EYE OF THE TIGER

Summer 2011

Fort Hays State University Department of Athletics

“Once a Tiger, Always a Tiger”

MIAA ChampionsIt was an exciting and momentous year for Fort Hays State University in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Asso-ciation. Fort Hays State claimed its first ever MIAA Championship in any sport by winning the Men’s Basketball Champion-ship Tournament in March.

For the second consecutive season, the men’s basketball team finished second in the regular season standings, but finally broke through with their first champion-ship by defeating regular season champi-on Missouri Southern 89-83 to claim the tournament crown. The Tigers spent sev-eral weeks in the top 10 of the national rankings, reaching as high as No. 3 in the nation for the second straight year.

Led by senior All-American guard Dominique Jones (Harlem, N.Y.), the

Tigers made their second straight NCAA Tourna-ment appearance, third in the last four years, and fifth under 10th-year head coach Mark Johnson. Rid-ing the momentum of the conference tournament win, the Tigers thrashed West Texas A&M in the first round by 26 points. The Tigers’ run would end in the regional semifinals for the second straight year in a loss to tournament host University of Central Oklahoma. The Tigers made a valiant effort, erasing a 22-point second half deficit to tie the game late, but fell just short in their attempt to knock off the region’s top seed. FHSU finished 26-7 overall for the season.

Several NFL scouts visited the campus of Fort Hays State University in the fall with eyes on senior wide receiver O.J. Murdock of Tampa, Fla. A two-year standout player for the Tigers, Murdock set the single-season record for receiv-ing yards in 2010 and was projected as a late-round selection in the NFL Draft in April. Even though the draft selection did not happen for Murdock, he still has an excellent shot at being signed as a free agent by one of the teams or play-ing pro ball at some level.

With the attention from scouts Murdock received throughout the season, several other FHSU players received exposure. Cordarol Scales, senior receiver from

Van Nuys, Calif., also received looks from several teams with his big 6-foot, 4-inch, 220-pound frame. He may also have a chance as a free agent pickup. Fort Hays State held its first ever Pro Day in March, run by a scout from the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs also had Shawnee, Kan., seniors Mike Garrison (quarterback) and Beau Gadwood (tight end) participate in their tryout day for players from the Kansas City area.

With the extremely high level of talent and play in the MIAA every year, current players will continue to get looks from scouts in one of the top conferences of NCAA Division II.

Football Players Getting Attention

O.J. Murdock- FHSU Football

Corbin Kuntzsch- FHSU Men’s Basketball

2011 MIAA Champions

EYE OF THE TIGER

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LADY TIGER BASKETBALL- UPS AND DOWNSEarly season-ending injuries for a pair of the top players on the women’s basketball squad led to another up-and-down year for the women’s basketball squad. The Lady Tigers finished 12-14 overall and ninth in the MIAA, but took major strides in defeat-ing nationally ranked teams Washburn and Northwest Missouri State. FHSU snapped a 16-game losing streak to Washburn with a win over the No. 11 ranked Lady Blues in Hays, a streak that had lasted 16 years. The Tigers also knocked off Northwest Missouri State in Hays, a team that went on to the final four of the national tournament.

The Tiger wrestling squad also went through several ups and downs throughout 2010-11, going 8-10 overall with a very young squad. Mitchell Means, a 149-pound redshirt-freshman from Goddard, Kan., was the only Tiger to garner All-American honors at nationals. The Tigers had four individuals in the national rankings for a good portion of the season and also maintained a spot in the national team rankings as well.

TIGER WRESTLING

TIGER SOFTBALL The FHSU softball team experienced a roller coaster regular season but hit its stride at the end of the season dur-ing the MIAA Tournament. The Tigers finished seventh in the regular season conference standings, but made it to championship Sunday at the confer-ence tournament. They were edged by nationally ranked Nebraska-Omaha 2-1.

The Mavericks handed the Tigers both of their losses in the tournament. FHSU finished the season with a 30-22 record, the third straight 30-win season under head coach Julie LeMaire. Eight players earned All-MIAA honors, led by first team selection Malinee Powell (Littleton, Colo., So.) at catcher. The Tigers bid farewell to four-year seniors Sara Tani (Westminster, Colo.) and Kayla Rupa (Parker, Colo.), both of whom own several individual school records.

