After their first MIAA loss last week, the Tigers earned a come-from-behind victory over Northwest Missouri State to capture its third conference win of the season in a 2-1 win. Fort Hays State now improves to 6-3-2 and 3-1 in MIAA play with the victory.

After a scoreless first half for both teams, the Bearcats struck first, netting a goal under two minutes into the second half. Bri Wawiorka earned her second goal of the season off an assist from Madie Kreuger to start the scoring in the match for Northwest Missouri State. Just eight minutes later, the Tigers netted their own goal to tie up the match as Darby Hirsch captured her second goal of the 2017 season.

The decisive moment of the match came as the Bearcats failed to clear on a corner kick to give an own goal to the Tigers, increasing their lead to 2-1. This would be the game-winning moment for Fort Hays State as they took the victory to earn their third MIAA victory in the early conference season. The Bearcats led the offensive charge in the game as they outshot the Tigers 25-11. Eden Stoddard led the way for the Tigers with four shots.

Megan Kneefel picks up another victory in net for the Tigers as she collected 11 saves in her 90 minutes played. Kneefel now improves to 2-2-1 for the season as the anchor in net for the Tigers.
The Tigers will stay in Missouri for another MIAA match-up as they face a tough challenge in No. 20 Missouri Western State. Fort Hays State will travel to St. Joseph, Mo., for the tilt which is slated to kick at 12 p.m. Sunday.

HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State Director of Athletics Curtis Hammeke has announced the naming of Jason McCullough as head track and field coach. McCullough will continue to lead the cross country team as head coach. McCullough takes over for Dennis Weber, who worked with the team for 21 years, including 12 as head coach.

“I am excited for the opportunity to continue building on the tradition of the Fort Hays State University cross country and track & field programs,” said McCullough. “I am appreciative of the opportunity that athletic director Curtis Hammeke has provided me at FHSU. It has been a great experience coaching the cross country teams and serving as an assistant coach in the track & field program for the past 12 seasons, and I am ready for the opportunity as head coach of both programs. I have confidence in Ben Santos and the entire coaching staff to continue to build a successful program at FHSU.”

McCullough is in his 13th season as the head cross country coach at FHSU, helping the Tigers earn 51 All-Conference honors and 17 All-Region awards during that span. He was named the fourth cross country coach in program history in 2005. McCullough competed for the Tigers from 1996-99, earning All-American honors in cross country and picking up five Academic All-American awards. A four-time national qualifier, McCullough also added five All-RMAC awards to his résumé.

“We are confident in Jason’s ability to lead our track and cross country programs,” Hammeke said. “He has a strong work ethic, is well organized and understands the history of our program.”

Additionally, McCullough has named Ben Santos as assistant track and field coach. Santos served the last two years as a graduate assistant for the track and field program, primarily working with the sprinters and hurdlers. Santos is a graduate of California State University, Northridge, where he reached the NCAA Division I Track and Field Championships once as a member of the 4x100m relay team. He earned a master’s degree from Fort Hays State University in 2016.

Fort Hays State Football moved up one spot in the latest D2Football.com Poll, released on Tuesday (Oct. 3). The Tigers are No. 12 in the latest edition of the weekly supplemental poll.

This is the first week this season the Tigers rank higher in the official poll of Division II football, tabbed No. 11 by the AFCA on Monday. Up until this week, the Tigers had a higher ranking in the D2Football.com Poll in each of the previous three weeks.

Fort Hays State is one of three MIAA schools currently in the D2Football.com Poll. Northwest Missouri State continues its reign at No. 1, while Washburn jumps in this week at No. 25.

Below is the D2Football.com Poll for Tuesday, October 3.

