Nathan Shepherd works out for Bengals defensive line coach Jacob Burney. (Courtesy FHSU Athletics / Ryan Prickett)
HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State hosted a Pro Day at the Schmidt/Bickle Indoor Training Facility Monday with scouts from nearly 15 NFL teams on hand to see NFL Draft hopeful Nathan Shepherd work on specific defensive drills, while also taking measurements for FHSU senior kicker Brandon Brown.
Nathan Shepherd
Brown, along with senior long snapper Reid Buckingham from Emporia State, performed measurable tests for scouts. Brown went on to have a successful performance kicking field goals outdoors from several distances.
FHSU kicker Brandon Brown works out in front of NFL scouts. (Courtesy FHSU Athletics / Ryan Prickett)
Shepherd did not perform any tests that are measurable since he already put up tremendous numbers in the NFL Combine just over a week ago. Rather, he performed specific defensive lineman drills for a few NFL defensive line coaches on hand along with the scouts. Shepherd worked out for about 15-20 minutes before talking with local media invited to the session.
Fort Hays State also had four juniors participate in Pro Day drills, potentially grabbing the attention of scouts for next year.
There has been plenty of buzz surrounding Nathan Shepherd throughout the NFL community since his breakout performance at the Reese’s Senior Bowl and then his solid performance at the NFL Combine. His prospect grade of 5.64 at the NFL Combine projects him with a chance to become a starter in the NFL.
UNDATED (AP) – Top-ranked Virginia has received the first overall seed in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, which begins with first-round games Tuesday in Dayton, Ohio.
The Cavaliers has the No. 1 seed in the South Region after going 31-2 while winning the ACC regular-season and tournament championships. Virginia will open against UMBC on Friday.
Cincinnati is the No. 2 team in the South, followed by Tennessee and Arizona. The Volunteers are the only top-4 seed in the South to lose in the conference tournaments.
The East is led by Villanova, the Big East champions and 2016 national champs. Second seed Purdue, third seed Texas Tech and No. 4 Wichita State failed to win their conference tourneys.
Conversely, the Midwest Region looks like the bracket of death with No. 1 seed Kansas opening up in Wichita. The No. 2 seed is Duke, with Michigan State at No. 3 and Auburn fourth. The Jayhawks, Blue Devils and Spartans have combined for 39 Final Four appearances.
Xavier’s loss in the Big East semifinals didn’t stop the Musketeers from landing the top seed in the West. ACC tournament finalist North Carolina is No. 2, Big Ten champion Michigan is third and West Coast Conference winner Gonzaga is fourth.
Providence received a No 10 seed in the West after its stunning run to the Big East finals. Other bubble teams to make the NCAA Tournament are Arizona State, Oklahoma, Syracuse.
Notre Dame and Louisville were left out of 68-team field, as were Southern California, Baylor and Saint Mary’s.
HAYS, Kan. – The Fort Hays State baseball team could not keep up with No. 7 Central Missouri Sunday (March 11), falling 11-6 in the series finale. The Tigers move to 9-11 on the year and 1-8 in MIAA play while the Mules are now 16-3 overall and 8-1 in conference contests.
The Tigers outhit UCM for the second time this weekend, 11-9, but the Mules took advantage of eight walks.
Freshman Dawson Sramek had his best outing so far this season at the dish, collecting three hits, including one double. Dayton Pomeroy drove in three of the six runs, including two on one swing of the bat in the form of his sixth home run of the season.
Central Missouri jumped in front with two runs in the first inning, but the Tigers quickly tied things up with two runs of their own. Alex Weiss punched a two-out single through the right side before Pomeroy crushed a 2-2 pitch over the wall in left, placing him in a tie for third in the MIAA in homers this season.
