CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The Fort Hays State wrestling team completed their trip to the NCAA DII Championships on Saturday (Mar. 4) as No. 4 Efe Osaghae claimed All-America status after an eighth-place finish at nationals.

Osaghae advanced through the 149-pound weight class to the second day of competition. Osaghae was defeated by Isaiah Kemper of McKendree in the third round of the consolation side in overtime via a 6-4 sudden victory defeat in his first bout this morning. Osaghae then faced Natrelle Demison of Adams State in the seventh-place match, before falling to him via 3-2 decision.

Osaghae finished his redshirt-freshman campaign with a 31-14 overall record. Throughout the season, Osaghae defeated the No. 1 ranked wrestler three times after dropping down a weight class from 157 pounds. Osaghae recorded two pins, five technical falls and five major decisions during the course of the year. He ranked second on the squad in wins and technical falls.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The Fort Hays State wrestling team competed at the NCAA Division II Championships on Friday (Mar. 9). No. 4 Efe Osaghae advanced to the second day of nationals and earned All-America status by becoming one of the final eight wrestlers still alive in the 149-pound weight class.

Osaghae defeated No. 11 Logan Grass of Mercyhurst with a 9-4 decision in the first round of the 149-pound weight class. He then suffered a 3-1 decision defeat to No. 1 James Pleski of St. Cloud State, making it his first loss against the top-ranked wrestler this season (3-1). Osaghae bounced back with a victory over Reis Humphrey in the second round of the consolation side with a 2-1 decision over the New Mexico Highlands wrestler.

Osaghae will now face Isaiah Kemper of McKendree beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday (Mar. 10) to begin the second day of competition at the NCAA Championships.

No. 12 Rakim Dean earned a first round victory over Matthew Rudy of Limestone with a 14-8 decision in the 197-pound weight class. He was then defeated by No. 3 Vince Dietz of St. Cloud State by major decision (13-1) in the quarterfinals. Dean ended his season on an 18-4 major decision loss to James Lehman of UW-Parkside in the second round of the consolation side.

No. 12 Brandon Ball will not repeat as an all-american after suffering back to back losses in the 141-pound weight class. Ball was defeated by No. 2 Nick Crume of Indianapolis by a 10-3 decision before falling to No. 10 Tyler Warner of Wheeling Jesuit by decision (6-3) in the first round of the consolation side.

Ryne Cokeley was defeated by No. 4 Ryan Stope of McKendree by decision (7-4) in the first round of the 157-pound weight class before falling to Eric Milks of UNC-Pembroke is a 7-2 decision in the first round of the consolation side.

HAYS, Kan. – Three home runs were not enough for the Fort Hays State baseball team against No. 7 Central Missouri, with the Mules taking game one of a three-game series Friday evening (March 9), 13-8. The Tigers dip to 9-9 on the year and 1-6 in MIAA play, while UCM is now 14-3 overall and 6-1 in league action.

Fort Hays State outhit the Mules, 13-11, but nine walks and three errors came back to doom the Tigers. The offensive outburst lasted all evening for both teams, as UCM scored in every inning but the eighth while the Tigers pushed across runs in five different frames. Fort Hays State had baserunners in all nine innings, while UCM was set down in order once.

The Tigers were playing from behind all afternoon thanks to an early home run from the Mules’ clean-up hitter, Collin Nevil. FHSU answered right back by manufacturing a run in the home half of the first, closing within 3-1. Addison Kaasch singled to lead things off and promptly swiped second before coming around to score after a pair of groundouts.

Fort Hays State closed within one in the bottom of the second inning with the help of two home runs. Ryan Grasser deposited a ball over the fence in center to lead things off before Cody Starkel crushed a line-drive home run to left two batters later, making the score 4-3.

Starkel picked up another extra-base knock in the fourth, leading off with a double into the gap in right center. Jason Nicholson immediately drove him in after he tripled to right past the diving Mule outfielder. The catcher came in to score on a throwing error later in the frame, helping the Tigers close within 7-5.

Fort Hays State put together a two-out rally to keep things interesting in the bottom of the sixth. Kaasch reached on an infield single after the third baseman couldn’t handle a wild hop before Clayton Basgall and Alex Weiss followed with singles to load the bases. Dayton Pomeroy came through with a big base knock, dropping in a double just inside the foul line in the left field corner to narrow the gap to three, 10-7.

