CHARLOTTE, N.C. – One national title and seven All-American honors highlighted day three of the 2018 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships for the Fort Hays State track and field team on Saturday. The Tigers accumulated 15 team points on the women’s side while totaling 13 points in the men’s standings.
Madison Wolf earned the second national title in as many years for the Tigers, winning the javelin throw in her fourth trip to the national meet. The senior sat in second after one round of throws before posting a toss of 161-1 on her second attempt, a mark that would hold up as the best of the day. It was Wolf’s fourth All-American honor. The Bennington, Kan. native is the seventh NCAA champion from the women’s program and is the first outdoor champ since 1999 (Janet Eck, high jump).
Decano Cronin picked up his third All-American trophy in the last calendar year, finishing second in the 800m run. The senior opened the race in the back of the pack but passed five runners over the final 300 meters to finish in a time of 1:47.37, bettering his own school record by more than one second. Cronin took the national title in the same race a year ago before finishing runner-up in the 800m at the indoor meet earlier this season.
Brett Meyer earned his fourth All-American trophy in the last two years after placing fourth in the 1,500m run. The junior started towards the front of the pack before falling back to the middle of the field by the midway point. Meyer made his move around the final turn, passing two runners to finish fourth in a time of 3:46.43.
Senior Kelly Wycoff shattered her own school record in her final collegiate race, placing fifth in the 400m dash after crossing the line in 53.52. It is the Scott City, Kan. native’s second All-American award after garnering second team status a year ago in the same race.
Alexcia Deutscher earned a spot on the national podium for the first time after finishing eighth in the javelin, recording a top throw of 145-4 on her second attempt of the day. The sophomore earned All-American accolades for the second time after picking up second team honors last year.
Jake Morrow and Sam Dreiling both picked up second team All-American honors in the pole vault, each earning national status for the second time this year after finishing in the top eight indoors. Morrow placed ninth with a mark of 16-8. The Grand Island, Neb. native needed just four attempts to clear the first three bars, but was unable to eclipse the 17-0 mark, which would have tied the school record. Dreiling finished in a tie for 11th after soaring over the 16-0 bar on his first attempt.
Courtney Geiger finished 19th in the discus throw thanks to a heave of 136-8 on her first attempt. The senior was the top MIAA finisher in the event.
Adding in performances from the first two days of the national meet, the Tigers picked up 10 All-American honors.
MANHATTAN – The TMP-Marian baseball team could not overcome an early deficit as they fall to Sabetha 10-5 in the 3A State Baseball Championship game Friday at Toiton Family Stadium in Manhattan.
Championship game Sabetha 10, TMP 5
The Blue Jays, in only their second year of high school baseball jumped out early on the Monarchs scoring three runs on three hits in the first inning.
TMP got one run back in the bottom of the inning after Tate Garcia walked and came into score on an error by the Sabetha shortstop. But the Monarchs left the bases loaded. Runners left on base in the game would come back to haunt the Monarchs who stranded 12 runners on base in the game.
Leading 3-1 Sabetha added four more in the second and led 10-1 through four innings.
TMP’s bats came alive in the fifth and sixth innings scoring two runs in each inning but it wasn’t enough as the Blue Jays when their first ever state baseball championship.
Monarch starter Tate Garcia suffered the loss allowing seven runs – four earned – in an inning and a third.
Cole Zimmerman was 3-for-3 at the plate for the Monarchs with an RBI. Luke Ruder also drove in a run with a triple in the sixth.
TMP finished the season 23-2. Sabetha finished 23-3.
Semifinals: Riley Co. 0, TMP 2
The Monarchs got to the title game by defeating Riley County in the semifinal game earlier in the day Friday.
Starter Chase Werth allowed just three hits in seven shutout innings and Cole Zimmerman and Trenton Mayo each drove in a run in the win.
tState track and field team picked up three more All-American honors on day two of the 2018 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships Friday (May 25).
Defending 800m champion Decano Cronin secured a chance to defend his title in Saturday’s finals, winning the third heat of the prelims with a time of 1:49.42. The senior maintained the second position for the majority of the race before taking the lead through the final turn and holding on down the final straightaway.
