EDMOND, Okla. – After dropping the opening set to Central Oklahoma, the Fort Hays State volleyball team fought back to level the match with a well-played second set Saturday. But the Bronchos regained control in the next two sets, taking down the Tigers in four, 23-25, 25-21, 13-25, 17-25. The Tigers move to 6-16 overall and 3-11 in conference play, while the Bronchos are now 16-8 overall and 8-6 in MIAA action.

The teams traded points early in the first set before Fort Hays State opened up a four-point lead, 12-8. UCO captured 10 of the next 13 points to go in front, 18-15, before the Tigers battled back to regain the lead after four consecutive kills. Central Oklahoma responded by scoring four of the next five points to provide enough cushion to hold off the Tigers, 25-23.

The Tigers tightened things up in the second set, recording just two errors while outhitting the Bronchos, .292-.231. Fort Hays State trailed as late as 17-16 before rattling off four-straight points to take the lead for good. Morgan West and Emily Ellis both recorded kills before combining for a block to put FHSU in front, 20-17. UCO later closed the gap to 22-21, but a pair of Broncho errors and a kill from Tatum Bartels allowed the Tigers to level the match with a 25-21 win.

Fort Hays State opened the third set with an 8-4 lead, but a 13-1 run fueled by 10-straight points gave the Bronchos a commanding lead. The Tigers then led as late as 11-10 in the fourth set before UCO rattled off six-straight points to go in front for good.

Delaney Humm recorded a double-double for the Tigers, totaling 14 kills, 12 digs and two assists. Bartels added 10 kills, two service aces and one block. Abbie Hayes led the team with 21 digs with Taylor White and Paige Baird adding 17 digs each. Katie Darnell totaled 23 assists while White added 15. Ellis was the lone Tiger with multiple blocks (two) while chipping in seven kills.

After playing eight of 10 matches on the road in October, the Tigers will return home for three matches in a five-day stretch beginning Friday (Nov. 1) when Central Missouri comes to town. First serve is set for 6 p.m. from Gross Memorial Coliseum.

JOPLIN, Mo. – The Fort Hays State men’s cross country team turned in a fourth-place finish at the 2019 MIAA Championships Saturday (Oct. 26) at the Tom Rutledge Cross Country Course on the campus of Missouri Southern State University. The top five runners for the Tigers accumulated 111 points, including a pair of All-MIAA performances from Seppe van ‘t Westende and Israel Barco.

Van ‘t Westende was the first Tiger across the line, completing the eight-kilometer course in a personal-best 25:10.8, good for 12th place. Barco also earned a spot on the all-conference podium after his 18th-place finish, crossing the line in 25:19.5. Robbie Schmidt traversed the course in 25:32.5 to finish 25th. Justin Moore (25:33.2, 26th) and Peter Franklin (25:39.5) also turned in personal-best times to round out the Tiger top five.

Missouri Southern won the conference title with 35 points after placing six runners in the top 17. MSSU’s Gidieon Kimutai took home the individual title after crossing the line in 23:37.3.

The Tigers will return to Joplin in two weeks when MSSU hosts the NCAA Division II Central Region Championships on Saturday, November 9. The men’s 10K race is set to commence at 11:15 a.m.

Complete FHSU Results
Place – Name – Time
12 – Seppe van ‘t Westende – 25:10.8
18 – Israel Barco – 25:19.5
25 – Robbie Schmidt – 25:32.5
26 – Justin Moore – 25:33.2
30 – Peter Franklin – 25:39.5
31 – Kaleb Crum – 25:42.1
40 – Robert Loeffler – 25:52.7
42 – Reed Rome – 25:54.4
44 – Abraham Garcia – 26:01.0
62 – Caleb Carrasco – 26:49.0

JOPLIN, Mo. – A pair of All-MIAA honors helped the Fort Hays State women’s cross country team finish sixth at the 2019 MIAA Championships Saturday (Oct. 26), hosted by Missouri Southern State University at the Tom Rutledge Cross Country Course. Fort Hays State earned 151 points from its top five runners, including top-20 finishes from Brooke Navarro and Abigail Stewart.

