KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State track and field student-athlete Dillando Allotey has been named the MIAA co-Track Athlete of the Week, announced Monday by the league office.

The senior earned the honor after posting a pair of NCAA Division II provisional marks last weekend (April 8) at the Friends Invitational in Wichita, Kan. The sprinter ran the 100m dash in 10.42 before winning the 200m dash in 21.14. His time in the 200m dash is the fastest in the conference to date. Allotey now sits in seventh in the country in the 100m and eighth in the 200m rankings.

Allotey and the rest of the Tigers will be back in action this Saturday (April 15) when they travel to the UNK Loper Invitational in Kearney, Neb.

FHSU Sports Information

BOLIVAR, Mo. – The Fort Hays State tennis team wrapped up MIAA play with an 8-1 loss against 16th-ranked Southwest Baptist Sunday afternoon (April 9). The Tigers now sit at 10-10 on the season and 1-8 in the MIAA while SBU improves to 16-2 overall and 8-1 in league play.

Natalie Lubbers was the lone Tiger to capture a point on the day, winning in straight sets at No. 2 singles, 6-4, 6-2. Haley Weidemann kept things close at the No. 6 spot, falling 6-4, 6-2. The doubles team of Nicole Lubbers and Jessica Johnson had the best shot in doubles action, dropping the No. 3 match 8-4.

Southwest Baptist clinched the No. 2 seed in the MIAA Tournament with the win, while the Tigers will finish one spot away from reaching the tournament in ninth.

Hays, Kan. – The Fort Hays State baseball team was unable to keep pace with the Lindenwood offense Sunday afternoon (April 9) at Larks Park, falling 17-6 in seven innings. The Lions used a seven-run second inning to take control early, never trailing in the contest.

The Tigers fall to 9-25 this season and 2-19 in the MIAA, while the Lions improve to 22-14 overall and 15-9 in league action.

Fort Hays State cut an 8-0 deficit in half in the bottom of the third inning, pushing four runs across the plate. Jace Bowman led off with a single to left, moving to second after the Lion defender misplayed the ball. The third baseman came in to score when Jake Lanferman singled through the right side. An error by the Lion third baseman allowed Nick Hammeke to reach before Trevor Hughes knocked in a run with a double to the wall in left center. Hammeke and Hughes both came in to score on wild pitches later in the inning, moving the Tigers within 8-4.

The Lions answered with two runs in the fourth before tacking on one in the fifth and six in the seventh, going up 17-4. Fort Hays State clawed back with a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh, but the Lions still led by 11 to bring the 10-run rule into effect. Bowman got things going with a two-out single before Ty Redington clubbed a double to left center. They both came around to score when Lanferman singled to left, making the score 17-6. Hammeke kept things rolling with a double into the left field corner, his MIAA-best 17th two-base hit of the season. The run would end there, however, as Lindenwood starter Kyle Hentis wrapped up the complete game with his fourth strikeout of the afternoon.

Starter Alex Ruxlow (4-7) took the loss after allowing seven runs in 1.1 innings of work, striking out one. The Tigers used six pitchers on the day, all of which allowed at least one run. Lanferman finished the day 3-for-4 with three RBI and one run scored, collecting his 10th multi-hit game of the season. Redington extended his hitting streak to a team-best 14 games, finishing 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. Bowman collected a pair of hits, scoring each time he was on base.

The Tigers will return to the diamond Tuesday (April 11) when they travel to play Nebraska-Kearney at 6 p.m.

FHSU Sports Information

HAYS, Kan. – The Fort Hays State baseball team fell to Lindenwood after a late Lion rally Saturday evening (April 8) inside Larks Park, 8-4. The Tigers entered the sixth inning with a 4-2 lead, but the visitors plated six unanswered runs to seal the victory.

Fort Hays State falls to 9-24 this season and 2-18 in MIAA play, while the Lions are now 21-14 overall and 14-9 in the league.

Lindenwood took advantage of a leadoff double to take a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, but the Tigers had an answer in the home half of the third. After Jace Bowman worked a walk to lead things off, Jake Lanferman crushed a home run over the fence in left field to give FHSU the 2-1 lead.