Team Record Previous
1 Northwest Missouri State 5-0 1
2 Texas A&M-Commerce 4-0 2
3 Indiana (Pa.) 5-0 3
4 Sioux Falls 5-0 5
5 Minnesota State 5-0 7
6 Shepherd 4-0 6
7 Grand Valley State 4-1 8
8 Ashland 4-1 9
9 CSU-Pueblo 4-1 10
10 Ferris State 3-1 11
11 Midwestern State 3-0 12
12 Fort Hays State 5-0 13
13 Indianapolis 5-0 14
14 Delta State 5-0 16
15 Slippery Rock 5-0 17
16 California (Pa.) 4-1 4
17 Winona State 5-0 18
18 Central Washington 5-0 20
19 Bowie State 5-0 21
20 Humboldt State 4-0 25
21 West Alabama 4-1 NR
22 Assumption 5-0 NR
23 West Georgia 4-1 NR
24 Arkansas Tech 4-1 19
25 Washburn 4-1 NR

Fort Hays State Weekly Football Press Conference
October 2, 2017

Fort Hays State head coach Chris Brown conducted his weekly press conference in advance of the Tigers homecoming game with Pittsburg State Saturday night at Lewis Field. Brown and select players met with the media inside Lewis Field on Tuesday, a session that can be heard by clicking on the links below.

Head Coach Chris Brown

 

 

Senior RB Kenneth Iheme

Senior OL Travis Talley

 

 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State linebacker Jose Delgado earned MIAA Co-Defensive Athlete of the Week on Monday (Oct. 2) for his efforts in the 38-35 win at Lindenwood this past Saturday. Delgado is the fifth Tiger to receive one of the MIAA weekly honors this season.

Delgado produced a season-high 14 tackles while adding a sack in the 38-35 win for Fort Hays State at Lindenwood. The junior linebacker had 3.5 tackles for loss and helped the Tigers limit the Lions to just 56 rushing yards. Nine of Delgado’s 14 tackles were on rushes by the Lions.

Delgado joins Jacob Mezera (Week 1 Offensive Athlete of the Week), Brandon Brown (Weeks 1 and 4 Special Teams Athlete of the Week), Nathan Shepherd (Week 2 Defensive Athlete of the Week) and Monterio Burchfield (Week 3 Offensive Athlete of the Week) as Tigers to earn weekly MIAA honors this season.

Delgado shares the Defensive Athlete of the Week honor with Derrick McGreevy of Washburn. Offensive Athlete of the Week went to Central Oklahoma quarterback Chas Stallard and Special Teams Athlete of the Week went to Perry Schmeideler of Washburn.

WACO, Texas – Fort Hays State Football continued its ascent in the AFCA Division II Poll on Monday (Oct. 2). The Tigers moved up from No. 14 to No. 11 in the latest edition. Fort Hays State moved to 5-0 on the season this past Saturday with a hard-fought 38-35 win at Lindenwood, remaining in a tie for first place in the MIAA with the nation’s top ranked team, Northwest Missouri State.

The Tigers continue to set a new mark for the program’s highest ranking in the AFCA Poll (which began in 2000) the past four weeks. The Tigers entered the poll for the first time ever at No. 21 on September 11, moved to No. 18 on September 18, then jumped to No. 14 on September 25. The Tigers jumped three more spots this week and host Pittsburg State for Homecoming this Saturday (Oct. 7) in Hays at 7 pm.

Fort Hays State and two-time defending national champion Northwest Missouri State remain the only two MIAA schools in the top 25 of the poll. Northwest Missouri survived a scare from Central Missouri this past Saturday at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, scoring a touchdown with seven seconds left to defeat UCM 24-20 and run its win streak to 35 games dating back to the start of the 2015 season. Just one game back of Fort Hays State and Northwest Missouri is Washburn at 4-1, the highest receiving votes team from the MIAA in the poll. Washburn is the fourth-highest team receiving votes. Central Missouri is also receiving votes.

Below is the AFCA Division II Poll for October 2, 2017.

