Hays High School Athletic Director Lance Krannawitter confirmed Friday that varsity basketball coach Rick Keltner has resigned. Keltner informed his team on Friday afternoon of the decision.
Keltner has been the head coach for the Indians the past 34 years. He directed the team to a 453-291 record. Keltner started his career at St. John’s-Tipton and, including those seven seasons, amassed a 536-357 record.
The Indians had just seven seasons with a sub .500 record and only two since the 1999-2000 season. The team made six state tournaments under Keltner with a three fourth-place finishes and a one third.
Hays High will begin the search for a new coach immediately.
From left are: Dennis, Whitney, Kaylee, Maddie, Brenda and Lauren Cox. Courtesy photo
By RANDY GONZALES For Hays Post
Big things are happening for the family of a local former star basketball player – which shouldn’t seem out of the ordinary, since her family grows like Redwood trees.
Brenda (Bruggeman) Cox, a 1987 graduate of Hays High School and the star center on the Indian girls’ basketball team during her high school days, was a 6-foot-2 mountain in the middle for HHS. A three-year starter for the Indians, Brenda led her team to a third-place finish at state her senior year.
Brenda, now the mom of four tall, athletic daughters, is getting ready to watch her oldest play in the Big 12 basketball tournament, which begins today in Oklahoma City. Lauren Cox, a 6-4 junior forward, starts for the Baylor Bears.
Brenda’s parents – Mel and Karen Bruggeman from Hays – also will make the trip south to watch their granddaughter play.
Baylor (28-1 overall, 18-0 Big 12) is ranked No. 1 in the nation in the latest Associated Press poll. The Bears are on a 20-game winning streak and are one of only two teams to defeat national power Connecticut this season.
Baylor is the No. 1 seed in the Big 12 tourney and will play its first game at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, vs. the winner of today’s game between Oklahoma and Texas Tech. Saturday’s game will be televised on FSN. The semifinals are Sunday, with the championship game Monday night. The semifinals and title game will be shown on FS1.
Lauren Cox with the Big 12 trophy after Baylor won the regular-season title this year. Courtesy photo
Brenda said her family will attend Laura’s games in person starting Sunday. On Saturday, they will be watching one of her other siblings play in a volleyball tournament.
Lauren’s younger sisters are: Whitney, a 6-0 forward and a high school senior who has committed to play at Lubbock Christian next year; Kaylee, a 6-1 sophomore whose volleyball team won the Texas Class 6A state title; and Maddie, a 6-1 eighth-grader who plays both basketball and volleyball.
Brenda’s husband, Dennis, is 6-4; he also played basketball in college, at Central Methodist in Missouri.
Brenda followed in her father’s footsteps in taking her talents to the college level. Mel played basketball for St. Mary of the Plains College in Dodge City. Brenda played at Dodge City Community College for two years, then transferred to Southern Methodist University in Dallas.
She met her husband, a software developer, in Dallas after her playing days at SMU. These days, Brenda is a stay-at-home mom who stays busy keeping up with her daughters’ athletic events.
Watching Lauren play on a national stage has been a treat for the family.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Brenda said. “It’s kind of unbelievable. When you have a child you think they will play sports, but she’s kind of a special athlete, a lot of God-given talent.”
Lauren was the nation’s No. 1-ranked player coming out of high school her senior year. She narrowed her college choices to Connecticut, Tennessee, Louisville, Notre Dame and Baylor.
“She pretty much had the option to go wherever she wanted,” Brenda said. “Those programs are all class acts, great coaches. I think it really came down to (playing) close to home.”
The drive to Waco for the Coxes to catch Lauren’s home games is about an hour and 45 minutes. Brenda and her husband also travel back to Kansas to watch Lauren’s games when Baylor plays at Kansas State and the University of Kansas.
The Bruggemans are diehard Baylor fans. They traded in their Buick Enclave with more than 200,000 miles on it for a 2017 model that already has traveled 40,000 miles to basketball games.
It’s no surprise that Brenda’s children are tall. The family tree has long limbs. Her dad, who played basketball at St. Mary of the Plains College in Dodge City, is 6-4, and her mom is 5-11. Brenda is the youngest of three Bruggeman children. Her older sister, Rhonda, is 6-0, and her brother, Mark, is 6-4.
