FHSU Athletics News

Tigers Cap 2009 Season with a Win, First Winning Season Since 2004

The Tiger football team succeeded in the attempt for its first winning season since 2004 with a 48-34 win at Missouri Southern on Saturday (Nov. 7). The Tigers finished the season at 6-5 overall and 4-5 in the MIAA. A loss by Pittsburg State on Saturday gave the Tigers sole possession of sixth place in the conference standings, after being selected last in the preseason conference poll.

Fort Hays State took advantage of Missouri Southern turnovers early in the game to build at 27-7 lead at halftime. The Lions scored first in the game, but the Tigers reeled off four straight touchdowns before the half.

A Mike Garrison 4-yard touchdown run tied the game up at 7-7 with 28 seconds remaining in the first quarter. Seth Blackwell intercepted a Collin Howard pass on the first play of the ensuing MSSU drive and took it 19 yards for another FHSU touchdown.

Howard was intercepted for the second consecutive MSSU drive with Layton Hickel picking off a pass at the 21-yardline of the Lions. That set up a 12-yard touchdown run by Jacobb Irvin on a 4th and 1 situation. The other touchdown for the Tigers before the half was on a 1-yard touchdown run by James Walker with 52 seconds remaining.

Taylor Bersuch came up with the third interception of the Lions as time expired in the first half at the FHSU 13-yardline. He would come up with his second interception of the game at a key juncture, intercepting Roland Thompson with just under seven minutes remaining in the game with the Lions trailing by only seven points.

The Tigers would score off Bersuch’s second interception of the day on a 47-yard touchdown scamper by James Walker. For the second time in the game, the Tigers scored on a 4th and 1 situation. The touchdown put FHSU up 41-27 with 2:33 remaining in the game.

Missouri Southern made it interesting with a quick touchdown drive ending with 50 seconds remaining. The Tigers recovered an onside kick attempt by the Lions. Missouri Southern had all its timeouts remaining, but it would not matter when senior Jacobb Irvin had a 27-yard touchdown run with 31 seconds remaining that sealed the winning season for the Tigers. Nick Dreitz gave the Tigers five interceptions in the game by picking off the first pass from scrimmage on the ensuing drive.

The Tigers finished with 270 yards rushing and 197 yards passing for 467 yards total offense. Missouri Southern had 15 more total yards with 482.

James Walker led the FHSU rushing attack with 110 yards and two touchdowns. Jacobb Irvin also had two touchdowns on 93 yards rushing. Mike Garrison was 18-of-32 passing for 197 yards and one touchdown. Beau Gadwood had the only receiving touchdown for FHSU. Anthony Smith led the Tigers in receiving with six catches for 74 yards. Taylor Bersuch had a tremendous gave for FHSU on defense with 11 tackles and the two interceptions.

Mike Garrison finished 2009 with one of the most prolific passing seasons in school history. He set a new single-season school record for completion percentage (61.0 percent), passing the old mark of 60.0 percent set by Robert Long in 1985. His 2,606 passing yards ranks third most in a season at FHSU. His 217 completions were the second most in a season at FHSU. He had 18 touchdowns on the season, which ties for fourth most on the school single-season list. He will have one more year of eligibility with the Tigers.

C.J. Lovett finished his career with the Tigers as one of the best defensive and special teams players in school history. Lovett tied the career record for interceptions at FHSU with 13, joining Mike Allen who played from 1987 to 1990. He finished with the most punt returns for touchdowns in a career at FHSU (4) and tied for the most kickoff returns for a touchdowns in a career at FHSU (2). He set a new single-season record for punt return yards (349).

Also setting a school record for kickoff returns in a season was Kenny Kinard, finishing with 33 on the season. Kinard had 683 yards on kickoff returns, the second most for a single season at FHSU.

The 2009 Tigers ranked highly on many team top-10 lists at FHSU. The Tigers scored 365 points, the second most points for a season in school history. The Tigers also produced the second-most first downs in school history with 235, just two short of tying the school record. Both records in those categories were set by the 1995 team, which played one more game. The Tigers also finished with the second-most touchdowns in school history with 48, another record held by the 1995 team.

The Tigers tied the single-season school record for fewest penalties with 41. The 218 pass completions this year ranked fourth-most in a single season at FHSU. The 18 passing touchdowns, all by Mike Garrison, tied for fourth-most by a team in school history.

The 6-5 mark for the Tigers was the best so far with Kevin Verdugo as head coach. The previous best mark for the Tigers under Verdugo was 4-7 in 2007. It marked just the third winning season for the Tigers this decade. All five of the losses came to teams that were ranked in NCAA Division II in 2009, even though the losses to Missouri Western and Pittsburg State came when the teams were not ranked. Six of the teams in the MIAA were ranked at some point in time during the season. The Tigers picked off one of those teams at home, Nebraska-Omaha.

Volleyball Falls To Southwest Baptist

The Tiger volleyball team hosted Southwest Baptist on Saturday afternoon (Nov. 7) at Gross Memorial Coliseum in Hays. With a 24-23 lead in the first set, the Tigers committed their fifth service error of the set, then SBU reeled off two straight points to take a 1-0 lead in the match. The Tigers fought out a 32-30 win in the third set to stay alive, but did not keep the momentum, dropping the fourth set 25-9.

