FHSU University Communications
Students from the Department of Informatics and Tiger Media Network continue to represent Fort Hays State University well regionally and nationally in prestigious competitions.
For the third year in a row, the TMN sports production team won top honors for a live production of a sporting event in the Student Production Awards of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Heartland Chapter. The Heartland Region includes universities from Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Colorado and Wyoming.
This year’s winning production featured the live broadcast of the FHSU men’s basketball team hosting top-ranked Washburn.
Those helping on the winning Live Sporting Event/Game category broadcast included Kaden Warner, producer; Evan Liess, director; Clare Tholstrup, tech director; Aron Bencze, replay; Coy Stutterheim, audio; Lincoln Mills, camera; Mike Makhviladze, camera; Halle Habiger, camera; Austin Meyer, camera; Kyson Evans, camera; Kyler Rowden-Stum, camera; Garrett Wellbrock, play-by-play; and Connor Adams, color commentary. Advisors included Russell Heitmann, assistant director of TMN, and Nick Schwien, TMN director.
Wellbrock also won top honors in the category for Talent – News or Sports.
Daniel Little was a winner in the category for Non-Fiction – Long Form for his documentary featuring Bethesda Place.
“Experiential learning opportunities created in co-curricular spaces like TMN are central to our mission as a college,” said Melissa Hunsicker-Walburn, dean of the Robbins College of Business and Entrepreneurship. “When faculty mentor students through real-world, high-impact projects, it not only strengthens their technical and creative skills to develop compelling portfolios that showcase their talents, but also builds the confidence and professional judgment they need to succeed after graduation.”
In total for the Heartland awards, FHSU had eight nominees this year — with three winners. It was the most nominees in FHSU school history and tied for the most winners.
“The work our students continue to do showcases the skills they learn at our NCAA Division II university,” Schwien said. “We pride ourselves on teaching students how to grow their knowledge of the industry, which leads to award-winning work. The hard work of the students shows how they buy into our programs — from the classroom and well beyond.”
FHSU students also won four honors at the nationally recognized Broadcast Education Association Festival of Media Arts. The contest showcases the best work in the nation from all NCAA and NAIA classifications.
Wellbrock finished second in the Audio/Video Event: Play-by-Play Talent category. Wellbrock’s submission came during the 2025 MIAA basketball tournament in Kansas City, Mo. His second-place finish was one of the best in school history.
Eli Blankinship earned an Award of Excellence in the same category, giving FHSU two of the top eight students honored in the annual competition.
Taylor Thompson also had a standout performance, finishing third in the Promotional Video/Tease/PSA category. Her submission was a PSA featuring Tiger Media Network’s sports productions.
Little also was honored with an Award of Excellence for his Short-form Documentary. Little’s video was produced in Stephen Schleicher’s Advanced Video class and was titled “Bethesda: Beyond the Label.”
“At Fort Hays State University’s Department of Informatics, students build a strong foundation in storytelling while gaining hands-on, professional-level production skills,” Schleicher said. “These awards are a reflection of how well they are prepared to create meaningful, polished work that connects with audiences. We are very proud of our students and look forward to seeing more of their work reach an even wider audience after graduation.”
In BEA rankings, FHSU finished 13th in the 2025 Top Winning Documentary Programs — and was the top ranked university in Kansas and the only one in the top 26.
Fort Hays tied for 31st in both the 2025 Top Winning Sports Programs and the 2025 Top Winning News Programs divisions. Overall, FHSU tied for 48th in the BEA top winning overall programs, which was the best finish by any university in the state.
“Seeing our students recognized for their work is always a source of tremendous pride. These awards reflect not only their talent and creativity but also the long hours, persistence, collaboration and care they put into every project,” Schleicher said.
Fort Hays students also took home four first-place honors in the Kansas Association of Broadcasters’ Awards.
Blankinship won first in the Sports Color Commentator or Sideline Reporter category, and TMN took first in Best Special Programming for its livestream of the Sgt. Scott Heimann Memorial Service. That production was directed by Liess.
“It was a big part of my career development to win two significant awards after transferring to FHSU,” said Liess, who joined TMN after two years at Butler Community College. “It was important for me to come into a nationally ranked media program and learn additional skills to help me progress to my future career. It’s impressive that a DII program can compete against any level in college and have continued success in sports and news broadcasting.”
The TMN summer internship program featuring a documentary about affordable housing in Hays earned first place in the KAB Documentary category for college visual arts, and the trailer for “The Cost of a Dream” earned top billing in the Promotional Announcement category. The documentary was produced by Taylor Thompson, Kyson Evans and Katie Kuhlman.
“The opportunities we provide our students with when they first step on campus shows our commitment to them and their success — not only in the classroom but in real-world situations as well,” Schwien said. “That instills a forward-thinking process, confidence and appreciation for their growth in their time at FHSU. It provides our graduates with a career-ready attitude and appreciation for their education.”