Kolt Newell earned second team All-American honors after finishing in a tie for 12th in the high jump, soaring over the 6-8.75 bar on his first attempt.
TJ Dozier picked up second team All-American accolades for the second year in a row after finishing 12th in the discus, recording a toss of 167-8 on his third and final throw.
Kelly Wycoff and Amber Forbes placed 14th and 16th, respectively, in the 200m dash prelims. Wycoff completed the race in 24.44 with Forbes close behind, crossing the line in 24.53.
The national meet concludes Saturday with eight Tigers competing, including Jake Morrow (pole vault), Sam Dreiling (pole vault), Brett Meyer (1,500m run), Cronin (800m run), Madison Wolf (javelin), Alexcia Deutscher (javelin), Courtney Geiger (discus) and Wycoff (400m dash). Find a complete schedule of Saturday’s finals below.
Saturday, May 26 (all times central)
Men’s pole vault (Morrow & Dreiling) – 11:30 a.m.
Women’s javelin throw (Wolf & Deutscher) – 12:15 p.m.
Men’s 1,500 meter final (Meyer) – 2:45 p.m.
Women’s discus (Geiger) – 3:00 p.m.
Women’s 400 meter final (Wycoff) – 3:35 p.m.
Men’s 800 meter final (Cronin) – 4:05 p.m.
Fort Hays State announces its football schedule for the 2018 season. The Tigers will play six games at home, coming off their best season in program history. FHSU went undefeated during the regular season in 2017, winning its first MIAA Championship. The Tigers begin defense of their title on Thursday, August 30, when they open the season against Central Missouri in Hays.
In-state rivals Washburn and Pittsburg State are slated to make the trip to Hays this season. Central Oklahoma will serve as the Homecoming opponent on September 29. Lindenwood and Northeastern State will also make the journey to Lewis Field Stadium.
2018 Home Games
August 30 – Central Missouri, 7 pm (Eagle Communications Kickoff Classic)
September 15 – Washburn, 7 pm
September 29 – Central Oklahoma, 7 pm (Homecoming – Fireworks following the game)
October 13 – Pittsburg State, 2 pm (Hall of Fame Game)
October 27 – Lindenwood, 2 pm
November 10 – Northeastern State, 2 pm (Senior Day)
All games in the regular season will be conference games for the fifth-straight year, with 12 schools in the MIAA for football (Southwest Baptist and Lincoln do not compete in the MIAA in football). The Tigers went a perfect 11-0 in MIAA play last year and made their first NCAA Playoff appearance since 1995. The Tigers enter their eighth year under the guidance of head coach Chris Brown, who owns a 49-31 mark at FHSU.
Season Ticket Information
Season tickets are now available to the public. Reserved seats on the west side of the stadium are $78 per seat for the season. New chairback seats were installed on the west side of the stadium in the summer of 2017. Supporters can donate an additional $250 to get their name engraved on a seat. Faculty/Staff/Alumni receive a 10% discount. Walk-up prices for reserved tickets on game days are $15. General admission tickets are $10 (East side seating only). Youth tickets (grades K-12) on game days are $5. Call (785) 628-4050 or fill out the 2018-19 season ticket form. Forms are available at the following link…
Tiger Tailgate Spots
Reserved tailgate parking spots for the 2018 season are going fast, with only 45 spots remaining. The reserved tailgating spots are $100 for the year. The Tiger Tailgate on game days was a hit in 2017. Do not miss out on a great time this upcoming season! Stop by the FHSU Athletics office to see which spots remain.
Tiger Football Autograph Day (Sponsored by Nex-Tech Wireless)
The annual Tiger Football Autograph Day will be on Saturday, August 25, from 1-3 pm at Big Creek Crossing in Hays. Come out and meet the Tigers before the season kicks off the following week.
It is the little things that make the difference at the state tournament. Oskaloosa took advantage of a Monarch error in the fourth and then came through with a big hit in each the fifth and sixth inning for a 4-1 decision over TMP.