Errors plagued the Tigers throughout the match. FHSU had 31 hitting errors, 12 service errors, five reception errors, and two blocking errors. Southwest Baptist had just 17 hitting errors and two service errors. Southwest Baptist dominated at the net with 15 total team blocks.

Morgan Witzel led the Tigers with 17 kills, followed by Lilian Rezende with 12 and Lydia Karnopp and Makayla McPhail with 10 each. Whitney Liggett had a team-high 34 assists, followed by Lindsey Larson with 12. Tracie Hileman led the team in digs with 22. Liggett had a double-double with 16 digs to go with her 34 assists.

Ashley Jurgensmeyer and Alex Smith led SBU with 15 kills each. Brianna Wallace had 45 assists and Lauren Noble had a team-high 30 digs.

Southwest Baptist moved to 11-22 overall and 4-13 in the MIAA with the win. Fort Hays State is now 7-25 overall and 3-15 in the MIAA. The Tigers host Washburn University on Wednesday, November 11 at 7 pm in Hays.

Cross Country Finishes Season at South Central Regional

The Fort Hays State cross country squads competed in the South Central Regional in Abilene, Texas on Saturday (Nov. 7). Both the women’s and men’s squads finished sixth. There were 19 teams in the men’s race and 21 teams in the women’s race.

Hali Mobley led the FHSU women with a 16th place overall finish for FHSU in the 6k race, with a time of 22:39.28. Amie Algrim was the next to cross the line for FHSU in 29th with a time of 23:07.87. Gentry Linscott finished 58th in 23:52.48, Raven Boettger finished 70th in 24:12.46, and Ali Mishler finished 79th in 24:29.61.

In the men’s race, Cameron Reith paced the Tigers finishing 21st overall in a time of 32:25.92 at the 10k distance. Alex Hendee crossed the line 41st in a time of 33:18.85. Jared Shillington (33:23.36) and Tanner Christensen (33:32.14) were not far behind in 44th and 51st respectively. Erik Creeden rounded out the scoring for FHSU in 74th with a time of 34:26.69.

Missouri Southern won the team championship in both the women’s and men’s races. The Lions dominated the women’s race, scoring just 18 team points. Five of the MSSU runners finished in the top seven individually. Dallas Baptist was second and Truman was third. The Lions scored 56 points in the men’s race. Southwest Baptist finished second and Pittsburg State was third.

Tigers Can’t Hold Lead in Five Set Loss

The Tiger volleyball team hosted Missouri Southern on Friday evening (Nov. 6) at Gross Coliseum in Hays. Up 2-1 in the match, the Tigers could not put away the Lions and fell in five sets. Missouri Southern won the match by scores of 20-25, 26-24, 24-26, 25-18, 15-12.

Blocking was the difference in the match for Missouri Southern, with 16 total team blocks. Amber Heiskell recorded 12 blocks in the match (10 assisted and 2 solo) for the Lions. The Lions had eight more total blocks than the Tigers. Missouri Southern had 28 block assists and two solo blocks.

The Tigers outdid the Lions in several other categories, recording 10 more kills, 15 more assists, and 12 more digs. Missouri Southern outhit the Tigers .200 to .153 in the match.

Lilian Rezende led FHSU in kills with 15, followed by Lydia Karnopp and Makayla McPhail with 13 each. Morgan Witzel added a career-high 12. Whitney Liggett had 32 assists, followed by Lindsey Larson with 25. Tracie Hileman had a new career high in digs with 26. McPhail had a double-double, adding 10 digs to her 12 kills.

Maria Weller and Renee Rheinecker led Missouri Southern in kills with 15 each. Daphne Merrick had 42 assists and Jeanna Feldmann had a team-high 15 digs. Merrick finished with a double-double, adding 11 digs to her 42 assists.

Missouri Southern moved to 13-17 overall and 6-10 in the MIAA. The Tigers moved to 7-24 overall and 3-14 in the MIAA. The Tigers host Southwest Baptist on Saturday (Nov. 7) at 3 pm.

Black and Gold Scrimmage Ends in Tie

The Fort Hays State wrestling squad held its annual Black and Gold Scrimmage on Thursday evening at Gross Memorial Coliseum in Hays, Kan. The dual, which had only nine matches, ended in a 17-17 tie. Down six points in the final match, Carl Wilkinson of the Black squad got a pin to deadlock the dual.

Tommy Edgmon, the preseason #2 ranked individual at 125 pounds, opened the evening with an 8-3 decision over Josh Martinez. Edgmon’s win put Black up 3-0 in the dual.

Travis Kuhn immediately gave the Gold squad a 5-3 lead in the dual with a 15-0 technical fall shutout of Rory Wilkinson.

Black took the lead right back at 8-5 when Andre Harrison had a 19-4 technical fall over Derek Koehn.

An 8-3 decision by Levi Younkin over Casey Hudson knotted the dual at 8-8 through four matches.

Danny Grater put the Black squad back on top with a 5-1 sudden victory win in overtime over Blake Malloy. Grater will be the Tiger starter at 157 pounds, while Malloy will assume the same role at 165 pounts. Grater is ranked #3 in the nation at 157.

