"Winter sports have been thriving all season, and this past weekend was a testament to that." Assistant AD and Business Development and NIL Strategy Darien Harris said.

Gymnastics comes out victorious against U of M in Breslin

MSU’s gymnastics team has had a prosperous season and is now ranked No. 4 nationally and No. 1 in the Big Ten after its victory against the University of Michigan. The crowd consisted of 6,251 attendees, a program record.

They defeated the Wolverines in all events except for beam. The Spartans set themselves up for success, leading U of M throughout the meet. With a score of 49.325 on the bars, MSU continued to compete strongly and ultimately seal the winning result.

Despite the Wolverines’ success on the beam, MSU still extended the lead with a 49.325 and took the win with a season-high score on floor of 49.500.

"They're looking at a three-peat of course, but also, national title aspirations," Harris said. "This definitely gets them moving in that direction, but I'm sure they're not satisfied just yet."

The team will take on Ohio State in Columbus on Friday, Jan. 24 at 6:30 p.m.

Hockey wins second game against U of M in two-game series

Ranked No. 1, Michigan State hockey faced rival Michigan in a two-game series Friday and Saturday, suffering their third loss of the season with a 3-2 overtime defeat Friday in Ann Arbor.

Joey Larson broke the deadlock to give MSU the lead, but Michigan responded, with TJ Hughes tying the game at 2-2 with five minutes left in regulation.

The Wolverines outshot the Spartans 13-10 in the third, maintaining pressure. In overtime, their second attempt found the net, securing the victory.

The series shifted to East Lansing on Saturday, where the Spartans rebounded with a dominant 4-1 win. Junior forward Charlie Stramel scored back-to-back goals to position the team for success. Special teams proved decisive, who set up Stramel’s one-timer for a 4-0 lead.

Michigan avoided the shutout late, as sophomore Evan Werner’s shot deflected off junior TJ Hughes for the Wolverines’ lone goal, ending the game 4-1.

"I think anytime you have an opportunity to get a win over a rival, it's important to the program, the history, and tradition," Harris said. "It's just what makes college sports great."

Hockey will take on Minnesota on Friday, Jan. 24 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Jan. 25 at 6 p.m. for their two-game series at Munn Ice arena.

Men’s basketball narrowly defeats Illinois 80-78

“Just another day in paradise, I guess,” head coach Tom Izzo said post-game. “I hope our fans appreciate one of the better games.”

On Sunday, January 19, men’s basketball faced off against Illinois at the Breslin Center and won 80-78. The Spartans now stand at No. 8 in the AP rankings and are No. 1 in the Big Ten.

The fighting Illini led the Spartans for the majority of the first half, but before the half ended, Jaxon Kohler tipped in one of Jeremy Fears' missed layups, and the score stood at 36-36.

The Spartans pulled away from their opponents when Fears had another fast break to set the score at 65-59.

Despite a layup from Illinois' Kylan Boswell with a minute left, junior guard Tre Holloman came in clutch, making two free throws. When the dust settled, the Spartans came out victorious.

Holloman scored a team-high of seventeen points, with help from sophomore forward Coen Carr and senior forward Frankie Fidler who each had eleven points.

Looking to continue their 11-game unbeaten streak, the team will head to New York to take on Rutgers on Saturday, Jan. 25 at 1:30 p.m.

Women’s Basketball completes Illinois triumph with a win of 86-68.

After the men’s basketball team defeated Illinois earlier in the afternoon on Sunday, the women’s basketball team kept the Spartans’ athletics momentum going at the State Farm Center.

In contrast from the men's team, the Spartans led Illinois all game and took their double-digit lead, 32-22 in the second quarter. At the half, the Spartans led 43-34 after junior forward Grace Vanslooten made two free throws.

The Spartans continued to widen their lead in the fourth quarter following some of Junior guard Theryn Hallock’s fast breaks, and they took their victory to continue the basketball program’s success.

Hallock broke her previous career high of 24 points against Purdue and went on to score 26 points against the Fighting Illini, 17 of them being in the fourth quarter. Grace Vanslooten added 24 points, 16 of them being the first half to lead the Spartans to victory.

Women's basketball will play next on Wednesday, Jan. 22 at 6:30 p.m. against Penn State at Breslin.

Men’s Tennis takes home three wins over the course of two days

Kentucky upset

Men’s tennis achieved a historic victory on Friday with their highest-ranked win, upsetting Kentucky in the first-ever top-25 matchup at MSU’s indoor tennis center.

The Spartans opened strong in doubles, with sophomore Taym Alazmeh and freshman Danial Rakhmatullayev setting the tone for junior Ozan Baris and freshman Vuk Radjenovic, who clinched the doubles point. With the point secured, the match between Nicklas Forbes and JJ Sheldon ended unfinished at 5-4.