“I really feel short with (Brenda’s) girls so tall,” Karen said with a laugh. “It’s been wonderful (watching Lauren play). It keeps us young.”
The Bruggemans are used to hitting the road to watch women’s college basketball. It was a relatively short drive when Brenda was playing for DCCC. But when she went to SMU, the couple would leave Hays after work on Friday, drive eight hours to Dallas for a game Saturday night, then drive back to Kansas on Sunday.
Laura (Flax) Hertel, a senior on the Hays High girls’ basketball team in 1985 when Brenda was a sophomore, is part of a group of former teammates and friends who gather in Manhattan when Baylor plays at Kansas State.
“She has quite the little following at those games,” Hertel said.
Hertel also remembers how dominating Brenda was inside the paint for the Indians.
“She was just a huge presence inside,” Hertel said. “By the time she got to be a senior, she was just amazing.”
Lauren has had an amazing first three years at Baylor. She is averaging 12.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.4 blocks per game for the Bears. In Monday’s 63-57 win at West Virginia which capped an undefeated Big 12 regular season, Lauren recorded her 24th career double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds while playing all 40 minutes.
“Lauren played her heart out,” said Karen, who watched the game on television. “She doesn’t like to lose.”
Lauren was an honorable mention AP All-American in 2018. She was selected to the Big 12 first team, was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and made the Academic All-Big 12 First Team.
Lauren has excelled in sports despite being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she was 7 years old. Daily insulin injections became part of her regimen as she managed the disease. At Baylor, the trainers have helped her manage the disease, and Bears coach Kim Mulkey recommended Lauren use her diabetes as a platform to inspire others. Lauren helps out with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and Brenda said it is not unusual for Lauren and her family to hear from young athletes with diabetes from all across the country.
“She has really become a role model for young type 1 diabetics,” Brenda said, adding that her daughter’s name often comes up in search results on the Internet about athletes with diabetes.
This weekend, Lauren and her Baylor teammates will be searching for a Big 12 championship.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Aaron Nicholson broke out of his shooting slump hitting four 3-pointers and scored 18 points but it wasn’t enough as Fort Hays State could not overcome a five-plus minute scoring drought and lost 74-69 to Lincoln in the quarterfinals of the MIAA Tournament at Municipal Auditorium.
The Tigers, who had won four of their last five to close out the regular season finish 18-11. The Blue Tigers (18-11) advance to the conference semifinals for the first time in their programs history where they will play unbeaten Northwest Missouri State Saturday afternoon.
FHSU Postgame Press Conference
Game Highlights
After both teams combined to start the game 5-for-25 from the floor, Lincoln hit seven straight shots and built a six-point lead with 7:10 to go in the first half.
The Tigers answered with a 13-3 run to go up 33-29 on a conventional three-point play from Marcus Cooper with 3:51 to play in the half. FHSU would miss their final five shots and three free throws and trailed 39-33 at the break.
The Blue Tigers scored the first five points of the second half and led 44-33 with 19:04 to play.
Trey O’Neil hit a three followed by a layup and helped the Tigers pull within three with 13:1`6 to play.
Down eight FHSU mounted a 9-2 run keyed by an Aaron Nicholson layup and 3-pointer. A Kyler Kinnamon layup pulled the Tigers within one at 59-58 with 7:38 to play.
Lincoln quickly built the lead back to six on two occassions, the last at 67-61 with 4:24 left.
FHSU scored five straight and pulled within one on two Marcus Cooper free throws with 3:20 to play. The Tigers then got three straight stops but missed to shots near the basket and three-pointer and could never get the lead.
Lincoln’s Terrance Smith, who averaged 16.5 points per game, hit a 3-pointer with 22 seconds to push the lead to four. The Tigers then missed a three and layup in the closing seconds before Aaron Nicholson’s three with seven seconds left.
Nicholson led the Tigers with 18 points on 4-of-5 three-point shooting. Kyler Kinnamon added 12 along with five assists. Trey O’Neil was 3-for-7 from beyond the arc and scored 11 with Marcus Cooper adding 10.
