Feb 16, 2021

🏀 Tiger women rise in national polls

Posted Feb 16, 2021 7:13 PM
Lauryn Reither (courtesy FHSU Athletics, Nicole Heitmann)
Lauryn Reither (courtesy FHSU Athletics, Nicole Heitmann)

The Fort Hays State women's basketball team moved up in both national polls again this week, jumping one spot to eighth in the WBCA Division II Coaches Poll and climbing two spots to 12th in the latest D2SIDA Media Poll, both released Tuesday.

The Tigers remain the top-ranked MIAA program, with Nebraska-Kearney coming in 12th in the coaches poll and 14th in the media poll and Central Missouri moving to 16th in the coaches poll and 19th in the media ranks. The Tigers, Lopers and Jennies are all tied for first in the MIAA standings at 16-2 with four games remaining in the regular season. This weekend will go a long way to deciding the final standings, with UCM traveling to Kearney to play the Lopers Thursday before facing off with the Tigers inside Gross Memorial Coliseum on Saturday beginning at 2 p.m.

This is the third time in program history Fort Hays State is ranked eighth in the coaches poll. The Tigers wrapped up the 2014-15 season ranked eighth in the final WBCA poll of the year before winning a pair of home games against Missouri Western and Northwest Missouri State as the eighth-ranked team in the country in January 2019 (1/24-26/19).

Winners of their last 11 games, the sixth-longest winning streak in program history, the Tigers will return Hays for their final two regular season home games this week. Before facing off with the Jennies on Saturday, Fort Hays State will battle Lincoln on Thursday beginning at 5:30 p.m.

WBCA DII Coaches Poll
1. Lubbock Christian 11-0
2. Lander 12-0
3. Charleston, WV 12-0
4. Drury 13-1
5. West Texas A&M 14-1
6. Minnesota Duluth 9-0
7. Hawaii Pacific 8-0
8. Fort Hays State 16-2
9. Grand Valley State 12-1
10. Valdosta State 16-2
11. Carson-Newman 12-1
12. Nebraska Kearney 16-2
13. North Georgia 12-1
15. Arkansas Tech 9-0
15. Texas A&M-Commerce 10-2
16. Central Missouri 16-2
17. Daemen 6-1
18. Glenville State 8-1
19. Michigan Tech 12-1
20. Southwestern Oklahoma St. 12-2
21. Western Colorado 11-2
22. Gannon 9-1
23. Benedict 7-0
24. Cedarville 17-3
25. Colorado Mines 13-2

D2SIDA Media Poll
1. Lubbock Christian (15) 11-0
2. Hawaii Pacific 8-0
3. Lander 12-0
4. Drury (1) 13-1
5. Charleston (W.Va.) 12-0
6. Minnesota-Duluth 9-0
7. Grand Valley State 12-1
8. West Texas A&M 14-1
9. Valdosta State 16-2
10. Glenville State 8-1
11. North Georgia 11-1
12. Fort Hays State 16-2
13. Daemen 6-1
14. Nebraska-Kearney 16-2
15. Gannon 9-1
16. Carson-Newman 12-1
17. Colorado School of Mines 13-2
18. Michigan Tech 12-1
19. Central Missouri 16-2
20. Point Loma Nazarene 7-2
21. Western Colorado 11-2
22. Arkansas Tech 10-0
23. Montevallo 10-3
24 Notre Dame (Ohio) 10-2
25. Texas A&M-Commerce 10-2