The Mules tacked on four more runs over the next three innings, but Fort Hays State got all four back in the bottom of the fifth to tie things up once again, 6-6. The Tigers got things going at the plate, collecting five hits in the inning, all singles. Marcus Altman, Sramek and Addison Kaasch all singled to open the inning, loading the bases for Clayton Basgall. The shortstop kept the line moving with a single of his own, driving in one run. Weiss drove in the next run with a fielder’s choice before Pomeroy added his third RBI of the afternoon with a single to left. Weiss later tied things up when he came in to score on a wild pitch, allowing Pomeroy to advance to third with just one out. Central Missouri got out of the jam without falling behind, striking out the next two batters to escape with the score tied.
The Tigers allowed five runs over the next two innings, allowing UCM to begin to pull away. The Tigers had runners reach base in the sixth and seventh frames, but the Mule bullpen finished the final five innings with 10 strikeouts and only three hits.
Sam Capps made the start for the Tigers, striking out a pair while allowing six runs on six hits over four innings of work. Tanner Smith (1-3) took the loss after allowing four runs over 2.1 innings of relief. Cody Rottinghaus came on to finish things off on the rubber, striking out three and allowing just two baserunners over the final 2.2 innings.
The Tigers will hit the road for one midweek game before returning to Larks Park for MIAA play next weekend, taking on Rockhurst in Kansas City, Mo. on Wednesday (March 14) at 4 p.m.
EDMOND, Okla. – Fort Hays State fell twice at the hands of Central Oklahoma on Saturday (Mar. 10) in an MIAA doubleheader. The Tigers dropped all four games over the weekend to start conference play. FHSU is now 4-18 overall, 0-4 in the MIAA, while Central Oklahoma improved to 17-7 overall, 7-1 in the MIAA.
Central Oklahoma 2, Fort Hays State 0
Two runs in the second inning for Central Oklahoma accounted for all of the scoring in the first game of the doubleheader. A two-out RBI single by Lexy Dobson and a bases loaded walk by Carrie Abrams was all the Bronchos needed as the Tigers went scoreless for a third consecutive game to open MIAA play.
The Tigers scratched out six hits against UCO starter Jayden Chestnut, who threw a complete game with two strikeouts. She did not allow a walk. The Tigers had runners reach second base in four innings, but never found a timely hit to drive in a run. Bailey Boxberger and Veronica Knittig each went 2-for-3 at the plate in the game.
Hailey Chapman took another tough loss in the pitching circle, allowing only five hits while walking two and striking out one.
Central Oklahoma 10, Fort Hays State 5
Central Oklahoma jumped out to an 8-0 lead through two innings, but the Tigers were able to avoid the run rule by plating four runs in the fifth to cut the lead in half. Another run by the Tigers in the sixth cut the lead to three, but the Bronchos tacked on two more in the bottom half of the inning and won the second game 10-5.
Tiger starting pitcher Sierra Rodriguez lasted only 1.1 innings before turning the ball over to Hailey Chapman, who relieved the remainder of the game. Rodriguez allowed seven runs on six hits and two walks with one strikeout. Chapman allowed one run to the Bronchos in her first inning of relief, but then held them at bay until the two runs in the sixth. Chapman allowed eight hits and a walk, while striking out one.
An error by UCO helped trigger the four-run fifth inning for the Tigers. A ball put in play by Terran Caldwell was mishandled and a run scored from second on the play. Candace Bollig drove in a run with a sacrifice fly and later Bailey Kennedy knocked in two with a double. In the sixth, Bollig drove in another run with a single, but a double play ended any further threat from the Tigers.
Central Oklahoma starting pitcher Lauren Gibson went 5.0 innings in her winning effort, allowing five runs (three earned) on 10 hits with a walk and two strikeouts. JoBi Heath pitched the final 2.0 innings for a save, allowing two hits to go with a strikeout.
The Tigers are back at home next Friday (Mar. 16) when they host Lincoln University at 2 pm.
