holding the third-best time in the 1,500-meters, Meyer brings his 3:43.64 mark to nationals.

The remaining Tiger men will compete on the field side of things, including Newell and Broxterman in the high jump. Both cleared a 12th-best height of 6 feet, 11 inches. Morrow and Dreiling will see each other in the pole vault, as Morrow brings in a ninth-best height of 16 feet, 11 inches and Dreiling comes in at No. 14 with a mark of 16 feet, 9 ¼ inches. Dozier owns a 16th-strongest throw in the discus to qualify with his mark of 173 feet, 8 inches.

Wycoff earned a spot in both the 200-meters and 400-meters as she owns the fifth-fastest time in the 400-meters (54.42) and clocks in at No. 15 in the 200-meters with a mark of 24.07. Forbes will compete in the 200-meters as well with her time of 24.05 for the 11th-best, while also earning a lane in the 100-meters at 11.64.

Ball will compete in the pole vault, earning the 16th seed with a height of 12 feet, 8 ¼ inches. Geiger looks to produce a strong showing as she was selected for the discus with her qualifying mark of 156 feet, 8 inches. Both Wolf and Deutscher capture qualifications in the javelin, with Wolf owning the top throw in the nation at 167 feet, 3 inches, and Deutscher claiming the fifth seed with a throw of 157 feet, 9 inches.

Championship Schedule
Live Video
Live Results

Below is the schedule for the Tigers at the 2018 Championships.

Thursday, May 24
Women’s pole vault finals (Ball) – 12 pm ET
Men’s 1,500 meter prelims (Meyer) – 5:10 pm ET
Women’s 400 meter prelims (Wycoff) – 5:55 pm ET
Women’s 100 meter prelims (Forbes) – 6:10 pm ET

Friday, May 25
Men’s high jump finals (Newell & Broxterman) – 3:30 pm ET
Men’s discus finals (Dozier) –4:00 pm ET
Men’s 200 meter prelims (Gardner) –5:35 pm ET
Women’s 200 meter prelims (Forbes & Wycoff) –6:20 pm ET
Men’s 800 meter prelims (Cronin) – 6:05 pm ET

Saturday, May 26
Men’s pole vault (Morrow & Dreiling) – 12:30 pm ET
Women’s javelin throw (Wolf & Deutscher) – 1:15 pm ET
Men’s 1,500 meter final (Meyer) – 3:45 pm ET
Women’s discus (Courtney Geiger) – 4:00 pm ET
Women’s 400 meter final (Wycoff) – 4:35 pm ET
Women’s 100 meter final (Forbes) – 4:55 pm ET
Men’s 800 meter final (Cronin) – 5:05 pm ET
Men’s 200 meter final (Gardner) – 5:50 pm ET
Women’s 200 meter final (Wycoff & Forbes) – 6:00 pm ET

NEW ORLEANS – With the NCAA Division II national championships just around the corner, both Fort Hays State track and field teams find themselves in the latest USTFCCCA Coaches’ Poll released Tuesday (May 15). The men stand at No. 16, while the women come in at No. 15 in the installment.

The FHSU women earned 66.72 points while the men captured 68.05. The points were tabulated from the computer-based system within the poll. On the women’s side, the Tigers are one of five MIAA programs to earn a mention alongside No. 1 Lincoln, No. 2 Pittsburg State, No. 13 Missouri Southern and No. 19 Southwest Baptist. Five conference programs for the men also made the list, led by No. 1 Pittsburg State, No. 10 Lincoln, No. 12 Central Missouri and No. 19 Missouri Southern.

The Tigers as a whole are led by their All-Central Region honorees, including Brett Meyer who captured the mention in two events. Meyer currently owns the third-best time in the 1,500-meters with a time of 3:34.64, which holds an automatic qualification, as well as the No. 15 time in the 800-meters at 1:50.15. Decano Cronin boasts an automatic qualifying time in the 800-meters as well at 1:47.98. The two were also on the list of Division II Top Performers.

Madison Wolf leads the women as she continues to own the best Division II throw in the javelin at 167 feet, 3 inches, while teammate Alexcia Deutscher comes in at No. 5 with 157 feet, 9 inches. Kelly Wycoff and Lindsay Roberts lead the charge on the track as Wycoff ranks No. 5 in the 400-meters with a time of 54.42, and Roberts owns a time of 4:30.37 in the 1,500-meters.

Below are the latest USTFCCCA rankings.

