Lehman Player of the Year, Hobson Coach of the Year; Tigers garner several All-MIAA nods

Fort Hays State senior Kate Lehman has been named the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association Player and Defensive Player of the Year, head coach Tony Hobson earned Coach of the Year honors and four other Tigers were named to the All-MIAA teams, announced Tuesday by the conference office.

Lehman was named to the All-MIAA First Team and All-Defensive Team, while Beth Bohuslavsy was picked to the third team and Jill Faxon and Keriann Shaw were tabbed honorable mention. Shaw also joined Lehman on the MIAA All-Defensive Team. Lehman has been picked first team the previous three seasons, all-defensive in all four years at FHSU and is now the three-time defending MIAA Defensive Player of the Year. Bohuslavsky repeated as well on the list, earning All-MIAA honorable mention honors last season. The five all-conference individual selections is the most for FHSU since joining the MIAA and the most since 2000-01 when five Tigers were picked to the All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference teams.

Lehman has been one of the top players in the nation this season, leading the team to a 26-2 overall record and 18-1 league mark. The Newton, Kan., native leaves FHSU with 19.2 points, 10.3 rebounds and 4.3 blocks per game. She has scored double figures 25 times this season and has recorded 16 double doubles, adding to her career total of 53. She also has one triple double this season and three in her career. Additionally, Lehman finished the regular season in the Top 2 for six different categories, including field goal percentage (first), blocked shots (first), offensive rebounds (first), scoring (second), rebounds (second) and defensive rebounds (second). Lehman has been the team’s leading scorer in 21 games and the leading rebounder in 24 games, reaching the 20-point margin in 12 contests. At the national level, Lehman ranks second all-time in NCAA Division II career blocks (495) is on pace to become the first player in at that level to reach 1,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 500 blocks for a career. This is the fifth All-MIAA first team selection for FHSU (with Lehman owning three of them).

Bohuslavsky has served as the Tigers’ floor-general all season, starting all but one game at point guard for the squad. The Dwight, Neb., native ranks seventh nationally and second in the MIAA with a 2.5 assist-to-turnover ratio, dishing out 3.8 assists per game this season. On the offensive end, Bohuslavsky ranks fourth on the team with 8.9 points per game and has reached double figures nine different times this year, including a career-best 25-point effort against Washburn on Feb. 18. The guard leads FHSU with 103 assists this season and has grabbed four rebounds per game.

Faxon is one of the Tigers’ sharpshooters this season, hitting 37 three-point field goals at a rate of 41.6 percent. The sophomore guard is averaging 9.6 points and 3.3 rebounds per game, ranking third on the team in scoring. Faxon has started 10 games and been a key reserve for the Tigers in 17 others, playing an average of 22.6 minutes each night. 13 games have seen Faxon reach double figures and the Beatrice, Neb., native enters postseason play with double-digit scoring efforts in four of the previous five games. The All-MIAA award is the first for Faxon’s career.

Shaw has developed a reputation as one of the toughest defenders in the league and now has the hardware to represent, being picked to the All-Defensive team with overall honorable mention honors for her senior season. Shaw is one of the key reasons FHSU’s defensive is ranked second nationally and first in the MIAA at 54.3 points per game. On the floor, FHSU is ranked fifth nationally in field goal defense (33.9 percent) and second in the MIAA. Statistically, the Deweese, Neb., product has 24 steals on the year and is second on the team with seven rebounds on average, passing the 500 career rebounding mark last month. These are the first all-conference honors for Shaw.

In his seventh season at the helm of the Tigers, Hobson’s squad has seen it success grow yearly into the 2014-15 campaign. FHSU has already set a new program record for wins in its NCAA Division II era (26), put together the second longest win streak in program history (21), set a school record for MIAA wins (18) while tying the conferences’ win mark – previously set by Washburn in 2011-12.

Hobson’s squad has been recognized nationally this season, holding a top five ranking in three polls – the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association/USA Today Top 25, Massey Ratings and BennettRank. The Tigers have been slotted No. 1 in the first two NCAA Central Region rankings this season and head into postseason winning their first ever outright conference title at the NCAA Division II level. This is Hobson’s first MIAA coaching honor and his 11th Coach of the Year honor for his career. Hobson was named the NAIA National Coach of the Year three times and the GPAC Coach of the Year twice while at Hastings College, in addition to other nods.

The Tigers will look to reach the MIAA semifinals for the third consecutive season as they enter the MIAA Tournament on Friday. FHSU will take on the winner of the Washburn-Northeastern State game on Friday, March 6 at 12 p.m., at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo.