EMPORIA, Kan. – The Fort Hays State women rallied from 11 points down at the start of the fourth quarter to take a one-point lead with 3:16 to play, but Emporia State outscored them 7-3 the rest of the way for a 73-70 win Saturday at White Auditorium. Taylor Rolfs, who hit all five of her 3-pointers in the second half, missed on one in the closing seconds that would have forced overtime.

Tony Hobson Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

The Tigers (7-2, 2-2 MIAA) used a 17-2 furn over the first and second quarters to build a 10-point lead early in the second. The Hornets (6-2, 2-0 MIAA) would close the half on a 14-4 run to tie the game 30-30 at the break. The run would extend to 31-11 helping then to a 10-point lead with 2:36 to play in the third quarter.

Fort Hays State opened the fourth quarter with a 15-5 run and tied the game 62-all on a Taylor Rolfs 3-pointer. Kasey Kennett hit her only 3-pointer with 3:16 to play to give the Tigers their last lead at 67-66.

Emma Stroyan led the Tigers with 18 points, Rolfs added a career-best 17 and Tatyana Legette scored 17.

Tyra Jones led the Hornets with 25 points.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The United Soccer Coaches announced its NCAA Division II Scholar All-Region selections for the 2017 season. The organization selected Fort Hays State senior goalkeeper Michael Yantz to its All-West Region Team. The United Soccer Coaches recognizes four regions of the United States for this award. FHSU is part of the West Region for this award.

2017 United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division II Men’s Scholar All-West Region Team

Yantz is the only goalkeeper named to this prestigious list for the entire West Region, which includes all states west of a line that splits the east borders of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.

Yantz, a three-time All-MIAA selection at goalkeeper, is majoring in International Business and Marketing at Fort Hays State. The Warsaw, Indiana native holds a cumulative GPA of 3.78.

To be eligible for selection to the Scholar All-Region Team, the student athlete must be nominated by their head coach and meet the following criteria:
Have at least a 3.30 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) throughout his or her career
Start more than 50 percent of all games and be an elite player as supported by playing honors (i.e., all-conference) or contributions to the success of his/her team.
Plays for a current United Soccer Coaches College Services member institution
Senior College:
Be a junior or above in academic standing at the current institution.
Be in his or her second year at the current institution if a transfer student.

TOPEKA, Kan. – Fort Hays State shot only 31-percent and were held 30 points below their season average as they drop their first MIAA road game of the season 69-58 at Lee Arena Wednesday. The Ichabods (6-3, 1-0 MIAA) used a 14-4 run to turn a five-point deficit into a five-point lead in the first half, closing on an 18-9 run to go up eight at the break.

Mark Johnson Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

The Tigers pulled within five on several occasions early in the second half but could get no closer. A 7-0 Washburn run pushed their lead to 12 with 10:20 to play and it was never less then eight the rest of the game.

Hadley Gillum scored 11 points to lead the Tigers before fouling out with 5:51 to play. Kyler Kinnamon and Peyton Stephens both added 10.

Brady Skeens led Washburn with 16.

The Tigers held the MIAA’s top offensive rebounding team to only two offensive rebounds and had 15 of their own but managed only nine second chance points. The Tigers had 12 steals and forced 18 Ichabod turnovers but it wasn’t enough to overcome their second poorest shooting game of the season.

TOPEKA, Kan. – The Fort Hays State women’s basketball team was unable to hold on to a 14 point second half lead and lost 62-59 to Washburn Wednesday night at Lee Arena. It’s the Tigers first loss of the season as they fall to 7-1 overall and 2-1 in the MIAA. Washburn bounces back from their first loss of the season last week and Newman and improves to 7-1 and 1-0 in conference play.

Tony Hobson Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

The Tigers used a 10-2 second quarter run to build an eight point lead and led by nine at halftime. They went on a 8-0 run in the third quarter to go up 41-27 with 7:19 in the third. The Ichabods answered with a 21-4 run to go up one early in the fourth after holding the Tigers to one field goal and two free throws over the final 6:24 of the quarter.

Emma Stroyan hit a couple of 3-pointers to help the Tiger go up three with 2:47 to play but they would not score again as Washburn closed the game on a 6-0 run.

Carly Heim led four Tigers in double-figures with 14 points. Stroyan added 12 off the bench while Tatyana Legette and Taylor Rolfs both added 10.

Alexis McAfee hit four 3-pointers and led Washburn with 18 points. Reagan Phelan overcame early foul trouble to add 17. Mackenzie Loe came off the bench to chip in 15.