Rank School (1st votes) Record Pts. Prev.
1. Northwest Missouri St. (34) 5-0 850 1
2. Texas A&M-Commerce 4-0 783 2
3. Shepherd (W.Va.) 4-0 770 3
4. Indiana (Pa.) 5-0 740 4
5. Minnesota St. 5-0 711 6
6. Sioux Falls (S.D.) 5-0 679 7
7. Indianapolis (Ind.) 5-0 616 10
8. Grand Valley St. (Mich.) 4-1 569 9
9. Delta St. (Miss.) 5-0 541 13
10. Midwestern St. (Texas) 3-0 540 12
11. Fort Hays State (Kan.) 5-0 487 14
12. Slippery Rock (Pa.) 5-0 421 18
13. Central Washington 5-0 416 16
14. Colorado St.-Pueblo 4-1 391 17
15. Ferris St. (Mich.) 3-1 356 15
16. California (Pa.) 4-1 312 5
17. Humboldt St. (Calif.) 4-0 303 19
18. Ashland (Ohio) 4-1 257 20
19. Bowie St. (Md.) 5-0 241 21
20. Assumption (Mass.) 5-0 237 22
21. Colorado Mesa 4-1 211 8
22. Winona St. (Minn.) 5-0 163 25
23. Southeastern Oklahoma St. 5-0 105 NR
24. Arkansas Tech 4-1 95 11
25. West Georgia 4-1 54 NR

Others Receiving Votes: Shippensburg (Pa.), 42; West Alabama, 35; Wingate (N.C.), 34; Washburn (Kan.), 18; Ouachita Baptist (Ark.), 17; Catawba (N.C.), 13; Central Missouri, 12; Virginia St., 11; Eastern New Mexico, 7; Azusa Pacific (Calif.), 4; West Chester (Pa.), 4; Notre Dame (Ohio), 3; LIU-Post (N.Y.), 1; McKendree (Ill.), 1.

HAYS, Kan. – The hopes of breaking the undefeated Central Missouri’s record on Sunday fell short for the Tigers as they suffered their first MIAA loss of the season to the No. 3 Jennies 2-0. With the loss, Fort Hays State falls to 2-1 in the conference and 5-3-2 overall. The Jennies added another win to their record as they now sit at 10-0 overall with a 3-0 MIAA mark.

With the Jennies going into the strong Hays wind in the first half, they were unable to net a goal over the Tigers. However, at the 23 minute mark in the opening half, the Tigers let up on an own goal to give the 1-0 advantage to the No. 3 Jennies. This would be the only mark for either team in the first half as Central Missouri held the lead heading into the half. The Jennies outshot the Tigers 5-2 in the first 45 minutes.

With the second half kicking off, Fort Hays State was now a victim of the wind. Just 13 minutes into the last 45 minutes, the Jennies netted a goal to take the 2-0 lead off a header from Jada Scott from an assist on the left side from Abby Rhodes. This would be Scott’s fifth goal of the season. The Tigers attempted to get on the board with their own points, but failed to gain momentum as they were outshot again in the second 10-3 to the Jennies. The Scott goal would end up being the decisive point as the Jennies captured the 2-0 win over Fort Hays State.

Ana Dilkes for Central Missouri earned her 10th win of the season in goal with two saves. For the Tigers, Megan Kneefel captured three saves in 90 minutes played, but dropped her goalkeeping record this season to 1-2-1.

Next for the Tigers is a pair of MIAA road matches as they first meet up with 4-5, 1-2 MIAA Northwest Missouri State in Maryville, Mo., on Friday (Oct. 6). Sunday promotes another tough challenge for Fort Hays State as they take on No. 24 Missouri Western who is undefeated in conference play at 3-0. That match is slated for a 1 p.m. start on Sunday (Oct. 8).

PITTSBURG, Kan. – The Fort Hays State volleyball team picked up its first conference win of the season Saturday (Sept. 30), knocking off Pittsburg State in four sets (25-27, 25-19, 27-25, 25-22). The Tigers improve to 9-10 overall and 1-4 in conference play, while the Gorillas are now 3-14 on the year and 0-5 in the MIAA.

