FHSU Athletics
INDIANAPOLIS – The NCAA released its second edition of region rankings on Wednesday (Oct. 26). Fort Hays State is ranked No. 5 in the Central Region heading into the MIAA Tournament, which begins this Sunday. This week rankings were placed on the top ten teams in the region being considered for the NCAA Tournament instead of the alphabetical listing of ten teams in the first release of rankings. The rankings can change week to week as more results affect the formulas for consideration.
Fort Hays State remains in good shape after ending the regular season at 10-1-7 overall. According to the report for the Central Region located at the bottom of the region rankings page on NCAA.com, Fort Hays State has the fifth-best In-Region RPI and fourth-best Division II Performance Indicator value in the Central Region, just as it did the first week of rankings. Central Missouri owns the highest in-region RPI and performance indicator, while Bemidji State is second and Minnesota State is third in both categories.
Eight teams from the Central Region will be selected to compete in the Central Regional of the NCAA Tournament following the conclusion of conference tournaments. The region consists of teams from the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association, Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, and Great American Conference. Champions from each of the three conference tournaments within the region will receive automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament. Fort Hays State is seeking its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since the 2016 season, when it made a run all the way to the Central Region Final (Round of 16).
The MIAA has six teams among the 10 listed in the region rankings, and the other four are from the NSIC. Though the GAC does not have a school in the top ten right now, one of its members will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by virtue of winning the conference tournament. Fort Hays State is 2-1-6 against the teams currently listed in the Central Region rankings.
Region rankings released by United Soccer Coaches on a weekly basis up to this point have no bearing on NCAA Region Rankings. The NCAA Region Rankings are the only set of rankings used for national tournament consideration.
The NCAA Central Region rankings for October 26, 2022 are listed below.
RankTeamsDivision II RecordIn-Region Record1Central Missouri15-1-215-1-22Bemidji State (Minn.)10-1-510-1-53Minnesota State12-1-412-1-44Emporia State (Kan.)9-5-49-3-45Fort Hays State (Kan.)10-1-710-1-76Central Oklahoma11-3-411-3-47Northwest Missouri State12-4-212-4-28Washburn (Kan.)11-5-211-5-29Minot State (N.D.)8-2-78-2-710Augustana (S.D.)9-6-29-6-2