Grasser collected another long ball in the ninth inning, sending a 2-1 pitch to deep center once again as the leadoff hitter in the frame.

Ben Ramberg (2-3) took the loss after allowing five runs on four hits and four walks in two-plus innings of work. Alex Ruxlow came on to strike out three in 2.2 innings of work, while Roger Kruse was the lone pitcher to retire the side in order all evening (top of the eighth).

Eight different Tigers collected a hit in the loss, including five players with two base knocks. Pomeroy and Grasser both drove in two runs, while Kaasch, Grasser and Starkel all crossed the plate twice.

The Tigers will look to even out the series on Saturday (March 10) when the teams go at it in game two. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. from Larks Park.

EDMOND, Okla. – The Fort Hays State women’s tennis team took to the road to open up their 2018 MIAA schedule. The first match of the weekend resulted in a 9-0 loss at Central Oklahoma. With the loss, the Tigers drop to 5-3 overall with a 0-1 early mark in the conference.

In doubles play, the Bronchos went 3-0 over the Tigers with two 8-1 wins alongside an 8-2 win. Macy Moyers and Lauren Lindell dropped an 8-1 match to Ali Hodges and Paola Landin, while an 8-1 loss from Nicole Lubbers and Laura Jimenez-Lendinez to Sara Van Eeckhoudt and her partner Aliz Williams to fall behind 0-2. An 8-2 loss by Natalie Lubbers and Ellea Ediger to Kirtana Baht and Laetitia Charbonnet sealed the doubles for the Bronchos. In singles play, the Tigers continued to struggle as they were unable to close out the matches as the Bronchos earned wins in all six contests against Fort Hays State.

The Tigers continue their Oklahoma and MIAA road trip this Saturday as they travel to Tahlequah, Okla., for an 11 a.m. tilt against Northeastern State.

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – Fort Hays State opened MIAA play on Friday (Mar. 9) at Northeastern State. The RiverHawks shutout the Tigers twice by scores of 3-0 and 8-0. The Tigers are now 4-16 overall, 0-2 in the MIAA, while the RiverHawks improved to 10-8 overall, 2-0 in the MIAA.

Game 1: Northeastern State 3, Fort Hays State 0

The Tigers scratched out just three hits, each in separate innings, in a 3-0 loss to the RiverHawks. Terran Caldwell, Veronica Knittig, and Grace Philop all recorded singles and the Tigers had just one runner reach second base in the game.

The RiverHawks picked up single runs in the second, fifth, and sixth innings. Two of the runs were on RBI singles, while the other was on an RBI double. FHSU starter Hailey Chapman went the distance, allowing seven hits and four walks, while striking out five.

Northeastern State pitcher Gail Young threw a complete game, walking just one to go with the three hits allowed. She struck out three.

Game 2: Northeastern State 8, Fort Hays State 0

Northeastern State scored single runs in the first, second, and third innings, then erupted for five runs in the fourth taking advantage of a Tiger error to invoke the run rule through five innings.

Like the first game, the Tigers scratched out three hits, all in separate innings. Sara Breckbill recorded the only extra base hit on the day for the Tigers, a double in the second inning. She reached third base in that inning with one out, but a pair of groundouts ended the threat. Later in the game, Bailey Boxberger and Tess Gray recorded singles.

The Tigers had runners at second and third with one out in the fourth, but once again could not drive in any runs as the threat ended with a strikeout and groundout.

Sierra Rodriguez took the loss for FHSU, allowing three runs on four hits over 2.1 innings. Carrie Clarke allowed five unearned runs in an inning of relief. Hailey Chapman recorded the last two outs for FHSU.

Sydney Balderrama walked just one to go with the three hits allowed for NSU. She struck out four in the winning effort.

The Tigers head to Central Oklahoma for another conference doubleheader on Saturday (Mar. 10), starting at 12 pm.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Fort Hays State held on late for a thrilling 78-75 win over Southwestern Oklahoma State in the opening round of the NCAA Central Regional Friday (Mar. 9). Up by just one, the Tigers got a defensive stop with just 1.2 seconds remaining before Taylor Rolfs went to the free-throw line and hit a pair. The last-second three-point attempt by the Bulldogs was off the mark and the Tigers survived.