Men
Rank Institution Points
1 Pittsburg State 184.88
2 Tiffin 161.94
3 Texas A&M-Kingsville 155.19
4 Texas A&M-Commerce 149.30
5 Adams State 145.23
6 Angelo State 132.13
7 CSU-Pueblo 98.74
8 Saint Augustine’s 98.38
9 Grand Valley State 98.38
10 Lincoln (Mo.) 94.21
11 Ashland 93.31
12 Central Missouri 92.08
13 Chico State 90.70
14 West Texas A&M 88.01
15 Colorado Mines 83.97
16 Fort Hays State 68.05
17 Minnesota State 61.55
18 Alabama-Huntsville 55.80
19 Missouri Southern 55.06
20 Western Oregon 53.70
21 Eastern New Mexico 51.66
22 Academy of Art 51.22
23 Queens (NC) 48.55
24 Cal State LA 48.44
25 Mount Olive 45.98

Women
Rank Institution Points
1 Lincoln 177.16
2 Pittsburg State 159.47
3 West Texas A&M 146.71
4 Saint Augustine’s 120.14
5 Adams State 117.80
6 Grand Valley State 111.44
7 Angelo State 111.20
8 Azusa Pacific 108.44
9 SF State 102.77
10 Western State 89.74
11 Alaska Anchorage 88.20
12 New Mexico Highlands 86.21
13 Missouri Southern 71.40
14 Concordia 67.55
15 Fort Hays State 66.72
16 Texas A&M-Commerce 65.98
17 Walsh 64.30
18 Wayne State 62.74
19 Southwest Baptist 50.02
20 U-Mary 48.18
21 Shippensburg 47.99
22 Mount Olive 47.59
23 UC-Colorado Springs 45.66
24 Chico State 45.17
25 Simon Fraser 44.52

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Three student-athletes from the Fort Hays State baseball team have earned a spot on the 2018 All-MIAA roster, announced Thursday (May 10) by the league office. Seniors Alex Weiss (second team, third base) and Dayton Pomeroy (honorable mention, first base) were joined by junior Addison Kaasch (third team, utility) on this year’s all-conference lineup.

This is the 12th consecutive season the Tigers have had at least one player named to the All-MIAA second team or higher, dating back to 2007 when they joined the league.

Weiss picked up All-MIAA honors for the second time in his career after earning an honorable mention nod as a junior in 2016. The Wellington, Kan. native was the only Tiger to start all 50 games this season, leading the team with 112 total bases. Weiss posted a slash line of .343/.391/.526, leading the team and ranking seventh in the MIAA with 73 hits. He recorded a hit in an astounding 42 games, including 15-straight late in the year. Twenty-three of Weiss’ hits went for extra bases, including eight home runs.

Kaasch earned a spot on the third team after leading the team with a .354 batting average. The utility man started 47 games this season at five different positions (SS 25 games, LF 13, DH 5, 3B 3, 2B 1). He also led the team with a .535 slugging percentage and a .431 on-base percentage thanks to 24 walks. The Parker, Colo. native picked up a team-best 26 extra-base hits, including 19 doubles, four triples and three home runs. He ranked third in the MIAA in triples, fourth in doubles and ninth in hits (70). Kaasch collected just the seventh 5-hit game for a Tiger in the last 10 years when he finished 5-for-5 with three doubles and one triple against Central Oklahoma (3/18/18).

Pomeroy powered his way to a spot on the honorable mention list thanks to a team-best 13 home runs, fourth-most in the league. He reached base in each of the first 23 games of the season, the longest such streak for the Tigers this season. The Topeka, Kan. native added 10 doubles and one triple, allowing nearly half of his 52 hits to go for extra bases (24). He drove in 39 RBI on the year, including multiple RBI in a team-high 12 games.

