Fort Hays State Cross Country hosts
FHSU Tiger Open
Saturday, October 11, 2025
Hays, Kan. • Tiger Cross Country Course
Men's 8K • 9:15 a.m.
Women's 5K • 10:00 a.m.
 
The Fort Hays State men's and women's cross country teams will host the 2025 FHSU Tiger Open Saturday morning (Oct. 11) at the Tiger Cross Country Course. Fourteen collegiate programs will be represented, including six NCAA DII schools and eight junior colleges.
 
The men's eight-kilometer race will kick things off at 9:15 a.m., with the women's five-kilometer competition to follow at 10 a.m. Admission is free for all spectators. Parking is available adjacent to the Track & Field Facility, at the FHSU Soccer Stadium or elsewhere in the Bickle Schmidt Sports Complex. Live results will be available online here via Heartland Timing.
 
The course is located adjacent to the FHSU Track & Field Facility, with the finish line located on the Alex Francis Track. This is the first time the event is being held at the Tiger Cross Country Course after previously running at the Rolling Ridge Cross Country Course, the Sand Plum Nature Trail and the FHSU Cross Country Course on campus.

The Tiger women head into the weekend ranked 26th in Division II, while both the men's and women's teams are ranked inside the top 10 in the Central Region. The women are slotted seventh in the region and the men currently rank ninth.
 
Nearly 300 competitors are set to hit the course, including 170 entries in the men's race and 110 entries in the women's race. Schools set to be in attendance include Adams State, Colby CC, Colorado Christian, Colorado School of Mines, Cowley College, Dodge City CC, Emporia State, Fort Hays State, Fort Hays Tech Northwest, Garden City CC, Hutchinson CC, Iowa Western CC, Neosho County CC and Regis.

Numerous nationally ranked teams will be in attendance, including the top-ranked DII men's and women's teams from Colorado School of Mines, the third-ranked men and the fourth-ranked women from Adams State, the sixth-ranked men and the 30th-ranked women from Colorado Christian and several ranked NJCAA programs.
 
Competitors from the men's team slated to hit the starting line include Taran Castro, Brady Conway, Christian Darrah, Hans Deaton, Kaiden Esfeld, Eli Hopkins, Cole Krug, Chayse McCullough, Elijah McCullough, Zach Moore, Noah Morenz, Hayden Nemechek, Ty Raulston, Quade Smith, Andrew Waller, Ian Weich, Luke Wessel and Emery Wolfe.
 
Those slated to represent the women's program in the second race of the day includes Keziah Bachman, Margaret Browning, Esther Clark-Pavlovich, Eva Cortes, Emily Diercks, Janae Fugitt, Ashlyn Harbaugh, Taylor Hoskinson, Abbye Hudson, Brenna Murphy, Madelynn Nichols, Makenzie Premer, Emma Weiner and Cate Wiese.

Looking ahead, the Tigers will enter postseason competition with the MIAA Championships at the end of the month when they head to Pittsburg, Kan. on October 25. The women's 6K championship will commence at 10 a.m., followed by the men's 8K championship at 11 a.m.