SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Fort Hays State sophomore golfer Hannah Perkins sits in a tie for third place after Monday’s first round of the 2017 NCAA Division II Super Region 3 Championship, hosted by Augustana University at Minnehaha Country Club. Perkins fired an opening round 4-over-par 75 to finish one shot back of the leaders.
“We had a great day to play golf,” said Perkins. “Overall I was able to take advantage. Got off to a slow start, but we rallied for a strong finish.”
Perkins recorded 13 pars in the opening round, third-most in the 66-player field. After opening the day with two bogeys over her first three holes, the Wichita, Kan. native gave back just two more strokes over her final 15 holes.
“I thought she hit the ball really well today,” said head coach Rich Guffey. “She was putting herself in position all day, hitting a lot of greens.”
Her lone birdie came on the par-5 seventh hole, where she reached the green in two and finished with a nice two-putt. In total, Perkins hit 10 greens in regulation.
“I gave myself quite a few birdie chances, which allowed for some easy pars,” said Perkins. “Just couldn’t get many birdie putts to fall.”
The round of 75 is the best round for a Tiger in a regional in program history, four shots better than the previous mark (Shelby White, 79, 2006 West Regional).
“The experience here has been wonderful,” said Perkins. “I’m happy to be here and have the chance to play against some of the best girls in the country. I’m doing my best to soak everything in and enjoy the experience.”
Anna Pool (Central Oklahoma) and Savannah Stone (Concordia-St. Paul) are tied for the lead after shooting 74 (3-over) in the first round.
Perkins will tee off at 9:40 a.m. in round two Tuesday morning (May 9).
“If she keeps hitting the ball like she did today, I think we’ll be in a pretty good spot,” said Guffey.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Three MIAA softball teams punched their tickets to the post-season as the NCAA Division II Regional Field was announced Monday.
Central Oklahoma will be the top seeded team from the MIAA as they will be the #3 seed in the Minnesota State-Mankato sub-regional and face off with sixth seeded Pittsburg State who will also represent the MIAA.
Missouri Western will head to the Harding sub-regional and face off with the top seeded host as the eighth seed.
Harding and MWSU will face off at 2:30 p.m. in Searcy, Ark. on May 11 while UCO takes on PSU at 1:30 p.m. on May 11 from Mankato, Minn.
BOLIVAR, Mo. – Fort Hays State Men’s Track and Field finished fifth at the MIAA Championships, held May 5-7. The Tigers had five athletes earn All-MIAA honors, which included two individual champions, Brett Meyer and Dillando Allotey.
After a sixth place finish in the 200-meter prelims, Allotey surprised the field with a first place finish in 20.91 seconds, picking up his first MIAA title. The time vaulted him to eighth on the national performance list with Miguel Barton of Lincoln. Barton ran the same time in the prelims on Saturday. Allotey also improved his provisional mark in the 400 meters, despite a fourth-place finish, when he crossed the line in 47.09. The time ties for 11th best in the nation this year.
Meyer earned his first MIAA title in the 800 meters. He topped the competition in the finals with a time of 1:50.93, his second fastest time of the year. He continues to rank inside the top 15 on the national performance list at 13th.
Decano Cronin finished race two spots behind Meyer earning his first all-conference honor in the 800. The Ireland native broke the MIAA meet record in the prelims running a phenomenal time of 1:49.98, however he was unable to repeat the sub-1:50 performance Sunday, but still took third with a time of 1:53.52. Cronin’s preliminary time moved him up to eighth on the national performance list.
TJ Dozier was the third champion for the Tigers, topping the field in the discus. He launched a throw of 167 feet, 7 inches on his final attempt for the win. His best effort in the event, thrown earlier in the season, has him 16th on the national performance list.
Kolt Newell earned All-MIAA honors in the high jump for the second straight year, finishing runner up in the high jump. The sophomore leaped a height of 6 feet, 9.5 inches, the same height he took third with last year at the championships. It was just a bit shy of his best mark of the season that has him 11th on the national performance list.
Another solid performance came from Derek Bixenman in the decathlon. Finishing fourth, Bixenman turned in a record setting performance of 6,642 points, and breaking the 10-year old FHSU record of 6,618 points set by Alan Yoder. The effort was good for a provisional mark, ranking him 21st on the national performance list.