The Monarchs took their only lead of the game when Emilee Augustine scored on a throwing error by the Bears following a ground out in the second inning.
Highlights
TMP then loaded the Monarchs in the third inning with two outs but could not take advantage. Overall the Monarchs stranded seven runners on the bases. Three of the runners were left at third and another two at second.
Oskaloosa scored tied the game following TMP’s only error, took the lead on a two out triple in the fifth and scored two more on a double in the sixth.
Coach Melissa Schoepf
TMP ends the season at 18-6 after making the state tournament for a third consecutive year.
MANHATTAN – Chase Werth hit a game-winning three-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning Thursday lifting the TMP-Marian Monarchs to a 5-2 win over Wellsville in the first round of the 3A State Baseball Tournament in Manhattan.
Dusty Washburn post-game interview
The Monarchs took an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when Luke Ruder drew a bases loaded walk.
After the Monarchs took the early lead both starting pitchers really settled making runs hard to come by.
Monarch starter Cole Zimmerman was able to work out of a couple of early jams until the fourth inning when Wellsville’s Jackson Showalter delivered a two-run triple in the top of the fourth giving the Eagles a 2-1 lead.
TMP got the run back in the bottom of the sixth inning on an infield single by Adam Gottschalk.
It appeared that the Monarchs took the lead back when the next batter, pitch-hitter Eston Brown lined a pitch all the way to the wall in left-center that scored a pitch runner from first. But Wellsville appealed to first, claiming that Brown failed to touch first. He was called out and the run was disallowed.
With the game still tied at two in the bottom of the seventh the Monarchs got a leadoff single from Creighton Renz, who was 3-for-3 in the game. Then after a sacrifice bunt and Gavin Schumacher was hit by a pitch and Wellsville was forced to bring in a reliever to face Werth.
The Senior delivered with a three-run homerun sending the Monarchs to the 5-2 win a Friday’s state semifinals.
Fellow Senior Cole Zimmerman allowed just two runs on five hits over seven innings. He struck out seven and walked two as he improved to 8-1 on the season.
Game highlights
The Monarchs will play the winner of No. 4 Riley County and No. 5 Humboldt at 1:15 p.m. Friday.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Fort Hays State track and field team kicked off the 2018 NCAA Division II Track and Field Outdoor Championships Thursday (May 24), with four student-athletes competing against the nation’s best. Three individuals ran in preliminary races on the track, while one athlete competed in the pole vault finals.
Brett Meyer advanced to Saturday’s finals of the 1,500m run after finishing fourth in the first heat, crossing the line in 3:52.41. The junior hung in the back of the pack until the final stretch, passing multiple runners in the final straightaway to secure a spot in the finals.
Kelly Wycoff earned a spot in the finals of the 400m dash after placing third in her heat, completing her lap in 54.47. She had the seventh-fastest time in the preliminary round, advancing thanks to posting the second-fastest time among runners that did not finish in the top two of their heat.
Amber Forbes finished fifth in the second heat of the 100m dash prelims, running in 11.93. The senior posted the 12th-fastest time on the day, securing second team All-American honors.
Selam Ball was the lone Tiger to compete in the finals of an event on day one, placing 14th in the pole vault after clearing the 11-11.75 bar on her second attempt.
Seven Tigers will compete on day two of the national meet on Friday (May 25), including Wycoff and Forbes taking to the track once again in the 200m dash prelims. A full daily schedule can be found HERE.
By DIANE GASPER-O’BRIEN FHSU University Relations and Marketing
Loyalty runs deep for Selam Ball.
Inspired by a dentist who helped her as an orphan in a faraway land when she was just 10 years old, Ball vowed to become a dentist when she grew up so she could help others in much the same way.
That dream will come true in four years when Ball graduates from the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Dentistry in Lincoln.
But, first things first.
Even before attending her first class in dental school in August, Ball will complete her time at Fort Hays State University with a busy summer schedule. She will serve as the director of camps for the Kansas Academy of Mathematics and Science before heading to Lincoln to begin a new venture.