Tahlequah, Okla. – The Fort Hays State women’s tennis went 0-2 in MIAA play during their first conference matches of the 2018 season on a road trip to Oklahoma. In their second contest on the weekend, FHSU fell 9-0 to Northeastern State in Tahlequah to drop their overall record to 5-4 and 0-2 in conference matches.
During doubles play, the Tigers struggled again, dropping all three matches. In 8-2 losses, the pairs of both Natalie Lubbers and Ellea Ediger, as well as Nicole Lubbers and Laura Jimenez-Lendinez were defeated by the RiverHawks. The duos of Tatjana Stoll and Molly Worden, alongside Chantal Nosievici and Easton Parker captured the doubles wins for Northeastern State.
Singles contests saw six wins for the RiverHawks, taking all of the tilts to help claim the 9-0 win over the Tigers. No. 23 ranked Stoll of Northeastern State took the 6-0, 6-0 win over Jimenez-Lendinez, while Mayra Jovic defeated Moyers in another 6-0, 6-0 contest. Both Lindell and Ediger got points on the board, but both fell 6-2, 6-1 (Lindell) and 6-2, 6-0 (Moyers).
The Tigers host two home matches this coming week as Emporia State heads to Hays for a Tuesday match at 2 p.m., followed by an April 14 (Wednesday) face off against Washburn set for 3 p.m.
Each month of the 2018 season, Sunflower Electric Power Corp. and its member-owners will give away a pair of tickets to see a Kansas City Royals home game! Enter below and be sure to come back and enter each month for your chance to win!
For almost 30 years, high school girls wrestling has quietly grown both nationally and in the state of Kansas. But in recent years, the growth has been substantial and not so quiet.
Just fewer than 9,000 girls participated in wrestling nationally in 2012 and, in just a five-year span, that number ballooned to 14,587 girls in 2017. Despite the dramatic increase in participants, girls wrestling is still not a sanctioned by a majority of state high school athletic associations including Kansas.
The few states that have sanctioned high school girls wrestling have experienced huge numbers of growth in competition due to the fact that the girls participating can wrestle against other girls for post season tournaments instead of wrestling boys like in non-sanctioned states.
For example:
• The state of Tennessee experienced 294 percent growth in girls wrestling participants from 2014-2017 after sanctioning the sport in 2015.
• California participants increased by 202 percent from 2010-2017.
• Washington state sanctioned girls wrestling in 2007 and had a 628 percent participation increase over the next 10 years.
Although girls wrestling is not a sanctioned sport in Kansas (meaning there is no official girls post season tournament), there has been a growth in girls divisions and tournaments throughout the regular season in the past two years. According to McPherson wrestling coach Doug Kretzer, prior to 2017, there were no girls tournaments or divisions for Kansas girls to wrestle other girls unless they happened to face another school that also had a girl wrestler. In 2017, Kretzer lead the charge in holding a girls-only competition.
This year’s Kansas girls state championships in McPherson.
“Just by letting girls know that we were going to find competition for them and give them the opportunity to compete against other girls any chance we got, even if it was only in practice, we had 13 girls come out for wrestling and not a single one quit,” Kretzer said. “We at McPherson decided to have a girls division at our JV tournament in December of 2017. Thirteen schools brought girls, and we wrestled the first-ever girls tournament and girls-only division in the state of Kansas.”
After other schools realized that there were plenty of participants to hold girls-only events, three more competitions took place in 2017 throughout the state, including a unofficial girls state tournament to finish the year hosted by McPherson High School and Coach Kretzer. In that inaugural state tournament in February 2017, 36 schools with a total of 56 girls competed for a state title. This year, there were nine total girls events in Kansas and again McPherson hosted an unofficial state tournament. Fifty-seven schools showed up and 145 girls competed in the tournament.
“We went from never having a single girls competition in the state of Kansas to four last year then to nine this year,” Kretzer said. “The girls that are saying yes with the limited opportunity. What happens if you turn them loose against other girls? Girls wrestling is just waiting to blow up, in my opinion.”