Shawn Kuhlman pulled the Gold back even in the dual with a 4-0 decision over Cody Gillespie. From that point, Gold would win the next two matches to take a 17-11 lead with a 9-3 decision from Tyler Gonzales over Aaron Berscheidt and an 8-3 decision from Chance Rencountre over Steven Kyler.

The Black avoided defeat in the dual with Carl Wilkinson posting a fall over Roman Padilla in 2:56. The six points from Wilkinson ended the match in a tie.

The Tigers will open the 2009-2010 season at the Central Missouri Open on Saturday, November 14 in Warrensburg, Mo. The Tigers are ranked #14 in the preseason national poll, which includes five other Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference teams.

Tigers Fall to Jayhawks in Exhibition Play

The Fort Hays State men’s basketball squad opened its 2009-10 season in exhibition action at the University of Kansas on Tuesday evening at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kan. The Jayhawks, ranked #1 in NCAA Division I, defeated the Tigers by a score of 107-68.

Foul trouble plagued the Tigers in the second half. Four Tigers fouled out and the team had a total of 30 fouls in the game. Both teams had foul issues in the first half, with Fort Hays State committing 16 and Kansas committing 14. Kansas hit 36-of-43 free-throw attempts. Fort Hays State scored just 12 points at the line, hitting 12-of-19 attempts.

Kansas held a 19-point lead at halftime by a score of 54-35, shooting 57.7 percent in the first half compared to Fort Hays State at 30.3 percent. Kansas outscored FHSU 53-33 in the second half by 20 for the 39-point win.

Corbin Kuntzsch was the top scorer for the Tigers with 17 points. Three of his five field goals were 3-pointers. He also led the team in rebounds with eight. Also scoring in double figures for the Tigers were Dominique Jones and Dijon Smith, each with 11 points.

Kansas had six players in double figures. Sherron Collins led the way with 19, followed by Tyshawn Taylor with 15 and Xavier Henry with 14. Cole Aldrich had a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds.

The Tigers will be in exhibition action again on November 10 in Hays as they host Sterling College. Game time is set for 7 pm at Gross Memorial Coliseum.

Lady Tigers Fall To Kansas State in Exhibition Play

The Fort Hays State women’s basketball team opened its 2009-10 season at Kansas State University in exhibition play on Tuesday evening in Manhattan, Kan. The Lady Tigers outscored the Wildcats by three points in the second half, but it was not enough to overcome a 16-point halftime deficit. Kansas State won by a score of 81-68.

The Lady Tigers edged their way back in the second half, cutting the KSU lead to nine points with 2:47 remaining in the game. A six-point run by the Wildcats closed the door on the Lady Tigers comeback attempt.

Kayla Klug led the way for Fort Hays State with 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting. Four of those field goals were 3-pointers. Naomi Bancroft was the only other FHSU player in double figures with 15 points. Bancroft and Kara McFarland tied for a team-high five rebounds.

Ashley Sweat led the Wildcats with 20 points, followed by Brittany Chambers with 12 and Jalana Childs with 11. Childs led KSU in rebounds with 10, posting a double-double.

This was the only exhibition action for the Lady Tigers this year. Fort Hays State opens its season on November 15 in Hays against Bethany College.

Tigers Drop Offensive Dual To #3 Bearcats

Fort Hays State hosted #3 ranked Northwest Missouri State on Saturday (Oct. 31) in Hays. The Bearcats defeated the Tigers 66-40, as the teams combined for 1,125 yards of total offense. Northwest Missouri State had 636 yards of total offense and Fort Hays State had 489 yards of total offense.

Out of the 489 yards of total offense by FHSU, 381 came through the air courtesy of quarterback Mike Garrison. Garrison threw for four touchdowns on 31-of-46 passing, but NWMSU intercepted him three times, including one that went back for a touchdown. Garrison spread the ball around well with eight players making receptions in the game. Anthony Smith led the team with seven catches for 88 yards. Cordarol Scales had four catches for 85 yards and his first two touchdowns of the season.

Jacobb Irvin led the Tiger rushing attack with 58 yards and one touchdown on 10 carries. James Walker finished with 34 yards on 13 carries.

Northwest Missouri State led at halftime 45-19. The Bearcats scored 24 points in the opening quarter, then 21 in the second quarter to build the sizeable lead. Northwest Missouri maintained its 26-point lead in the second half, as both teams scored 21 points after the break.

The Tigers put up a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter that cut the score to 59-40, then recovered an onside kick at the NWMSU 33-yardline with 7:11 remaining. The drive following the onside kick would stall though after a series of penalties in a row.

LaRon Council had the first 200-yard rushing game of his career with 208 yards and three touchdowns for NWMSU. Jake Soy broke the MIAA season record for touchdowns, now with 19 on the season. He had four in the game on eight receptions for 156 yards. Blake Bolles had five passing touchdowns for NWMSU, a new regular season record for the Bearcats, with 358 yards on 23-of-32 passing and no interceptions.