Brady Werth was held to 3-of-11 shooting and scored eight but pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds.
The Tigers shot 40-percent for the game and were 11-of-27 from beyond the arc and were hurt by poor free throw shooting, hitting only 10-of-18 from the line.
Lincoln finished at 50-percent from the floor and went 12-of-27 from beyond the arc and hit 12 of 15 free throws. They were led by Grant Olsson who scored 23 including 5-for-5 from beyond the arc, all in the first half.
SURPRISE, Ariz. — The Kansas City Royals agreed to a $2.5 million, one-year deal with Martin Maldonado on Saturday, giving them a veteran catcher after losing Salvador Perez to a season-ending injury.
The deal includes up to $1.4 million in incentives for games caught, according to a person familiar with the terms, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because Maldonado still must pass a physical for the contract to become official.
Maldonado spent last season with the Angels and Astros, hitting .225 with nine homers and 44 RBIs in 119 games. But his biggest strength has been his ability to frame pitches and play defense, and his experience should help what is expected to be a young Royals team this season.
In fact, Maldonado’s Gold Glove in 2017 broke Perez’s streak of four straight.
Perez underwent Tommy John surgery last week after tearing a ligament in his throwing arm during a spring training workout. Perez is expected to remain with the club while rehabbing this season, and the hope is that the six-time All-Star will be ready by next spring.
“We move on. That’s the way it is,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “Salvy is going to be with us all year long, he’s going to be there doing his rehab — the rehab is a difficult process. But we have to continue to move forward.”
Perez’s injury meant the Royals were poised to enter the season with Cam Gallagher, a defensive-minded career backup, and 22-year-old Meibrys Viloria, who has had just 22 big league at-bats.
They had also been mulling the use of Frank Schwindel, a college catcher now at first base.
But general manager Dayton Moore said he would seek a veteran backstop, whether it was through free agency or a trade. And speculation quickly settled upon the 32-year-old Maldonado, mainly because he was the only veteran that wasn’t already in a major league camp.
He broke into the majors with Milwaukee in 2011 and spent his first six years there, before a season-plus with the Angeles. Los Angeles traded him to the Astros last July, and Maldonado helped the club reach the AL Championship Series before losing to the Boston Red Sox.
He will have a quick turnaround before opening day.
The Royals played the Diamondbacks on Saturday and face the Padres on Sunday, then have split-squad games against the Mariners and Rangers on Monday. But after that, they have just 14 more games before the start of the regular season, including split-squad games next weekend.
Kansas City opens the regular season March 28 against the White Sox.
Four athletes representing Fort Hays State track and field are getting ready for the 2019 installment of the NCAA DII Indoor Championships. The event, which will be hosted at Pittsburg State University, is set to run from March 8-9.
Heading to nationals for the Tigers are three men and one woman who will compete in their respective events. Kolt Newell, Brett Meyer and Philip Landrum will hold down the men’s side, while Rohey Singhateh is the lone FHSU female who earned a qualifying mark.
Newell will be competing in the high jump following a provisional mark of 6 feet, 11 inches. Newell ranks at No. 10 on the NCAA DII performance list and placed in the runner-up position at the MIAA Conference Championships this season. The high jump is set for a 3:40 p.m. start on Friday March 8.
On the track side for the men, Meyer and Landrum look to race their way to a national title. Meyer will compete in the mile run at 3:45 p.m. in the preliminaries on Friday. He currently sits at No. 5 on the performance list with his best-time of 4:04.23. Last season, Meyer earned a runner-up finish in the mile run at nationals which bettered his 2017 fifth place finish.
Landrum will compete in the 60-meters as he appears at No. 17 on the performance list with his high time of 6.83. The prelims for the 60-meters is slated for 3:15 p.m. on Friday. Landrum is coming off an MIAA title in the event.
Singhateh, the only Tiger female to qualify, will compete in the triple jump. With her best jump of 39 feet, 9 3/4 inches, Singhateh ranks at No. 17 on the national performance list. The triple jump is set to commence at 5:55 on Saturday March 9. Singhateh finished with a podium, third place mark at the conference championships.