The Tigers extended that margin to 4-1 in the following inning when they rattled off five singles. Trevor Hughes led off with a single before a single through the gap at short from Dayton Pomeroy put two runners on. Bryce Witchurch followed with a single into right, driving in one run. Jared Bogosian kept things rolling with another seeing-eye single into left, scoring Pomeroy. Ty Redington singled to load the bases with two outs, but the Lions got out of the jam after a nice play by the third baseman.

The visitors snatched the lead back in the top of the sixth when they pushed four runs across, also adding single runs in the seventh and eighth. The Lions were able to hold on thanks to five innings of strong relief from Brendan Feldmann, who allowed just two hits while striking out seven batters.

Sam Capps (2-3) took the loss after allowing six runs on eight hits in 5.1 innings of work, striking out three. Austin Weiser threw the final two innings for the Tigers, giving up just one hit and not allowing a run. Four Tigers picked up multiple hits in the contest, including Redington, Hughes, Pomeroy and Bogosian. Lanferman was the only FHSU player to drive in multiple runs, knocking in two on his fourth home run of the season.

The Tigers will look to salvage game three of the series Sunday (April 9) when the teams face off at noon.

FHSU Sports Information

St. Charles, Mo. – The Fort Hays State tennis team dropped a hard-fought match with Lindenwood Saturday afternoon (April 8) on the road, 7-2. The Tigers took two of the three doubles matches before the Lady Lions captured all six singles points.

Fort Hays State dips to 10-9 this season and 1-7 in MIAA play, while the Lady Lions are now 9-12 overall and 2-6 in the league.

Natalie Lubbers and Lauren Lindell got things started with an easy 8-2 win at No. 1 doubles before Macy Moyers and Laura Jimenez-Lendinez were topped at the No. 2 spot, 8-4. It was up to Jessica Johnson and Nicole Lubbers to give the Tigers the advantage moving into singles play, and that’s exactly what they did. The pair held on to win the No. 3 match in thrilling fashion, 9-7.

The Lady Lions turned things around in singles play, winning all six matches to secure the match. The Tigers kept things close in several matches, forcing a third set three times. Natalie Lubbers jumped on top by taking the first set at the No. 2 singles position, but Haya Hamad rallied to win 4-6, 6-2, 6-1. Jimenez-Lendinez rebounded from a 7-5 first set loss to take the second frame, 6-3. However the No. 1 player from Lindenwood took care of business in the final set, winning 6-1. Moyers also took her match the distance by winning the second set 6-4.

The Tigers will wrap up their MIAA regular season Sunday when they face off with Southwest Baptist in Bolivar, Mo. First serve is set for 1 p.m.

FHSU Sports Information

Fort Hays State women’s track and field turned in a solid showing at a pair of events this weekend (April 7-8), competing at the Friends Invitational in Wichita, Kan. and the West Texas A&M Classic in Canyon, Texas. The Tigers turned in a well-rounded performance between sprinters, distance runners and field participants.

Friends Invitational

Lauren Roberts had a solid day, placing in both the 800m run and the 1500m run. She came in third place in the 800m with a time of 2:23.28 and in the 1500m she crossed the line in 4:54.01, good for second place.

The Tigers dominated in the 5000m run, sweeping the top three places. Shea Bonine led the pack with a time of 17:31.58, finishing first. Micki Krzesinski and Sophie Dalmasso where the next two to finish with times of 17:39.36 and 18:27.21, respectively.

Kelly Wycoff picked up a first place finish and improved her provisional mark in the 100m dash with a time of 11.85 seconds and Peri Lange rounded out the sprints for FHSU with a third place finish in the 400m hurdles with a time of 1:07.21.

In the field events, Selam Ball was the lone Tiger to place when she picked up a second place finish in the pole vault. Her vault of 10′ 11.75” was tied for first with Iowa Western’s Monique Apuakehau but came a try after Apuakehau cleared the height.

Rounding out the top finishers for the Tigers was the 4x100m relay team of Yamoudji Diarra, Lindsay Shupe, Amber Forbes, and Wycoff. The sprinters combined for a time of 48.64 seconds and a third place finish.

