WACO, Texas – Fort Hays State moved up one spot in the latest edition of the AFCA Division II Poll, released on Monday (Oct. 23). The Tigers are now No. 7, benefitting from a loss by previously No. 7 ranked Grand Valley State this past Saturday. The top seven teams in the nation all remain undefeated.

The No. 7 ranking is just one step shy of the highest ranking the program has ever held in an official Division II football poll. FHSU was No. 6 in the poll produced by the NCAA Rankings Committee on September 16, 1996. The AFCA took over producing the official poll in 2000. The current ranking is the highest for the program since September 9, 1996, when the Tigers were also No. 7.

Fort Hays State defeated Missouri Western 38-10 this past Saturday to move to 8-0 for the first time in school history. In the MIAA standings, the Tigers kept pace with No. 1 ranked Northwest Missouri State, which ran its win streak to 38 games dating back to the start of 2015 with a 19-0 shutout of Lindenwood. Central Missouri (6-2) joins FHSU and Northwest Missouri in the top 25 this week after a win over Washburn. The Mules are No. 23 in the poll this week.

The first set of NCAA Regional Rankings are due to release Monday (Oct. 23). The top seven teams in Super Region 3 are selected to compete in the NCAA Division II Playoffs. There will be three releases of the regional rankings before the selections are made following the end of the regular season.

Below is the AFCA Division II Poll for October 23, 2017.
Rank School (1st votes) Record Points Previous
1. Northwest Missouri State (34) 8-0 850 1
2. Shepherd (W.Va.) 7-0 794 2
3. Minnesota State 8-0 753 4
4. Indiana (Pa.) 8-0 749 3
5. Midwestern State (Texas) 6-0 697 5
6. Indianapolis (Ind.) 8-0 687 6
7. Fort Hays State (Kan.) 8-0 646 8
8. Central Washington 8-0 571 9
9. Texas A&M-Commerce 6-1 539 10
10. Winona State (Minn.) 8-0 537 11
11. Ferris State (Mich.) 6-1 503 12
12t. Ashland (Ohio) 7-1 475 13
12t. Assumption (Mass.) 7-0 475 14
14. Sioux Falls (S.D.) 7-1 397 15
15. Colorado Mesa 7-1 382 16
16. Wingate (N.C.) 7-0 349 20
17. Virginia State 7-0 303 21
18. Humboldt State (Calif.) 6-1 250 22
19. Grand Valley State (Mich.) 6-2 216 7
20. Bowie State (Md.) 7-1 206 23
21. Eastern New Mexico 6-1 168 24
22. Findlay (Ohio) 7-1 115 NR
23. Central Missouri 6-2 83 NR
24. Colorado State-Pueblo 6-2 82 NR
25. West Alabama 6-2 70 18
Others Receiving Votes: West Georgia, 33; Slippery Rock (Pa.), 26; Delta St. (Miss.), 20; California (Pa.), 19; Washburn (Kan.), 18; Shippensburg (Pa.), 17; Arkansas Tech, 7; Ouachita Baptist (Ark.), 5; Azusa Pacific (Calif.), 3; Catawba (N.C.), 1; Minnesota-Duluth, 1; Notre Dame (Ohio), 1; Southern Arkansas, 1; West Florida, 1.

BISMARCK, N.D. – The Fort Hays State men’s soccer team defeated the University of Mary 2-0 on Sunday afternoon (Oct. 22). The victory moves the Tigers to 8-5-2 on the season, while Mary falls to 6-6-1 on the year. The loss ended Mary’s three-match win streak.

The Tigers came out aggressive in the first half as they outshot the Marauders eight to two, but neither team could find the back of the net as they went into halftime scoreless.

Abdoulaye Cisse got the ball rolling in the second half as he scored his seventh goal of the season from 10 yards out in the 56th minute on a loose ball following a corner kick. The Tigers kept the 1-0 advantage until the 67th minute as Caesar Jones connected on a rebound that ricocheted between players in front of the net.

The score held up as the Tigers rebounded from a seven-match win streak snapped last Sunday. Alex Rodela earned the victory in goal for the Tigers as he improved his record to 2-1 on year.

Fort Hays State outshot Mary 18-5 on the afternoon. The Tigers were able to produce offensive opportunities with 11 corner kicks in the match.