HUTCHINSON – The TMP-Marian Monarchs hit a season-high nine three-pointers and shot a season-high 67% from the floor while holding Maur Hill Mount Academy to just 34% as the eight-seed Monarchs upset the number-one seed Ravens 73-51 Thursday at the Hutchinson Sports Arena in Hutchinson.
Bill Meagher postgame interview
The two teams traded baskets in the early minutes of the first quarter and a three-point play gave the Ravens a 6-5 lead with under 5:45 to play in the first quarter but the Monarchs answered with a 10-2 run sparked by a Ryan Karlin three to give TMP a 15-8 lead. They lead 15-11 after one quarter.
Maur Hill was able to close the deficit to just one at 17-16 early in the second quarter before Ryan Stoeklein connected on his second of four-first half three’s and added a two-point jumped to put TMP up 22-16.
In that second quarter the Ravens outscored the Monarchs 20-19 thanks to Zachary Schwinn. He scored 11 of his game-high 19 in the quarter helping the Ravens closed the gap to 34-31 at the break.
In the third quarter, with the Monarchs leading 39-37, TMP finished the quarter on a 11-1 run to take a 50-38 lead into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter the Monarchs made 17 of 18 free throws to secure the 73-51 win.
Game highlights
Ryan Karlin led two Monarchs in double-figures with 17 and Ryan Stoecklein added 14, all in the first half.
The Monarchs improve to 14-11 on the season and will take on Girard who downed Kingman 57-40.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Lanie Page scored 19 points, Taylor Rolfs added 16 including 10-straight in the third quarter to give Fort Hays State a double-figure lead and the third-ranked beat Missouri Western State 71-58 Thursday in the quarterfinals of the MIAA Tournament at Municipal Auditorium.
The Tigers (28-1) have now won 13-straight and advance to Saturday night’s semifinals against the winner of Friday’s game between Emporia State and Washburn.
FHSU Postgame Press Conference
Game Highlights
Lanie Page scored eight first quarter points to held the Tigers to an early six-point lead but the Griffons (14-16) closed the quarter on a 12-5 run to take an 18-17 lead.
The Tigers built the lead back to six with 4:30 to play in the second then scored the final four points of the half after falling behind by one and led 32-29 at halftime.
FHSU led 36-35 at the 6:59 mark of the third when Rolfs scored 10-straight over the next 3:45 to push the lead to 11.
Western made one more push in the fourth, closing within four following a 7-0 run but the Tigers responded by scoring the next 10 and led by as many as 15 down the stretch.
The Tigers shot 52-percent in the second half and 47-percent for the game. They went 5-for-7 freom beyond the arc after halftime and 7-for-18 for the game.
Page went 3-for-6 and Rolfs 3-for-5 from long range.
Tatyana Legette, who was double-teamed throughout the contest, was held to eight points but pulled down 12 rebounds and dished out six assists.
The third-ranked Fort Hays State women’s basketball team opens the postseason in the MIAA Championship quarterfinals against Missouri Western Thursday evening (March 7) inside historic Municipal Auditorium. First tip in Kansas City, Mo. is set for 6 p.m.
It will be the second meeting of the season between the No. 1 Tigers (27-1) and the ninth-seeded Griffons (14-15). Fort Hays State led wire-to-wire in a 67-50 home victory over MWSU earlier this season (1/24/19). It will be the first matchup between the Tigers and Griffons in the MIAA Championship.
Fort Hays State holds a 27-22 lead in the all-time series against Missouri Western, including a two-game winning streak and an 11-5 mark under Tony Hobson. Missouri Western won both previous neutral site matchups.
This is the 10th time the Tigers have qualified for the MIAA Championship and the eighth year in a row the team has booked a trip to KC in early March. Fort Hays State is 10-9 overall in the league tournament, including a 7-9 mark in Kansas City. The Tigers are 5-4 all-time in the quarterfinals, 2-1 as the No. 1 seed and 1-1 against No. 9 seeds.
The Tigers head into the postseason on a 12-game winning streak, their second double-digit win streak this season. It is just the second time the Tigers have multiple non-consecutive double-digit win streaks in program history (1990-91).