Sam Dreiling hit a provisional mark in the pole vault with a vault of 15 feet, 11 inches to finish seventh. However, it was not his best vault on the season as he cleared 16 feet, 1.25 inches earlier this year. Weston Riner (seventh – decathlon) and Luke Chism (eighth – discus) also earned team points individually. The 4×400 team of Mathew Pieper, Meyer, Cronin, and Allotey finished fourth.
As a team the Tigers generated 64 points. Lincoln and Central Missouri led the way, tying for the team title with 134 points. Missouri Southern followed with 126 points to finish third.
BOLIVAR, Mo. – Fort Hays State Women’s Track and Field place fifth at the MIAA Championships, held May 5-7. Three of the four All-MIAA performers for the Tigers were event champions, while placing in the top three in five events.
Shea Bonine was the only individual on the squad to earn All-MIAA status in multiple events this year, winning the 5,000 meters and taking third in the 1,500 meters. Bonine repeated as MIAA-Champion for the second straight year in the 5,000. She crossed the line in the 1,500 meters in 4:39.01, her fastest time in the event this year.
Micki Krzesinski was also a repeat champ for the Tigers, doing so in the 10,000 meters on Saturday with a time of 36:54.25. The time was fast enough for the NCAA provisional qualifying list, but she already holds the 11th fastest time in the nation this season. She also placed fifth in the 5,000 meters with a time of 18:06.79.
Competing for the first time at the MIAA Championships, freshman Alexcia Deutscher picked up her first championship in the javelin. Her throw of 147 feet, 7 inches bested the competition by more than two feet, but was not her best throw this season. Her throw of nearly 157 feet continues to rank third on the national performance list.
Kelly Wycoff was the fourth All-MIAA performer for the women, earning the honor in the 400 meters. In the prelims, she broke her own FHSU record of 55.48 seconds, which she set just last week, with a time of 54.80. The time also improved her provisional mark on the year to 15th fastest in the nation. In the finals, she turned in a second-place performance for all-conference honors with a time of 54.95 seconds. She placed sixth in the finals of the 200 meters with a time of 24.43 seconds, after running 24.16 in the prelims. Her best effort in the 200 has her ranked 18th on the national performance list.
Courtney Geiger nearly earned all-conference honors in the discus, finishing fourth with her effort of 145 feet, 9 inches. Amanda Hurla was sixth in the javelin with a throw of 133 feet, 2 inches, which gave her a provisional mark in the event. Selam Ball also had a provisional mark in the pole vault at 12 feet, 0.75 inches, finishing ninth although she matched the height of four other vaulters in the field.
Other team point scorers for the Tigers included Lauren Roberts in the 800 and 1,500 meters and Chelsea Jackson in the 10,000 meters. The 4×100 and 4×400 relay teams of Sharee Zombo, Yanoudji Diarra, Lindsay Shupe and Kelly Wycoff both finished seventh to earn team points.
Fort Hays State generated 70 points as a team to edge Lincoln in the standings. Pittsburg State ran away with the team title with 212 points, while Missouri Southern (95 points) and Central Missouri (90 points) rounded out the top three. Full standings are listed below.
MARYVILLE, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State scored two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning as they rally for a 5-4 win over Fort Hays State, completing the three-game series sweep over the Tigers Sunday afternoon at Bearcat Field.
With the win, the Bearcats (31-18, 19-16 MIAA) lock down the No. 7 seed in the upcoming MIAA Tournament in Joplin. The Tigers end their season 10-39 and 3-33 in conference play.
The Tigers grabbed a 4-3 lead with two runs in the top of the seventh on a Nick Hammeke groundout and Trevor Hughes single.
The Bearcats responded in the eighth with a leadoff home run from Landon Figg off starter Ben Ramberg to tie the game. They took the lead on an infield fly with the bases loaded.
Fort Hays State was retired in order with two strikeouts and a fly out in the ninth to end the game.
Ramberg (0-9) suffered the loss, allowing five runs, four earned, on seven hits with three strikeouts and four walks over 7 innings.
