KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Fort Hays State women's basketball team was picked second in both the Coaches and Media Preseason Coaches Polls, announced Tuesday (Oct. 6) at the 2026 MIAA Basketball Media Day.
 
The Tigers have finished second in the final conference standings each of the last three years, turning in an overall record of 25-6 and a conference mark of 15-4 last season to reach their 11th NCAA regional all-time and their 10th in the last 12 years.
 
Fort Hays State reached the 20-win plateau for the 15th-consecutive season last year, the longest active streak in Division II and the fourth-longest across all levels of NCAA women's basketball.
 
FHSU has been in the top five of the preseason coaches poll each of the last 15 years. This is the eighth time the Tigers have been picked in the top two of the preseason coaches poll during that span.
 
Talia Kahrs enters her fourth year as head coach at Fort Hays State with a career record of 78-18 after helping the Tigers to the NCAA Central Region Semifinals and at least 25 wins each of the last three seasons.
 
Kahrs returns eight players from last season while adding five newcomers, including three freshmen and two transfers. Returners include third team All-MIAA pick Olivia Mortensen, TiAna Davis, Avery Lowe, Callie Ott, Mikayla Pilley, Maddy Powell, Kaitlin Schumann and Izzy Spagnoletti. Newcomers include transfers Kenlee Durrill from the University of the Pacific and Nia McKenzie from Washburn and freshmen Arika Feldman, Kailyn Hanni and Hadley Walsh.
 
Defending regular season champion Central Missouri occupied the top spot in both polls, picking up 10 of 14 first-place votes in the coaches poll and 16 of 30 top selections in the media poll.
 
The Tigers will open the regular season at home when they host Tabor on Monday, November 9. FHSU will then play its first of 22 regular season conference contests on Thursday, December 3 when the Tigers host Arkansas-Fort Smith. Both of those games are slated to begin at 5:30 p.m.
 
WOMEN'S PRESEASON COACHES POLL:
1. Central Missouri [10] – 163 points
2. Fort Hays State [1] – 147 points
3. Missouri Southern [1] – 143 points
4. Northwest Missouri – 120 points
5. Washburn [1] – 113 points
6. Pittsburg State – 108 points
7. Missouri Western [1] – 107 points
8. Nebraska Kearney – 93 points
9. Northeastern State – 91 points
10. Emporia State – 56 points
11. Central Oklahoma – 53 points
12. Rogers State – 35 points
13. Arkansas-Fort Smith – 28 points
14. Newman – 17 points
[#] - First Place Votes
 
WOMEN'S PRESEASON MEDIA POLL:
1. Central Missouri [16] – 372 points
2. Fort Hays State [13] – 355 points
3. Missouri Southern – 325 points
4. Washburn [1] – 298 points
5. Pittsburg State – 281 points
6. Northwest Missouri – 245 points
7. Missouri Western – 204 points
8. Northeastern State – 201 points
9. Emporia State – 171 points
10. Nebraska Kearney – 149 points
11. Central Oklahoma – 122 points
12. Rogers State – 109 points
13. Arkansas-Fort Smith – 75 points
14. Newman – 33 points
[#] - First Place Votes