FHSU Sports Information Department
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Fort Hays State Women’s Basketball ranked second nationally in attendance for the 2014-15 season as the NCAA released its Division II basketball attendance numbers on Monday (July 6). FHSU averaged 2,289 fans per contest, the best among MIAA schools.
The Tigers moved up one spot in the national attendance figures in each of the last two years. After ranking fourth nationally in attendance in 2012-13, FHSU moved up to third in 2013-14 and now second in 2014-15. FHSU saw a jump of 438 fans per game in 2014-15 after averaging 1,851 the previous season.
That jump came in Fort Hays State’s most successful NCAA Division II season. The program reached new heights in 2014-15, posting a record of 30-4 (first-ever 30-win season in the program’s NCAA Division II history) and earning the No. 1 seed and right to host the NCAA Central Regional at Gross Memorial Coliseum in Hays. The Tigers won the MIAA Regular Season Championship (its first since joining the conference in 2006-07) and moved all the way up to No. 2 in the WBCA Division II National Poll. FHSU was even considered No. 1 in the nation by a couple other ranking sources, though the WBCA is recognized as the official Division II poll.
The state of Kansas had all four of its schools in the MIAA rank in the top 10 nationally for attendance. After FHSU at No. 2, Emporia State ranked third at 2,110 per game. Washburn was seventh at 1,652 per game and Pittsburg State was eighth at 1,596 per game. Not only were all four schools high on the attendance chart, but all four spent time in the top 10 of the national poll at some point in 2014-15. FHSU was in the top 10 of the national rankings in each of the last eight polls of the season.
Looking at the six regular season games FHSU played against its in-state conference rivals, an average of 3,238 fans attended those contests. An average of 4,021 fans witnessed the regular season home games at Gross Memorial Coliseum against Emporia State, Washburn, and Pittsburg State. A total of 4,955 fans witnessed the NCAA Central Regional Final game against Emporia State in Hays. The coliseum truly provided an awesome atmosphere for Fort Hays State’s storybook season.
The only school to draw more at home on average in 2014-15 was Northern State (S.D.) of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference at 2,758 per game. Northern State was a participant in the NCAA Central Regional at Gross Memorial Coliseum, but lost in the opening round to Pittsburg State.
With four teams in the top 10, the MIAA led the nation in attendance once again as a conference, averaging 1,172 fans per game. It was the only conference to average 1,000 or more fans per game. The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, also in the Central Region, was second at 907 fans per game.