The Spartans carried momentum in both their doubles and singles. Sheldon secured the first victory, followed by Baris and junior Aristotelis Thanos, clinching the team’s win. Though the outcome was decided, Forbes fell to Jack Loutit, and Radjenovic lost to Eli Stephenson.

Vanderbilt

On Sunday, the Spartans capped their home opener with a doubleheader against Vanderbilt and Western Michigan, completing the weekend 3-0.

Against Vanderbilt, MSU started slowly in doubles, losing the first two matches, leaving Forbes and Sheldon’s match unfinished.

In singles, Forbes won by forfeit due to injury, Alazmeh defeated Pablo Martinez, and Rakhmatullayev battled past Henry Ruger. Thanos sealed the team's win, beating Danil Panarin 7-6 (7-5), 6-1. Baris won his singles match, while Radjenovic fell to Michael Ross.

Western Michigan

In their second match Sunday, MSU faced Western Michigan. For the first time in their collegiate careers, the two brothers, senior Max and freshman Mitchell Sheldon, teamed up as doubles partners, securing a pivotal 6-4 win. Baris and Thanos won their match, but Forbes and Alazmeh were defeated.

In singles, senior Josh Portnoy started strong, followed by a win from David Saye. With the victory secured, Max Sheldon defeated Broncos Anton Arzhankin, while Radjenovic’s final match ended in a Broncos victory.

As men’s tennis begins to see the most success they’ve seen in their program over the years, more teams will be willing to travel to play MSU.

“If you’re highly ranked, more teams are going to come play you, because they know on the backend, you’ll go play at their place,” head coach Harry Jadun said post-match-up. “It’s a little bit like finding a dance to prom.”

Men’s tennis will have its next match against Liberty in Fort Worth, Texas on Saturday, Jan. 25 at 11 a.m.

Women’s tennis

Women’s tennis headed to Spokane Washington where they were taken down by the Washington State Cougars.

The first two pairs in the doubles matches were taken down with juniors Issey Purser and Oriana Parkins-Godwin and junior Matilde Morais and redshirt freshman Hanna Tsitavets both losing, and the final match went unfinished.

In the singles matches, the only Spartan to secure a win was Morais, winning 6-3, 6-3, and the match ended with MSU losing 6-1.

Women's Tennis will continue their series in a doubleheader this Saturday against both Xavier and West Virginia. The teams will face off Friday, Jan. 24 at 5 p.m. in East Lansing.

Wrestling’s first home dual victory

The Spartans managed to defeat Buffalo 25-13 in Jenison fieldhouse after being down by nine and eventually responding with five consecutive wins.

The dual started at 149 pounds with three wins by Buffalo in a row. Down 9-0, Redshirt sophomore Ceasar Garza secured a hard-fought victory in the 174-pound weight class.

Later, redshirt freshman Remy Cotton locked a win in the 197-pound class and the victories kept coming.

Max Vanadia added to the Spartans’ success with some bonus points in the second period, while freshman Caleb Weiand took a 2-1 victory after his opponent was penalized for stalling late. 

Wrestling will have its next match against Indiana in East Lansingz on Friday, Jan. 24 at 7 p.m.

Track-and-Field snags 14 titles

Michigan State’s track and field team competed in a split weekend meet, with athletes participating in events at multiple locations to maximize competitive opportunities.

They went home with 14 titles, yet fell to rival Wolverines, with men’s track obtaining second place at 102.5 points, falling behind U of M, who tallied 105.5. Women’s track and field also took home second place at 109 points behind the Wolverines, who won with 126 points.

At the Simmons-Harvey Invitational, Michigan State’s men’s and women’s track and field teams delivered standout performances.

Senior Logan Allen dominated the 60m dash and 60m hurdles, while senior Noah Sage set a new meet record in the 400m dash with a time of 46.86. Junior Colby Morlock secured a victory in men’s shot put with a throw of 18.49m.

On the women’s side, senior Kate Stewart-Barnett claimed the 800m win and senior Olivia Millen took first place in the mile. In field events, senior Elle Adrian earned her first title in throws, setting a personal record. Junior Sophia Mettes won the pole vault. Leila Barmore also excelled, finishing first in the triple jump.

At the GVSU Bob Eubanks Open, sophomore Melanie Macias set a personal record of 1:37.25 winning the women’s 600m. Graduate student Nathan Larson claimed victory in the 3000m with a PR of 8:24.23, while junior Owen Gilbert topped the 800m with a time of 1:54.25.

On Friday, the track and field team will head to Indianapolis through Saturday for the Crossroads of American Invitational.

"I think it [the wins] impacts a lot," Harris said, "Especially early on, you get an opportunity to kind of make a name for yourself in the polls." 

The Spartan teams will continue to compete throughout the season and hope to use the momentum they’ve gained to propel them forward.