FHSU Postgame Press Conference

Game Highlights

With the win, Fort Hays State moved to 26-6 overall on the season, while Southwestern Oklahoma State saw its tremendous season end at 26-5 overall. The Bulldogs were the regular season champions of the Great American Conference. The No. 6 seed Tigers will take on the winner of No. 2 seed Central Missouri and No. 7 seed Minnesota State-Moorhead on Saturday night (Mar. 10) at 5 pm.

Every time the Tigers looked to be pulling away, the Bulldogs reeled them back in. FHSU led 14-5 early before SWOSU went on a 15-2 run that spanned from the 2:38 mark of the first quarter to the 7:28 mark of the second quarter. The teams locked in a tight battle the rest of the second quarter and FHSU snuck ahead at halftime 32-31 on a Rolfs baseline jumper with 17 seconds remaining.

The Tigers worked their way out to a seven-point lead at the 5:53 mark of the third quarter, but the Bulldogs used a quick 7-0 run to erase the lead and knot the score 46-46 with 4:31 remaining in the quarter. The Tigers ended the quarter on a 5-0 run, capped with a Carly Heim three-pointer from the left wing, to take a 61-56 lead going into the fourth quarter.

Emma Stroyan scored the first four points of the fourth quarter and the Tigers found themselves with a nine-point lead, their largest of the game, with 9:16 remaining in the game. Once again, the Bulldogs went on a furious run, this time an 8-0 stretch, to cut the lead back to one with 8:03 to go. At the 6:55 mark, SWOSU took its first lead since late in the first half. The Bulldogs took their last lead of the game at the 5:18 mark, on a pair of Hayden Priddy free throws, making the score 71-70.

Kacey Kennett had one of her finest games as a Tiger, finishing with 20 points, 14 rebounds, three steals and an assist. At halftime, she already had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. She found 10 more points in the second half to finish with an even distribution of points it each half. Her three-point field goal with 3:39 remaining in the game broke a 71-71 tie and put the Tigers up by three.

Fort Hays State held on to its lead the rest of the way. The Bulldogs sliced the lead to one two more times, but their shot with six seconds remaining attempting to take the lead fell off the mark. Stroyan pulled down the rebound and then a jump ball went Fort Hays State’s way. Rolfs hit the pair of free throws to get the lead to where SWOSU could only tie on a desperation attempt. The last shot fell off the mark.

Aside from Kennett’s stellar performance, the Tigers were very balanced in their scoring effort with five players finishing in double figures. Tatyana Legette had 15 points, while Stroyan, Rolfs, and Belle Barbieri all had 10. Barbieri nearly posted a double-double in her 17 minutes off the bench, finishing with nine rebounds.

Tyra Aska led SWOSU with 21 points on a 9-of-14 effort from the field, while Hailey Tucker had 19 points and Priddy had 18. The Tigers were able to hold the three-point heavy shooting Bulldogs to just 30 percent beyond the arc (9-of-30). Tucker buried five of the nine good attempts from long distance for the Bulldogs.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Game times and ticket information for the Central Regional in the 2018 NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Championship were announced Monday (March 5) by Augustana, the host institution for this year’s regional tournament. Sixth-seeded Fort Hays State will kick things off with the first of seven games over four days, facing off with No. 3 Southwestern Oklahoma State at noon on Friday (March 9).

If the Tigers were to advance, their regional semifinal contest would begin at 5 p.m. Saturday (March 10) with the regional championship set to tip at 7 p.m. Monday (March 12).

Tickets are will be available beginning at 10 a.m. on Tuesday (March 6) at the following link. Single session tickets are available at a cost of $12 for adults and $5 for students with a valid school ID. Children five and under will get in free.

Additionally, a full-day pass is available on Friday only for $20. Tickets purchased in advance will not be mailed and will be available at will call. Tickets will also be available at the gate, with ticket offices opening one hour prior to the first game each day.

The full tournament schedule can be found below.