2018 Postseason Awards
Coach of the Year – Damon Day, Nebraska Kearney
Player of the Year – Alex Achtermann, Nebraska Kearney
Pitcher of the Year – Seth Holman, Emporia State
Freshman of the Year – Tyler Cassmeyer, Lindenwood

All-MIAA First Team
Pitcher- Seth Holman, Emporia State
Pitcher – Joseph Hieptas, Northwest Missouri State
Pitcher – Dalton Morrow, Southwest Baptist
Relief Pitcher – Trevor Dudar, Northwest Missouri State
Catcher – Hudson Bilodeau, Northwest Missouri State
First Base – Collin Nevil, Central Missouri
Second Base – Dallas Reed, Pittsburg State
Shortstop- Colton Pogue, Pittsburg State
Third Base – Drew Quinones, Lindenwood
Outfield – Bryce Fischer, Emporia State
Outfield – Wes Degener. Lindenwood
Outfield – Brandon Hernandez, Nebraska Kearney
Designated Hitter – Reece Garvie, Pittsburg State
Utility – Alex Achtermann, Nebraska Kearney

All-MIAA Second Team
Pitcher- Ryan LeMoine, Central Oklahoma
Pitcher – Josh Cooper, Nebraska Kearney
Pitcher – Tyler Cassmeyer, Lindenwood
Relief Pitcher – Cody White, Pittsburg State
Catcher – Hunter Hisky, Southwest Baptist
First Base – Paul Kropf, Central Oklahoma
Second Base – Kyle Miskovsky, Central Oklahoma
Shortstop – Dusty Stroup, Missouri Western
Third Base – Alex Weiss, Fort Hays State
Outfield – Erik Webb, Central Missouri
Outfield – Brett Young, Nebraska Kearney
Outfield – Mason Janvrin, Central Missouri
Designated Hitter – Travis Able, Central Missouri
Utility – Josh Crosby, Washburn

All-MIAA Third Team
Pitcher- Brad Roberts, Northwest Missouri State
Pitcher – Tanner Cairns, Emporia State
Pitcher – Jacob Miller, Missouri Western
Relief Pitcher* – Luke Mercer, Central Missouri
Relief Pitcher* – Cooper Gardner, Pittsburg State
Catcher – Mason Brown, Emporia State
First Base – Ty Roseberry, Nebraska Kearney
Second Base – Scott Platt, Nebraska Kearney
Shortstop – Justin Brown, Central Oklahoma
Third Base – Cody White, Pittsburg State
Outfield – Jovan Afenir, Pittsburg State
Outfield – Jake Dyer, Central Oklahoma
Outfield – Cory Canterbury, Missouri Southern
Designated Hitter – Luke Hassman, Northwest Missouri State
Utility – Addison Kaasch, Fort Hays State
*-Denotes Tie in Voting

2018 MIAA Gold Glove Team
Pitcher – Levi Abrahamson, Missouri Western
Catcher – Mason Brown, Emporia State
First Base – Kaden Shaffer, Emporia State
Second Base – Brooks Day, Missouri Western
Shortstop – Justin Brown, Central Oklahoma
Third Base – Cody White, Pittsburg State
Outfield – Mason Janvrin, Central Missouri
Outfield – Bryce Fischer, Emporia State
Outfield* – Jovan Afenir, Pittsburg State
Outfield* – Johnny Balsamo, Missouri Southern
Outfield* – Clint Jack, Southwest Baptist
Outfield* – Carl Schwettman, Southwest Baptist
*-Denotes Tie in Voting

2018 MIAA Honorable Mentions
Central Missouri – Luke Lucas-Starting Pitcher, Zak Whalin-Catcher, Harrison Schnurbusch-Shortstop, John Fairchild-Third Base

Central Oklahoma – Tyler Culver-Starting Pitcher, Josh Rutland-Relief Pitcher, Ben Wusterbarth-Relief Pitcher, Dayne Sommer-Catcher, Xavier Freeman-Outfield

Emporia State – Kaden Shaffer-First Base, Brian Grove-Second Base, Mack Gowing-Outfield

Fort Hays State – Dayton Pomeroy-First Base

Lindenwood – Kyle Hentis-Starting Pitcher, Brett Anderson-Second Base, Dominic Revetta-Designated Hitter

Missouri Southern – Zac Shoemaker-Starting Pitcher, Corbin Osburn-Starting Pitcher, Logan VanWey-Relief Pitcher, Alex Phillips-First Base, Denver Coffee-Shortstop, Johnny Balsamo-Outfield, Mike Million-Outfield, Alec Alvarez-Utility

Missouri Western – Nate Hunter-Starting Pitcher, Preston Bailey-Relief Pitcher, Kellan Richards-Relief Pitcher, Brooks Day-Second Base, Casey Danley-Third Base, Levi Schreiner-Utility

Nebraska Kearney – Alex Achtermann-Starting Pitcher, Eric Sandoz-Relief Pitcher, Dallas Schramm-Catcher,

