FHSU Athletics
2025 NCAA Division II Central Region Championship - Quarterfinal
No. 3 seed #11 Fort Hays State (27-4) vs.
No. 6 seed Southern Nazarene (23-7)
Friday, March 14, 2025 • Noon
Pittsburg, Kan. • John Lance Arena
Radio: KJLS (103.3) CLICK HERE TO LISTEN
Video: MIAA Network: CLICK HERE TO WATCH ($)
The 11th-ranked Fort Hays State women's basketball team will open play in the 2025 NCAA Division II Championship with a matchup against Southern Nazarene in the quarterfinal round of the Central Regional Friday beginning at noon in Pittsburg, Kan.
The Tigers earned the No. 3 seed after turning in a record of 27-4 to date and finishing runner-up at the MIAA Championship tournament, while the Crimson Storm enter the tournament 23-7 on the year after bowing out in the semifinal round of the GAC tournament.
This is the 10th time Fort Hays State has been selected to play in the big dance since moving to Division II in 1991-92, including nine appearances in the bracket over the last 11 years, two more than any other school during that span (Pittsburg State - 7 appearances). Fort Hays State is 8-8 all-time in the tournament, including a 5-2 record in the quarterfinals, a 1-1 record as the No. 3 seed, a 1-0 mark against the No. 6 seed, a 1-1 record against GAC teams, a 2-3 record in neutral site matchups and an 0-1 mark in games played in Pittsburg, Kan.
The Tigers enter the tournament ranked T-11th in the latest WBCA DII Coaches Poll. FHSU is undefeated when ranked 11th in the coaches poll during the DII era (9-0). Southern Nazarene is receiving votes in the latest poll.
Seven teams in the Central Region are ranked in the latest WBCA DII Coaches Poll (four) or receiving votes (three), more than any other region in this year's tournament (West - six teams mentioned).
Fort Hays State's 27 wins this season are fifth-most in the program's 56-year history. The Tigers have now won 25 or more games eight times. FHSU reached 20 wins for the 14th year in a row this season, the longest active streak in Division II and sixth-longest across all NCAA women's basketball.
Katie DeGarmo and Talexa Weeter were both named to the MIAA All-Tournament Team last week. Weeter averaged 24.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game in the tournament while hitting 60.9 percent from the floor and 50 percent from behind the arc (.500). DeGarmo put up 19.7 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game over three games in KC. She became the all-time leader in scoring and rebounding in tournament history, concluding her career with 227 points (16.2 ppg) and 117 rebounds (8.4 rpg) in 14 games.
Fort Hays State placed a league-high five players on this year's All-MIAA teams, including MIAA Player of the year DeGarmo and MIAA Defensive Player of the Year Olivia Hollenbeck. DeGarmo is the fifth player since 1980 to earn the conference's top honor in consecutive seasons and the first to do so since Washburn's Crystal Walker in 2001-02 and 2002-03.DeGarmo is the third player in school history to earn first team all-conference honors three times, joining Annette Wiles and Kate Lehman. It is her fourth All-MIAA honor overall. Hollenbeck is the first five-time all-conference performer in team history after picking up first team honors.
Kate Dilsaver and Hollenbeck were both listed on the MIAA All-Defensive Team, giving the Tigers multiple representatives on that team for just the second time in team history. Dilsaver, Weeter and Brooke Loewe all received honorable mention recognition.
DeGarmo and Hollenbeck both picked up MIAA Player of the Week honors twice this season. FHSU tied with Pittsburg State for the most MIAA Players of the Week this season with four each. This is the third-straight season that DeGarmo has been named player of the week multiple times.
DeGarmo has played in six NCAA tournament games in her career, averaging 17.3 points and 9.7 rebounds per contest. She's scored in double figures all six times, including two games with 20-plus points and three double-doubles.
Loewe is the school's single-season assists leader with 221 this season, breaking a 34-year old record. Already with 376 assists as a Tiger, the Huxley, Iowa native needs three assists to move into fifth on the all-time assists list at FHSU.
Hollenbeck has scored in double figures 99 times in her 153-game career.
The Tigers rank third as a team in assist/turnover ratio in Division II at 1.37 while also ranking third in assists with 18.8 per game. The Tigers are fourth with a shooting percentage of 46.8 percent while ranking ninth in scoring margin at plus-17.2.
Fort Hays State is 2-0 all-time against Southern Nazarene, including a 45-43 win in the 2022 D2CCA Tip-Off Classic (11/6/22) and an 84-78 victory in 1981 when the school was named Bethany Nazarene (1/21/81). Both of those contests were also neutral-site matchups.
DeGarmo recorded a double-double against the Crimson Storm in 2022, totaling 10 points and 13 rebounds, while Ellie Stearns totaled 11 points in the win.
The Crimson Storm pride themselves on defense, limiting teams to 55.4 points per game (21st in DII). Graduate student Hannah Giddey was named GAC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year after averaging 16.2 points per game (82nd in DII), 10.4 rebounds per game (23rd in DII), 3.7 assists per game (83rd in DII) and 2.7 blocks per game (sixth in DII) alongside a shooting percentage of 51.4 percent (38th in DII).
The winner of Friday's quarterfinal will advance to the regional semifinals to take on either No. 2 seed Concordia-St. Paul or No. 7 seed Southwest Minnesota State on Saturday (March 15) beginning at 5 p.m.