FHSU Athletics
EMPORIA, Kan. – The Fort Hays State track and field teams wrapped up the 2025 MIAA Outdoor Championships on Sunday (May 4) with several standout performances, including three athletes earning All-MIAA recognition and numerous Tigers scoring points across multiple events.
On the women's side, Reba Mader capped off a stellar weekend with a runner-up finish in the 400m hurdles, clocking an NCAA Division II provisional mark of 1:00.48. The performance not only earned her All-MIAA honors and eight points for the team, but also placed her third all-time in Fort Hays State's Division II history in the event.
Emily Diercks turned in one of the top distance efforts of the day, finishing runner-up in the 5,000m with a time of 17:05.07, collecting another All-MIAA honor and eight team points in the process.
The 4x400m relay team of Amelia Foster, Makenzie Premer, Eden Bathurst, and Mader added a point with an eighth-place finish. In the triple jump, Abby Rueschhoff contributed two points by placing seventh, while Jayme Hagerman and Brynlee Frank followed just outside the scoring in ninth and tenth.
The women finished the championships with a solid team showing, placing seventh overall with 44 total points.
On the men's side, Toby Wahlmeier highlighted the day by earning All-MIAA honors in the 200m, placing third overall in 21.06, an NCAA provisional qualifying time. Wahlmeier also scored in the 100m, finishing seventh, and led a trio of Tigers scoring in the 200m, with Nakari Morrical-Palmer finishing fifth and Hayden Albright eighth.
Morrical-Palmer added another scoring performance in the 400m, placing sixth with a provisional time of 47.46. The effort marked a new personal best and moved him up to fifth all-time in Fort Hays State's Division II era. In the 400m hurdles, Nolan Churchman chipped in two more team points with a seventh-place finish in 53.99, a performance that also placed him fifth on the program's Division II all-time list.
The 4x400m relay team of Avrey Albright, Drew Tolar, Morrical-Palmer, and Churchman finished fifth in 3:15.31, grabbing four more points. In field events, the men's pole vault group had a strong showing, led by Brady Deges in fourth and Josiah Ball in sixth. Both earned important team points, while Kurtis McCormick finished just outside the scoring in ninth.
The men's team totaled 31.5 points and an eighth place finish to close out the meet.
With one MIAA Champion, four All-MIAA performances, and seven NCAA Division II provisional marks, Fort Hays State wrapped up the MIAA Championships on a high note, carrying strong momentum into the final stretch of the season. The Tigers will look to sharpen their qualifying marks and solidify national bids at their final tune-up in Kearney, Neb. on Saturday (May 10) before turning their full focus to the NCAA Division II Outdoor National Championships later this month.