FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
LILBURN, Georgia – The Fort Hays State women’s basketball team is ranked 25th in the most recent WBCA NCAA Division II Top 25 Coaches’ Poll, released Tuesday (Nov. 29). It is the first time the Tigers have been ranked in the Top 25 this season after spending all last season in the polls.
This is the fifth-straight season that the Tigers have been listed in the poll at some point during the season. FHSU holds a 47-17 record while ranked under head coach Tony Hobson, including a 6-10 mark against other ranked teams.
Two other MIAA schools are listed towards the top of the poll, with Emporia State ranked No. 1 and Pittsburg State listed fourth. The Tigers take on each of these schools in their next four games, facing off with the Gorillas on the road this Saturday (Dec. 3) before hosting the Lady Hornets a week later (Saturday, December 10).
Provided ESU makes it through its final weekend of non-conference action unscathed, the Lady Hornets will travel to Gross Memorial Coliseum as the top-ranked team in the nation for the second-straight year. Fort Hays State unseated its conference rival last year, defeating the top team in the country for the first time in program history before taking the top spot in the poll the following week.
The Tigers will play their first games as a ranked team on the road this week, traveling to Joplin, Mo. for the conference opener against Missouri Southern on Thursday (Dec. 1). First tip is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
Below is the WBCA Division II Coaches’ Poll for November 29, 2016.
| Rank | School (1st Place) | Record | Points | Previous |
| 1 | Emporia State (20) | 6-0 | 595 | 2 |
| 2 | Ashland (4) | 6-0 | 575 | 3 |
| 3 | California (PA) | 7-0 | 548 | 5 |
| 4 | Pittsburg State | 7-0 | 522 | 7 |
| 5 | Bellarmine | 6-0 | 491 | 8 |
| 6 | Virginia Union | 4-0 | 460 | 9 |
| 7 | West Texas A&M | 5-1 | 397 | 10 |
| 8 | Angelo State | 3-0 | 355 | 15 |
| 9 | Alaska-Anchorage | 4-2 | 303 | 6 |
| 10 | California Baptist | 7-2 | 302 | 13 |
| 11 | Bentley | 5-2 | 301 | 1 |
| 12 | Colorado State-Pueblo | 6-0 | 266 | 17 |
| 13 | Limestone | 3-1 | 259 | 14 |
| 14 | Drury | 6-1 | 257 | 18 |
| 14 | Winona State | 6-1 | 257 | 16 |
| 16 | Queens (NY) | 5-1 | 256 | 11 |
| 17 | Grand Valley State | 4-1 | 189 | 19 |
| 18 | Lewis | 6-1 | 182 | 20 |
| 19 | Florida Southern | 4-2 | 176 | 4 |
| 20 | Lincoln Memorial | 6-0 | 148 | RV |
| 21 | Union (TN) | 3-1 | 143 | 12 |
| 22 | Nova Southeastern | 5-1 | 135 | 21 |
| 23 | Newberry | 5-0 | 97 | RV |
| 24 | Clayton State | 5-1 | 95 | RV |
| 25 | Fort Hays State | 6-0 | 70 | RV |
Others Receiving Votes: Saginaw Valley State (4-1) 47; Seattle Pacific (5-0) 46; Northern State (4-1) 42; UC-San Diego (4-2) 38; West Florida (5-0) 35; Wheeling Jesuit (5-1) 35; Johnson C Smith (5-1) 31; Missouri Western State (6-1) 22; Arkansas Tech (4-1) 15; Point Loma Nazarene (5-1) 14; Western Washington (5-1) 12; Anderson (SC) (4-1) 11; Ursuline (4-2) 11; Harding (4-1) 8; Lubbock Christian (4-3) 7; Simon Fraser (8-1) 3.