The Tigers totaled a .196 hitting percentage in the victory while limiting PSU to a .152 swing rate. FHSU also held a 10-8 advantage in blocks. Magan Alexander paced the team with 15 kills, with Callie Christensen adding 11 and Logan Wallick also reaching double figures with 10. Christensen matched Alexander with 15 points to lead the team after adding six blocks (two solo). Becca Page led the team with 25 assists while Taylor White recorded a team-high 18 digs.

The teams went back and forth in the early going before FHSU put together six-straight points to go in front 14-9. The Tigers later built the lead as high as nine, 21-12, but the Gorillas bounced back to score 10 of the next 11 points to tie things up at 22-22. The home team completed the incredible comeback by closing the set on a 5-2 run, winning the opening frame 27-25.

Fort Hays State never trailed in the second set, jumping in front 9-4 to force a Gorilla timeout. The Tigers kept the pressure on out of the huddle, scoring five of the next seven points to build the lead to eight, 14-6. The Gorillas closed as close as five, 22-17, but a kill from Christensen gave the Tigers a 25-19 victory and sent the teams into the locker room tied up at one.

Both teams went on several big runs in the third set, with the Tigers ultimately coming out on top to take a commanding 2-1 lead in the match. PSU scored five in a row early in the frame to go up 6-1 before the Tigers rallied to tie things up at 7-7. The Gorillas went back up by two, but FHSU once again responded with five consecutive points to grab a 14-11 lead. The Tigers led by as many as four, 19-15, before reaching set point, 24-21. The Gorillas fought off three-straight set points to tie things up, ultimately taking the lead to end a four-point run. Thankfully the Tigers had one final run in them, capturing the next three rallies to win the set on a kill from Wallick.

Fort Hays State was in control for the entirety of the fourth set, trailing only once by just one point. The teams traded points early on before PSU took a momentary 7-6 lead, followed quickly by three straight points for the Tigers. FHSU would lead for the remainder of the set, ultimately securing the match with a 25-22 victory. The Tigers built their lead up to six, 19-13, thanks to four consecutive points. As was the theme all night, Pittsburg State would not go away quietly, using an 8-3 run to close within one, 22-21. The Black and Gold secured the next two points to reach match point before Alexander sealed the victory with a kill two rallies later.

The Tigers are set to return to Gross Memorial Coliseum for a four-match homestand beginning Friday (Oct. 6) when FHSU will host Missouri Western at 6 p.m.

ST. CHARLES, Mo. – Colt Trachsel intercepted a pass and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown to give Fort Hays State a 10-point lead and the 14th-ranked Tigers held off Lindenwood 38-35 Saturday afternoon at Hunter Stadium.

Chris Brown Postgame Interview

Colt Trachsel Postgame Interview

Monterio Burchfield Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

The Lions scored 14 straight to close out the second quarter and led 21-14 at halftime. The Tigers answered with a 48-yard touchdown pass to Monterio Burchfield to tie the game 21-21.

After Lindenwood answered with a touchdown to take the lead back, Jacob Mezera connected with Burchfield on a 76-yard touchdown strike on third and six to tie the game 28-28.

After the Lions missed a 34-yard field goal, Kenneth Iheme ripped off a 54-yard run setting up a 27-yard Brandon Brown Field goal to give the Tigers a 31-28 lead with 7:59 to play.

The Tigers recovered a Lindenwood fumble on the next possession but Jacob Mezera underthrew a pass to Burchfield that was intercepted by Riley McCoy who was then penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct which pinned the Lions at their own five yard line.

Trachsel picked off the pass of Max Meylor to push the lead to 38-28 with 3:34 to play. The Lions drove in for a touchdown with 1:03 but J.J. Lewis recovered the onside kick and the Tigers ran out the clock as move to 5-0 for the first time since 1983.

Monterio Burchfield had five catches for 173 yards and three touchdowns. Kenneth Iheme rushed for 174 yards on 30 carries with a touchdown and had seven receptions for another 58 yards.

Jacob Mezera went 25 of 35 for 294 yards with three touchdowns and one interception and was not sacked.