West Texas A&M Classic

The Tigers sent their multi-athletes and javelin throwers south to compete at the West Texas A&M Classic.

Estefania Lopez broke her own school record in the javelin with a toss of 175′ 5″, improving her automatic NCAA qualifying mark and extending her lead as the top thrower in the country. The second-best throw in NCAA Division II this year is more than 20 feet shorter than Saturday’s heave. Lopez finished first in the field of 14 throwers.

Freshman Alexcia Deutscher also improved her season-best mark, finishing second with a toss of 149′ 0″. The provisional mark moves her back into fifth in the country and second in the MIAA behind her teammate.

Next up for the Tigers is a trip to Kearney, Neb. on Saturday (April 15) when they compete in the UNK Loper Invitational.

FHSU Sports Information

Fort Hays State men’s track and field competed in a pair of events this weekend (April 7-8), splitting time between the Friends Invitational in Wichita, Kan. and the West Texas A&M Classic in Canyon, Texas. The Tigers saw 10 individuals reach the podium, with four of them touching provisional marks.

Friends Invitational

Sam Dreiling and Layton Werth were the lone champions for the Tigers, finishing on top of the field in the pole vault and 5000m run, respectively. Dreiling increased his provisional mark on the year with a vault of 16′ 1.25” while Werth claimed the win crossing the line in with a time of 15:04.10.

The Tigers also had five runner-ups on the day thanks to Jake Morrow, TJ Dozier, Brock Elgin, Brett Meyer and Kolt Newell. Morrow tied with Dreiling by setting a provisional mark at 16′ 1.25” in the pole vault, but Dreiling cleared the height in a try before Morrow to take first. Dozier took second place in the hammer throw for the second consecutive week with a toss of 177′ 0.5”. Rounding out the second place finishers was Elgin in the 3000m steeplechase (9:56.88), Meyer in the 1500m run (3:56.54) and Newell, who picked up a provisional mark in the high jump leaping 6′ 9”. Newell rounded out the top three finishers for FHSU with a third place finish in the long jump, clearing a distance of 21′ 8”.

West Texas A&M Classic

The Tigers also sent a few athletes south to compete in the West Texas A&M Classic. Derek Bixenman came back with a provisional mark of 6,437 in the decathlon, placing second in the event with a new personal-best. The junior was the top finisher in three of the 10 events, including clearing the 6′ 4.25″ bar in the high jump and tossing the javelin 173′ 11″.

Cameron Fouts won the javelin throw with a heave of 189′ 0″, a personal best for the freshman.

Next up for the Tigers is a trip to Kearney, Neb. on Saturday (April 15) when they compete in the UNK Loper Invitational.

FHSU Sports Information

TOPEKA, Kan. – Fort Hays State softball picked up its second doubleheader split in as many days on Saturday (April 8), knocking off Washburn in game one, 3-2, before being shut out in the nightcap, 3-0. With the spilt, the Tigers are now 11-33 overall and 4-14 in the MIAA while the Ichabods now sit at 21-24 this season and 8-8 in the conference.

Game 1: Fort Hays State 3, Washburn 2

After three scoreless innings to start the game, the Tigers struck first with a run in the fourth. Bailey Boxberger led off the inning with a double before pinch runner Claudia Vazquez ended up on third after a fielding error by the Ichabod shortstop. With the bases loaded thanks to a walk to Bailey Kennedy, Lily Sale stepped to the plate. Sale worked a full count and then worked a walk of her own pushing the runner on third home. The lead did not last long however, as the Ichabods lifted back-to-back homers to take a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth.

Kylie Strand led off the sixth inning by reaching on an error and then swiped second. Then Kennedy traded places with Strand and tied the game with an RBI double to right field. Two batters later, Candace Bollig ripped a ball back up the middle, plating Kennedy and giving the Tigers a 3-2 lead.

The Tigers held on to the lead for the next two innings, allowing just one runner in each frame to claim the victory. Hailey Chapman (6-18) picked up her team-leading sixth win of the season by tossing all seven innings for the Tigers. She gave up two earned runs on seven hits, no walks and four strikeouts.