WACO, Texas – Fort Hays State senior defensive lineman Nathan Shepherd received All-America First Team honors from the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) for the 2017 season on Wednesday (Dec. 6). This is the second straight year a defensive lineman from Fort Hays State earned AFCA All-America First Team honors after Sie Doe, Jr., earned the distinction in 2016.

AFCA Division II All-America Team

Shepherd is the fourth AFCA Division II All-America selection in Fort Hays State’s history. Punter Adam Ryan was the first in 2000 earning first team honors and offensive lineman Tyler Strong was an honorable mention selection in 2003 prior to Doe and Shepherd earning honors the last two seasons. Shepherd has accepted invites to the NFL Players Association Collegiate Bowl on January 20 and the Reese’s Senior Bowl on January 27, where he will compete with top collegiate prospects in the nation looking to make the step to professional football.

The AFCA named Shepherd one of the top four defensive linemen in the nation in NCAA Division II. He joins Zach Sieler (Ferris State), Marcus Martin (Slippery Rock), and Blake Nelson (Colorado Mesa) as first-team selections at the position.

Shepherd, like Doe a season ago, earned MIAA Defensive Player of the Year honors. He helped FHSU to its first-ever MIAA Championship as the Tigers posted a spotless 11-0 record in regular season play. Shepherd finished the year with 38 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, and four sacks, but constantly disrupted offenses by drawing double and triple teams on the line.

In his three years at Fort Hays State, Shepherd amassed 168 tackles, 27 tackles for loss, and 10 sacks. He is an All-America selection for the second straight year after earning an honorable mention nod from the Don Hansen Football Committee last year. He is a three-time All-MIAA selection, earning first team this year, second team in 2016, and third team in 2015.

The AFCA’s Division II All-America Selection Committee is made up of three head coaches from each of the AFCA’s seven districts, one of whom serves as a district chairman, along with another head coach who serves as the chairman of the selection committee. The coaches in each district are responsible for ranking the top players in their respective districts prior to a conference call between the district chairmen and the committee chairman on which the teams are chosen.

The women’s basketball team will hit the road for the first time in nearly a month Wednesday (Dec. 5) when they travel to Topeka, Kan. to take on Washburn. First tip is set for 5:30 p.m. inside Lee Arena.

Tony Hobson Weekly Press Conference

Carly Heim visits with the media

The Tigers enter the contest 7-0 overall and 2-0 in the MIAA, while the Ichabods open their conference schedule 6-1 on the year.

Fort Hays State won a thriller in its last trip to Topeka, defeating the Ichabods 61-60. FHSU trailed by as many as 19 after a 10-0 Washburn run to open the second half, but an unbelievable 29-4 run capped off by a half-court buzzer beater from Nikola Kacperska put the Tigers in front for good. Sarah Pimentel hit a free throw with five seconds left to put FHSU in front by four before Washburn hit an inconsequential buzzer beater of its own.

FHSU is 32-46 all-time against the Ichabods, and 15-23 against WU in Topeka. Tony Hobson is 7-11 against the Ichabods, including a 2-6 mark inside Lee Arena. The Tigers have won the last five games against WU, including two straight in Topeka for the first time since 1993-95. A win Wednesday would give the Tigers three straight wins in Topeka for the first time since 1980-82 and would match FHSU’s longest winning streak in the series (6 games, 1976-79).

The Tigers turn the ball over just 10.1 times per game, fewest in all NCAA Division II. FHSU is also among the national leaders in assist/turnover ratio, ranking seventh with a mark of 1.39.

Two Tigers are averaging more than 15 points so far this season in Tatyana Legette (15.6) and Kacey Kennett (15.4). FHSU has not had multiple players finish a season with more than 15 points since Hobson’s first year at the helm. (2008-09, Erica Biel 15.9 and Naomi Bancroft 15.4). Legette also leads the Tigers in rebounds (8.7 rpg) and assists (2.9 apg) and is the only player ranked in the top 10 in the MIAA in all three categories. Whitney Clampitt continues to impress in her freshman season, averaging 8.6 points and ranking second on the team with 2.6 assists per game. Belle Barbieri was a rebounding machine last week, grabbing 19 rebounds over the two games while making her first career start against Pittsburg State.

Washburn is coming off its first loss of the season after losing last week at Newman, 52-45. The Ichabods average 73 points per game, good for 8th in the MIAA. WU is 4-0 inside Lee Arena so far this season. Reagan Phelan is the leading scorer for WU, ranking 18th in the league with 14.0 points per game while ranking 5th in the MIAA with 2.3 steals each night. Axelle Bernard grabs an average of nine rebounds each game, tied for sixth-most in the conference. Denesia Smith dishes out more than three assists per night, good for sixth in the MIAA.