Friday, March 9 – NCAA DII Central Region Quarterfinals
Game 1 – Noon – #6 Fort Hays State vs. #3 Southwestern Oklahoma State
Game 2 – 2:30 p.m. – #7 Minnesota State Moorhead vs. #2 Central Missouri
Game 3 – 5:30 p.m. – #8 Lindenwood vs. #1 Augustana
Game 4 – 8:00 p.m. – #5 Northern State vs. Arkansas Tech

Saturday, March 10 – NCAA DII Central Region Semifinals
Game 5 – 5 p.m. – Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2
Game 6 – 7:30 p.m. – Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4

Monday, March 12 – NCAA DII Central Region Championship
Game 7 – 7 p.m. – Winner of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 6

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Fort Hays State women got off to a quick start but couldn’t overcome cold shooting in the second half and lost 58-51 to Lindenwood in the MIAA Tournament title game Sunday at Municipal Auditorium. The loss ends the Tigers (25-6) six-game win streak. Lindenwood (20-12) has now won six straight and ten of eleven and are the first nine seed to win the conference tournament.

FHSU Postgame Press Conference

Game Highlights

Just like they did in the semifinals against Pittsburg State, the Tigers came out on fire, racing out to a 15-2 lead in the first five minutes. Lindenwood rallied to close the gap to one midway through the second quarter before a 9-0 Tiger run pushed the lead back to ten.

The Lions scored the final seven points of the second quarter to pull within three at halftime then used an 8-0 run to start the fourth to go up six and held on the rest of the game.

The Tigers once again struggled shooting the ball, hitting only 24-percent in the second half and 2-for-23 from three for the game.

Carly Heim, who played every minute of all three games in Kansas City, was the only Tiger to score in double-figures with 14 points.

Heim and Tatyana Legette were both named to the all-tournament team. Lindenwood’s Gabby Walker, who scored a game-high 17 off the bench, was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State saw its 2017-18 season come to a close on Saturday (Mar. 3) as it fell in the MIAA Tournament Semifinals to Washburn 77-53. The Tigers finished with a record of 19-12, the 12th time in Mark Johnson’s 17 years as head coach that FHSU finished with at least 19 wins in a season. Washburn, now 22-8, moves on to the finals to play either Northwest Missouri State or Central Oklahoma.

FHSU Postgame Press Conference

Game Highlights

Fort Hays State’s only lead occurred on the first bucket of the game, a Hadley Gillum layup 40 seconds into the action. From that point it was all Washburn. The Ichabods went on a 14-2 run to take a 10-point lead and FHSU pulled the lead back to five twice. However, the lead grew to 21 by halftime, 41-20, when Washburn ended the half on a 22-6 run. The Tigers cut the lead inside 20 just once early in the second half and Washburn’s largest lead was 29 at the 14:27 mark.

Washburn hit 50.9 percent of its field goal attempts and limited the Tigers to just 30.6 percent shooting for the game. The Ichabods controlled the paint, outscoring the Tigers in low 46-10. The tough defense of the Ichabods forced the Tigers to shoot several long-range jump shots and they didn’t convert enough before the game got away quickly. Washburn outrebounded the Tigers 38-26.

Brady Skeens dominated the game in low for the Ichabods, going a perfect 9-of-9 from the field with 24 points and nine rebounds. He was 6-of-10 at the free-throw line. David Salach also played well in low, scoring 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting and a 3-of-3 effort at the charity stripe. Javion Blake added 13 points, while Tyas Martin finished with 12.

In the final game of his career, Gillum finished with 10 points, matching teammate Brady Werth for the team’s high-point honors for the game. Gillum ended his career with 1,079 points and 511 rebounds, the ninth player in program history to record at least 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in a career. He finished 17th on the career scoring list at FHSU. He became the program’s 20th 1,000-point scorer back on February 20 in a game at Nebraska-Kearney.

Besides the 10 points scored by Gillum and Werth, four Tigers finished with six points each. That group included Aaron Nicholson, Kyler Kinnamon, Trey O’Neil, and Jared Vitztum.

Fort Hays State reached the semifinals of the MIAA Tournament for the seventh time in the school’s 12-year membership with the conference (began in 2006-07).