The Bearcats have won nine consecutive games, moving to 9-1 overall and 8-0 in the conference. The Bearcats extended their conference winning streak to 36 games. The Tigers moved to 5-5 overall and 3-5 in the MIAA. Fort Hays State finishes the season next week at Missouri Southern in Joplin, Mo. The Tigers are looking for their first winning season since 2004. Game time is set for 2 pm.

#4 Central Missouri Defeats Tigers in Three

The Fort Hays State volleyball squad played its final road match of the 2009 season on Saturday (Oct. 31) at Central Missouri. The #4 ranked Jennies defeated the Tigers in three sets by scores of 25-8, 25-18, 25-17.

Central Missouri outhit the Tigers .381 to .110. The Jennies committed just seven hitting errors in 84 attempts.

Lilian Rezende led FHSU in kills with 10. She was the only player in the match to reach double figures in kills. Makayla McPhail followed with eight kills. Whitney Liggett had 13 assists, followed closely by Lindsey Larson with 12. McPhail led the team in digs with eight.

Allie Huffman and Paula Harris paced Central Missouri with eight kills each. Caitlin Pankratz had 28 assists and Kelsey Ortwerth had 13 digs.

Central Missouri moved to 28-4 overall and 14-2 in the MIAA with the win. Fort Hays State went to 7-23 overall and 3-13 in the MIAA. The Tigers close out the season with four matches at home. FHSU hosts Missouri Southern and Southwest Baptist next weekend in Hays.

Tigers Get Stiff Test with #3 Northwest Missouri State on Saturday

Fort Hays State hosts its final home game of the 2009 season on Saturday at Lewis Field Stadium in Hays. The Tigers play #3 ranked Northwest Missouri State at 2 pm. The Bearcats are still unbeaten in conference play (7-0) and have a conference winning streak of 35 consecutive games dating back to 2005. The Bearcats have been the national runner-up in Division II each of the last four years.

Fort Hays State enters the contest with an overall record of 5-4 and sit at 3-4 in the MIAA. The Tigers are currently in a three-way tie for sixth in the conference standings. The Tigers are looking to keep their post-season hopes alive in the final two games of the season. The Tigers are looking for their first win over Northwest Missouri State since 1978. The Bearcats have won the last five meetings even though the Tigers lead the all-time series 12-11-1. Northwest Missouri escaped the Tigers in Hays in 2007 by a score of 17-10. Fort Hays State is 3-1 at home this season.

Northwest Missouri State enters the game at 8-1 overall. The Bearcats kept their long-running conference win streak in tact last week with a 22-19 overtime win at home over Washburn. The Bearcats have already claimed at least a share of the conference crown this season.

It will be senior day at Lewis Field Stadium as 11 players will be recognized before the game.

The game will be on radio at 103.3 FM with play-by-play from Voice of the Tigers Gerard Wellbrock. The broadcast will begin one hour prior to kickoff. If you are outside of the listening area, you can listen via the Internet at www.tigersports.net.

The game will also be available to watch online at the following link...FHSU Page On B2tv.com. A single game purchase costs $7. Be sure to have a high-speed internet connection and a current version of Windows Media Player for the streaming video to run without interruption. The game is subject to blackout within a 40-mile radius of Hays.

Below is a link to the Fort Hays State game notes for this week...

FHSU vs. Northwest Missouri State Game Notes

Tigers Fall in Straight Sets To #20 Nebraska-Omaha

The Tiger volleyball team played on the road at #20 ranked Nebraska-Omaha on Friday evening (Oct. 30). The Mavericks took the match in straight sets by scores of 25-16, 25-21, 25-21.

A hot hitting UNO team was too much for the Tigers. The Mavericks posted a team hitting percentage of .330, compared to .144 for the Tigers.

Lilian Rezende led the Tigers in kills with 10, followed by Makayla McPhail with eight and Morgan Witzel with seven. Whitney Liggett had 16 assists, followed by Lindsey Larson with 10. Tracie Hileman had a team-high nine digs.

Kelli Goeser led UNO in kills with 11, followed by Ellen Thommes with 10. Emily Myers had 37 assists and Angie Reicks had 13 digs.

Nebraska-Omaha moved to 19-9 overall and 9-6 in the MIAA with the win. Fort Hays State is now 7-22 overall and 3-12 in the MIAA. The Tigers play at #4 Central Missouri on Saturday evening in Warrensburg, Mo.

Men’s Basketball Picked Third in MIAA Preseason Media Poll, Fourth in Coaches Poll

Basketball Media Day for the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association was held on Tuesday, October 27, in Kansas City, Mo. The FHSU men’s basketball team was picked third in the Preseason Media Poll and fourth in the Preseason Coaches Poll.

The coaches picked Southwest Baptist first, followed by 2009 national semifinalist Central Missouri and Emporia State. SBU, the defending MIAA regular season champion, received seven first place votes and UCM received four first place votes. The Tigers were just five votes behind Emporia State for third.

The media picked Central Missouri first over Southwest Baptist by just four votes. SBU received more first place votes with 14 to 12 for Central Missouri. Fort Hays State had two more votes than Emporia State for the third spot.

The Tigers return three starters from last year in senior forwards Tim Peintner and Ryan Herrman, and junior guard Corbin Kuntzsch. Peintner was an All-MIAA Honorable Mention selection last year. The Tigers have several transfers that will fill the void left by all-conference guards Terry Jeffries and Tyrone Evans.

The Tigers begin the 2009-2010 slate with exhibition action at the University of Kansas on November 3. Game time is set for 7 pm in Lawrence, Kan.

2009-10 MIAA MEN’S BASKETBALL PRESEASON COACHES POLL
(First place votes in parentheses)

1. Southwest Baptist (7) -- 97 pts.
2. Central Missouri (4) -- 92 pts.
3. Emporia State -- 76 pts.
4. Fort Hays State -- 71 pts.
5. Missouri Western -- 59 pts.
6. Nebraska-Omaha -- 54 pts.
7. Missouri Southern -- 53 pts.
8. Washburn -- 39 pts.
9. Pittsburg State -- 28 pts.
10. Northwest Missouri -- 23 pts.
11. Truman -- 13 pts.

2009-10 MIAA MEN’S BASKETBALL PRESEASON MEDIA POLL
(First place votes in parentheses)

1. Central Missouri (12) -- 272 pts.
2. Southwest Baptist (14) -- 268 pts.
3. Fort Hays State -- 195 pts.
4. Emporia State -- 193 pts.
5. Washburn -- 156 pts.
6. Nebraska-Omaha -- 151 pts.
7. Missouri Southern -- 146 pts.
8. Missouri Western -- 143 pts.
9. Northwest Missouri -- 79 pts.
10. Pittsburg State -- 78 pts.
11. Truman -- 35 pts.

Women’s Basketball Picked Fifth in MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll, Sixth in Media Poll

Basketball Media Day for the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association was held on Tuesday, October 27, in Kansas City, Mo. The FHSU women’s basketball team was picked fifth in the Preseason Coaches Poll and sixth in the Preseason Media Poll.

The coaches and media each picked Emporia State first, followed by Washburn and Pittsburg State. The Lady Tigers were just four votes behind Central Missouri for fourth in the coaches poll and just two votes behind Missouri Southern for fifth in the media poll.

The Lady Tigers return four starters from last year in senior forward Erica Biel and senior guards Naomi Bancroft, Kayla Klug and Audra Binford. Biel was an All-MIAA First Team and MIAA All-Defensive Team selection last year, averaging a double-double in points and rebounds. The Tigers have several true freshmen and a few transfers looking to make an immediate impact on the program this season.

The Lady Tigers begin the 2009-2010 slate with exhibition action at Kansas State University on November 3. Game time is set for 7 pm in Manhattan, Kan.

2009-10 MIAA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL PRESEASON COACHES POLL
(First place votes in parentheses)

1. Emporia State (7) -- 96 pts.
2. Washburn (1) -- 90 pts.
3. Pittsburg State (3) -- 86 pts.
4. Central Missouri -- 68 pts.
5. Fort Hays State -- 64 pts.
6. Missouri Southern -- 51 pts.
7. Nebraska-Omaha -- 47 pts.
8. Southwest Baptist -- 34 pts.
9. Northwest Missouri -- 31 pts.
10. Missouri Western -- 21 pts.
11. Truman -- 18 pts.

2009-10 MIAA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL PRESEASON MEDIA POLL
(First place votes in parentheses)

1. Emporia State (15) -- 291 pts.
2. Washburn (12) -- 286 pts.
3. Pittsburg State (1) -- 236 pts.
4. Central Missouri -- 226 pts.
5. Missouri Southern -- 160 pts.
6. Fort Hays State -- 158 pts.
7. Nebraska-Omaha -- 138 pts.
8. Northwest Missouri -- 108 pts.
9. Southwest Baptist -- 100 pts.
10. Missouri Western -- 77 pts.
11. Truman -- 68 pts.

Volleyball Drops Three Setter to Rockhurst

The Tiger volleyball team hosted Rockhurst University in non-conference action on Tuesday evening at Gross Memorial Coliseum in Hays. Scores were close all evening, but late bursts by Rockhurst in each set gave the Hawks a straight-set win in Hays. Scores of the match were 25-22, 25-21, 25-21.

Rockhurst hit .243 in the match, compared to .195 for Fort Hays State. The Tigers had six service errors, six ball-handling errors, and three blocking errors.

Lilian Rezende was the only Tiger to reach double digits in kills with 13. Makayla McPhail followed with nine. Whitney Liggett had a team-high 21 assists, followed by Lindsey Larson with 13. Rezende led in digs with 12.

Maggie McGovern paced Rockhurst with 12 kills, followed by Kate Hernandez with 10. Alyssa Emerson had 32 assists and Andrea Schroeder had 20 digs.

Rockhurst is now 18-11 overall Fort Hays State moved to 7-21 overall. The Tigers return to conference play this weekend with road matches at Nebraska-Omaha and Central Missouri.

Limited Supply of Tickets Remain for FHSU vs. KU Exhibition Basketball Game

The University of Kansas Athletic Department provided the Fort Hays State Athletic Department with tickets to sell for the upcoming exhibition basketball game in Lawrence, Kan. The game is at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, November 3. Less than 100 tickets remain at the FHSU Athletics Office. Don’t miss out on your chance to be at Allen Fieldhouse as Fort Hays State plays the University of Kansas. The Jayhawks are tabbed as the preseason #1 ranked team in NCAA Division I by several media entities.