Northeastern State – Ben Strahm-Starting Pitcher, Dustin Berrong-Starting Pitcher, Tristian Ridenour-Catcher, Jaxon Phipps-Second Base, Erick Espinosa-Shortstop, Michael Rhea-Outfield, Zach Henderson-Designated Hitter

Northwest Missouri State – Jacob Wagner-Relief Pitcher, Kevin Handzlik-First Base, Mondesi Gutierrez-Second Base, Aaron Rycraft-Shortstop, Landon Figg-Third Base, Aaron Barratt

Pittsburg State – Brendan Stanek-Starting Pitcher, Josh Whisler-Catcher, Hunter Clanin-Outfield, Andrew Vogelbaugh-Outfield

Southwest Baptist – Tyler Mathys-Shortstop, Andrew Meier-Outfield, Clint Jack-Outfield, Carl Schwettman-Outfield,

Washburn – Josh Ramirez-Starting Pitcher, Darian Abram-Outfield, Javis Larson-Outfield

ST. CHARLES, Mo. – Fort Hays State women’s golfer Hannah Perkins wrapped up her junior campaign at the 2018 NCAA Division II Super Region 3 Championship this week. Perkins finished the tournament in a tie for 30th individually. The junior fired a final round 8-over (80) on Wednesday (May 9) to finish at 14-over (230) for the week.

“I wasn’t hitting the ball good and wasn’t able to get up and down from off the green,” said Perkins.

Perkins finished the season with a 78.5 scoring average over the course of 22 rounds played. The Wichita, Kan. native posted her lowest score of the season in the first round of the Central Regional (May 7) when she fired an even-par (72) round. Perkins picked up 38 pars and three birdies throughout the week.

“We didn’t hit as many greens in regulation today,” said Rich Guffey. “We need to work on reading greens better and making putts.”

Augustana took home the team title with an aggregate score of 890. Lindenwood claimed a runner-up finish with a 900, while Arkansas Tech (902) finished third. Kali Trautman of Augustana captured the individual title with a 1-under par (215) finish for the week.

“I just plan on practicing more and hope to play good enough next season to get back [to Regionals],” said Perkins.

HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State head baseball coach Steve Johnson announced his resignation Tuesday effective at the conclusion of his current contract this summer.

After concluding his eighth year as the skipper at FHSU last week, Johnson now ranks fifth in coaching victories all-time at FHSU (162-228). The Salisbury, Mo. native led the team to three MIAA Tournament appearances, including a trip to the championship game in 2012.

Steve Johnson discusses his resignation as FHSU baseball coach

Curtis Hammeke discusses the FHSU baseball program and search for a new head coach

Johnson coached 37 All-MIAA performers in his first seven seasons in Hays, including 10 All-Region selections and one All-America honoree. Heading into this season, 105 student-athletes had been listed on the MIAA Academic Honor Roll under his tutelage.

Johnson came to FHSU from Butler (Kan.) Community College, where he was head coach for seven years. While at Butler, Johnson compiled a record of 235-155. He led the program to at least 30 wins in his last six seasons and an NJCAA World Series appearance in 2006. The Grizzlies were co-champions of the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference Western Division three times in Johnson’s tenure. He was twice named the Jayhawk Western Division Coach of the Year (2005 and 2007) and was the NJCAA Central District and ABCA Regional Coach of the Year in 2006.

In seven years at Butler, Johnson coached five all-region selections and 34 all-conference selections. Four of his players were selected in the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft. Six former players went on to play professional baseball. He also had six players earn NJCAA Academic All-American honors.

Prior to becoming the head coach at Butler Community College, Johnson spent eight years as an assistant with three different successful programs. His last two years (2002 and 2003) as an assistant were at the University of Louisiana-Monroe, where he was the pitching coach and chief recruiter. He helped the Indians to the 2002 Southland Conference Championship. He was assistant coach at Barton (Kan.) Community College for four years (1998-2001), helping the Cougars average 30 wins per season in his time with the program. Johnson started his collegiate coaching career as an assistant at Fort Hays State for two years (1996 and 1997). He helped the Tigers to the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championship and finish runner-up in the school’s first ever NCAA Division II West Regional appearance. In his eight years as an assistant, he coached 10 pitchers that went on to play professional baseball, with two making it to the Major League level. Combining the three institutions together, Johnson had a record of 262-190 as an assistant coach.