Brooke Navarro led the Tigers to the line, completing the six-kilometer course in 22:27.2 to finish 12th. After placing 30th as a freshman a year ago, Stewart earned a spot on the all-conference podium thanks to a time of 22:44.9, good for 19th place. Tessa Durnell was the 31st runner to cross the line, turning in a time of 23:07.7. Emily Salmans (23:42.3) and Averi Wilson (23:42.7) crossed the line nearly in tandem, placing 46th and 47th, respectively, to round out the FHSU top five.

Pittsburg State slipped past Central Missouri to take home the conference championship trophy, besting the Jennies by six points, 78-84. The Gorillas’ Piper Misse won the individual title with a time of 21:23.9.

The Tigers will return to Joplin in two weeks when MSSU hosts the NCAA Division II Central Region Championships on Saturday, November 9. The gun is scheduled to go off in women’s 6K race at 10 a.m.

Complete FHSU Results
Place – Name – Time
12 – Brooke Navarro – 22:27.2
19 – Abigail Stewart – 22:44.9
31 – Tessa Durnell – 23:07.7
46 – Emily Salmans – 23:42.3
47 – Averi Wilson – 23:42.7
50 – Carson Pierce – 23:50.7
67 – Mya Navarro – 24:36.2
77 – Tabitha Stowers – 24:57.5
92 – Hannah Wiebe – 26:26.6
98 – Blaire Hoeme – 27:02.3

HAYS, Kan. – Notching their 10th win of the season, FHSU Men’s Soccer defeated the Ouachita Baptist Tigers on Saturday, 1-0.

In their first meeting of the 2019 campaign, the two sides played to a 2-2 draw. In what almost looked like it could have been a similar result, Fort Hays State clocked in the sole goal of the match with five minutes remaining in the contest.

On a cross trying to be sent from one edge of the 18-yard box to the other, the ball clipped the hand of a Ouachita Baptist defender. Simultaneously, while hands raised for an appeal from Fort Hays State for a penalty kick, the referee pointed to the spot.

Stepping up to take charge was junior captain, Moritz Walther. The skipper began his run-up and fired the ball into the back of the net, sending Ouachita Baptist goalkeeper Matt Day diving in the opposite direction and remaining perfect in PK conversions (3-3).

Despite only one goal being scored in the match, the Black and Gold applied ruthless pressure on their oppositions defense – tripling the amount of shot attempts as the visitors (18-6). Forward Santiago Agudelo, who currently ranks among the top five in Division II in shots per game, contributed eight shots of his own.

In the ninth start of his senior season, Cullen Fisch completed his third clean sheet being needed for four saves.

With just three games left to play and now on 28 points, FHSU is locked in to the top two spots in the Great American Conference. Harding, who fell victim to the Fort Hays State comeback on Thursday night, holds the second spot with 22 points. One more victory would crown the Tigers as GAC regular season champions in their inaugural season.

FHSU travels to Wichita, Kan. on Saturday (Nov. 2) to face off against Newman. In their last meeting, the Tigers tallied four goals in a clean sheet victory.

NORTON – TMP-Marian sophomore Grace Pope qualified for the 3A state cross country meet after a 10th place finish at Saturday’s Norton 3A Regional at the Prairie Dog Golf Course. Pope had a time of 21:16.61. Southeast of Saline’s Jentrie Alderson won the individual title with a time of 18:40.64.

Norton won the team title on their home course with 44 points. Southeast of Saline finished second with 57 and Beloit third with 83. The Monarchs finished fifth, scoring 114 points.

Fort Hays State (5-2, 5-2 MIAA) vs.
Nebraska-Kearney (5-2, 5-2 MIAA)
Saturday, October 26, 2019 – 2 pm
Lewis Field Stadium – Hays, Kan.
LISTEN LIVE

Fort Hays State Football hosts Nebraska-Kearney in a matchup of 5-2 teams in Hays on Saturday. The Tigers and Lopers sit in a tie for third place in the MIAA entering this contest. Kickoff is set for 2 pm at Lewis Field Stadium in the annual Tiger Sports Hall of Fame Game.