Tickets through the FHSU Athletics Office are $20. Call the FHSU Athletics Office today at (785) 628-4050 to get your tickets.

Tigers Fall In Shootout with Pittsburg State

Fort Hays State and Pittsburg State engaged in a shootout at Carnie Smith Stadium in Pittsburg, Kan., on Saturday (Oct. 24). Unfortunately, the Tigers finished on the wrong end of the offensive extravaganza by a score of 59-41. The teams combined for 985 yards total offense.

The Tiger defense could not stop the Gorillas. Pittsburg State reeled off 550 yards of total offense, which included 406 rushing yards.

Pittsburg State gained separation from the Tigers in the third quarter after leading just 31-27 at halftime. The Gorillas outscored FHSU 14-0 in the third quarter and scored seven more points in the fourth quarter to take a 52-27 lead before the Tigers picked up their first score of the second half.

The Tigers could not find a way to stop the Gorillas all day, as PSU scored on all but two drives in the game. One of those drives ended on downs in the first quarter on a fake punt attempt and the other was the drive to run out the clock at the end of the game. The Gorillas never punted the ball, scoring on nine of their 11 drives.

The Tigers led three times in the first half in a see-saw battle. Their last lead was after a James Walker 5-yard touchdown run to go up 27-24 with just over two minutes remaining in the first half.

Mike Garrison was very efficient throwing the ball for the Tigers, completing 17-of-24 passes for 255 yards and three touchdowns. Two of the touchdowns were to O.J. Murdock, who now has eight touchdowns on the year, and one to Beau Gadwood.

With his passing effort, Mike Garrison became just the fifth player in school history to throw for over 2,000 yards in a season. The last to do so was Shawn Behr in 1995 with a school-record 3,497 yards. Garrison now has a total of 2,028 yards on the season.

James Walker and Mike Garrison did the majority of the damage for the Tigers on the ground. Walker finished with 98 yards and two touchdowns and Garrison finished with 94 yards and one touchdown. Murdock finished with a team-high 98 receiving yards on five catches.

Fort Hays State finished with 435 yards total offense. The Tigers had 255 yards passing and 180 yards rushing.

Terrance Isaac had a big day on the ground for PSU with 184 yards. Three other Gorillas finished with 40 or more rushing yards.

Pittsburg State pulled even with Fort Hays State in the conference standings. Both teams are now 5-4 overall and 3-4 in the MIAA. The Tigers host current #4 ranked Northwest Missouri State next Saturday in Hays at 2 pm. It will be the final home game of the season for FHSU.

Women 5th, Men 7th at MIAA Cross Country Championships

The Fort Hays State cross country squads competed at the MIAA Championships on Saturday (Oct. 24) in Emporia, Kan. The Tiger women finished fifth out of nine conference schools and the men finished seventh out of eight conference schools.

Hali Mobley led the women’s team with a 16th place overall finish. She was the only FHSU woman to earn All-MIAA honors. Mobley had a time of 22:58.55 on the 6k course.

Amie Algrim was the next finisher for the Tigers in 22nd with a time of 23:15.54. Gentry Linscott finished 30th with a time of 23:44.57. Ali Mishler was 49th in a time of 24:21.19. Raven Boettger rounded out the scoring for the women’s squad in 52nd in a time of 24:31.59.

Tanner Christensen was the top runner for the men’s squad. He finished 27th overall in a time of 26:19.81 on the 8k course. Cameron Reith was 32nd in a time of 26:26.28. Eddie Banda was 45th with a time of 26:52.18. Alex Hendee (48th, 27:04.19) and Daniel Bucher (49th, 27:05.17) rounded out the scorers for FHSU.

Missouri Southern won the team championship for both men and women. The Lions edged Pittsburg State in the men’s race by six points. The MSSU women’s team won by a landslide, with six individuals finishing in the top seven. A third place finish by a Truman runner was the only individual keeping the Lions from a perfect team score.

#19 Truman Defeats FHSU In Four Sets

The Tiger volleyball team completed its weekend road swing at #19 ranked Truman State University in Kirksville, Mo., on Saturday evening (Oct. 24). Just like the night before at Northwest Missouri State, the Tigers evened the match after a second set win, but dropped the third and fourth set to the Bulldogs. Scores of the sets were 25-15, 23-25, 25-20, 25-23.

Truman outhit the Tigers .228 to .153. The Tigers best hitting percentage came in the second set win with a .231 clip. FHSU hit less than .100 in the first and fourth sets.

Lilian Rezende led the Tigers in kills with 12, followed by Makayla McPhail with 10. Whitney Liggett had a team-high 23 assists, followed by Lindsey Larson with 14. Rezende led the team in digs with 22.

Megan Sharpe and Allison Barker tied for the team lead in kills with 14 each for Truman. Ashley Petak had 31 assists and Nastassia Hegyi had a team-high 27 digs.

With the win, Truman moved to 20-9 overall and 8-5 in the MIAA. Fort Hays State moved to 7-20 overall and 3-11 in the MIAA. The Tigers return home for a non-conference match against Rockhurst University on Tuesday, October 27 at 7 pm.