Johnson played collegiate baseball for three years. He played two years at Barton (Kan.) Community College from 1989 to 1990, earning All-KJCCC and All-Region 6 honors. He went on to play one year at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, where he was named MVP of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. That year, UAB made their first of two NCAA regional appearances in school history. In 1992, Johnson signed with the St. Louis Cardinals organization and played five seasons in professional baseball.

In 2000, Johnson was inducted into the El Dorado (Kan.) Baseball Hall of Fame for his performance with the El Dorado Broncos summer collegiate team during the 1990 and 1991 campaigns.

A nationwide search for the 15th head baseball coach in program history will begin immediately.

ST. CHARLES, Mo. – Fort Hays State women’s golfer Hannah Perkins posted a 6-over 78 in round two of the 2018 NCAA Division II Super Region 3 Championship Tuesday afternoon (May 8), moving to 6-over for the tournament. The junior sits in a tie for eighth with one round to go at Missouri Bluffs Golf Club.

“I thought the pins were a little tougher today, but some of the holes were made shorter than in round one,” said Perkins. “A few pins were tucked and I had a lot of sliding putts.”

Perkins opened the day with back-to-back double bogeys, but battled back to shoot 42 on the back nine. The Wichita, Kan. native shaved off six strokes on the front nine, firing a [] with one bogey and eight pars. She leads the field with 30 pars through two rounds of golf.

“[Hannah] just had a couple of bad swings to make double bogey,” said Head Coach Rich Guffey. “But after that she played pretty steady.”

“I just told myself that you can’t let these two holes get to me because I still had so much golf left,” said Perkins, when asked how she was able to mentally bounce back. “If I was going to keep myself in position to go back [to nationals], I just needed to push through the rest of the round.”

Perkins is nine shots off the pace of Josefina Haupt of Lindenwood, who is 3-under par for the tournament. The top three teams and the top three individuals not on those teams will advance to the NCAA Championships next week in Houston, Texas (May 16-19).

“I just need to keep hitting the ball solid and keep giving myself birdie opportunities,” said Perkins. “Maybe they begin to fall tomorrow.”

She is set to tee off in round three at 9:50 a.m. Wednesday morning (May 9).

NEW ORLEANS – After bringing home a combine four MIAA conference individual titles, both Fort Hays State track and field programs remain in the Top 25 of the latest United State Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Poll, released Tuesday. The men stand at No. 15, while the women improve to No. 13 on the installment.

The FHSU women earned 73.96 points while the men captured 75.86. The points were tabulated from the computer-based system within the poll. On the women’s side, the Tigers are one of five MIAA programs to earn a mention alongside No. 1 Lincoln, No. 2 Pittsburg State, No. 11 Missouri Southern and No. 25 Southwest Baptist. Five conference programs for the men also made the list, led by No. 1 Pittsburg State, No. 8 Lincoln, No. 10 Central Missouri and No. 22 Missouri Southern.

At the MIAA Championships for the men, Bretty Meyer and Decano Cronin claimed individual titles in their events. Meyer claimed first in the 1,500-meters at a time of 3:53.30, while Cronin clocked an 800-meters time of 1:50.06. Meyer also earned another All-MIAA honor as he took third in the 800-meters at 1:51.25. Jake Morrow took second in the pole vault at 16 feet, 11, while Lucas Broxterman earned runner-up in the high jump with a height of 6 feet, 11 inches to both become All-MIAA performers. Kolt Newell took third in the high jump as well at the same height to earn all-conference honors. As a team, the men placed fifth in the MIAA.

The women were once again led by Madison Wolf who is the 2018 MIAA javelin champion with a throw of 158 feet, 2 inches. Alexcia Deutscher took third in the same event to earn All-MIAA honors at 146 feet, 3 inches. Lindsay Roberts brought home two all-conference performances, winning the 1,500-meters at 4:44.37 and placing second in the 800-meters with a time of 2:14.86. Kelly Wycoff produced an all-conference performance in the 400-meters with a time of 54.42 to rank her now at No. 4 on the performance list. Selam Ball placed third in the pole vault with a new school record of 12 feet, 8 ¼ inches and Chelsea Jackson also earned a third place finish in the 10,000-meters with a time of 37:47.31. Both performances were worthy of All-MIAA mentions. The women placed fourth as a team, bettering their 2017 finish.

Below are the latest USTFCCCA rankings.

