KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association announced its postseason awards for wrestling on Monday. Brandon Ball earned MIAA Freshman of the Year and Chas Thompson earned MIAA Coach of the Year honors.

Thompson earns his first Coach of the Year honor in the MIAA after guiding the Tigers to a 12th-place finish at the NCAA Championships. It matched the best performance at nationals for the program under Thompson’s guidance as his 2010 national qualifiers generated the same result in the standings. It was the best performance at the championships for the program since the MIAA added wrestling a championship sport in 2012-13.

Along with the great finish at nationals, coaches took notice of Fort Hays State’s impressive youth movement this season with three freshmen qualifying for the national championships. That group included Ball, Greg Tooley, and Christian Lance. But the rock in the middle of it all providing leadership to the young Tigers was senior Jon Inman, who closed out his storied career with the top win percentage in program history. Inman finished his collegiate career at 141-28 and had an impressive 28-4 record this year to finish as the national runner-up at 197 pounds. Inman became the third two-time All-America performer at FHSU under Thompson’s guidance.

By the end of the MIAA Tournament in February, eight of the 10 weight classes saw freshmen experience varsity time in the Tiger lineup. Thompson looks to have the program in position for a bright future with all the freshmen that contributed this season.

Ball was one of Fort Hays State’s three standout freshmen. He grabs the MIAA Freshman of the Year distinction with his tremendous performances at the NCAA Super Regional and NCAA Championship. Ball finished the year at 38-8 overall after taking a redshirt last season, winning the Super Regional at 141 pounds and placing sixth at the NCAA Championships to earn All-America status. Ball is the first Tiger to earn MIAA Freshman of the Year honors since Inman earned the distinction in 2013-14.

Ball had the best win percentage (.826) of Fort Hays State’s three freshmen that qualified for nationals. Tooley finished 27-6 (.818) in the 157-pound weight class and Lance finished 44-10 (.815) in the 285-pound weight class. Tooley was the MIAA Tournament Champion this year at 157 pounds.

Here is a link to all of the MIAA Postseason Honors for the 2016-17 season…

MIAA Postseason Honors Release

FHSU Sports Information

Fort Hays State junior sprinter Kelly Wycoff earned MIAA Women’s Track Athlete of the Week honors for her efforts this past weekend at the Emporia State Spring Invitational. She currently ranks in the top 10 nationally in the 100 and 200 meters.

Wycoff hit two provisional marks at the Emporia State Spring Invitational in the 100 and 200 meters. She ran a time of 11.98 seconds in the 100 meters, which currently ranks 10th nationally for the young season. In the 200 meters, she ran 24.47 seconds, which has her ranked third in the nation among the four athletes that have produced provisional marks so far this outdoor season. Both times were personal bests.

Emily Presley of Missouri Southern earned Women’s Field Athlete of the Week honors with an automatic qualifying mark in the pole vault that has her ranked first in the nation.

FHSU Sports Information

DENVER – Fort Hays State Men’s Golf finished ninth at the Bob Writz Invitational, hosted by Colorado School of Mines at Bear Creek Golf Club. After a 340 as a team on the first day, FHSU improved six strokes the second day at 334.

Results

Skyler Tebo led the Tigers both days, shooting rounds of 83 and 82 to finish in a tie for 37th. Colton Bobek matched Tebo’s second round, following up an 86 with an 82. He tied for 42nd. Dalton Ayres was one stroke back in a tie for 44th with rounds of 85 and 84. Jake Weller rounded out the scoring for the Tigers each day with two rounds of 86. Marshall Hutchins also competed and shot rounds of 90 and 86.

Colorado State-Pueblo won the tournament as a team with a total of 614. Colorado Christian was two strokes back and UC-Colorado Springs six shots back. FHSU shot 674 as a team. The individual champion of the tournament was Victor Bjorlow from the University of Colorado, playing as in individual, posting a total of 147.