Juggling busy schedules is nothing new for Ball. During a nine-day stretch in May, she set the school record in women’s pole vault, got engaged to her college sweetheart, Elliott Carlson; and graduated magna cum laude with a degree in modern languages and minors in biology and chemistry.
Oh, and two weeks before that, Ball was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army after receiving a full-ride scholarship from the Armed Forces Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP).
After graduating debt-free as a doctor of dental surgery (DDS) in 2022, Ball will serve for at least four years practicing dentistry in the Army.
All this might sound like life has been somewhat easy for Ball, but nothing could be further from the truth.
Prior to her adoption by Mark and Krista Ball of Great Bend when she was 14, Ball faced many a challenge in making her way from an orphanage in Ethiopia to America. After arriving in Kansas, Ball – whose only language was Amharic, the native language of Ethiopia – tested at the third-grade reading level.
After working with tutor Pat Hood, a retired reading specialist, for about five months, Ball had improved so rapidly she was able to start school with her eighth-grade class that fall.
While she read at the eighth-grade level at the time, she continued to improve and was an honor student all through high school and college. She now fluently speaks both English and Amharic and has taken numerous courses in Spanish.
“I was very amazed at how fast she progressed,” Hood said. “She had a motivation and a determination and a desire to learn. She was a very rapid learner and a very eager learner.”
Ball carried that determination into high school, where she excelled both academically and athletically.
The 5-foot, 2-inch, 108-pound Ball set the Great Bend High School record of 11 feet, 6 inches in girls’ pole vault, then decided to pursue her education at Fort Hays State, just an hour away from her family.
“My dad and my grandpa both went to Fort Hays State, so they were always talking it up,” Ball said.
Nonetheless, independent woman that she is, Ball said she “wasn’t going to decide anything until I saw it myself.”
“I visited the Chemistry Department, and I felt really confident about the education level,” she said. “Then I visited with the track coaches. I didn’t go visit another school after that. I knew Fort Hays State was the place for me. It has turned out to be the best decision of my life.”
Well, one of the best anyway.
Another major decision for Ball back in those early teen years made her think she would be living in an underdeveloped country the rest of her life. She had been placed in an orphanage at age 6 after her father died when she was 2, and her mother and other relatives were not able to care for Ball and her sister.
When she was 12, good grades in school helped earn Ball a spot with a group of students traveling to America for an adoption youth camp sponsored by the Gladney Center for Adoption.
The students were paired with prospective adoptive parents, and Ball was placed with a single woman who lived in a rural area. Ball said she was “so lonely” while experiencing a drastically different lifestyle from the orphanage.
“There were always people around at the orphanage,” she explained. “Even if it was noisy sometimes, there was always someone to talk to.”
Ball declined the offer of adoption, well aware that it might be her only chance to escape poverty.
“I thought I would never get another chance to come back to America,” she said. “But at the same time, I had peace of mind.” Ball was pleasantly surprised two weeks later when the agency contacted her again.
“They said they had found me a family,” she said, a smile spreading across her face. “You will not be lonely, they told me, because this family has seven kids.”
The Balls, who have four biological children of their own, had adopted three others before Selam. The rest, as they say, is history.
A major part of her history is the reason Ball decided to pursue a medical career in dentistry.
When she was 10, she got a pomegranate seed stuck between two of her molars and couldn’t get it out. One of her teeth began to rot, causing a lot of pain.
Ball said she heard through the grapevine about a dental ministry in a nearby town. So she walked 4 miles to stand in line at 2 a.m., and the dentist removed her rotted tooth.
“I remember wondering why he would want to help people like that,” she said. “It made a big impact on me, and I’ll never forget it.”
Last summer, Ball went on a mission trip with a friend to Honduras with dentists and hygienists.
“That solidified what I wanted to do with my life,” Ball said.
As she neared the end of her college career at FHSU, Ball began seeking ways to pay for dental school.
