Weeter earns D2 player of the year honor

By MAYAN PAZ

Tiger Media Network

Zero games. 

That is the number of contests Talexa Weeter started for the Fort Hays State University women’s basketball team in the 2024-25 season. 

Although she was still an influential player off the bench, averaging 14.6 points per game, she had the sixth-woman role on the team. 

But with changes in the lineup as players graduated, Weeter and head coach Talia Kahrs knew she would have a much different role for the Tigers in the upcoming season. 

They might not have guessed, however, how successful the season would be.

Weeter led the nation in points per game with 27.5 and was honored by the D2 Conference Commissioners Association, which named her the D2CCA Ron Lenz National Player of the Year. 

Weeter, in a conversation with TMN, said she dedicated plenty of time during the summer to improve her physical shape, trying to become stronger, faster and more durable — expecting the rising number of minutes she was planning to receive on the court. 

The physical difference was noticeable to the coaching staff as well, making them confident in Weeter’s ability to become a team leader who could play more minutes than she used to. 

Kahrs said Weeter’s physical conditioning and ability to score the ball solidified her role as a leader.

“She did a lot of work in the offseason this last summer, as far as getting in shape and putting on some muscle,” Kahrs said. “And I think watching her, you don’t realize she’s as strong as she is, too, and she put a lot of work in in the offseason, knowing that she was going to have to be somebody who played a lot of minutes and we were gonna have to rely on her. And so that’s part of it: She really developed physically from last year to this year. And then obviously, going into it, she has an ability to score at the ball at a high rate, and so we tried to put her in positions to be able to do that.”

Weeter started the season with a bang, playing the full 40 minutes and scoring 36 points in a win against Concordia-St. Paul. She followed that performance with 29 and 25 points in the next two games.

It was clear Weeter was getting ready to have a solid season. 

Weeter continued to be one of the best players in the nation, drawing special attention from opponents and leading the Tigers to a 25-6 record. Together with FHSU’s point guard, Brooke Loewe — who led the nation in assists per game with 10 and was chosen by the D2 coaches to be on the All-American honorable-mention tea — Weeter had a target on her back. 

Being targeted by rivals and marked as the Tigers’ hope for every game, there was a lot of pressure on Weeter. That only fueled her desire.

“I thought it was good pressure,” she said. “It just kept motivating me with just each game and each practice, keep working as hard as I can and it will lead to big games and lots of good things happening in the games. Each game is just like, ‘What’s my advantage? Who’s guarding me?’ I mean, if they’re slower than me, obviously, I’m going to outrun them down the court. They’re smaller than me, I’ll post them up. So it just kind of depends on each game.”

Good things did happen in games. She was the top scorer for the Tigers nearly every game, including a 45-point game against Northwest Missouri State University. 

As the team approached the offseason, pressure mounted and the Tigers got upset by Missouri Western in the first round of the MIAA tournament.

Following that loss, Weeter knew the next game — the first round of the NCAA D2 tournament — was crucial for the Tigers and herself. 

“Going into the game, I just knew I couldn’t second-guess myself,” she said. “I couldn’t pass up open shots. We needed every single shot that was open. Because going into the tournament, we’re playing tougher teams, obviously. And, yeah, everything was working for me, so I just kept shooting the ball.”

Against Harding, Weeter established her dominance from the tip, scoring 29 points in the first half and 46 in the game. The 46 points matched a school record for most points in a game, set by Petrece Faulkner 23 years ago. FHSU won 89-82 in overtime.

With an outstanding showcase of efficiency, she shot over 69% from the field, made 11 of 12 free throws and added 12 rebounds.

In the regional semifinal against Concordia-St. Paul, Weeter contributed 23 points and 10 rebounds while playing all 40 minutes in a 59-53 loss to end the season.

Weeter and Kahrs said the team is proud of the hard work put in throughout the season and is ready to face future challenges.

“Obviously, we didn’t want it to end that soon,” Weeter said. “That just wasn’t our day shooting-wise. But we all had a great season. We didn’t hang our heads on it, and we had three great seniors who led us through the whole season.”

“Ultimately, all you can ask them to do is to buy in and to be all in and to work as hard as you can,” Kahrs said. “And I think they did that throughout the course of the whole season. And it’s a long season, and I was really proud of the way that they were able to do that.” 

Weeter is the second Tiger to win the national player of the year award (Kate Lehman, 2014-15) and will play next season at Oklahoma State University, hoping to continue her success at the Division I level.