The Tigers will play their final three regular season matches at home. The run begins with Upper Iowa on Thursday (Oct. 26), starting at 5 pm.

EDMOND, Okla. – In their second road match of the weekend in Oklahoma, the Tigers fell to Central Oklahoma 4-1 as the Bronchos pushed past the Tigers in an offensive-forward match. With the loss, the Tigers are now on a two-match losing skid and now drop to 8-5-3 overall with a 5-3-1 mark in MIAA play. The Bronchos are now 7-7-2 overall with a conference record of 4-3-2.

Central Oklahoma was the first to get on the board as Katie Killion broke away from the crowd to slip the ball past the Tiger goalkeeper for her first goal of the season. Later on in the first half, the Tigers could not contain Morgan Cherry as she captured her fifth goal of the season ten yards outside the box. Fort Hays State headed into the locker room trailing 2-0 to Central Oklahoma.

Twelve minutes into the second half, Asha Haile found an assist from Kelsie Eason for her eighth goal of the season and to put Central Oklahoma up 3-0 over the Tigers. The final goal of the afternoon from Central Oklahoma came after Eason hit a loose ball 20 yards out to put up the Bronchos 4-0 with just over 20 minutes left in the match.

The Tigers would not be shutout, however, as freshman Olympia Katsouridis netted her first career goal for Fort Hays State after an assist from Kylie Thomas. Katsouridis headed the ball off the cross to earn the Tigers’ only goal of the match.

In the contest, the Bronchos out-shot the Tigers 17-7 and 12-4 on target.

The Tigers are back home this Friday (Oct. 27) as they host Nebraska-Kearney for their final regular-season MIAA home match. Sunday will be the final regular-season match for Fort Hays State as they travel to Washurn.

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Fort Hays State held the MIAA’s top rushing team to 72 yards as they beat Missouri Western 38-10 Saturday afternoon at Spratt Memorial Stadium for their first 8-0 start in program history.

The Tigers recovered mishandled snap on  a punt then Monterio Burchfield hauled in a 67-yard touchdown pass to put FHSU up 14-0 early in the game.

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Game Highlights

Leading 14-10, the Tigers drove 72 yards in six plays and scored on a four-yard Kenneth Iheme run to go up 21-10 at the half. They scored touchdowns on their first two possessions of the third quarter to put the game away.

.Kenneth Iheme rushed for 114 yards and two touchdowns. Monterio Burchfield hauled in five catches for 184 yards and a touchdown. Jacob Mezera completed 14 of 22 passes for 248 yards and a touchdown.

The Tigers defense was stellar again, holding the Griffons to 188 total yards with four sacks.

WARRENSBURG, Mo. – The Fort Hays State women’s cross country team finished second at the 2017 MIAA Cross Country Championships Saturday (Oct. 21), its best finish since joining the conference in 2006. Three individuals earned All-MIAA honors for the Tigers, including a pair of first team honorees. Central Missouri hosted the six-kilometer race at the Mules National Golf Course on a warm, breezy morning. A total of 104 runners competed in the event.

The Tigers earned 91 points to finish runner-up, three points in front of third place Southwest Baptist. Pittsburg State won the conference title after finishing with 31 points, the lowest team score in the event since Missouri Southern in 2009 (18 points).

Lindsay Roberts led the Tigers to the line, placing fifth with a time of 22:42.04, less than 22 seconds behind individual champion Piper Misse (PSU). Lauren Roberts climbed nine spots over the final three kilometers, finishing eighth with a time of 23:02.35 after sitting in 17th at the 3K split. Both Roberts sisters earned first team All-MIAA honors for their performance.

Chelsea Jackson picked up honorable mention All-MIAA accolades for the fourth time in her career, traversing the course in 23:18.07 to finish 15th. Yessenia Gonzales narrowly missed earning a spot on the All-Conference team, finishing 24th with a time of 23:51.28. Lisa Penner rounded out the scoring for the Tigers, crossing the line in 24:36.10 to place 43rd.

The Tigers will look to carry this momentum with them when they travel to Kearney, Neb. for the NCAA Division II Central Region Championships on November 4, in an attempt to qualify for the National Championships for the second year in a row. The women’s six-kilometer race is set to begin at 11 a.m.