“I didn’t want to be dependent on my family anymore,” she said. “They have done so much for me, and I wanted to do it on my own.” So calling on the determination those close to her have to come to know so well, Ball began the rigorous application process for the U.S. Army scholarship.
“If she gets her mind set on something, that’s what she’s going to do,” said Randy Stanley, assistant FHSU track coach in charge of pole vaulters.
Ball’s mother agreed.
“She’s the most driven child I’ve ever seen,” Krista Ball said. “At home, we would have to go into her room late at night and say, ‘You have to stop studying and get some sleep.’ What parents have to say that to their children?”
Only 64 students around the U.S. received the Army scholarship, including Ball – the lone Kansas recipient.
That did not surprise anyone who knows Ball, including Maggie Denning, coordinator of academic success programs at the Kelly Center at Fort Hays State. Ball worked as a tutor at the Kelly Center for three years while on campus.
“She is so focused, a hard worker, a self-starter,” Denning said. “She’s a brilliant student and a hard, hard worker. I like to say I hire the best of the best, and I like to hire athletes. They have the best time management skills – having to balance school with practice and competing – so they make awesome, awesome tutors.”
Ball said working as a tutor was a perfect fit for her.
“I loved it at the Kelly Center,” she said. “I loved it when people walk out saying, ‘I understand it so much better now.’ It’s such a sense of accomplishment.”
That’s a feeling the future Dr. Selam Ball surely will never get tired of, either.
Ball hopes for that same sense of accomplishment this week.
Her school-record pole vault height of 3.87 meters (12 feet, 8.25 inches) at the MIAA meet in Kearney, Mo., on May 4 earned her a qualifying spot in the NCAA Division II National Championships Thursday through Saturday in Charlotte, N.C. Ball is scheduled to compete this afternoon.
After three years of trying to qualify for nationals, Ball made it this year with her school-record performance.
She is ranked 17th among the qualifiers but is just 0.10 meters out of eighth place. The top eight finishers at nationals earn All-America honors.
“I think if she can clear 3.93 meters, she could get in the top eight,” Stanley said. “I really think she can do it.”
He didn’t say it, but you get the feeling Stanley was implying, “Don’t bet against Selam Ball.”
ST. LOUIS (AP) – Drew Butera had a two-run single in the 10th inning and the Kansas City Royals earned a 5-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday.
Butera’s RBIs were his first since May 2. Jon Jay followed with an RBI single as the Royals won their first series since taking three of four from Detroit May 3-6.
Salvador Perez hammered a first-pitch fastball by Cardinals starter Michael Wacha for his eighth home run of the season to lead off the second.
Royals starter Jakob Junis gave up two runs in five innings, while striking out seven.
Blaine Boyer (2-0) pitched a scoreless ninth for the win. Kelvin Herrera earned his 10th save with a perfect 10th.
Abraham Almonte scored on a sacrifice fly in the sixth to tie it 2-2.
Wacha retired 14 of the first 15 batters he faced. He gave up two runs, one earned, in 6 2/3 innings.
Bud Norris (1-1) pitched a perfect ninth, but couldn’t record an out in the 10th, giving up back-to-back singles to Jorge Soler and Alex Gordon before compounding the issue by committing an error on Alcides Escobar’s sacrifice attempt to load the bases ahead of Butera.
Francisco Pena capped a two-run second inning with an RBI double, giving the Cardinals a 2-1 lead. Pena had a pair of hits after going 1-for-12 the previous three games.
WEB GEMS
Cardinals center fielder Tommy Pham robbed Jorge Soler of an extra-base hit with a running catch in the seventh. Pham, who was shading Soler to left-center, made the catch in straightaway center on the warning track right before hitting the wall.
Not to be outdone, Royals left fielder Alex Gordon made a diving catch on Pena’s liner in the bottom of the seventh, robbing the Cardinals’ catcher of his third hit of the game.
LATE SCRATCH
Cardinals left fielder Marcell Ozuna was a late scratch from the lineup and was replaced by Tyler O’Neill, because of a manager’s decision. Ozuna was hitting .714 (5 for 7) with a walk in his previous two games.