Game Sponsor: Ozone Roofing
Game Promotions: Ozone Roofing with have a tent with free giveaways near the east entrance of Lewis Field Stadium. There will also be a chance to win a 40″ television.

Fort Hays State enters on a five-game winning streak after an 0-2 start to the season. The Tigers knocked off a then No. 19 ranked Pittsburg State squad last week in Pittsburg by a score of 42-41. That win pulled Pittsburg State back into a tie in the MIAA standings with Fort Hays State, Nebraska-Kearney, and Missouri Western. Northwest Missouri State is second in the conference at 6-1, while Central Missouri leads the MIAA at 7-0.

Fort Hays State has won seven straight games against Nebraska-Kearney, dating back to the 2012 season. The last time the Lopers defeated the Tigers was in 2005 when UNK won 54-20 in Hays. Both teams were members of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference at that time.

The meeting between the teams in Kearney last year was a nail biter with FHSU winning 29-26 in two overtimes. FHSU took a three-point lead on a field goal with less than a minute left in regulation, but UNK marched into field goal territory quickly and tied the game as time expired. Both teams hit field goals in the first overtime before UNK missed in the second overtime. Dante Brown capped a 5-for-5 day kicking field goals by winning the game for FHSU on a 26-yard attempt.

Fort Hays State enters the game ranked 15th nationally in passing offense, averaging 297 yards per game. Nebraska-Kearney’s strength offensively is its run game, averaging 321.7 yards on the ground per game, which ranks third in the nation. Nebraska-Kearney currently owns the top scoring defense in the MIAA, allowing 20 points per game. FHSU is right behind allowing 22 per game. FHSU is the only team in the MIAA this year to hold opponents to seven points or less more than one time, accomplishing the feat three times so far.

Chance Fuller continues to rank high nationally in several passing categories. He is ninth in the nation in passing yards (2,017), third in passing touchdowns (22), and sixth in completions per game (22.6). Harley Hazlett has been Fuller’s top target, who averages 6.9 receptions per game to rank 11th in the nation. Hazlett has 158 career receptions, just 10 shy of the FHSU all-time record of 168 held by Eric Busenbark. Hazlett (592), Layne Bieberle (462), and Manny Ramsey (427) all have over 400 yards receiving this year. Charles Tigner ran for over 100 yards each of the last two weeks and leads the team in rushing yards with 601.

Defensively, Drew Harvey leads the Tigers with 62 tackles, followed by Tanner Hoekman and Jordan Starks each with 56. The three combined have six of Fort Hays State’s 10 interceptions on the season. Sheldon Schmidt leads the team in sacks with three.

HAYS, Kan. — On a cold Friday night (Oct. 25) at FHSU Soccer Stadium, neither Fort Hays State or Rogers State could find the back of the net. With a scoreless tie, Fort Hays State’s record now stands at 8-3-2 (4-1-2 MIAA). Rogers State moved its record to 5-6-4 (2-3-3 MIAA).

Throughout the match, the Tigers had numerous opportunities to put one on the board. The Tigers fired off 19 shots at goalkeeper ReVella Fisher, who stopped all five of Fort Hays’ shots on goal. The defense was key as the back line of Paige Utterback, Maja Persa, Reilly Madden, and Shayla Podlena stood tall all night. Utterback, Persa, and Madden all played the entire 110 minutes.

In the first overtime, it seemed Fort Hays State was poised to breakthrough with a great opportunity. Just over 30 seconds in, Cailey Perkins found herself in the 18-yd box surronded by Hillcat defenders. She passed to Jenna Prince who then sent a pass across the box to Darby Hirsch. Goalie ReVella Fisher was able to dive over and save Hirsch’s shot attempt. The Tigers put up three more quality chances, but were unable to find the golden goal.