Saturday’s win was Fort Hays State’s 100th victory over the last four years, making Tatyana Legette and Carly Heim the first players in program history to win 100 or more games in their career.
Both the Tigers and Griffons had a player listed on the first team All-MIAA roster, with Legette earning MIAA Player of the Year honors and MWSU’s Katrina Roenfeldt earning a spot on the first team.
Missouri Western opened the postseason with a 55-47 win over Nebraska-Kearney Wednesday to move to 14-15 overall. The Griffons rank 12th in the league with an average of 64.3 points per game. Katrina Roenfeldt, a first team All-MIAA performer, leads the team and ranks third in the league with 16.5 points per game while pacing the Griffons with 5.1 rebounds every game. The Griffons are now 3-0 in neutral site games this season.
The winner of Thursday’s contest will advance to the semifinals on Saturday (March 9) against the winner of No. 4 Washburn and No. 6 Emporia State. First tip in that contest is also slated for 6 p.m.
Fort Hays State, the No. 4 seed in the MIAA Tournament, will face No. 5 seed Lincoln in the MIAA Tournament Quarterfinals on Friday (Mar. 8) at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City. Tipoff is at 12 pm. FHSU enters at 18-10 overall, while Lincoln is 17-11 overall.
The Tigers enter the MIAA Tournament winners of their last two after defeating Missouri Southern and Pittsburg State at home last week. FHSU finished alone in fourth place in the MIAA at 12-7, while Lincoln was alone in fifth at 10-9. FHSU won its only regular season meeting with Lincoln this year, a 72-63 decision in Hays on February 16.
Fort Hays State is 11-11 all-time in the MIAA Tournament. Last year the Tigers went 2-1 in the tournament, winning an opening round game over Lindenwood then a thrilling overtime quarterfinal contest against Missouri Southern before falling in the semifinals to Washburn. FHSU owns a 7-4 record in quarterfinal games and this will be the first time the Tigers meet Lincoln in the MIAA Tournament.
Brady Werth led the Tigers in the first meeting with Lincoln this year, scoring 22 points and pulling down eight rebounds. Werth just became the 21st member of the 1,000-point club at FHSU in the regular season finale win over Pittsburg State. He received All-MIAA First Team honors earlier this week and enters the tournament averaging 16.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per game.
Marcus Cooper and Kyler Kinnamon also received All-MIAA honors earlier in the week, both honorable mentions. Cooper is the only other Tiger averaging double figures in scoring at 12 points per game, while Kinnamon leads the team in assists, dishing out 4.4 per game.
Lincoln’s regular starting five all averages double figures in scoring for the season, led by Terrance Smith at 16.5 points per game. Grant Olsson, who averages 10.6 per game, led the Blue Tigers in Hays earlier this year with 24 points.
INDIANAPOLIS – The Fort Hays State women’s basketball team sits second in the NCAA Division II Central Region rankings for the second week in a row, released Wednesday (March 6) by the league office. It is the final set of regional rankings that will be announced before the official NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Championship bracket is released on Sunday, March 10.
The 27-1 Tigers wrapped up the regular season with two more home wins last week, including a win over eighth-ranked Pittsburg State. Southwestern Oklahoma State, also 27-1 overall, sits atop the rankings after picking up a pair of road wins over the final week of the regular season.
There was a bit of shuffling in the rankings below the top two, with Central Missouri sliding back up to No. 3 after sitting at No. 4 last week. No. 7 Lindenwood and No. 8 Pittsburg State both moved up one spot after No. 9 Concordia-St. Paul dropped two slots. East Central enters the region ranks for the first time at No. 10, replacing Washburn.
The Tigers are 5-1 against teams currently ranked in the top 10 in the region, while SWOSU is 2-1.
The champions of the MIAA, GAC and NSIC tournaments will all earn an automatic bid into the NCAA Championship field, with the next five teams in the region also earning an at-large selection. The top team in the region earns the right to host the regional tournament, which will be held March 15-18.
