KEARNEY, Neb. – The Fort Hays State men’s track and field team produced six All-MIAA performances, including two individual championships. The team competed at the conference championships held in Kearney May 4-6.

Brett Meyer and Decano Cronin brought home the two championship performances. Meyer claimed first in the 1,500-meters at a time of 3:53.30, while Cronin out-ran his field in the 800-meters with a finishing time of 1:50.06. Meyer earned another All-MIAA honor in the 800-meters after finishing in third place at 1:51.25.

The other three All-Conference performers for the Tigers came during the field events. Jake Morrow finished in the runner-up position in the pole vault with his height of 16 feet, 11 inches. Lucas Broxterman also finished in second place in his event of the high jump at 6 feet, 11 inches, followed by teammate Kolt Newell in third place at the same height.

Other solid performances highlighted the championship weekend for the Tigers, including Malcom Gardner claiming two top-ten performances. Gardner took sixth in the 200-meters (21.29) and eighth in the 100-meters (10.59) which were both good enough times for provisional marks. Oscar Carmona earned fourth in the 1,500-meters with a time of 3:56.77, while also claiming sixth in the 5,000-meters at 15:26.47.

Kyle Comstock capped a sixth place finish in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 14.74 and Weston Riner ran for 54.83 in the 400-meter hurdles to place seventh. In relay competition, Comstock, Jacob Schumacher, Johnathan Penrose and Gardner led the way to a fifth place finish in the 4×100 at 41.82, while a fourth place time of 3:15.77 in the 4×400 relay comprised of Schumacher, Meyer, Gardner and Cronin sealed strong relay performances.

Switching to field performances, Sam Dreiling earned another provisional in the pole vault coming in eighth place with a height of 15 feet, 9 ¼ inches. TJ Dozier earned a fifth place finish in the discus with his throw of 167 feet, 2 inches for a provisional. In the javelin, Derek Bixenman placed ninth at 175 feet, 8 inches, while also earning fourth place in the decathlon with a provisional 6,497 points. Teammate Matthew Pieper was close behind in fifth place alongside his provisional points at 6,467.

As a team, the Tigers amassed 90.5 points to finish in the fifth place. Pittsburg State led the way with 166.5 points followed by Central Missouri (103.5) and Emporia State (92).

Men’s Team Scores
Rank Team Score
1 Pittsburg State 166.5
2 Central Missouri 103.5
T3 Emporia State 92
T3 Lincoln (Mo.) 92
5 Fort Hays State 90.5
6 Nebraska-Kearney 69
7 Missouri Southern 68
8 NW Missouri State 54.5
9 Lindenwood 31
10 Washburn 26
11 Missouri Western 15
12 Southwest Baptist 11

JOPLIN, Mo. – The Fort Hays State baseball team scored two early runs before dropping the final game of the regular season Sunday afternoon (May 6) to Missouri Southern, 17-2. The Tigers wrap up the regular season 13-37 overall and 5-31 in MIAA play, while the Lions finish the year 27-23 and 15-21 in league action.

The Tiger defense saved the best for last, as they turned a rare feat in the home half of the sixth inning. In Tyler Renninson’s first frame of work, the righty allowed two runners to reach base before inducing a sharp ground ball to third base. Alex Weiss scooped up the ball and quickly tagged third before whipping a throw towards second. Ryan Grasser corralled the toss and tapped on the bag before firing the ball towards Dayton Pomeroy at first who completed the first triple play in more than 16 years (5/1/02, 2nd inning vs. Central Christian, Smith-Santangelo-Dreher).

You’ve heard of Tinker to Evers to Chance? Try Weiss to Grasser to Pomeroy! @fhsubaseball wraps up the year with their first triple play in 16 years! 🎥: @mososports @TheMIAANetwork #RoarTigers #miaabb pic.twitter.com/28GN8Hy3md

— FHSU Athletics (@fhsuathletics) May 6, 2018

Offensively the Tigers were limited to just five hits, with three coming in the third and two coming in the seventh. Addison Kaasch worked a leadoff walk before singles from Clayton Basgall and Weiss quickly loaded the bases. Grasser put the Tigers on the board with a base knock to center two batters later, plating a pair.

Missouri Southern kept things rolling at the plate in the home half of the first, with a pair of home runs adding up to four runs. The Lions continued to pour it on moving forward, compiling 14 hits, including four long balls, to score their 17 runs.

The Tigers, meanwhile, went stagnant at the plate, with 19 batters being retired in order after Grasser’s RBI single in the first. Colton Helm and Jonathan Mariani both collected singles off the bench in the seventh inning, but a pop up ended the game with two men aboard.

Ryan Ruder (4-9) took the loss after allowing five runs in one-plus innings of work.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Fort Hays State seniors Luke Wright (football) and Jasmine Beaulieu (women’s soccer) received the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) All-American Athlete Award for 2018. Both receive the honor based off their athletic accomplishments and dedication to strength and training, nominated for the award by Fort Hays State Strength and Conditioning Coach Doug Boucher.

Wright was a member of the Tiger football team for five years from 2013-2017. He was a three-year starter on the defensive line from the 2015 through 2017 seasons, playing in all 12 games each of those seasons, and served as a key reserve in his redshirt-freshman year of 2014. He also served as a team captain. Wright finished with 59 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, and 4 sacks in his career, with 27 tackles as his single-season best in 2015. He helped Fort Hays State to consecutive bowl game appearances in 2015 and 2016 and then the program’s first MIAA Championship in 2017, a season that saw the Tigers finish 11-1 and make their first NCAA Playoff appearance since 1995. FHSU had a record of 34-13 overall in Wright’s four seasons on the field, winning at least seven games each year. Wright was very solid in the classroom at FHSU, earning two degrees in five years. He was a member of the MIAA Academic Honor Roll all five years. Wright already received his bachelor’s degree in Finance from FHSU and receives his master’s degree in Business Administration at the end of the 2018 spring semester. By earning All-MIAA honors in 2017 as a defensive lineman, he earned the MIAA Scholar-Athlete Award, given to student-athletes that earn all-conference honors in their sport and hold a 3.5 or higher GPA. Wright is a native of North Platte, Nebraska.

Beaulieu was a member of the Tiger women’s soccer team for four years from 2014-2017. She was a three-time All-MIAA selection as a midfielder, earning third-team honors as a senior and honorable mention status as a junior and sophomore. Beaulieu produced 122 shots over four years to rank second on the all-time list at FHSU. She also ranks among the top five in career game-winning goals (5) and assists (11). Her three game-winning goals in 2017 led the team. She helped FHSU to a share of the MIAA Regular Season Championship in 2016 and the program’s second NCAA Tournament appearance. FHSU had an overall record of 49-24-10 in her four seasons with the program, winning at least 10 matches each year. Beaulieu also served as a team captain. She was a member of the MIAA Academic Honor Roll all four years at FHSU, holding a 3.48 GPA as a Psychology major, and will graduate in the spring of 2018. Beaulieu is a native of Commerce City, Colorado.