By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Carly Heim scored a game-high 15 points and hit four free throws in the final 30 seconds to lead the Fort Hays State women to a 52-46 win over Pittsburg State in the semifinals of the MIAA Tournament. The Tigers (25-5) have won five straight and 12 of their last 14 and advance to their second championship game in four years. They will play Lindenwood who advanced with a 59-41 win over Missouri Western. Tipoff is at 1 pm Sunday at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City.

FHSU Postgame Press Conference

Talia Kahrs Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

Emma Stroyan scored the Tigers first seven points helping them build a 19-6 first quarter lead. Pitt State (23-7) answered with a 12-2 run to pull within five with 3:24 left in the second and closed the gap to seven at the half.

After the Gorillas got within six early in the third, the Tigers closed the quarter with a 15-4 run to go up 17.

Just like they did in the quarterfinals against Washburn, Pitt State mounted a late rally, outscoring the Tigers 16-4 to pull within five with 2:23 to play.

After missing two free throws with 31 seconds to play, Carly Heim got her own offensive rebound and was fouled. She hit the next two free throws to push the lead to seven.

In addition to Heim’s 15 points, Emma Stroyan hit two threes and added 12.

Brenlee McPherson led the Gorillas with 13. Mikaela Burgess and Paige Imhoff were held to 3-of-28 shooting beyond the arc and combined to score nine as the Gorillas were held to their lowest scoring output of the season.

FAYETTE, Iowa – The Fort Hays State wrestling team dropped six spots to No. 22 in the latest Division II Wrestling Coaches Association Top 25 Poll on Friday (Mar. 2). In the individual rankings, the Tigers have three wrestlers ranked. Efe Osaghae (149 pounds) sits at No. 4, Brandon Ball (141) slipped to No. 12 and Rakim Dean (197) entered the rankings at No. 12.

Efe Osaghae held steady as the fourth-ranked wrestler in the nation at 149 pounds. Osaghae earned a runner-up finish at the West Super Regional in Las Vegas, N.M. on Saturday (Feb. 24). The redshirt-freshman is making his first trip to the NCAA Division II Championships next weekend (Mar. 9-10).

Brandon Ball slipped to No. 12 in the latest individual rankings after dropping two matches at the Super Regional. Ball earned a fourth-place finish to earn a trip to his second-consecutive NCAA Championships. The sophomore currently holds a 34-5 overall record to lead the Tigers.

Rakim Dean enters the individual rankings for the first time as a Tiger at 197 pounds. Dean earned a hard-fought fourth-place finish at the super regional, qualifying for his first trip to the NCAA Championships. Dean enters nationals with a 32-10 overall record, including a 28-5 clip against Division II opponents.

FHSU is one of five MIAA schools in the Top 25 as Nebraska-Kearney (No. 7), Central Oklahoma (T-10), Lindenwood (T-19) and Newman (No. 25).

The Tigers are preparing for the NCAA Division II Championships next weekend (Mar. 9-10) in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

HAYS, Kan. – The Fort Hays State baseball team fell to Northwest Missouri State in the first game of a three-game slate this weekend on Friday (Mar. 2), 13-1 in seven innings. The Tigers dipped to 8-7 overall and 0-4 in MIAA play whereas the Bearcats improved to 7-6 on the season and 4-0 in conference play.

The Tigers fell victim to 13 strikeouts on the afternoon, with Joseph Hietpas going the distance for the Bearcats. FHSU was only able to plate one run in the game, an RBI double from Dayton Pomeroy that scored Alex Weiss in the home half of the first inning. The Tigers collected seven hits across seven innings, but were shut down the rest of the contest.

Pomeroy finished the game 2-for-3 at the plate with one RBI. Addison Kaasch, Alex Weiss, Jordan Wilkerson, Marcus Altman and Jason Nicholson combined for the remaining five hits in the ballgame.

Hietpas earned the victory for Northwest Missouri State, improving to 3-1 on the season. Ben Ramberg suffered the loss after surrendering five runs, all in the second frame. Ramberg fell to 2-2 on the year. Kruse came on in relief, but allowed three Bearcats to cross home plate in one inning of work. In all, the Tiger bullpen was consumed in using four more pitchers in the game.

The Tigers and Bearcats will get set for the second game of the series on Saturday (Mar. 3) inside Larks Park.