Fort Hays State, ranked No. 8 in the latest AFCA Division II Poll, focuses on another challenging road game Saturday at Missouri Western. The Tigers and Griffons are slated to kickoff at 1 pm at Spratt Stadium. The Tigers enter at 7-0, while the Griffons are 4-3.

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Fort Hays State has a chance to set a new school record for best start to a season. With a 37-20 win last week against Washburn, the Tigers matched the 7-0 record of the 1917 team. But that was the entire season for the 1917 team, so this Tiger team has a chance to push the school’s best-start mark higher. To do so, the Tigers will need to put a six-game losing streak to the Griffons in St. Joseph to bed. FHSU snapped an 11-game losing streak overall to MWSU last year with a 35-27 win in Hays.

To snap the drought in St. Joseph, the Tigers will have to be sharp with ball security Saturday as they face a Griffon team that ranks second nationally in turnover margin (+14) and turnovers gained (22).

Fort Hays State ranks second in the MIAA in scoring defense, allowing 16.6 points per game. That mark ranks 14th nationally. The Tigers have held teams to 20 or less five out of seven games this year. FHSU is also second in the MIAA in total defense, allowing 312.9 yards per game to rank 33rd nationally. Fort Hays State’s run defense has been solid, allowing 85.4 yards per game on the ground. Six of the seven opponents this year have been held to 89 or less yards rushing.

The rushing defense will be put to the test once again as Missouri Western leads the MIAA in rushing at 246.7 yards per game. The Griffons have the conference’s top rusher in Josh Caldwell, averaging 112 rushing yards per game, but Kenneth Iheme is hot on his heels at 109.9 rushing yards per game after eclipsing the 100-yard rushing mark in each of the last three games. The stretch includes a career-high 189-yard rushing performance against Pittsburg State. He has 769 rushing yards for the season. Charles Tigner provides a strong second option with 407 rushing yards. He rushed for a career-high 171 yards against Washburn last week.

Balancing the rushing is a strong passing attack led by Jacob Mezera. His top three targets, Tyler Bacon, Monterio Burchfield, and Layne Bieberle, have combined for 87 receptions and 1,203 of the team’s 1,919 receiving yards. Mezera is completing 67.3 percent of his passes and has 15 touchdowns. Last week, Mezera became the sixth Tiger quarterback to reach the 4,000-yard passing mark in a career.

On the defensive side of the ball, Jose Delgado leads the Tigers in tackles with 60, averaging 10 per game. He also leads the team in sacks with 3.5. Doyin Jibowu leads FHSU in interceptions with three, while Kamon Clayton has a team-best 10 pass break-ups.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State Men’s Basketball was selected seventh in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll, released on Friday (Oct. 20). FHSU is coming off a tie for fourth place in the MIAA last year, a season that saw the Tigers go 18-11 overall.

Fort Hays State’s lone All-MIAA selection returning this year is Hadley Gillum, who averaged 13.5 points and 6.4 rebounds per game last year as a junior. The native of Plainville, Kansas is the only senior on this year’s team. Even with the youth of the team, three of five starters from last year return. That group includes Gillum, Trey O’Neil, and Kyler Kinnamon. O’Neil buried 46 3-point field goals, while Kinnamon led the team in assists at 3.3 per game.

The Tigers lost two of three All-MIAA performers from last year, seeing the exit of seniors Rob Davis and JaQuan Smith. One of the best scorers of the ball in school history, Davis earned All-MIAA First Team and All-America honors, averaging 21.4 points per game. Smith averaged 7.9 points and 6.6 rebounds per game in the post and was a member of the MIAA All-Defensive Team.

The top scorer off the bench last year, Brady Werth, returns in the post after averaging 6.3 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. Aaron Nicholson and Grant Holmes played in a reserve role last year, each averaging more than 10 minutes per game on the floor.

The Tigers added four new players this year, including three transfers and a true freshman. Junior college transfers include Marcus Cooper, KeShawn Wilson, and Calvin Harrington, while Nyjee Wright is the only true freshman. They join redshirt freshmen Jared Vitztum and Isaiah Nunnery, both local products, as players looking to make an impact in their first year on the floor at FHSU.

Mark Johnson enters his 17th year guiding the Tigers. He has an overall record of 322-149, the all-time wins leader at FHSU. Johnson has led the Tigers to seven NCAA Tournament appearances.