One of the schools participating in this year’s state tournament for the first time was Trego Community High School. Freshmen Jessika Chapman and Sydney Boyle competed in the tournament, but when they first stepped on the mat this year, Trego wrestling coach Jeremy Sampson wasn’t sure what to do with them.
Jessika Chapman and Sydney Boyle at Great Bend tournament.
“I told the girls and their parents from the beginning that I was not going to expect anything less from you that I expect from the boys. I made them fully aware of that going in and they never once complained,” Sampson said. “They did the workouts the boys did and they knew their practice partners were going to be boys most of the time because they were in different weight classes and I couldn’t always put them together.”
Both freshmen wrestled in the varsity lineup for Trego County (the only Mid-Continent League team that has female wrestlers) during the season and mostly wrestled against boys.
“They competed hard and took knocks each and every week, but every Monday they would come back to practice with smiles on their faces when they came into the wrestling room,” Sampson said. “I told them I was going to try and get them into some girls-only events.”
It was at this year’s unofficial state tournament in McPherson that Sampson realized the potential of girls wrestling in Kansas.
“I’m telling you, that event opened up my eyes,” he said. “It’s not a fad. It’s the real thing. They’re not going to take no for an answer and if they have to compete against boys, they’re going to compete against boys, but I think they’re just asking for that opportunity to wrestle against girls.”
Sydney and Jessika wanted to ask for that opportunity publicly which lead to this video being posted on the Trego Wrestling Facebook and Twitter pages a few weeks ago:
“Girls are just asking for an opportunity for KSHSAA to recognize what they’re doing. Watching the passion that the girls had at the girls championships in McPherson … they deserve an opportunity to compete against girls. It was amazing to watch it and it opened my eyes to what it really is,” Sampson said.
The outreach to KSHSAA to sanction girls wrestling in the state of Kansas has not fallen on deaf ears. Mark Lentz, the KSHSAA assistant director in charge of wrestling, was in attendance at the girls state tournament in McPherson.
“It’s nice to see people interested in participating and growing the sport,” Lentz said. “I personally went out and watched the unsanctioned state event that they had in McPherson. I wanted to see the participation and interaction. I think there are some real positives from it.”
For a sport to get sanctioned by KSHSAA, the group of individuals and/or schools would need to get the support of member schools of the association. After that, they will go through the Kansas Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association and the Kansas Coaches Association to bring that to the board of the KSHSAA. The board makes the decision as to whether it will sanction postseason for females.
Kretzer presented to the board last year, but the proposal did not pass. However, there will be another proposal this spring.
“They gave some good ideas and thoughts last year,” said Lentz, who is an administrator and not on the board. “They’ve shown growth, so we’ll see what the board decides this time. I don’t think you ever shut the door to it at all.”
While high school girl’s wrestling is still unsanctioned currently for postseason, the growth is undeniable and having a sanctioned postseason event becomes more of a possibility as the participation numbers continue to climb.
It’s uncertain when and if it will be sanctioned but one thing is for sure — the girls and coaches that support them will continue to pave the way for the girls coming in after them and keep fighting for the opportunity to wrestle other girls.
“I asked, ‘Which of you girls are willing to go out there and fight for all the girls both before and after you?,’ ” Kretzer said. “Girls are powerful … they’re motivated. There’s a place for everyone in the sport of wrestling.”
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Fort Hays State saw its season come to a close in the NCAA Central Regional Semifinals on Saturday night (Mar. 10) when it fell to Central Missouri, 66-59. The sixth-seeded Tigers end their season at 26-7 overall, while the second-seeded Jennies improved to 26-3 overall and advanced to the regional final Monday night.
FHSU Postgame Press Conference
Game Highlights
Central Missouri, ranked No. 10 in the nation, led for over 30 minutes in the game, while FHSU held the lead for a total of 6:19. Fort Hays State’s largest lead was three points occurring twice, late in the second quarter and after its first bucket in the third quarter. Following the last three-point lead for the Tigers, the Jennies went on an 11-4 run to take a four-point lead and then led by that margin by the end of the third quarter, 49-45.