Volleyball Falls To Northwest Missouri State in Four

The Tiger volleyball team continued MIAA play on the road Friday evening at Northwest Missouri State in Maryville, Mo. The Tigers fell in four sets to the Bearcats by scores of 25-21, 18-25, 25-22, 25-19.

Fort Hays State outhit the Bearcats .209 to .199 in the match. A blistering .424 hitting percentage for FHSU in the second set helped tie the match at 1-1, but the Tigers were outhit in the final two sets.

Lilian Rezende led the Tigers in kills with 13, followed by Antonia Jones with 12 and Makayla McPhail with 10. Whitney Liggett had a team-high 29 assists, followed by Lindsey Larson with 16. Liggett led the team in digs as well with 11.

Ashley Mitchell led the Bearcats in kills with 15, followed by Alex Hanna with 12 and Kelsey Larson with 11. Laira Akin had 46 assists and Paige Spangenberg led NWMSU with 21 digs.

Fort Hays State is now 7-19 overall and 3-10 in the MIAA. Northwest Missouri State moved to 12-16 overall and 3-9 in the MIAA. The Tigers play again on Saturday (Oct. 24) at #19 ranked Truman in Kirksville, Mo.

Tigers Looking To End Long Drought Against Pittsburg State

The Tiger football team heads on the road this weekend to face Pittsburg State. Game time is set for 2 pm at Carnie Smith Stadium in Pittsburg, Kan., on Saturday. The Tigers are looking for their first win against Pittsburg State since 1978. The Gorillas are 16-0-1 against Fort Hays State in the last 17 meetings.

The meeting that keeps Pittsburg State from owning a 17-game win streak in this series was in 1995, when the teams played to a 16-16 tie in Hays. The Tigers are looking for their first win in Pittsburg since 1976, when they squeaked out a 20-19 win. Pittsburg State is 8-0-1 against Fort Hays State at home since 1976.

Unlike recent years, Fort Hays State enters its match-up with Pittsburg State with the better record. The Tigers are 5-3 overall and 3-3 in the MIAA, while the Gorillas are 4-4 overall and 2-4 in the MIAA. With a win, the Tigers would guarantee their first winning season since 2004, when they finished 6-5.

Fort Hays State is coming off a huge comeback win over Nebraska-Omaha last week in Hays. The Tigers were down 20-0, but rallied for 31 unanswered points to win 31-20. The Tigers are looking to end a two-game losing streak on the road. The only losses the Tigers have this season were to teams currently in the national rankings.

Pittsburg State is coming off a 55-3 loss at Washburn this past weekend in Topeka, Kan. It was the worst loss for the Gorillas since the 2005 season when they fell 83-21 at Central Missouri.

Below is a link to the Fort Hays State game notes for this week...

FHSU vs. Pittsburg State Game Notes

Tigers Pull Out Five Set Win Over Missouri Western

For the second time this season, Fort Hays State and Missouri Western needed five sets to decide a match. The Tigers took the first meeting this season and made it a series sweep with a 3-2 win over the Griffons on Wednesday evening (Oct. 21) at Gross Memorial Coliseum in Hays. Scores of the match were 17-25, 25-18, 23-25, 25-20, 16-14.

Missouri Western hit a blistering .432 in the first set to take the early lead, but the Griffons would not hit over .200 in any other set. The Tigers knotted up the match with a .303 hitting percentage in the second set.

The Griffons squeaked out the third set by two points, but the Tigers would storm back to take game four. The teams were locked in a 14-14 tie in the fifth set before the Tigers rallied for two straight points to win the match.

Lilian Rezende led the Tigers in kills with 17, followed by Antonia Jones with 15, Makayla McPhail with 14, and Lydia Karnopp with 11. Whitney Liggett had a team-high 33 assists, followed by Lindsey Larson with 21. Tracie Hileman led in digs with 23.

Meghan Voelz had a 19-kill effort for the Griffons, followed by Allison Smith with 14 and Kelli Sicner with 12. Madison Benton led MWSU in assists with 46 and Voelz had a team-high 17 digs.

Fort Hays State moved to 7-18 overall and 3-9 in the MIAA with the win. Missouri Western went to 8-16 overall and 1-10 in the MIAA. The Tigers head on the road this weekend for matches at Northwest Missouri State and Truman.

Wrestling Picked Fourth in RMAC Preseason Coaches Poll

The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference released its Preseason Coaches Poll on Tuesday, October 20. Fort Hays State was picked to finish fourth in the 11-team conference. Adams State was picked to finish first after finishing second in the conference standings last year. Following the Grizzlies in the poll are Western State and Nebraska-Kearney.

Danny Grater, senior from Green, Kan., is the preseason favorite in the conference at 157 pounds. He was the only Tiger named to the preseason all-conference team, which recognizes just one individual from each weight class. Grater was an All-American last year at 157 pounds after a sixth-place finish at nationals.

Below is the preseason coaches poll...

