FHSU Athletics
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Fort Hays State women's basketball team enters the 2025-26 season as the favorite in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll. The Tigers were tabbed second in the Media Poll. Fort Hays State finished second in the MIAA regular season standings last year and was the MIAA Tournament runner-up. The Tigers went on to make their 10th appearance overall in the NCAA Tournament and ninth in the last 11 years.
The Tigers received enough voting points (152) overall in the Coaches Poll to top the list, even though they collected just two first-place votes. Coaches gave Washburn the most first-place votes with six and the Ichabods had 148 points to place second in the poll, while Pittsburg State received five first-place votes and 144 points for third. Central Missouri also received a first-place vote and placed fourth.
In the Media Poll, 2024-25 MIAA regular season and tournament champion Pittsburg State was selected first with 13 first-place votes and 326 points overall. Fort Hays State was second with five first-place votes and 299 points. Washburn placed third with three first-place votes and 276 points, while Central Missouri grabbed four first-place votes with 271 points to place fourth.
This is the fourth time the Tigers have been picked first in at least one of the preseason polls. FHSU topped both bolls in both 2019-20 and in 2021-22. Last year the Tigers topped the preseason media poll and were second in the coaches poll, while this year it flipped the other way around. FHSU has been in the top five of the preseason coaches poll each of the last 14 years. This is the seventh time the Tigers have been picked in the top two of the preseason coaches poll during that span.
Fort Hays State finished the 2024-25 season 28-5 overall and 16-3 in the MIAA. Fort Hays State reached the NCAA Tournament Central Regional Semifinals for the second-straight year, defeating Southern Nazarene before falling to Southwest Minnesota State. After winning the MIAA regular season and tournament, Pittsburg State went on to win the Central Regional and made the national semifinals.
Fort Hays State extended its streak of 20-win seasons to 14 last year, the longest active streak in Division II and tied for the fifth-longest such streak across all divisions of NCAA women's basketball. UCONN, Baylor, Florida Gulf Coast, and Louisville are four Division I programs with longer streaks.
The Tigers have been the most consistent team in the conference over the last decade, winning 283 games over the last 11 seasons, 30 more than the next closest team (Pittsburg State, 253).
Talia Kahrs enters her third year as head coach at Fort Hays State, now with a record of 53-13 leading the Tigers. FHSU has seven returning players, but return just one of their four regular starters from last year. However, they have two All-MIAA selections returning. Brooke Loewe was an All-MIAA Honorable Mention pick last year and broke the FHSU single-season record for assists with 233, which led NCAA Division II in total assists. Her 7.3 per game average was second-best in NCAA Division II (Gracie Stugart of Maryville led the nation at 7.4 per game). Talexa Weeter also earned All-MIAA Honorable Mention honors last year as the third-leading scorer on the team, averaging 14.6 points per contest, while pulling down 6.0 rebounds per game to rank second on the team. She is the top returning scorer and rebounder on the team this year.
Along with Loewe and Weeter, Ellie Stearns returns with plenty of starting experience in the past. She averaged 4.7 points per game last year and led the team in 3-point field goals made (35). Avery Lowe, Maddy Powell, Sarah Lawless, and Callie Ott also return. The seven returners combined for an average of 31.9 points per game last year. The Tigers have seven newcomers all looking to make an immediate impact as well.
The Tigers look to adjust to the exit of All-MIAA First Team performers Katie Wagner DeGarmo and Olivia Hollenbeck, who averaged 33.3 points per game as a pair. DeGarmo was the MIAA Player of the Year for a second-straight season in 2024-25 and Hollenbeck was the MIAA Defensive Player of the Year. Kate Dilsaver, an All-MIAA Honorable Mention pick and MIAA All-Defensive Team selection, also exhausted her eligibility after providing 9.1 points per game last year.
The Tigers will play one preseason exhibition game on Wednesday, October 29, at the University of Kansas. The regular season begins November 14-15 in St. Joseph, Mo. against a pair of regional opponents in Concordia-St. Paul and Sioux Falls. Concordia-St. Paul was also in the NCAA Central Regional last year with the Tigers. FHSU plays its first eight regular season games away from home before hosting Pittsburg State on December 13 in a non-conference contest.
2025-26 MIAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL COACHES POLL
1. Fort Hays State [2] – 152 points
2. Washburn [6] – 148 points
3. Pittsburg State [5] – 144 points
4. Central Missouri [1] – 138 points
5. Nebraska Kearney – 135 points
6. Missouri Western – 99 points
7. Missouri Southern – 95 points
8. Northwest Missouri – 78 points
9. Northeastern State – 76 points
10. Arkansas-Fort Smith – 73 points
11. Emporia State – 48 points
12. Central Oklahoma – 44 points
13. Rogers State – 28 points
14. Newman – 16 points
[#] - First Place Votes
2025-26 MIAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL MEDIA POLL
1. Pittsburg State [13] – 326 points
2. Fort Hays State [5] – 299 points
3. Washburn [3] – 276 points
4. Central Missouri [4] – 271 points
5. Nebraska Kearney – 268 points
6. Missouri Western – 227 points
7. Northwest Missouri – 187 points
8. Arkansas-Fort Smith – 185 points
9. Missouri Southern – 176 points
10. Emporia State – 127 points
11. Northeastern State – 111 points
12. Central Oklahoma – 92 points
13. Rogers State – 49 points
14. Newman – 31 points
[#] - First Place Votes