FHSU Sports Information

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Fort Hays State dropped its final two games at the Hy-Vee Classic on Sunday. The Tigers fell by run rule to Winona State 11-3 before giving up a late lead in a 5-4 loss to Wayne State (Neb.). The Tigers moved to 9-17 overall on the season.

Winona State 11, Fort Hays State 3
Trailing 4-0 after four innings, Fort Hays State rallied in the fifth inning with three runs to cut the margin to just one. However, the ground made up by FHSU instantly vanished in the bottom half of the fifth with an untimely two-out error. A run scored on the play and then the next batter hit a three-run home run to push the Winona State lead to 8-3. The Warriors ended the game with another three-run homer in the sixth inning to trigger the run rule.

Collete West went 2-for-3 in the game for FHSU, driving in two of the team’s three runs on a single in the fifth. She also had a double in the fourth inning. The Tigers benefitted from a throwing error for their other run.

Errors were costly to the Tigers as six of the 11 runs were unearned. Carrie Clarke pitched a complete game for FHSU, allowing 12 hits and four walks, with two strikeouts. Jaida Reinen also threw a complete game for WSU, allowing five hits and a walk, with one strikeout.

Wayne State 5, Fort Hays State 4
Fort Hays State held two leads, but could not hang on in the final game of the weekend. After Wayne State took a 1-0 lead after the top of the first, the Tigers responded with three runs in the bottom half of the inning. Wayne State knotted the score 3-3 in the fourth, but the Tigers pushed back ahead with a run in the bottom half of the inning to lead 4-3. A two-RBI single by Jordyn Breitbarth in the sixth decided the game.

Candace Bollig had two RBI, coming on a double to cap the three-run first inning for FHSU. She was 2-for-4 at the plate. Collette West was also 2-for-4, providing an RBI single in the first.  Bailey Kennedy knocked in the fourth run for FHSU with a double in the fourth, part of her 3-for-4 game at the plate. Kylie Strand was 2-for-3 and scored on Kennedy’s double.

Hailey Chapman took the loss for FHSU, allowing five runs (four earned) on nine hits and three walks in six innings of work. She struck out three. Carrie Clarke recorded the final three outs in the seventh.

Nataliah Hopkins went 5.0 innings for the Wildcats, allowing four runs (three earned) on 11 hits. Riley Vanderveen picked up a save, throwing the final two innings and allowing just two hits with a strikeout.

The Tigers stay out on the road this coming week with a non-conference doubleheader at Metro State in Denver on Tuesday (Mar. 21). They travel to Central Missouri and Southwest Baptist for conference doubleheaders next weekend.

FHSU Sports Information

HAYS, Kan. – No. 15 Emporia State scored seven runs in the first inning and finished off a three-game series sweep of Fort Hays State, 12-0 in a seven inning run-rule game Sunday afternoon at Larks Park. The Tigers, who have lost seven straight, fall to 7-17 overall, 1-11 in the MIAA, while the Hornets improved to 19-4 overall, 8-1 in the MIAA.

Steve Johnson Postgame Interview

Four walks and two errors led to the big first inning by ESU which was all Matt Slauter needed in his first start of the season. The Hornet senior allowed just two hits over four innings with five strikeouts to pick up his first win of the season.

Emporia State added a run in the second, three in the third, and one in the fifth, with only four of their runs earned. The Tigers had just four hits in the game, all spread between four players.

Sophomore Austin Liverant took the loss in his first start of the season. He allowed four runs (three earned), walking three batters with one hit while recording only one out. The Tigers used three pitchers in the first inning before Alex Ruxlow settled in with four  innings of relief, allowing five runs with only one earned.

The Tigers are back at home Tuesday against Washburn at 4 pm Larks Park. You can hear the game on KJLS with the Auto World Pregame Show at 3:40 pm.