Jose Delgado led the defense with 14 tackles and the Tigers’ only sack.

HAYS, Kan. – With the match tied at 1-1 leading into the final minutes, Eden Stoddard earned her seventh goal of the season to lead the Tigers to a 2-1 MIAA win over Lindenwood Friday night. Fort Hays State now improves its record to 5-2-2 and 2-0 in the early conference season. The Lions drop to 3-6 and 0-2 in MIAA play.

The Lions got on the board first in the game as they earned a 1-0 advantage at the 20:19 minute mark in the match behind Becky Roberts’ third goal of the season on a solo shot in front of FHSU keeper Kristen Thompson. It took less than 20 minutes for the Tigers to even up the score after Silvana Romero netted her season-first goal from the feet of Stoddard who earned her third assist of the season as she set up a Romero goal up the right side of the pitch. The Tigers and Lions headed into the halftime tied at 1-1.

The second half remained even with neither team adding another goal to their name. Despite Fort Hays State outshooting Lindenwood 9-2 in the second half, the Tigers were not able to capture another goal until four minutes left in the match. Stoddard netted her team-high seventh goal of the season off a header and pass from Darby Hirsch and Romero at the 86:10 mark. The huge goal ultimately would seal the win for the Tigers 2-1 to help them remain unbeaten at 2-0 in the MIAA.

In the match, Fort Hays State out-shot Lindenwood by 17 with the 22-5 advantage in the category. Mary McGilvray for the Lions got dealt her third loss of the season to drop her record behind the net for Lindenwood to 3-6 behind seven saves on the night. For the Tigers, Thompson and Megan Kneefel split the goal security duties with Thompson earning the lone save of the match for Fort Hays State in the first half. Kneefel earned the victory, however, as she anchored the Tigers in the second half to earn her first win in goal this season. Kneefel now sits at 1-1-1 on the year.

The road for the Tigers doesn’t get any easier as they play host to No. 3 Central Missouri Sunday for a 1 p.m. kickoff. The Jennies are 9-0 overall and 2-0 in the MIAA as they have held their opponents scoreless by holding a 38-0 advantage.

EDMOND, Okla. – Despite collecting 11 team blocks, the Fort Hays State volleyball team was unable to slow the powerful No. 9 Central Oklahoma offense, falling in straight sets Friday inside Hamilton Field House (18-25, 14-25, 20-25). The Tigers fall to 8-10 overall and 0-4 in MIAA play, while the Bronchos are now 17-1 and 4-0 in conference action after earning their eighth-straight sweep.

The Tigers were limited to a .100 attack percentage while UCO countered with a .274 swing rate. Fort Hays State picked up four more blocks than the Bronchos, 11-7, but the home team held an edge in every other statistical category.

Callie Christensen led the Tigers with 10 kills, recording just two errors to accumulate a .381 attack percentage while adding five blocks (one solo) defensively. Kylie Rollman chipped in seven kills and seven blocks (one solo), posting a .385 swing rate. Taylor White totaled a match-high 18 digs in the loss.

The Bronchos ran away with the first set when they scored nine consecutive points, turning a 4-3 deficit into a 12-4 lead. The Tigers scored four in a row late in the set to close within 22-18, but UCO finished things off by winning the next three rallies. It was more of the same in the second set as the Bronchos used 12-1 run to jump in front by double figures, 17-6.

Fort Hays State didn’t go down without a fight, forcing 10 ties and six lead changes in the third set. UCO scored the first three points in the frame, but the Tigers went on a 5-1 run to jump in front 7-6. FHSU led by as many as two, 9-7, before the Bronchos rallied to retake the lead, 11-9. The momentum quickly shifted once again, with the Tigers grabbing the next three points to move back in front, 12-11. The Tigers led as late as 16-15 before UCO finished the match with a 10-4 run, taking the final set 25-20. It was only the second time this conference season that a UCO opponent has reached 20 points in a set.

The Tigers wrap up the weekend Saturday when they travel to Pittsburg State for a 6 p.m. contest.