Game 2: Washburn 3, Fort Hays State 0

Washburn took the lead early when they plated a run in the second inning on multiple Tiger errors. The Ichabods started the inning with two runners on thanks to back-to-back errors from the Tigers, then in the next at bat the third error of the inning allowed a run to score. The Ichabods built their lead to three with one-run frames in the fifth and sixth.

The Tiger bats struggled in this game two, tallying just four singles. Kennedy, Bollig, Boxberger and Jeni Mohr all collected singles in the loss. Bollig extended her hitting streak to four games with a leadoff single in the sixth, the longest current streak for any Tiger.

Carrie Clarke (5-11) took the loss for FHSU by tossing all six innings. She allowed just one earned run on four hits to go along with two walks and four strikeouts.

The Tigers will open a 10-game home stand on Tuesday (April 11) when they face off with Central Oklahoma in a conference doubleheader. First pitch in game one is slated for 1 p.m.

FHSU Sports Information

The Fort Hays State football team held their annual spring scrimmage on Saturday afternoon at Lewis Field Stadium as spring practices begin to come to an end.

The one hour scrimmage pitted the offense against the defense with the defense forcing a pair of interceptions including one by Connor Shedeed in the end zone on the offense’s first drive of the day.

Reserve quarterbacks Jacoby Williams and Brad Schencker split time leading the offenses with starter Jacob Mezera seeing limited action this spring as he recovers from a shoulder injury suffered last season.

Williams led the Tiger offense on three scoring drives including completing a 27-yard touchdown pass to Monterrio Burchfield who made a diving catch in the corner of the end zone. Kicker Brandon Brown was two-for-three on field goal attempts.

Drew Kite, who has been a member of the Tiger basketball team the past three seasons made a good first impression hauling in four receptions.

Tiger coach Chris Brown talks quarterbacks, Kite and Saturday’s spring scrimmage…

Senior Tyler Bacon led the team in receptions last season and talks about the spring and expectations for next fall…

The Tigers are coming off of back-to-back postseason appearances and will open the season on Thursday, August 31st against Missouri Southern at Joplin Missouri.

HAYS, Kan. – The Fort Hays State baseball team let a lead slip away in the late innings Friday evening (April 7) against Lindenwood, falling 4-3. The Tigers used some spectacular defense and timely pitching to work out of numerous jams early on, but the luck ran out in the final innings.

The Tigers dip to 9-23 this season and 2-17 in the MIAA, while Lindenwood improves to 20-14 overall and 13-9 in the conference.

The Lions left a whopping 17 runners on base, leaving the bases loaded three times. Tiger starter Ben Ramberg faced the minimum in just one inning, working out of trouble all evening to limit LU to a pair of unearned runs. He finished with a no decision, striking out five while allowing four hits and six walks.

The Fort Hays State defense made several stellar plays to keep LU scoreless early on, including a diving catch by Jake Lanferman in center with two runners on in the third and a running grab by the sophomore to get out of the same inning. Clayton Basgall found himself in the right place at the right time for a double play in the fifth, negating a would-be single up the middle as he was heading towards the bag to cover on a steal. The junior gloved the ball on a high hop, stepped on the bag and fired the ball to first to complete the double play. Nick Hammeke also made a great play up the middle, turning a potential leadoff base knock into a 6-3 putout.

One of the stranger plays you will see happened with the bases loaded in the eighth inning. The Lindenwood batter sent a towering popup down the left field line, and with the lights turned on at Larks Park neither Jace Bowman nor Ty Redington could track it down. With the Lion runners taking off as soon as the ball hit the ground, Redington made a heads-up play and fired a rocket right to catcher Trevor Hughes who stretched out like a first baseman to secured the force out at the plate.

As Ramberg was holding the Lions scoreless over the first six innings, the Tiger offense took advantage and grabbed the lead. Redington opened the fourth with a single to right center before Lanferman crushed a ball to left center, missing a home run by about two feet as the ball caromed off the top of the wall. Hammeke followed with another double, this time pulling one into the left field corner to drive in two.

