FHSU Sports Information Department
Fort Hays State Women’s Basketball was picked No. 5 in the Division II Bulletin Preseason Top 25 for the 2015-16 season. The Tigers join Emporia State as teams selected to the Top 25.
Coming off the program’s best season in its NCAA Division II history, the FHSU women finished at 30-4 overall and ranked No. 8 in the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Final Poll. The Tigers enjoyed a ranking as high as No. 2 in the nation during the regular season and the long-time rivalry with Emporia State went to another level last season. The Tigers were receiving votes in the national poll for about half the season until finally entering the top 25 in late January. Following a convincing win over No. 4 Pittsburg State, the Tigers leaped into the top 10 and remained there the rest of the season.
Fort Hays State and Emporia State met four times during the 2014-15 season. As the No. 6 ranked team in the nation, FHSU knocked off No. 2 Emporia State by 10 points in Emporia and then won by the same margin just over a week later in Hays as the No. 3 team in the nation, while ESU held the No. 6 ranking. FHSU went on to win the MIAA Regular Season Championship, but ESU would take both meetings in the postseason. The Hornets, ranked No. 10, defeated the No. 4 ranked Tigers by three points in the MIAA Tournament Final, then knocked the Tigers out of the NCAA Tournament in the Central Regional Final in Hays by five points. The Hornets were ranked No. 9 and the Tigers were No. 6 in the final epic battle of the season in front of nearly 5,000 fans at Gross Memorial Coliseum.
As two of the nation’s top programs last year, FHSU and ESU caught the attention of several media organizations nationwide. Emporia State has been tabbed as the No. 1 team in the Division II Bulletin Preseason Poll, while FHSU earned the No. 5 spot. Emporia State went on to make the national semifinals last year before bowing out of the NCAA Tournament.