After finishing the regular season with only one loss for the first time in program history, the Tigers will look to keep the momentum going into the postseason. Fort Hays State will open play in the quarterfinals of the MIAA Women’s Basketball Championship at 6 p.m. Thursday (March 7). The top-seeded Tigers await the winner of No. 8 Nebraska-Kearney and No. 9 Missouri Western.
The complete NCAA Division II Central Region rankings for February 27, 2019 can be found below.
The No. 10 ranked Fort Hays State wrestling team will be sending one of their own to the NCAA Division II Championships this weekend (Mar. 8-9) in Cleveland, Ohio as junior Brandon Ball earned his way to his third-consecutive appearance at nationals. Ball will take on fellow Division II competitors for a chance at All-American stats and a national championship.
No. 1 ranked Brandon Ball will compete in the 141-pound weight class. He will battle Dylan Nace of East Stroudsburg in an opening-round match, or pigtail match, before entering the round of 16. This is the third-consecutive year that Ball will be competing at the NCAA Division II Championships. He earned a sixth-place finish and All-American status as a redshirt-freshman before finishing one round shy of placing last season.
Ball enters the championships with a 24-0 overall record and a 21-0 clip against Division II competition this year. He is coming off his second super regional title. In Ball’s weight class, there are seven other wrestlers who Ball has faced this season, two of which are on the top half of the 18-man bracket. Including top-ranked Ball, nine of the 18 players are currently ranked in the nation.
INDIANAPOLIS — The National Federation of High School Associations announced on Tuesday that Kansan Ginny Honomichl will be inducted into the NFHS Hall of Fame. The longtime teacher and coach in the Sunflower State will join 11 others this summer in Indianapolis for the induction ceremony.
Honomichl was a teacher and coach at two Kansas high schools for 38 years (1970- 2008), but that’s only a portion of her achievements and contributions. Beyond her 16 years at Russell High School and 22 years at Baldwin City High School as a teacher and multi-sport coach, Honomichl was a trailblazer, role model, mentor and adviser at the local, state and national levels. She was the first female president of the Kansas Coaches Association and the first female president of the NFHS Coaches Association Board of Directors.
She was the first classroom teacher or coach to serve on the Kansas State High School Activities Association Executive Board (1994-98), and she is in her sixth year (first female) as the executive director of the Kansas Coaches Association. Honomichl served on numerous KSHSAA and NFHS committees, and she hosted numerous KSHSAA state tennis tournaments.
“Ginny is a gifted leader and has helped make Kansas interscholastic activities more significant for our stakeholders. With students, coaches, administrators and school communities it has been broad and deep, and she is certainly a worthy selection into the prestigious NFHS Hall of Fame. We are proud of Ginny, and grateful for her faithful service,” said Bill Faflick, KSHSAA Executive Director.
Ginny was inducted into the KSHSAA Hall of Fame in 2012. In addition to her work with KCA, Ginny served nationally on the NFICA board as the Section 5 representative, holding numerous leadership positions. She served on the Coaches Education Review Committee for nine years (chairperson three years) and also on the Sportsmanship, Ethics & Integrity Committee. She served two terms on the KSHSAA Board of Directors and was a member of the Executive Board for four years and was on the Summer Coaching Study Committee.
Among her numerous honors: Kansas and Class 4A Coach of the Year (boys and girls tennis and softball), NFICA Kansas Softball Coach of the Year and Section 5 NFICA Distinguished Service Award. She was selected as one of three honorees nationwide for the Disney Channel “American Teacher Award.”
Honomichl becomes the 11th Kansan to be inducted to the NFHS Hall of Fame: Walt Shublom (Coach—1982), Jim Ryun (Athlete—1983), Ralph Miller (Athlete—1989), Lynette Woodard (Athlete—1989), Nolan Cromwell (Athlete—1991), Brice Durbin (National Administrator—1993), Nelson Hartman (State Administrator—1998), Susan True (National Administrator— 2003), Joan Wells (Coach—2007), and most recently Jackie Stiles (Athlete—2015).
Five athletes and three coaches, along with one contest official, two state association administrator and one state contributor, will be inducted into the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) National High School Hall of Fame June 30 at the JW Marriott Indianapolis in Indianapolis. The 37th Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be a part of the 100th annual NFHS Summer Meeting.