The Tigers stretched the lead to 3-0 in the bottom of the fifth when Bowman worked a one-out walk. Colton Helm laid down a sacrifice bunt to the right side, but the LU second baseman threw the ball away, allowing Bowman to move up to third. Redington then laid down another bunt, picking up an RBI on a sacrifice bunt scoring Bowman.

Lindenwood took advantage of too many walks and bean balls by the Tiger relievers, scoring three of their four runs off free passes.

Hammeke finished the game 3-for-4 with two doubles, giving him an MIAA-best 16 two-base hits this season. After getting the Tigers out of a bases loaded jam in the seventh, Easton Palmer (1-2) took the loss after giving up two runs in the eighth.

The Tigers and Lions will face off in game two of the series Saturday at 6 p.m.

FHSU Sports Information

EMPORIA, Kan. – Fort Hays State softball now sits at 10-32 overall and 3-13 in the MIAA after splitting a pair of road contests with Emporia State on Friday (April 7). The Tigers lost game one 6-0 before responding in game two with a 5-4 ten-inning victory. With the split, Emporia State is now 24-18 this season and 9-5 in the league play.

Game 1: Emporia State 6, Fort Hays State 0

The Hornets loaded the bases in three of the six innings they were at the plate, but only managed to plate runners in the second. In that frame ESU struck for six runs thanks to four hits, a walk and a costly Tiger error with the bases loaded.

Emporia State pitcher Eryn Stockman held the Tigers to just three hits in the game, including singles from Lily Sale, Tess Gray and Candace Bollig. Veronica Knitting and Bailey Boxberger each drew a walk at the plate, giving FHSU just five baserunners all afternoon.

Hailey Chapman (5-18) went the distance for the Tigers, giving up just two earned runs on seven hits, six walks and a strikeout.

Game 2: Fort Hays State 5, Emporia State 4 (10 innings)

The Hornets used the second inning once again to gain the lead when they pushed a run across the plate thanks to an RBI double, but the Tigers evened the score in the following half frame thanks to a walk, a sacrifice bunt and a pair of singles. Boxberger started the frame with a leadoff walk and found herself in scoring position thanks to Jeni Mohr’s sacrifice bunt. Bailey Kennedy and Candace Bolling followed with back-to-back singles up the middle, with Bollig knotting things up with an RBI.

Two innings later, Boxberger blasted her team-leading fourth home run of the year, pushing FHSU in front 2-1. Later in the frame, Bollig increased the Tigers’ lead to 3-1 with a sacrifice fly that plated Mohr from third.

Emporia State immediately tied the game once more when they saw two runs cross the plate in the bottom of the fifth. After the Hornets opened the inning with three hits, Carrie Clarke faced tough situation with no outs and a runner on third. However, the junior buckled down and got out of the jam thanks to some solid glove work by the Tigers.

The Hornets had a shot to end the game in the eighth eight inning with the bases loaded and just one out, but Bollig caught a lined shot hit to the left side before stepping on the bag for the double play ending the inning and the threat by the Hornets.

The international tiebreak rule was put into effect in the tenth inning, placing a baserunner at second before the start of the inning. The Tigers played some small ball and wound up taking the 5-3 lead after a clutch two-out, two RBI single from Gray.

The Hornets did get a run back in the home half of the inning, but that would be it as Clarke and the Tiger defense once again come up big to seal the win for FHSU.

Clarke (5-10) picked up the win for FHSU, tossing a career-high 10 innings in the circle, surpassing her old mark of 8.2 innings. She allowed four runs (three earned), on 11 hits to go along with four walks and a strikeout.

The Tigers will wrap up their eight-game road stand Saturday (April 8) when they face off with Washburn in Topeka, Kan. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.

FHSU Sports Information

LINDSBORG, Kan. – The Fort Hays State tennis team opened a busy weekend with a 9-0 win over Bethany College Friday afternoon (April 7). The Tigers move to 10-8 on the season with the win, clinching their second 10-win season in the last 11 years. Bethany dips to 0-3 on the year.