Both Cailey Perkins and Darby Hirsch led the team with five shots each. Midfielder Chloe Montano added another four with two of those on goal. Megan Kneefel (7-2-2) did her best to keep the Tigers deadlocked, stopping all five of Rogers State’s shots on goal.

Fort Hays State is back at home on Sunday afternoon (Oct. 27). The Tigers and RiverHawks of Northeastern State will square off at 1 p.m. at FHSU Soccer Stadium.

WICHITA, Kan. – After rallying to take a 2-1 lead, the Fort Hays State volleyball team fell in five sets Friday (Oct. 25) at Newman, 21-25, 25-14, 25-15, 21-25, 9-15. The Tigers move to 6-15 overall and 3-10 in MIAA play, while the Jets are now 1-21 on the year and 1-12 in conference action.

The Tigers had an advantage in numerous statistical categories, including attack percentage (.208-.166), total points (101-94), kills (56-50), aces (6-4), assists (54-46) and digs (74-66).

After Newman used a big run to pull away in the opening set, the Tigers did the same in the second frame. The teams traded points early on, but FHSU scored 16 of the final 20 points in the set to turn a 10-9 deficit into a 25-14 win. The Tigers recorded a .417 attack percentage (13-3-24) in the second set, their best frame of the night.

Fort Hays State jumped in front 6-2 in the third set and never looked back, holding the lead the rest of the way. The Tigers limited Newman to a .000 swing rate (8-8-36) in the third set thanks to four blocks.

The Tigers once again took control early in the fourth set, scoring four of the first five points. Newman kept things close before taking a 15-14 lead on four-straight points. Fort Hays State would retake the lead after three straight points before Newman battled back to tie things up at 19. Delaney Humm and Tatum Bartels recorded kills on the next two rallies, prompting a Newman timeout. The Jets battled back out of the huddle, scoring the next six points to level the match, 25-21. Newman then opened the fifth set with six-straight points, leading to a 15-9 win.

Humm led the Tigers with 17 kills, with Isabelle Reynolds adding 12 and Morgan West contributing 11. Abbie Hayes picked up a team-high 20 digs, while Katie Darnell totaled 13 digs alongside her team-best 42 assists. Emily Ellis recorded two blocks in the match, including FHSU’s only solo block.

The Tigers wrap up the weekend road trip Saturday (Oct. 26) against Central Oklahoma. First serve is set for 3 p.m. from Edmond, Okla.

LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Fort Hays State Men’s Basketball team opened the 2019-20 campaign with an exhibition contest at the University of Kansas on Thursday night at Allen Fieldhouse. Down by 11 at half, the Tigers trimmed the lead inside 10 for the first five minutes of the second half, but the No. 3 ranked team in NCAA Division I pulled away over the final 15 minutes to win by a score of 86-56.

Fort Hays State hung around for a good chunk of time. The Tigers held a 9-5 lead out of the first media break and then led by five, 12-7, after a Jared Vitztum 3-pointer at the 14:16 mark. The Jayhawks bounced back into the lead quick with an old-fashioned 3-point play and then a 3-point field goal. By the second media break, FHSU was still within two just over eight minutes into the game. Kansas slowly built a lead from that point, up 11 points at halftime, 36-25.

The Tigers punched back quick early in the second half with three consecutive 3-point field goals, completing a 9-0 run to open the half. Triples from Nyjee Wright, Calvin Harrington, and Vitztum instantly trimmed the Kansas lead down to just two, 36-34.

The Tigers remained within five points of the Jayhawks within the first five minutes of the second half, but the Jayhawks used a 12-0 run over a nearly two-minute span to gain separation once again, leading 53-36 with 13 minutes to go in the game. FHSU never got closer than 15 points the rest of the way and Kansas went on to win the game 86-56.