Men
Rank Institution Points
1 Pittsburg State 173.81
2 Tiffin 160.58
3 Texas A&M-Kingsville 159.81
4 Texas A&M-Commerce 151.33
5 Adams State 149.90
6 Angelo State 143.81
7 CSU-Pueblo 102.46
8 Lincoln 97.83
9 Colorado Mines 92.45
10 Central Missouri 91.61
11 West Texas A&M 91.21
12 Grand Valley State 90.01
13 Chico State 89.75
14 Ashland 86.94
15 Fort Hays State 75.86
16 Saint Augustine’s 74.54
17 Minnesota State 65.82
18 Alabama-Huntsville 58.81
19 Western Oregon 55.06
20 Eastern New Mexico 51.78
21 Cal State LA 50.34
22 Missouri Southern 48.00
23 Academy of Art 47.76
24 Mount Olive 45.05
25 Emporia State 41.61

Women
Rank Institution Points
1 Lincoln 180.51
2 Pittsburg State 159.47
3 West Texas A&M 145.40
4 Angelo State 113.96
5 Adams State 113.09
6 Saint Augustine’s 110.21
7 Azusa Pacific 108.88
8 SF State 108.10
9 Grand Valley State 103.27
10 Alaska Anchorage 92.66
11 Missouri Southern 76.10
12 New Mexico Highlands 74.32
13 Fort Hays State 73.96
14 Western State 72.60
15 Concordia (Ore.) 69.47
16 Texa A&M-Commerce 66.06
17 Walsh 66.00
18 Wayne State 61.96
19 Shippensburg 59.58
20 UC-Colorado Springs 50.87
21 U-Mary 46.97
22 Minnesota State 46.93
23 Chico State 45.54
24 Mount Olive 45.28
25 Southwest Baptist 44.67

ST. CHARLES, Mo. – Fort Hays State junior golfer Hannah Perkins sits in a tie for fifth place after round one of the 2018 NCAA Division II Central Region Championship, hosted by Lindenwood University at the Missouri Bluffs Golf Course (May 7). Perkins fired an opening round 72 (even-par) to sit two shots back of the leaders.

“I was hitting the ball really solid today. I hit 15 greens [in regulation] and made a couple of up-and-downs that were key to my round,” said Perkins. “These greens are so big that hitting the ball on the correct side of the greens is very important.”

Perkins recorded 16 pars in the opening round, the most in the 66-player field. After opening the day with nine-straight pars, the Wichita, Kan. native picked up a birdie on the 372-yard, par-4 10th hole, before giving back a stroke on the 332-yard, par-4 11th hole. Perkins finished the round with seven-straight pars.

“She was just hitting the ball good today,” said head coach Rich Guffey. “I thought the course was set up about as easy as we have seen it. It was very playable.”

“Overall I am very happy with how the day went,” said Perkins. “I think it will be interesting to see where they put the pin placements the next two days.”

Elin Wahlin (Southwestern Oklahoma State) and Josefina Haupt (Lindenwood) are tied for the lead after shooting 70 (2-under) in the first round.

Perkins is tentatively set to tee off at 10:40 a.m. in round two Tuesday morning (May 8).

“I am happy with where I set myself up after today’s opening round,” said Perkins.

“[Hannah] just needs to keep doing what she is doing,” said Guffey.

KEARNEY, Neb. – The Fort Hays State women’s track and field team improved off their 2017 finish at the MIAA Outdoor Championships after placing fourth this season. The 2018 installment of the meet was held in Kearney May 4-6.

and led the way for the Tigers by bringing home their individual titles. Wolf, who holds the No. 1 performance in the nation, with her throw of 158 feet, 2 inches. Roberts, who earned her title on the track, finished the in a time of 4:44.37 to take the conference crown. Roberts also placed in the runner-up position in the 800-meters at 2:14.86 to earn her second All-MIAA honor of the weekend.

Kelly Wycoff completed the 400-meters in a speedy 54.42 for a second place finish. This time not only gave Wycoff an All-MIAA honor, but she set a new personal record, improved her DII provisional mark and moved to No. 4 on the performance list.

The final two All-MIAA honors on the weekend for the Tigers went to two third place finishers. Selam Ball set a school record, earned a personal record and claimed a provisional with her height of 12 feet, 8 ¼ inches in the pole vault. Chelsea Jackson claimed a third place finish in the 10,000-meters with an impressive time of 37:47.31 for her All-MIAA mention.