The Tigers were gifted with three points from the start, as the Swedes only fielded four players for the duel. FHSU lost just one game in doubles play, with Nicole Lubbers and Jessica Johnson teaming up to sweep the competition 8-0 at No. 2 doubles and Lauren Lindell and Natalie Lubbers winning 8-1 at the No. 1 spot.

Fort Hays State continued the domination in singles action, dropping a total of 11 games. Haley Weidemann didn’t lose a game, winning 6-0, 6-0 at the No. 3 singles position. Macy Moyers also made quick work of her opponent, winning 6-1, 6-0 from the No. 2 spot. Taylor Noel moved to 2-0 in singles play this season when she took the No. 4 match 6-2, 6-1. Laura Jimenez-Lendinez was tested in the No. 1 match, but held off Giselle Silva for a 6-4, 6-4 victory.

The Tigers will wrap up the MIAA regular season this weekend with two more road matches. First up is a date with Lindenwood in St. Charles, Mo. Saturday (April 8) at 10 a.m.

FHSU Sports Information

ST. CHARLES, Mo. – The Fort Hays State softball team lost both ends of Thursday’s (April 6) doubleheader against Lincoln, 4-3 and 4-2. The games were played at the Lou Brock Complex on the campus of Lindenwood University due to wet field conditions in Jefferson City.

The Tigers fall to 9-31 this season and 2-12 in MIAA play, while the Blue Tigers improve to 5-29 overall and 2-12 in the league.

Game 1 – Lincoln 4, Fort Hays State 3

Lincoln took control of game one early on when they scored three unearned runs in the second inning thanks to a Tiger error. After tacking on another run in the third, the Blue Tigers carried a 4-0 lead into the fourth inning.

Fort Hays State finally took advantage of a baserunner in the top of the fourth after Lily Sale led off with an infield single. The shortstop moved to second when Collette West worked a walk and came around to score when Tess Gray delivered a two-out RBI single to left. A walk to Kylie Strand loaded the bases, but the Tigers would leave them that way after a flyout.

The Tigers clawed another run closer in the fifth when Jeni Mohr was hit by a pitch to lead things off. After moving up to third on a sacrifice bunt and a groundout, the freshman came in to score on another two-out base hit, this time from Veronica Knittig.

A third two-out rally in the top of the sixth moved the Tigers within one run, 4-3. Gray singled with one out before pinch runner Claudia Vazquez moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. Pinch hitter Bailey Boxberger came through with a huge two-out double, plating Vazquez and narrowing the gap to one. The Blue Tigers stopped the bleeding there, mowing down FHSU in order in the seventh to seal the victory.

Hailey Chapman (5-17) took the loss after giving up one earned run in six innings on nine hits. The freshman struck out five batters and did not issue a walk. Sale and Gray both collected two hits for the Tigers, while Boxberger’s double was the lone extra-base hit of the game.

Game 2 – Lincoln 4, Fort Hays State 2

The second game of the day saw Fort Hays State take the early lead, but unlike the Tigers in game one, Lincoln’s comeback effort was successful. After the Tigers scored two runs in the second, they had only two baserunners and one hit across the final five innings.

The Tigers loaded the bases with one out in the top of the second when Tess Gray reached on an error, Kylie Strand singled to right and Carrie Clarke worked a walk. Two batters later, Bailey Kennedy sent a two-out single to right field, driving in two runs and putting FHSU up for the first time.

Tiger pitcher Carrie Clarke (4-10) worked out of several jams early on, leaving the bases loaded in the first and pitching with runners on in all but one inning. The Blue Tigers finally got to her in the fifth and sixth, taking advantage of a defensive miscue in both innings. All four runs the junior gave up were unearned. She finished with a line of 10 hits, zero earned runs, one walk and two strikeouts through the six inning complete game.

Kennedy was the lone Tiger with multiple hits, collecting two singles to go along with her two RBI. Collette West picked up a pinch hit single in the seventh, but was left at first.

The Tigers will continue their eight-game road trip Friday (April 7) when they face off with Emporia State at 4 and 6 p.m. in Emporia, Kan.

FHSU Sports Information