The Tigers kept the Jennies within five points all throughout the game until the 7:46 mark of the fourth quarter when a Kelsey Williams jumper in the lane made the margin six points. A Belle Barbieri layup closed the margin back to four, but a Morgan Fleming three pointer and a Megan Skaggs layup took the UCM lead out to nine points. The biggest dagger came at the 1:14 mark. After the Tigers missed a layup in close that would have cut the margin to five, Fleming hit a desperation turnaround three-point attempt in the left corner with the shot clock expiring to extend the lead to 10.
Kacey Kennett hit a three-pointer with just under a minute remaining, but the Tigers had to foul four times inside the final minute before finally putting the Jennies on the line with 20 seconds remaining. Kayonna Lee, who finished with a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds, buried a pair of free throws to push the lead back to nine. Kennett connected one more time from deep, but it was not enough in the end as the MIAA’s regular season champion moved on to the regional final.
Kennett had her second straight solid game shooting the ball from the outside, going 5-of-9 beyond the three-point arc. She finished with a team-best 17 points. Lanie Page had nine points and Tatyana Legette had eight. Fort Hays State’s only senior, Emma Stroyan, also finished with eight. Barbieri had a team-high seven rebounds, while Legette shelled out a team-best six assists.
MIAA Player of the Year Paige Redmond led the Jennies with 16 points and five assists. Fleming, who hit her only two three-point field goal attempts of the game in the fourth quarter, had nine points.
After sitting at 3-4 to open MIAA play by mid-January, the Tigers went on a roll winning 11 of their last 12 in conference play. As the No. 3 seed, the Tigers advanced to the finals of the MIAA Tournament to secure an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers won 14 of their final 17 games to close out the season, including an opening round win in the NCAA Tournament before bowing out on Saturday night. The Tigers produced their seventh consecutive 20-win season and second-highest win total (26) under head coach Tony Hobson. The Tigers have now won at least 25 in a season three times under Hobson, and the majority of the squad will return next year.
PITTSBURG, Kan. – Four Tigers were sent to the Division II National Championships, and four Tigers are coming back with All-American honors. Dean Cronin, Brett Meyer, Sam Dreiling and Jake Morrow all earned the honors after finishing in the top-12 at the championships. The 2018 National Championships were hosted at Pittsburg State University this past weekend.
Meyer kicked off the All-American finishes by coming in second place in the men’s mile with a 4:13.60 mark in the event. This improved Meyer’s 2017 finish which he placed fifth in the event. Cronin also captured a second place finish with his time of 1:48.89 in the 800-meter run. This was Cronin’s first indoor All-American status. Cronin both achieved a personal record and broke the FHSU school record with this time.
On field events, both pole vaulters Morrow and Dreiling finished in the top-12. Morrow finished in sixth place with a mark of 16 feet, 10 ¾ inches. Morrow’s mark ties the school record. Dreiling finished close behind in eighth place with his height of 16 feet, 6 ¾ inches.
As a team, the Tigers earned 20 team points to finish in a three-way tie for 11th place.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Senior guard Rob Gray never liked the idea of waiting for the selection committee to put his No. 21 Houston Cougars into the NCAA Tournament.
Gray wanted to get there by winning the American Athletic Conference Tournament and gaining an automatic bid, an opportunity he will have Sunday when Houston plays in the championship game against No. 8 Cincinnati.
He scored 33 points to lead the Cougars to a 77-74 victory over No. 11 Wichita State in the semifinal round Saturday.
Gray, who dominated the second half, also made a key late-game steal and hit the final two free throws with 5 seconds remaining.
“We had high expectations coming in. We wanted to go on a three-game win streak and cut down the nets in the conference tournament,” Gray said. “It’s a big deal to come here and make the championship game, and even win it, because it changes the perception that maybe the committee has about our program.”