Vitztum was the only Tiger to reach double figures in scoring at 11 points, while Devin Davis and Nyjee Wright each had eight. Wright led the Tigers in assists with three. FHSU shot 35.2 percent as a team from the field and 32 percent (8-of-25) beyond the 3-point line.

Ochai Agbaji led the scoring effort for Kansas, finishing with 21 points. He was 8-of-15 from the field and 3-of-9 beyond the 3-point line, while adding two free throws. Marcus Garrett had 15 points and five assists, while Silvio De Sousa finished with 11 points.

The Tigers will open the regular season November 8-9 in Russellville, Arkansas, where they will face Arkansas Tech and Southwestern Oklahoma State.

HAYS, Kan. – After mulling over a 2-0 deficit at halftime, the 23rd-ranked Fort Hays State men’s soccer team stormed back in the second half with three goals to top Harding Thursday evening (Oct. 24), 3-2. The rally helped Fort Hays State preserve the longest active home winning streak in NCAA Division II, now at 22 matches.

Fort Hays State improves to 9-4-1 overall and 8-1-1 in GAC action with the win, two games clear of second place Harding (7-4-2, 6-3-1 GAC).

The Tigers sent a barrage of shots towards the net in the second 45 minutes, attempting 17 shots after halftime. FHSU finally broke through in the 56th minute thanks to a quick reaction from Alonso Rodriguez. Santiago Agudelo attempted a shot from outside the box that was blocked by a defender and quickly bounced towards Rodriguez. The sophomore wound up and sent a shot screaming past the keeper on his first touch, putting the Tigers within one.

The Black and Gold kept the pressure on, taking shot after shot that narrowly missed the target. Fort Hays State finally leveled the score with just over 17 minutes remaining after a fantastic connection between Agudelo and Moises Peralta. Agudelo won possession in the box and dribbled towards the corner, waiting for things to materialize around the net. The senior made a quick turnaround pass into the six-yard box directly to Peralta, who headed it home inside the near post to tie things up at two.

A Bison defender was sent off soon after when he accumulated a second yellow card in the 76th minute, forcing Harding to finish the match with just 10 players. The Tigers took advantage in the 85th minute, recording the game winner on a rocket off the right foot of Rogelio Lopez. After a long Ross Boyd throw in was fought over in the penalty area, the ball found its way to Arsenio Chamorro just outside the 18-yard box. The junior used one brilliantly controlled touch to set up Lopez 25 yards out. The keeper had no chance as Lopez sent a missile screaming into the upper left corner, giving the Tigers their first lead of the day with just over five minutes to play.

Harding took an early lead in the first half when Christian Ramos took a quick free kick around the wall and past a diving Cullen Fisch nine minutes in. Donnell Bowes doubled the Bison lead with a header off a corner kick from Oliver Callado in the 16th minute.

The Tigers had a staggering 25-7 advantage in shots taken, including a 17-3 edge after halftime. Fort Hays State attempted seven corners, while the Bisons took two corners in the match.

Fisch’s lone save came with 25 seconds left after a desperation shot from 30 yards out. The senior improved his record to 4-3-1 on the year with the victory.

The Tigers will look to inch closer to the GAC regular season title when they host Ouachita Baptist on Saturday (Oct. 26) at 11 a.m.

Tiger fans can get a first look at the 2019-20 Fort Hays State Men’s Basketball squad on Thursday night when they travel to Lawrence for an exhibition game with the University of Kansas. Tipoff is set for 7 pm at Allen Fieldhouse. The game will be available to purchase for viewing on ESPN+ (WatchESPN) or Big 12 Now. It can be heard on KJLS (103.3-FM) and the Tiger Sports Network. LISTEN LIVE

The Tigers finished at 18-11 overall in 2018-19, while placing fourth in the MIAA regular season standings with a conference mark of 12-7. FHSU ended its season in the MIAA Tournament Quarterfinals in a loss to Lincoln University. The Tigers reached at least 18 wins in a season for the fourth straight year and produced Mark Johnson’s 17th winning season guiding the Tigers out of 18 seasons overall. Johnson will enter the 2019-20 campaign with an overall record of 359-172 (.676) at FHSU.