Marcus Altman, Dayton Pomeroy and Ryan Imber each had two of the FHSU’s 11 hits. Senior Nick Hammeke drove in two runs.
MARYVILLE, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State scored three runs with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning to beat the Fort Hays State baseball team 5-2.
The Bearcats strung together three straight singles off of starter Alex Ruxlow after he retired the first two batters of the inning to go up 4-2. A fourth hit following a stolen base and an error closed out the Northwest scoring.
Ruxlow allowed all five runs, three earned, on 12 hits over 7 2/3 innings and takes the loss.
Down 2-0, the Tigers got on the board on Ty Redington’s single to right center field which scored Clayton Basgall in the fifth. Dayton Pomeroy hit a solo homer an inning later to tie the game 2-2.
The Tigers close out their season Sunday in the series finale at 1pm.
MARYVILLE, Mo. – The Fort Hays State baseball team dropped the opener of a three-game set with Northwest Missouri State Friday afternoon, 13-7. The Tigers led 2-0 and 3-2 in the early innings, but an 8-run fifth put the Bearcats in front for good.
The Tigers move to 10-37 overall and 3-31 in MIAA play, while the Bearcats are now 29-18 this season and 17-16 in the league.
Ty Redington opened a strong offensive day with a single to left on the second pitch of the game. After moving to second on a sacrifice bunt from Marcus Altman, the senior swiped third and scored on a throwing error by the Bearcat catcher.
Fort Hays State doubled the lead in the top of the second when Bryce Witchurch lifted a two-out home run to left field, his fifth home run of the season.
The Bearcats leveled the score with a flurry of hits in the bottom of the second, but the Tigers jumped back on top in the third when Redington once again led off with a single. The third baseman quickly moved to third on a balk and another sacrifice bunt from Altman before coming in to score on an RBI groundout from fellow senior Nick Hammeke.
Starter Sam Capps (2-6) mowed through the Bearcats in order in the third and fourth, but the home team again broke through in the bottom of the fifth. NWMSU scored eight runs on three runs, five walks one hit by pitch, one balk and two wild pitches. After sending 13 batters to the plate, the Bearcats found themselves in front 10-2.
The Tigers bounced right back in the top of the sixth when Hammeke led off with a single to left. Trevor Hughes followed with his team-leading eighth home run, an opposite field bomb that moved FHSU within 10-5. Northwest Missouri responded by grabbing those two runs right back, leading 12-5 after six innings of play.
Trailing 13-5 at the start of the ninth inning, the Tigers put together a rally to try and send the game to extras. Clayton Basgall led off with a single before moving to second on a base knock from Witchurch. Pinch hitter Jason Nichcolson then loaded the bases with an 0-2 single to left, turning over the lineup to the leadoff man. Redington came through with his third hit of the game, sending a single the other way to right to plate a pair. The rally would end there, however, as Bearcat reliever Jacob Wagner came on to record the final two outs.
Redington finished the day 3-for-5 with two runs and two RBI, giving the senior his second double-digit hitting streak of the season. Witchurch turned in a 2-for-4 day, scoring two runs and driving in another.
The Tigers and Bearcats will face off in game two Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. from Bearcat Field.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State sophomore golfer Hannah Perkins has been named to the All-MIAA team, announced Friday by the league office. Perkins was listed as a second team All-MIAA performer after her outstanding second season at FHSU.
Perkins is the first Tiger women’s golfer to earn All-MIAA status since 2012 (Jordan Nixon). The Wichita, Kan. native led the team with a 79.6 stroke average this season and was the top Tiger finisher at all 10 tournaments in 2016-17. She picked up her second-career victory at the Ranger Invitational to finish the fall season (Oct. 23-24), posting three top-10 finishes to go along with seven top-20 finishes.
Perkins was selected to the NCAA Division II Central Regional earlier this week, becoming just the second FHSU women’s golfer to advance to a regional in program history. The postseason tournament will be played Monday through Wednesday, May 8-10 at Minnehaha Country Club in Sioux Falls, S.D.