Corey Davis Jr. scored 19 points for Houston (26-6).
Landry Shamet led Wichita State (25-7) with 19 points while Shaquille Morris had 12, including 10 in the final seven minutes to keep the game close. Rashard Kelly and Austin Reaves each scored 10.
“In our conference, you hear a lot about Cincinnati and Wichita State, but I think that’s perception more than anything else,” Houston coach Kelvin Simpsonn said. “We have got a good team, too.”
Galen Robinson gave the Cougars a 75-74 lead with 1:12 remaining. It was set up with a steal by Gray. Robinson also intercepted a Wichita State inbounds pass with 9 seconds to go that set up Gray’s final free throws.
Houston led through much of the game, but Kelly gave Wichita State its first lead after intermission, 60-59, with 7:12 remaining.
The lead changed hands or was tied eight times in the final seven minutes.
“We lost to a very good team,” Shockers coach Gregg Marshall said. “They’re a good defensive team. They’re gritty, tough and well-schooled. That’s just a tough one to lose.”
Houston dominated much of the first half, leading 37-31 at the break.
The Shockers, who came into the game averaging 83.3 points per game, were cold in the first half, when they shot just 27 percent (8 of 30) from the field.
Davis sparked the Cougars early by scoring eight consecutive points, allowing the Cougars to open a 20-11 lead.
BIG PICTURE
Houston: After losing their opener in this tournament the past two years, the Cougars are thrilled to be in the title game.
Wichita State: This first season in the American Athletic Conference has been a good one for the Shockers, despite Saturday’s loss. They are ready for the NCAA Tournament.
UP NEXT
Houston: Plays the AAC championship game against Cincinnati on Sunday.
Wichita State: Waits to see where it opens the NCAA Tournament.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Devonte Graham ripped off the shooting sleeve he was wearing and tossed it into the crowd, then took the two-time Big 12 defensive player of the year baseline for a pullup jumper.
Talk about unflappable.
Unstoppable, too.
The league’s player of the year finished with 18 points and 13 assists, most of them during the decisive second half, and Graham led ninth-ranked Kansas to an 81-70 victory over Jevon Carter and No. 18 West Virginia in the Big 12 Tournament championship game Saturday night.
Malik Newman added 20 points on his way to tournament MVP, and freshman Silvio De Sousa had 16 points on 8-for-8 shooting in place of injured big man Udoka Azubuike, lifting the Jayhawks (27-7) to their 11th tournament title and a likely No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
It was the second time in three years they’ve beaten West Virginia (24-10) for the championship.
“We just locked on and starting plays and kept competing, and it was just fun. It was fun to be out there,” Graham said with a smile. “It helped that we were able to make shots.”
Modest understatement there. The Jayhawks shot 72 percent from the field in the second half, and 56 percent for the game, while going 15 of 27 from beyond the 3-point arc.
“They have a lot of guys who can make shots,” West Virginia coach Bob Huggins said. “Let’s be honest, all of those guys out there, if they’re not McDonald’s All-Americans it’s because they’re from another country. They have good players and their guy can coach, you know?”
Daxter Miles Jr. hit five 3s and had 25 points to lead West Virginia, which has lost the last three Big 12 title games. Sagaba Konate added 18 points while Carter, the best defender in the league, finished with 17 points and nine assists.
West Virginia still has not won a postseason league tournament since the Big East in 2010.
“They just did a real good job of knocking down shots,” Carter said. “Seemed like every shot they put up, it went in. When we went cold, they kept hitting.”
The Mountaineers controlled most of the first half, picking and choosing when to employ their full-court press. And they caught a break when Mykhailiuk and Mitch Lightfoot picked up two fouls apiece, allowing Konate to score nearly at will in the paint.
Then the Mountaineers’ big fella picked up his second foul and took a seat on the bench.