Fort Hays State will have several new faces on the court this season. The Tigers return six players from last year, but only four saw time on the floor in 2018-19. Aaron Nicholson, Devin Davis, Jared Vitztum, and Nyjee Wright are among those four, while Calvin Harrington and Gilbert Peters redshirted. Johnson has brought in eight new players this season, looking to mesh with the returning group. Five of the eight are transfers, while the other three are true freshmen.

Nicholson is the top returning scorer for the Tigers, averaging 9.0 points per game last year. Davis was the top scorer off the bench at 8.6 points per game. Both reached double figures in scoring in 12 contests last season. Vitztum, the top returning rebounder, averaged 7.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.

Fort Hays State and Kansas last met in exhibition on November 7, 2017. Kansas won 86-57, but not before a challenge from FHSU in the first half. The Tigers held a lead just past 16 minutes into the game, 29-28, before KU took a 38-33 lead into halftime. In fact, the Tigers took the lead five times in the opening half, each by one point. The Jayhawks went on to double up the Tigers in the second half, 48-24.

Following the exhibition game with Kansas on Thursday, FHSU will open its regular season November 8-9 in Russellville, Arkansas where it will face Arkansas Tech and Southwestern Oklahoma State.

HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State fell to No. 3 ranked Washburn on Tuesday night at Gross Memorial Coliseum. The Tigers moved to 6-14 overall and 3-9 in the MIAA, while the Ichabods improved to 18-2 overall and 10-2 in the MIAA.

The Tigers put pressure on the Ichabods in the first set, making the opposition win by two. Washburn closed out the set with a kill by Allison Maxwell and then a ball handling error by the Tigers. FHSU tied the set at 24-24 after an attack error by the Ichabods and then a kill by Delaney Humm. Morgan Christiansen knotted the score at 25-25 with a kill before the Ichabods picked up the final two points.

From that point Washburn cruised by taking set two 25-19 and then set three 25-16. Washburn jumped out to a 6-1 lead in set two and kept FHSU at arm’s length the rest of the way. In set three, Washburn opened the set on a 14-0 run before the Tigers jumped on the board. However, FHSU outscored WU 16-11 the remainder of the set.

Humm was the only Tiger to reach double figures in kills with 13. Christiansen went errorless for the match and put down four kills to hit .400 individually. Katie Darnell provided 19 assists and Humm picked up a double-double with 17 digs. Abbie Hayes added 11 digs.

Erica Montgomery led a balanced attack for Washburn with 10 kills. Allison Maxwell and Kelsey Gordon each added nine kills, and Genna Berg had eight. Allison Sadler dished out 37 assists and Faith Rottinghaus led the defensive effort with 21 digs.

The Tigers head on the road this weekend to take on Newman University on Friday and then Central Oklahoma on Saturday.

DUNCAN, Okla. – Fort Hays State Men’s Golf placed 17th at the Jerry Hrnciar Invitational, hosted by Cameron University. The Tigers shot rounds of 327 and 306 for a total of 633 at Territory Golf Club, a par-72 course.

Bryce Cowan led the Tigers with rounds of 81 and 73, finishing in a tie for 54th with a 154. Pete Carney was consistent with two rounds of 78, tying for 67th. Cole Gritton improved nine strokes on day two, shooting rounds of 85 and 76 to tie for 84th. Marcus Willey tied for 92nd with rounds of 83 and 81. Isaiah Grover also competed and had rounds of 86 and 79.

Oklahoma Christian won the tournament with a team score of 571, shooting 287 and 284 in the two rounds. St. Mary’s (Texas) was 11 strokes back in second, while Midwestern State was 16 off the winning pace in third.

Eight individuals finished under par in the tournament and two more shot even. Trevor Norby of Oklahoma Christian won the tournament at 3-under par.

This tournament wrapped up Fort Hays State’s fall schedule. The Tigers will resume their season in the middle of March during the spring.