Tigers headline NCAA II Central Region Tournament at home
FHSU opens tournament against Minnesota-Mankato
Gross Memorial Coliseum at Fort Hays State University and its 6,814 seats
will host the NCAA II Central Region Women’s Basketball tournament this
weekend. The Tigers are the No. 1 seed on their home court for the regional
and are ranked No. 4 nationally.
Three MIAA women’s basketball teams — all from Kansas — are in the
regional, and all three are also nationally ranked. No. 2 tournament seed
Emporia State is ranked 10th nationally, and Pittsburg State, the No. 3
tournament seed, is ranked 13th nationally.
FHSU’s first-round game will be against No. 8 seed Minnesota State
University-Mankato, scheduled for 5 p.m. Friday, March 13.
All tickets for the tournament will be general admission. Sales begin at
noon Tuesday, March 10. Prices are $10 per day for adults and $5 for K-12
students. Admission for FHSU students is free with a valid student ID, said
Sports Information Director Ryan Prickett.
Gates open an hour before game time.
The first round begins at noon Friday, March 1, when Pittsburg State plays
No. 6 seed Northern State University, Aberdeen, S.D.
At 2:30 p.m., Emporia State plays No. 7 seed Arkansas Tech University,
Russellville.
The Tigers and Minnesota-Mankato are up next, at 5 p.m. The final game of
the first round, at 7:30 p.m., features No. 4 seed Wayne State University,
Wayne, Neb., against No. 5 seed Harding University, Searcy, Ark. Wayne
State is ranked 17th nationally.
The semi-final round on Saturday begins at 5 p.m. with the Pittsburg
State-Northern State winner taking on the Emporia State-Arkansas Tech
winner.
The second game, 7:30 p.m., is the FHSU-Mankato winner against the Wayne
State-Harding winner.
The championship game will be at 7 p.m. Monday, March 16.
The online ticket link is
http://fhsuathletics.com/
Dr. Mirta M. Martin, FHSU president, predicts the regional tournament will
be a great event.
“This group of student-athletes has already enjoyed phenomenal success
under Coach Tony Hobson and assistants Talia Miller and Kelsie Sorenson,”
she said. “They ran away with the conference championship over the long
grind of the regular season, finished second in the conference tournament
and they’re ranked No. 1 in the Central Region. They play with heart, they
support each other, and they exemplify excellence at its best.”
She added, “They are also just a whole lot of fun to watch. Wear your Tiger
gold, and let’s pack Gross Coliseum on Friday night to cheer them on to
another victory. Roar, Tigers!”
“It’s a privilege to host an NCAA event, and this rewards the success for
our women’s program for this season,” said Curtis Hammeke, athletic
director at FHSU. “It’s a very, very exciting event, one that will bring
eight teams from across the region to town.”
“It’s hard to host, because you have to earn that No. 1 seed,” said
Hammeke. “So it was a great job by our women’s basketball program to play a
lot of good basketball the past month to keep themselves in position to
host. I’m very happy that it came to fruition that we have the opportunity
to host.”
The FHSU Alumni Association will host Tiger Spirit pregame parties in Eagle
Communications Hall, located inside of the Robbins Center, throughout the
tournament, pending advancement.
Parties will feature family-friendly events and complimentary refreshments,
“adult and kid beverages, prizes and visits by the FHSU cheerleaders, Tiger
Debs, Pep Band and Victor E. Tiger,” according to a statement from the
Alumni Association.
All parties are free to attend but RSVPs are requested to ensure enough
food and seating. Register online or by contacting the Alumni Association
at 785-628-4430, toll-free at 888-351-3591 or by email at alumni@fhsu.edu.
FHSU Games/Party Schedule
Friday, March 13
Pregame Party @ 2-4 p.m.
Sponsors: Coldwell Banker Executive Realty – Patty Stull & Rich
Sieker, Hays
First Round Game vs. Minnesota State University-Mankato @ 5 p.m.
Saturday, March 14
Pregame Party 4:30-6:30 p.m.
Second Round Game @ 7:30 p.m.
Monday, March 16
Pregame Party @ 4-6 p.m.
Third Round Game @ 7 p.m.