Amber Forbes highlighted other notable performances in Kearney as she set a new school record in the 100-meters with her provisional time of 11.64 by coming in fifth place. In the 200-meters, Forbes earned her provisional at 24.05 as she swept the finish line in sixth place. Wycoff finished right after Forbes in seventh with a time of 24.07, good for her own provisional. Alexcia Deutscher also claimed All-MIAA honors by coming in third in the javelin at 146 feet, 3 inches to reach her provisional mark.

Yessenia Gonzales and Chelsea Jackson both finish in the top-ten in the 5,000-meters as Gonzales clocked in at 18:32.61 for sixth place, and Jackson earned eighth at 18:40.69. Gonzales also earned a high finish as she placed fifth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at 11:51.04.

In relay competition, the team of Forbes, Wycoff, Yanoudji Diarra and Bree Hysaw placed fourth in the 4×100 with a provisional time of 46.22. Another fourth place finish in the 4×400 by Diarra, Sharee Zombo, Forbes and Wycoff with a time of 3:51.13 helped the Tigers.

In field events, Summer Kragel placed ninth in the high jump at 5 feet, 3 inches, while Courtney Geiger (143 feet, 5 inches) and Laurel Haley (137 feet, 10 inches) finished in eighth and ninth place in the discus.
The Tigers calculated 88 total points to finish in fourth place. Pittsburg State claimed the team title with 191 points, followed by Lincoln with 95 and Central Missouri who totaled 93.5.

Women’s Team Scores
Rank Team Score
1 Pittsburg State 191
2 Lincoln (Mo.) 95
3 Central Missouri 93.5
4 Fort Hays State 88
5 Missouri Southern 75
6 NW Missouri State 58
7 Nebraska-Kearney 57
8 Southwest Baptist 56
9 Washburn 33
10 Lindenwood 32.5
11 Emporia State 21
12 Central Oklahoma 14
13 Missouri Western 4

KEARNEY, Neb. – The Fort Hays State men’s track and field team produced six All-MIAA performances, including two individual championships. The team competed at the conference championships held in Kearney May 4-6.

Brett Meyer and Decano Cronin brought home the two championship performances. Meyer claimed first in the 1,500-meters at a time of 3:53.30, while Cronin out-ran his field in the 800-meters with a finishing time of 1:50.06. Meyer earned another All-MIAA honor in the 800-meters after finishing in third place at 1:51.25.

The other three All-Conference performers for the Tigers came during the field events. Jake Morrow finished in the runner-up position in the pole vault with his height of 16 feet, 11 inches. Lucas Broxterman also finished in second place in his event of the high jump at 6 feet, 11 inches, followed by teammate Kolt Newell in third place at the same height.

Other solid performances highlighted the championship weekend for the Tigers, including Malcom Gardner claiming two top-ten performances. Gardner took sixth in the 200-meters (21.29) and eighth in the 100-meters (10.59) which were both good enough times for provisional marks. Oscar Carmona earned fourth in the 1,500-meters with a time of 3:56.77, while also claiming sixth in the 5,000-meters at 15:26.47.

Kyle Comstock capped a sixth place finish in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 14.74 and Weston Riner ran for 54.83 in the 400-meter hurdles to place seventh. In relay competition, Comstock, Jacob Schumacher, Johnathan Penrose and Gardner led the way to a fifth place finish in the 4×100 at 41.82, while a fourth place time of 3:15.77 in the 4×400 relay comprised of Schumacher, Meyer, Gardner and Cronin sealed strong relay performances.

Switching to field performances, Sam Dreiling earned another provisional in the pole vault coming in eighth place with a height of 15 feet, 9 ¼ inches. TJ Dozier earned a fifth place finish in the discus with his throw of 167 feet, 2 inches for a provisional. In the javelin, Derek Bixenman placed ninth at 175 feet, 8 inches, while also earning fourth place in the decathlon with a provisional 6,497 points. Teammate Matthew Pieper was close behind in fifth place alongside his provisional points at 6,467.

As a team, the Tigers amassed 90.5 points to finish in the fifth place. Pittsburg State led the way with 166.5 points followed by Central Missouri (103.5) and Emporia State (92).

Men’s Team Scores
Rank Team Score
1 Pittsburg State 166.5
2 Central Missouri 103.5
T3 Emporia State 92
T3 Lincoln (Mo.) 92
5 Fort Hays State 90.5
6 Nebraska-Kearney 69
7 Missouri Southern 68
8 NW Missouri State 54.5
9 Lindenwood 31
10 Washburn 26
11 Missouri Western 15
12 Southwest Baptist 11