1. Adams State (5)
2. Western State (2)
3. Nebraska-Kearney (4)
4. Fort Hays State
5. San Francisco State
6. Chadron State
7. Mesa State
8. Colorado Mines
9. New Mexico Highlands
10. CSU-Pueblo
11. Grand Canyon

Tiger Wrestling Tabbed #14 in Preseason National Rankings

The preseason national rankings for NCAA Division II wrestling were released on Wednesday, October 21. Fort Hays State is tabbed #14 in the first rankings of the year. The Tigers finished 17th at the national tournament last year. Six of the 11 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference teams are ranked in the top 20.

The Tigers have two individuals in the first rankings of the season. Tommy Edgmon is ranked #2 in the nation at 125 pounds and Danny Grater is ranked #3 in the nation at 157 pounds. Edgmon was the national runner-up in his weight class last year and Grater finished sixth at nationals in his weight class. Edgmon and Grater were the only Tigers to earn All-American honors last year.

Lovett Named MIAA Defensive Player of the Week

Fort Hays State senior defensive back C.J. Lovett earned MIAA Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts in the 31-20 win over Nebraska-Omaha this past weekend. It is Lovett’s third player of the week honor this season after garnering the special teams player of the week honor twice earlier in the year.

Lovett had two key interceptions in the 31-20 win over Nebraska-Omaha. With the Tigers trailing 20-17, Lovett stopped a UNO drive by intercepting a pass at the FHSU 2-yardline and returned it 53 yards to the UNO 45-yardline. It set up a 45-yard touchdown pass from Mike Garrison to O.J. Murdock on the next play to give the Tigers a 24-20 lead with 5:08 remaining in the third quarter after they were down 20-3 at halftime.

Lovett would deny the Mavericks again with just under 10 minutes remaining in the game by intercepting a pass in the endzone to stop another potential scoring drive for the Mavericks. Fort Hays State was leading 31-20 when he intercepted his second pass of the game.

Lovett's two interceptions tied him for the career interception record at Fort Hays State with 13, set by Mike Allen from 1987-1990. He now has four interceptions this season, which ties his previous season-high from 2006.

Tigers Overcome 17-Point Halftime Deficit For 31-20 Win Over Nebraska-Omaha

Down 20-0 to start the game, the Tigers reeled off 31 unanswered points to defeat Nebraska-Omaha 31-20 at Lewis Field Stadium in Hays, Kan. The Tigers trailed 20-3 at halftime, but outscored UNO 28-0 in the second half for the win. It was the first win for Fort Hays State against Nebraska-Omaha in Hays since 1959, a span of 50-years.

The first half was one to forget for the Tigers. Nebraska-Omaha scored on its second play from scrimmage, a 65-yard touchdown run by Levi Terrell. The Mavericks struck quickly again with Adolph Overstreet taking a punt back 56 yards for another UNO touchdown. The Mavericks led 14-0 with just over seven minutes expired in the first quarter.

The Mavericks would get two field goals from Greg Zuerlein in the second quarter, the first from 20 yards and the next from 35 to go up 20-0 with 3:44 remaining in the first half. Overstreet and Terrell were the top players in the game for UNO, as Overstreet finished with 203 total return yards and Terrell finished with 178 rushing yards.

The Tigers picked up their only points of the first half on a Nathan Rausa 22-yard field goal with 1:21 remaining.

The Tigers came out in a second half fury, forcing 3-and-outs on the first two UNO possessions of the second half. The Tigers took their first drive of the second half 55 yards in three plays, culminated by a 14-yard touchdown run by Mike Garrison to make the score 20-10 with 12:33 remaining in the third quarter. The second drive took 13 plays and 70 yards, ending on a two-yard touchdown run by Jacobb Irvin to get FHSU back in the game down 20-17 with 7:36 remaining in the third.

C.J. Lovett had the first of two interceptions in the game, intercepting a John Teigland pass at the FHSU 2-yardline. He returned the ball 53 yards to the UNO 45-yardline to set up the next FHSU score. That came on a Mike Garrison 45-yard pass to O.J. Murdock for a touchdown on the first play of the ensuing drive. It put the Tigers up 24-20 in the third quarter with 5:08 remaining.

The Tigers would keep the momentum rolling by blocking a 46-yard field goal attempt near the end of the third quarter. Michael Walker blocked the kick, which the Tigers recovered at the UNO 33-yardline. FHSU capitalized with another touchdown drive, ending on a one-yard run by Jacobb Irvin with 13:48 remaining in the game.

Lovett shut the door on the Mavericks for good with an interception in the FHSU endzone to prevent a UNO touchdown with 9:40 remaining in the game. The interception tied Lovett for the career lead in interceptions at Fort Hays State, the 13th of his career.

Irvin finished with a team-high 87 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Mike Garrison threw for 198 yards, completing 16-of-29 passes with no interceptions. Cordarol Scales had a team-high five receptions for 54 yards. Murdock led the team in receiving yards with 84 on four catches, which included his sixth touchdown catch of the season. Michael Walker led the defense in tackles with 11.

The Tigers moved to 5-3 overall and 3-3 in the MIAA with the win. Nebraska-Omaha is now 5-3 overall and 4-2 in the MIAA. The Tigers will look to assure their first winning season since 2004 when they travel to Pittsburg State next weekend in Pittsburg, Kan. Game time is set for 2 pm. The Gorillas enter the game at 4-4 overall and 2-4 in the MIAA.