TRAINING ROOM
Royals: 1B Lucas Duda (right foot plantar fasciitis) is eligible to come off the 10-day disabled list on Thursday.
Cardinals: RHP Alex Reyes (right elbow surgery) is scheduled to make his final rehab start at Triple-A Memphis on Thursday. LHP Tyler Lyons (mid back strain) threw a bullpen and will make the trip to Pittsburgh.
UP NEXT
Royals: LHP Danny Duffy (1-6, 6.88 ERA) will kick off a four game series at Texas on Thursday. Duffy is 1-4 with a 6.82 ERA in six road starts this season.
Cardinals: RHP John Gant (1-1, 4.67 ERA) gets the start in the opener of a three-game series Friday at Pittsburgh and RHP Joe Musgrove (2018 debut). Gant is 0-0 with a 3.38 ERA in three appearances against the Pirates.
McPHERSON, Kan.-McPherson scored two first half goals and piled on four more in the second half in a 6-0 win over Hays in the 4-1A State Soccer Quarterfinals. The Lady Indian defense was solid in the first half. It took McPherson to the 28th minute to score their first goal. They broke through again a little over seven minutes later to give them a 2-0 lead at the half.
The Lady Bullpups continued their strong offensive attack in the second half against a hustling Hays squad who couldn’t get their offense going despite a couple of late runs. The Lady Indians finish their season at 11-7-1. McPherson improves to 17-1-1 and will move on to the state semifinals on Friday in North Newton.
ST. LOUIS (AP) – Alex Gordon and Salvador Perez each homered and Jason Hammel earned his first victory of the season as the Kansas City Royals beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-1 on Tuesday night.
Hammel (1-5) has been winless in his previous 13 starts dating back to his last win Sept. 6, 2017. Hammel also had been winless in his previous seven road starts.
He went seven innings, giving up nine hits and a run to help the Royals win for the second time in 10 games. He struck out six and hit a batter with no walks.
Luke Weaver (3-4) pitched seven innings in his first career outing against Kansas City. He allowed seven hits and struck out eight against one walk.
Gordon added two singles in a 3-for-4 night after entering the game hitless in his previous 14 at-bats. He was in a 4-for-40 skid that dated back to May 9.
Kansas City is 1-3 in interleague play this season. The Royals had lost their last five games against St. Louis and are 4-10 against their cross-state rivals in interleague play dating back to May 24, 2015.
Besides hitting the home run, Perez threw out two baserunners.
Kansas City went ahead 2-1 in the fourth on a two-out double by Alcides Escobar, who snapped an 0-for-9 skid with a single in the second inning. Whit Merrifield walked with one out and went to third on a single to right by Gordon. Escobar, who went 3-for-4, lined a 3-2 off-speed pitch to left to drive home Merrifield.
A leadoff homer by Perez in the sixth gave the Royals a 3-1 edge.
Kansas City added two runs in the ninth of reliever Greg Holland, a former Royal, who did not get any of the four batters he faced out.
St. Louis took a 1-0 lead in the first on a double steal. With two outs, Jose Martinez singled and went to third on Marcell Ozuna’s single. Ozuna took off for second and Perez faked a throw to second. Martinez started home but stopped. Perez threw to third baseman Mike Moustakas, who dropped the throw, allowing Martinez to score.
Gordon homered with one out in the second to tie the game.
LINEUP CHANGES
Tommy Pham, who has been the Cardinals’ best player this year, did not start Tuesday. He is 0-for-8 with six strikeouts in the last two games. His average has dropped 40 points in the last 10 days to .303. Rookie Tyler O’Neill started in center. Dexter Fowler, who did not play Monday, led off and played in right. He went 0-for-4.
IRONMAN
With his start, Escobar had made 381 consecutive starts. It is the longest streak in Royals history and the longest active streak in the major leagues.
TRAINING ROOM
Royals: 1B Lucas Duda (right foot plantar fasciitis) is eligible to come off the 10-day disabled list Thursday. Duda is batting .256 with four home runs and 19 RBIs in 37 games this season.