Fort Hays State has a pair of exhibitions against NCAA Division I opponents Kansas State and Kansas before starting the regular season on November 10. The exhibition at Kansas State is on Sunday, October 29, and the exhibition at Kansas is on Tuesday, November 7.

Defending national champion Northwest Missouri State is picked as the favorite once again. The Bearcats have won four consecutive MIAA Regular Season titles.

Below is the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll for 2017-18.

2017-18 MIAA Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Northwest Missouri (13) 169 points
2. Central Missouri 145 points
3. Washburn (1) 144 points
4. Nebraska Kearney 124 points
5. Central Oklahoma 115 points
6. Missouri Southern 112 points
7. Fort Hays State 100 points
8. Pittsburg State 87 points
9. Lindenwood 86 points
10. Emporia State 48 points
11. Lincoln 45 points
12. Northeastern State 41 points
13. Southwest Baptist 40 points
14. Missouri Western 18 points

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The women’s basketball coaches in the MIAA selected Fort Hays State to finish fifth in the conference standings this year, according to the 2017-18 MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll released Thursday (Oct. 19) in conjunction with MIAA Virtual Media Day. It is the sixth consecutive year the Tigers have been picked to finish in the top five in the preseason poll. The poll is comprised of votes from all 14 head coaches in the league, who do not list their own institution on their ballot.

The Tigers picked up 110 points in the voting process to come in fifth. Central Missouri tops the poll with 158 points and seven first-place votes, one point in front of Pittsburg State (157 points, 4 first-place votes). Emporia State rounds out the top three with 150 points while being listed atop two ballots and Central Oklahoma earned the final first place vote, picking up 138 points.

Head coach Tony Hobson enters his 10th year at Fort Hays State just eight wins away from 600 career victories. He returns 10 players from last year’s team that went 22-8 overall, eclipsing 20 wins for a program-record sixth straight year.

The Tigers return a pair of All-MIAA performers in juniors Carly Heim and Tatyana Legette. Heim averaged 7.8 points per game while raking second on the team with 47 assists. Legette dropped in 9.6 points per contest, second best on the team, while ranking seventh in the conference with 7.6 rebounds each night.

While this year’s roster looks young on paper, with just one senior in forward Emma Stroyan, the Tigers return plenty of in-game experience. Nine returners played in at least 11 games last season, with six appearing in at least 29 of the 30 contests. Added to the mix this year are four talented newcomers, including three freshmen and one transfer.

Fort Hays State will open the preseason with a trip to the east coast to play UConn, one of the best programs in collegiate basketball history, on November 1. The Tigers will then play Kansas State in Manhattan, Kan. on November 6. FHSU opens the regular season in Fayette, Iowa against Upper Iowa on November 10.

2017-18 MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Central Missouri (7) – 158
2. Pittsburg State (4) – 157
3. Emporia State (2) – 150
4. Central Oklahoma (1) – 138
5. Fort Hays State – 110
6. Missouri Western – 106
7. Lindenwood – 96
8. Washburn – 88
9. Southwest Baptist – 78
10. Nebraska-Kearney – 62
11. Missouri Southern – 49
12. Northwest Missouri – 43
13. Northeastern State – 21
14. Lincoln – 18

After putting together a strong win streak of seven matches that ended this past Sunday, Fort Hays State Men’s Soccer is in the mix for its sixth straight trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers are No. 2 in the first set of NCAA Central Region Rankings, released on Wednesday (Oct. 18). The top two teams in the Central Region are chosen to compete in the NCAA Tournament.

The Tigers started the year 0-4-2 with a tough non-conference schedule, but a seven-match win streak has FHSU right back in familiar territory with four regular season matches to play. The No. 1 team in the region, Northeastern State, snapped the streak this past Sunday, but FHSU split the regular season series with the RiverHawks. Northeastern State is 8-4 overall and has six matches to play yet in the regular season.

Checking in at No. 3 is Lindenwood, giving the MIAA the top three teams in the region, and Harding University is No. 4. FHSU defeated Lindenwood earlier this year in St. Charles and the teams meet again in Hays on October 29.

Fort Hays State is the three-time defending champion of the Central Region, making three consecutive appearances in the national quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament.

Below are the NCAA Central Region Rankings for October 18, 2017.