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Fort Hays State Softball fell twice on Saturday at the Hy-Vee Classic, hosted by Missouri Western State University. The Tigers struggled to score in both games, falling 8-0 to Augustana (S.D.) and 8-1 to Sioux Falls. The Tigers moved to 9-15 overall on the season.

Augustana 8, Fort Hays State 0
Augustana scored five runs over the first two innings and Veronica Knittig was the only Fort Hays State player to collect hits against pitcher Lexy Pederson. Knittig had singles in the first and fourth innings. Candace Bollig was the only other Tiger to reach base by walk. Augustana tacked on one run in the sixth and two in the seventh to create the final margin.

Pederson threw a two-hit complete game shutout for the Vikings, striking out five Tigers. FHSU starter Lexie Kimminau lasted just an inning and faced two batters in the second before handing the ball to Carrie Clarke. Only two of the five runs allowed by Kimminau were earned. Clarke allowed the final three runs (two earned).

Sioux Falls 8, Fort Hays State 1
The Tigers fell behind early again in the second game of the day, giving up one run in the first inning and three in the third. They struggled to solve pitcher Breanna Black, who allowed just one run on five hits and a walk with one strikeout in her complete game effort.

Candace Bollig drove home the only run for FHSU in the fourth, following a Lily Sale single to start the inning. Collette West had the only extra-base hit of the day for FHSU with a double in the seventh.

Hailey Chapman recorded all but the last two outs of the game before handing the ball to Carrie Clarke. Chapman allowed all eight runs on nine hits and two walks. She struck out one.

The Tigers play their final two games of the Hy-Vee Classic on Sunday, facing Winona State at 9 am and then Wayne State (Neb.) at 3 pm.

FHSU Sports Information

HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State held a 4-2 lead through seven innings, but could not hang on as a two-out, three-run home run in the eighth lifted No. 15 ranked Emporia State past FHSU. The Hornets took the game 5-4, now with wins in the first two games of the weekend series. ESU moved to 18-4 overall, 7-1 in the MIAA, while FHSU went to 7-16 overall, 1-10 in the MIAA.

Steve Johnson Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

Ryan Ruder was tremendous in his starting pitching effort against the Hornets. He limited the top hitting team in the MIAA to just two runs over six innings with just five hits allowed. He struck out four and did not allow a walk.

After Ruder had allowed a game-tying solo homer in the sixth, his offense picked him up as Nick Hammeke triggered a two-run bottom half of the inning for FHSU with a leadoff double. A sacrifice bunt moved Hammeke to third, then Dayton Pomeroy drove him home with a sacrifice fly to give the Tigers the lead back at 3-2. Clayton Basgall followed with a single and Trevor Hughes shot a ball to the left-center field gap to score Basgall, putting the Tigers up 4-2.

Sam Capps came on in relief of Ruder to begin the seventh. He worked around a walk in the seventh to escape damage, but the big blow of the game came in the eighth. With two on and two outs, Daniel LaMunyon drove a pitch from Capps over the left field wall and instantly vaulted the Hornets into the lead 5-4.

Taylor Thompson, who entered in relief for the Hornets to end the Tiger rally in the sixth, pitched two scoreless innings to set up a save opportunity for Nathan Whitcomb. Though he allowed two hits, Whitcomb recorded his fifth save of the season, while striking out two. Thompson moved to 3-0 on the season.

Capps took the loss in three innings of relief for FHSU. He allowed four hits and a walk, while striking out four. He moved to 1-2 on the year.

Emporia State never led in the game until the LaMunyon homer in the eighth. FHSU held a 2-0 lead after a pair of runs in the second on a wild pitch and Marcus Altman RBI single. ESU cut the lead in half with a run in the fourth before tying it with the solo homer in the sixth.

The teams play the final game of the three-game weekend series on Sunday at 12 pm. You can hear it on Tiger Radio Mix-103 https://www.hayspost.com/tiger-radio/ with the Auto World Pregame Show at 11:40 am.

FHSU Sports Information