TIGER BASEBALLTiger baseball finished fourth in the MIAA regular season standings and ad-vanced to the conference tournament for the fourth time in the last five seasons. The Tigers’ stay in Kansas City was short lived, falling in the opening round to Missouri Western 5-4. Fort Hays State fin-ished 28-23 in coach Steve Johnson’s first season with the school and had seven players named to the All-MIAA team, led

by second-team selections Sloan Soulia (Falcon, Colo., Sr.) at catcher and Nash Smith (Jewell, Kan., Jr.) in the outfield.

SPRING RECAPWith spirits high from FHSU claiming its first ever MIAA title, spring sports fired up. Competition remained stiff in the always tough MIAA, but FHSU repeatedly rose to the challenge. Follow the latest on all Tiger sports, results, standings, schedules or upcoming events at the FHSU Athletics website at http://www.fhsuathletics.com.

Mitchell Means - FHSU Wrestling

Crista Bechard - FHSU Women’s Basketball

Kayla Rupa- FHSU Softball

Sloan Soulia- FHSU Baseball

“Once a Tiger, Always a Tiger”

POSITION SCHOLARSHIPS HONOR MENTORS Certain Tiger Athletes have the benefit of scholarships provided by former players. The Jerry Cullen Linebacker Scholarship is awarded annually to an outstanding linebacker in honor of former Tiger Defensive Coordinator and Strength Coach Jerry Cullen, currently serving as the superintendant in Medicine Lodge, Kan. The Cullen Scholar-ship is funded annually by former Tiger Linebackers Jim Wilson ‘75 (Salina, Kan.) and Dave Thom ‘76 (Doniphan, Neb.). The newly established Ronald Wasinger Baseball Scholarship is another example. Ryan Wasinger ‘01 (Over-land Park, Kan.) established the scholarship to be awarded to a Tiger Baseball catcher in memory of his father, Ron-ald Wasinger, who never missed a game. These scholarships and others continue to help recruit and retain quality athletes while honoring individuals whose history with FHSU Athletics inspires us all.

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TIGER TENNISThe Fort Hays State women’s tennis team finished seventh in the MIAA in 2011 with a 6-12 record. Sophomore Amy Guilliams earned All-MIAA Honorable Mention honors for the No. 6 singles position. Guilliams becomes the first-ever All-MIAA selection for Fort Hays State since the school joined the conference in 2006-07.

TIGER TRACK & FIELDFHSU Track & Field for both men and women saw yet another year of multiple individual successes, but tough team competition held them to a fourth-place finish for the women and fifth place fin-ish for the men at the MIAA Champion-ships.

Along with three other top-three finish-ers at the meet, Darcie Schmitz (Bai-

leyville, Kan., Sr.) led the women’s team by claiming titles in the long jump and triple jump. She set a new MIAA Cham-pionship Meet record in the triple jump and new FHSU record with a distance of 41 feet, 1 inch. Also breaking school marks this year for indoor and outdoor season was senior Christa Bergmann (Concordia, Kan.). She won the national title during the indoor season in the weight throw, and set a new school record for the outdoor season in the hammer throw.

Max Alonso (Santiago, Chile, Jr.) led the men’s squad at the conference meet, winning individual titles in the shot put and discus. Alonso set school records in both events this spring. Mitch Sahlfeld (Beloit, Kan., Sr.) also set school marks for the indoor and outdoor seasons in his top events – the indoor weight throw and the hammer throw.

TIGER GOLFKevin Quinley (Salina, Kan., Sr.), member of the men’s golf team, became the first individual regional qualifier for FHSU since joining the MIAA with his play

throughout the season. He was se-lected to participate in the regional after finishing seventh in the individual con-

ference points standings. He also garnered All-MIAA honors for his efforts in 2010-11.

BE A PART OF THE THE INDOOR ATHLETIC TRAINING FACILITYTo find out more, go to foundation.fhsu.edu and click Athletic Training Facility.

Mitch Sahlfeld- FHSU Track

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