Cardinals: C Yadier Molina continues to recover from a traumatic hematoma sustained when he was hit by a foul ball earlier this month. “He’s seeing the doctor on Thursday,” said St. Louis General Manager Michael Girsch said of Molina. “That’s how fast we will get some guidance on when he can start doing physical activity. He’s been on significant rest so it’s hard to project until he can start jogging and stuff like that.” … Greg Garcia, 28, who left Monday’s game in the sixth inning with lower back tightness was not in the lineup Tuesday. He is listed as day to day. Garcia is hitting .241 with two home runs and nine RBIs in 36 games as the Cardinals’ utility man.
UP NEXT
Royals: RHP Jakob Junis (5-3, 3.51) will be facing the Cardinals for the first time in his career. He’s 2-0 with a 2.95 ERA in three starts against National League teams, all coming in 2017. He has allowed two or fewer runs and worked at least six innings in three of his road starts this season.
Cardinals: RHP Michael Wacha (5-1, 3.08) has limited opponents to two runs or less in each of his last six starts (2.06 ERA). He won his 50th career game in his last start making him the 11th-youngest pitcher to reach that milestone since 1900.
TOPEKA, Kan. – TMP-Marian girls’ soccer team saw their season copme to an end Tuesday in a 2-1 loss at Topeka Hayden in the 4-1A state quarterfinals.
Kayla Vitztum gave the Monarchs the early lead scoring on a breakaway just under 10 minutes in. The Wildcats tied the match on a shot outside the box with under 25 minutes to play in the first half then scored the game winner six minutes later on a long shot just out of the reach of Allison Applequist.
After finishing state runner-up a year ago, the Monarchs end their season 13-5-1. Hayden improves to 15-3 and advances to the state semifinals for the first time since winning it all in 2015.
Thomas More Prep-Marian announced Tuesday that Bill Meagher has accepted the position of Head High School Boys Basketball Coach. He begins his role as the team prepares for the 2018-19 season.
Applications were received from across the state and a selection committee was formed consisting of Msgr. Barry Brinkman, TMP-Marian Pastor Designate, Curtis Hammeke, Fort Hays State University Athletic Director, Kerri Lacy, Principal Lincoln Elementary and Chad Meitner, Principal TMP-Marian.
Currently Meagher serves in the role of Campus Minister and Junior High Theology Instructor. Adding the responsibility of Head High School Boys Basketball Coach, Meagher will provide students with guidance in both spirituality and leadership formation. The mission of the boys basketball program is to teach the necessary skills to become good husbands, fathers and leaders.
Meagher was Head Basketball Coach at Kennedy Middle School from 2007-2010, Assistant Basketball Coach for Hays High School in 2011 and came to TMP-Marian in 2012 as Assistant Basketball Coach. He lives in Hays, Kan., with his wife Mandy and three children, Thomas, Andrew and Emma.
“I love the opportunity to work and mold young people. We have fantastic students here at TMP-Marian and I am excited to continue to get to work with them,” said Meagher. “The (boys) basketball program has always operated at a high level. I will work to maintain and grow the program and be a caretaker of the winning tradition,” continued Meagher.
The basketball program at TMP-Marian has a rich 92 year history beginning in 1926 as the Hays Catholic Academy Blue Jays, the SJMA Cadets in 1931 until finally becoming the Monarchs in 1970.
“Bill’s service and dedication to the future of our students is evident through his passion for the Catholic faith and instilling that faith into students both on and off the court. We are excited for the qualities Bill brings to the school and what the future holds for the TMP-Marian Monarchs Boys Basketball program,” said TMP-Marian Principal Chad Meitner.
Located in Hays, Kan., Thomas More Prep-Marian is a Catholic school serving grades 7-12. Students come from Hays, the surrounding region, and from countries around the world. The school was founded by the Capuchin Franciscans as Hays Catholic College in 1908 and ultimately became Thomas More Prep-Marian in 1981. The school continues to serve young people in the traditions of spiritual growth, academic excellence, and leadership formation.
