FHSU Athletics
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - No. 11 Fort Hays State women's basketball held steady at No. 2 in the final release of the 2025-26 NCAA Division II Central Region Rankings, announced Wednesday (March 4) by the NCAA office.
The Tigers are one of three MIAA programs listed in this week's rankings alongside No. 5 Central Missouri and No. 6 Washburn. The NSIC boasts four of the top 10 teams in the region, with the other three hailing from the GAC.
Fort Hays State has played five regionally ranked teams this season, including three in the Central and two in the West, going 5-2 in those contests (1-1 vs. Washburn, 1-1 vs. Central Missouri, 1-0 vs. Concordia-St. Paul, 1-0 vs. UCCS, 1-0 vs. Eastern New Mexico).
The Tigers are 24-4 overall, however the team has an overall DII record of 23-4 after playing one NAIA opponent and an in-region record of 22-4 after playing one out of region DII team (ENMU).
Fort Hays State has played in nine of the last 11 regional championship tournaments, serving as the top overall seed four times and playing in three regional finals.
Final selections for the field of eight teams will be announced on Sunday, March 8. The three conference tournament winners in the GAC, MIAA and NSIC will be joined by five at-large teams in the regional tournament, set for March 13-16 at the top overall seed. The regional champion will then advance to Pittsburgh, Pa. March 24-28 for the DII Elite Eight.
All data points for the latest rankings reflect games played through Sunday, March 1. Since then, Concordia-St. Paul defeated Minnesota State for a second time, winning the NSIC Championship to give the Golden Bears the automatic bid and raise their stock while putting another dent in the Mavericks' resume.
The Tigers will open postseason competition on Thursday (March 5) when they take on Missouri Western in the MIAA Championship Quarterfinals beginning at 2:15 p.m. inside historic Municipal Auditorium in downtown Kansas City, Mo.
2026 NCAA DII Central Region Rankings - March 4
Rank - Team - Overall DII Record - In-Region Record
1 - Minnesota State - 27-1 - 23-1
2 - Fort Hays State - 23-4 - 22-4
3 - Concordia-St. Paul - 22-6 - 22-6
4 - Harding - 23-5 - 22-5
5 - Central Missouri - 21-5 - 19-5
6 - Washburn - 21-7 - 20-6
7 - Minnesota Duluth - 20-7 - 20-7
8 - Mary - 21-9 - 19-9
9 - Northwestern Oklahoma - 17-9 - 17-9
10 - Arkansas Tech - 17-8 - 17-8