The Jayhawks roared back to briefly tie the game, and trailed 34-33 at the break after De Sousa threw down an alley-oop dunk in transition in the closing seconds of the first half.
One of the hallmarks of Kansas over the years, especially under Bill Self, has been tenacious half-court defense — and the Mountaineers shredded it early in the second half. They scored their first eight possessions, and Miles’ layup gave them their biggest lead at 51-43 with 15:08 left.
From there, the game turned into a back-and-forth prizefight: Kansas scored 10 straight, West Virginia answered with eight in a row and the Jayhawks responded with 10 more.
“They got control of the game. We made a run. They got control in the second half, we made a run,” Self said, “and that was the difference. When they had a chance to distance themselves we got back in it, and we played almost flawless down the stretch.”
The Jayhawks’ last run was part of a larger 17-3 charge to finally take control.
Graham capped it with his fadeaway baseline jumper over Carter — after shedding a bit of clothes — and a 3-pointer from the wing that made it 73-66 with 3:49 to go.
West Virginia got it to 76-70 on Carter’s two free throws moments later, but Miles missed a 3-pointer and Carter missed a circus-style layup, then turned the ball over with a minute left.
That allowed the Jayhawks to seal their latest Big 12 championship from the foul line.
“We had open shots, didn’t make them. They had contested shots, made them,” Huggins said. “If they can do that for three weeks, they could win a national championship.”
MORE ON DOKE
Azubuike will be evaluated again Sunday, and Self expressed hope that he would be ready for the Jayhawks’ NCAA Tournament opener. The 7-foot sophomore hurt a ligament in his left knee during practice Tuesday, but he appeared to be moving well with a brace on before the game.
BIG PICTURE
West Virginia will be happy to play someone other than Kansas in the NCAA Tournament. Not only have the Mountaineers struggled against the Jayhawks in Kansas City, they were swept in the regular season — blowing a big second-half lead during the game in Lawrence.
Kansas got a big lift from De Sousa, who joined the team after graduating from high school in December. The 6-foot-9 forward grew by leaps and bounds during his time at Sprint Center, making the Jayhawks an even scarier proposition in next week’s NCAA Tournament.
UP NEXT
West Virginia and Kansas head home to rest before Selection Sunday. The Big 12 could get anywhere from five to nine teams into the dance, with the Jayhawks a likely No. 1 seed.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The Fort Hays State wrestling team completed their trip to the NCAA DII Championships on Saturday (Mar. 4) as No. 4 Efe Osaghae claimed All-America status after an eighth-place finish at nationals.
Osaghae advanced through the 149-pound weight class to the second day of competition. Osaghae was defeated by Isaiah Kemper of McKendree in the third round of the consolation side in overtime via a 6-4 sudden victory defeat in his first bout this morning. Osaghae then faced Natrelle Demison of Adams State in the seventh-place match, before falling to him via 3-2 decision.
Osaghae finished his redshirt-freshman campaign with a 31-14 overall record. Throughout the season, Osaghae defeated the No. 1 ranked wrestler three times after dropping down a weight class from 157 pounds. Osaghae recorded two pins, five technical falls and five major decisions during the course of the year. He ranked second on the squad in wins and technical falls.
HUTCHINSON, Kan.-TMP led for two minutes and 50 seconds of the first quarter but would not lead again in their 66-52 loss to Haven in the third place game of the 3A State Tournament in Hutchinson. The Lady Monarchs trailed 13-11 after the first quarter and 28-17 at the half. Haven shot lights out from three point range in the first half, 67%.
TMP would have an answer in the third quarter as they would cut the lead to three points a couple of times thanks to a pair of Aubrey Koenigsman three pointers. Despite the threes and double digit scoring from Kayla Vitztum TMP still trailed 42-37 after three quarters. TMP battled hard in the fourth quarter but they couldn’t hold Haven down.
Vitztum led the Lady Monarchs with 29 points and Koenigsman added 11. TMP finishes the season at 21-4 and fourth in Class 3A.