Rank Team Division II Record In-Region Record
1 Northeastern St. 8-4 8-4
2 Fort Hays State 7-3-1 7-5-2
3 Lindenwood (Mo.) 7-5 8-5
4 Harding 6-4-1 6-4-1

Fort Hays State Women’s Soccer is in the mix for a return trip to the NCAA Tournament this year, tabbed No. 8 in the first set of NCAA Region Rankings released on Wednesday (Oct. 18). The Tigers are 8-3-3 overall so far in their first season under head coach Blake Reynolds.

Fort Hays State is one of four schools from the MIAA in the top eight of the Central Region rankings. Central Missouri has a stronghold on the No. 1 slot at 14-0 overall. Missouri Western, is No. 6 at 12-2 overall, while Northeastern State is No. 7 at 11-2. FHSU defeated Missouri Western earlier this season and meets Northeastern State this week. The Tigers also tied the No. 4 team in the region, Augustana (S.D.) in a neutral site match earlier this year. Eight teams are selected to compete in the Central Regional of the NCAA Tournament.

Fort Hays State advanced to the Central Regional Final of the NCAA Tournament last year, where it faced Central Missouri. The Tigers and Jennies were co-champs of the MIAA last year in the regular season.

Below are the NCAA Central Region Rankings for October 18, 2017.

Rank Team Division II Record In-Region Record
1 Central Missouri 14-0-0 14-0-0
2 Bemidji State 11-0-2 11-0-2
3 Minnesota State 12-1-1 12-1-1
4 Augustana (SD) 9-2-3 9-2-3
5 Oklahoma Baptist 10-1-1 10-1-1
6 Missouri Western 12-2-0 12-2-0
7 Northeastern State 11-2-0 11-2-0
8 Fort Hays State 8-3-3 8-3-3

TOPEKA, Kan. – The Fort Hays State men’s golf team finished tenth among MIAA teams and 16th overall at the Washburn Invitational (Oct. 16-17). The event was hosted at the Topeka Country Club, a 6,654-yard par 71 course. The Tigers improved each round and shot 314, 308 and 306 for a total of 928 for the week.

Skyler Tebo led the Tigers for the week with a consistent performance of 75 shots each round. He finished the tournament tied for 25th overall and a three round score of 225. Tebo finished tied for 17th among MIAA competitors.

Mac McNish fired a first round of 80 and then rebounded with identical rounds of 76 the last two rounds. McNish finished the tournament tied for 57th. Isaiah Grover completed the week with scores of 79, 77 and 77 to finish tied for 63rd. Lane Pauls put together round of 80, 80 and 85 on his way to a 92nd finish. Connor Schultz shot rounds of 90, 84 and 78.

Lindenwood took the team title in a playoff over Central Oklahoma on the first playoff hole. The Lions and Bronchos shot a team total of 872. Washburn the week with a third place finish and a score of 880. Washburn’s Blake Allen defeated his teammate Jared Burns on the third playoff hole sinking a birdie putt to claim the individual title. Allen shot rounds of 69, 68 and 76 for the week.

The Tigers will be back on the course next week (Oct. 23-24) as they travel to Monkey Island, Oklahoma, to compete in the MSSU Fall Invitational hosted at Shangri-La Country Club.

ST. CHARLES, Mo. – The Fort Hays women’s golf team wrapped up their fall season at the Lindenwood Fall Invitational in St. Charles, Mo. (Oct. 16-17). The event was at the Missouri Bluffs Golf Course, a 6,064-yard par-71 course. The Tigers finished sixth among MIAA schools and 11th overall. The Tigers shot a 336 in the first round before improving two shots with a 334 in the second round.

Hannah Perkins led the Tigers tying for 21st individually after firing rounds of 77 and 80 to end the week 15-over par (157).

Katie Brungardt shot identical rounds of 83 to finish in a tie for 44th. Hannah Karasiuk tied for 52nd after shooting 85 both days. Madison Roether tied for 64th after rounds of 91 and 86. Kylie McCarthy shot rounds of 92 and 96.

Missouri-St. Louis won the tournament with rounds of 294 and 302 (596). Augustana finished second at 604 and Central Oklahoma (617) finished third. Maxi Roth and Ares Boira of Missouri-St. Louis tied for the individual title as they each ended with a four-over par (146) for the tournament.