Spring break wasn’t much of a reason to celebrate for the MSU wrestling squad, as it finished seventh at the Big Ten championships held March 3-5 in Evanston, Ill., according to MSU’s sports information department.
Six Spartans qualified for the NCAA championships this weekend in Iowa by finishing in the top seven in their weight class.
Junior 125-pound grappler Chris Williams and senior 133-pounder Pat McNamara were MSU’s top finishers, each placing third in their respective weight classes.
Senior Mike Castillo (5th at 141 pounds), sophomore Gray Maynard (4th at 157 pounds), sophomore Karl Nadolsky (6th at 149 pounds) and sophomore Nik Fekete (8th at 197 pounds) are the other Spartan grapplers heading to Iowa.
Even though Fekete failed to finish in the top seven at 197 pounds, he was given one of the Big Ten’s two at-large berths to the NCAA Tournament.
Head Coach Tom Minkel called the Spartans performance at the meet “disappointing.”
“We weren’t quite as fresh as we’d hope we’d be at the meet,” he said.
Minkel said he hopes the six MSU wrestlers who qualified for the NCAA championships can regroup in time for the meet, which will be held in Iowa City, Iowa from Thursday through Saturday.
“Now it’s just a time of getting rested and recovered for the environment we’re about to face,” he said.
Baseball
The only thing hotter than the tropical spring break destinations of many MSU students this past week is the MSU baseball team.
After getting swept in a three-game series last weekend at Florida State to drop to 0-5, the Spartans have reeled off six straight wins to climb over the .500 mark, according to MSU sports information. The latest victory was a 5-2 triumph over LaSalle on Saturday in Boca Raton, Fla..
Sophomore Bob Malek paced the Spartans attack by going 4-4 and driving in two runs. Malek is currently on an 11-game hitting streak.
Senior tri-captain Rick Court also drove in two runs with a double in the fourth inning. Sophomore Ryan Golem gave up two runs and five hits in six innings to pick up the victory and up his record to 2-0 on the season.
The Spartans will next travel to Athens, Ohio, for a three game series against Ohio University this weekend.
Softball
MSU lost 3-0 to Boston University on Sunday in Tampa, Fla. The loss dropped the Spartans to 4-16 overall.
Sophomore Lacy Hauxhurst and freshman Jessica Beech each went 2-3 in a losing effort.
MSU will next play in the San Diego University Tournament in San Diego, Calif., on March 16 and 17.
Men’s track
At the NCAA Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Ark., two Spartans placed in the top ten in their respective events.
Sophomore Steve Manz finished 10th in the shotput event with a toss of 59’ 10 1/4”, while senior Paul Terek earned all-American status with an eighth place finish in the pole vault with a jump of 17’ 7 3/4.”
The Spartans will start their outdoor track season March 24-25 at the Alabama Relays in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Men’s gymnastics
In their last ever meet at Jenison Field House, the Spartans scored a season high total of 214.450 points to defeat Iowa (211.20) and Michigan (177.750) on Saturday.
The men’s gymnastics program is being cut by the athletic department after this year, so it was the last home performance for the team.
Junior Jon Plante led the way for the Spartans by finishing first in the all-around competition (53.700), the pommel horse (9.700) and on the high bar (8.850). He also tied for first on the parallel bars with senior Tommy Housley with a score of 8.850.
Sophomore Brad Golden finished first on the floor exercise with a score of 9.350, and won the vault with a score of 9.200. He also finished third to Housley and Plante on the parallel bars with a score of 8.750. The Spartans will next face Penn State on Saturday at State College, Penn.
Women’s gymnastics
The Spartans welcomed top ranked UCLA to Jenison Field House on Sunday, losing to the Bruins 195.475-194.000.
Junior Jane McIntosh highlighted the Spartans performance by winning the balance beam with a score of 9.926, and tying sophomore teammate Christy Linder for first place on the floor exercise with a score of 9.900.
MSU was coming off a loss at Louisiana State on Friday only to have the Bruins, a team with four Olympians on their roster, waiting for them.Head coach Kathie Klages said she was happy to have UCLA come to town even though they rested some of their top performers.
MSU will host Missouri on Saturday.
Women’s tennis
The Spartans posted a 5-2 win on Thursday over Florida A&M in Tallahassee, Fla. MSU won four of the six singles matches and two of the three doubles matches to take the win.
Freshman Trine Lise Juliussen led the way for MSU by winning both her singles and doubles matches. The Spartans face Big Ten rival Minnesota in Minneapolis on March 23.
Women’s swimming
Big Ten champion divers Carly Weiden and Summer Mitchell both qualified for the NCAA championships - to be held in two weeks - at a regional qualifier in Bloomington, Ind., on March 10.
Mitchell, a sophomore who won the Big Ten title on the 1-meter dive, qualified for the same event at the NCAA meet by finishing third at last weekend’s qualifying meet.
Weiden, a junior who won the Big Ten title in the 3-meter dive, finished fifth at the qualifying meet on the 1 meter event and fourth at 3 meters, qualifying her for both events at the NCAA championships.
The top five divers in both events qualified for the NCAA meet.
Mitchell barely missed out on qualifying for the 3-meter event at the NCAA meet, finishing sixth in the qualifying meet.
The NCAA championships will be held in College Station, Texas, on March 24-25.