NEW ORLEANS – Fort Hays State Women’s Track and Field moved up two spots in the latest USTFCCCA Division II National Rankings, released on Tuesday (May 2). Fort Hays State is one of three MIAA schools currently in the top 25 of the women’s rankings.
The Tigers generated 52.89 points in the latest computer rankings, just over four points more than they did in the previous poll that had them 24th in the nation. FHSU is now just three spots behind Lincoln University in the poll, while Pittsburg State continues its stronghold on the No. 2 ranking in the nation.
Micki Krzesinski helped the Tigers standing this week with a new school record time in the 10,000 meters. The effort pushed her all the way up to 11th on the national performance list.
Below are the latest USTFCCCA women’s team rankings.
HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State fell behind early and could never recover, falling to Pittsburg State 11-2 on Senior Day Tuesday at Larks Park. The Gorillas (23-24, 17-16 MIAA) used a three-run first inning home run from Hunter Clanin to grab the lead, then blew the game open with a six-run fifth for the series sweep.
Steve Johnson Postgame Interview
Game Highlights
The Gorillas used five straight singles to open the big fifth inning including the first three which never left the infield.
The Tigers (10-36, 3-30 MIAA) scored in the bottom of the fifth after a Jace Bowman double and Ruan Imber groundoud. Dayton Pomeroy added a solo homer in the sixth.
Starter Justin Hersch (0-3), one of seven Tiger seniors honored before the game, allowed three runs (two earned) on two hits over three innings and took the loss.
Austin Weiser pitched the final four innings for Fort Hays State, allowing two runs on just one hit while retiring seven in a row at one point. Bryce Witchurch was the only Tiger to pick up multiple hits, finishing 2-for-4. All five positional Tiger seniors had either a hit or an RBI in their final home game at FHSU.
Hunter Clanin hit two home runs and drove in seven runs to lead the Gorillas 11-hit attack.
HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State dropped both games of its doubleheader with Pittsburg State on Monday (May 1). The Gorillas took the first two games of the three-game series by scores of 8-5 and 8-6. PSU moved to 22-24 overall, 16-16 in the MIAA, while FHSU moved to 10-35 overall, 3-29 in the MIAA.
Steve Johnson Postgame Interview
Game 1: Pittsburg State 8, Fort Hays State 5
Fort Hays State held an early 2-0 lead after an inning, but saw Pittsburg State score eight unanswered runs in the middle of the game. The Tigers created a two-out rally in the ninth that fell just a batter shy of getting the potential tying run to the plate.
An error to open the game allowed the Tigers to get a pair of unearned runs in the first. Ty Redington scored on a passed ball and Trevor Hughes had an RBI double.
Alex Ruxlow cruised through the first three innings but allowed his first run in the fourth on a double and an RBI single. He ran into further trouble in the fifth when two singles, a double, and a pair of home runs helped Pittsburg State plate five runs to take a 6-2 lead. Another two-run homer allowed with no outs in the seventh ended Ruxlow’s day on the mound. He allowed 13 hits and two walks, with one strikeout.
After allowing the two unearned runs in the first, Cody Whiting settled in and struck out 10 Tigers in his 6.2 innings of work for the Gorillas. He allowed five hits and five walks. Ty Rowe relieved for 1.1 innings and did not allow a run.
The Tigers were down to their last out in the ninth against Tripp Tucker when Trevor Hughes hit a solo home run to right field. After a Cody Starkel double, Clayton Basgall sent a two-run homer over the wall in left field. The Tigers all the sudden had the PSU lead down to just three. After a walk, Bryce Whitchurch struck out to end the game, leaving the Tigers just a batter shy of potentially getting the tying run to the plate.
Zac Rothert was solid in relief for the Tigers, getting the final nine outs against PSU by allowing just one hit and two walks.
Game 2: Pittsburg State 8, Fort Hays State 6
After both teams played to a scoreless contest through four innings, the bats came alive for both teams in the middle innings turning the contest into a seesaw battle. Ben Ramberg of FHSU and Dante Richardson of PSU were locked in a pitcher’s duel until the fifth.
Game 2 Highlights
The Gorillas opened the scoring in the fifth with a two-out RBI single, but the Tigers responded for their first lead of the game in the bottom half of the inning with three runs. A Cody Starkel solo home run in the fifth broke up Richardson’s streak of retiring the first 13 batters of the game. A pair of singles and a walk set the table for Ty Redington with the bases loaded. He delivered a two-RBI single through the left side of the infield to give the Tigers a 3-1 lead.
Pittsburg State fired right back with four runs in the sixth to regain the lead at 5-3. A pair of doubles plated three runs in the inning and a wild pitch caused the other run.
Fort Hays State pulled back into the lead with three more runs in the seventh on a Dayton Pomeroy solo home run and a two-RBI single by Nick Hammeke. Cort Lesmeister was responsible for all three runs in the inning, even though reliever Ty Rowe allowed the go-ahead hit to Hammeke.
Ramberg reached the end of his day when he allowed a double to open the PSU eighth. He allowed six runs over his seven innings of work with four strikeouts. He surrendered nine hits and two walks.
Clayton Basgall entered in relief and could not hold on to the lead allowing a single, then sacrifice fly that tied the game. A single and walk loaded the bases and then he hit a batter, putting PSU in the lead for the third time and for good. A groundout RBI capped the three-run inning for the Gorillas.
Rowe shut down the Tigers the rest of the way, retiring the side in order in the eighth and ninth, picking up his fifth win of the season. He retired the final seven batters he faced following the Hammeke two-RBI single in the seventh. Basgall took the loss moving to 0-3 on the season.
INDIANAPOLIS – Fort Hays State sophomore golfer Hannah Perkins has been selected to play as an individual at the 2017 NCAA Division II Central Regional, announced Monday (May 1) by the NCAA. This year’s regional will take place at Minnehaha Country Club, a par-71, 6,073 yard course tucked away in the heart of Sioux Falls, S.D. The 54-hole tournament will be conducted May 8-10.
Perkins qualified as the second individual in the Central Region after posting a stroke average of 79.6 over 21 rounds this season. The top 12 teams and the top six individuals not on those teams qualify to participate in each of the four regional tournaments. The top three teams along with the top three individuals not with a team from each region will advance to the NCAA Championships, played at Findlay Country Club in Findlay, Ohio (May 17-20).
The Wichita, Kan. native is the second women’s golfer from FHSU to qualify for regional competition, and the first in over 10 years. Shelby White advanced to the 2006 West Regional after winning eight tournaments during the 2005-06 season. White finished 24th at the postseason tournament, firing rounds of 83, 85 and 79.
Perkins was the top finisher for the Tigers in all 10 tournaments this season, claiming her second-career victory at the Ranger Invitational (Oct. 23-24). She posted three top-10 finishes on the year to go along with seven top-20 placements.
EDMOND, Okla. – Central Oklahoma won their first MIAA Tournament Championship as the defeated Emporia State 10-6 at Broncho Field in Edmond, Okla.
UCO jumped out to an early lead as in the top of the first Tori Collet and Carli Jones had RBI singles to make it a 2-0 lead. Ashleigh Tramel would follow that up with a grand slam making it a 6-0 lead after the Broncho first.
The Hornets would answer immediately in the bottom of the first as Jacie Stephens reached on a fielders choice driving home MaKenna Davis. Annie Rockley and Stephens would score later on the same play as they took advantage of a throwing error.
The Bronchos would get a run back as Morgan Heard homered to left field making it a 7-3 lead. The Hornets would cut the lead to one in the bottom of the fifth inning as Davis tripled to right center driving home Caitlin VanVleck. Hailey Cope would follow that up with a an RBI single through the left side plating Davis. Stephens would drive home the third run of the inning with a sacrifice fly that brought Rockley home.
UCO would grab some insurance runs in the top of the sixth inning as Tramel doubled to right center plating Brooke Zukerman. Lexi Watson would then hit a line-drive home run to left center field bring Tramel home.
Tramel was two for three with two runs scored and five driven in while Heard finished three for four with two runs scored and one driven in. Jayden Chestnut got the win for UCO working a complete game and striking out four.
UCO earns the MIAA’s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament while all other teams will await the announcement of the field on Monday, May 8 at 9 a.m. on ncaa.com.
