Indianapolis - The roars rang through Conseco Fieldhouse from the hundreds of MSU fans, as Big Ten Conference Commissioner Jim Delany announced the first-ever Big Ten Tournament Championship to the MSU women's basketball team. Among those fans yelling and screaming was the Fast Break Club, a sponsored group that came to Indianapolis hoping to see a Big Ten Tournament title run by the No.
Junior forward Chad Hontvet picked the perfect time to score the first two goals of his college career and lead the MSU hockey team to a 2-1 decision over Miami (Ohio) on Friday in game one of the first-round CCHA playoffs.
Chicago - Missed free throws once again led to MSU's demise, but this time it had bigger consequences.
Lansing - Senior captain Jim Slater scored a hat trick of awards Monday at the MSU Hockey Banquet when he was awarded the Outstanding Senior, Amo Bessone, and Most Valuable Player awards.
South Bend, Ind. - Power play goals from senior captain Jim Slater and freshman forward Jim McKenzie were enough for the MSU hockey team to edge Notre Dame, 2-1, on Saturday completing its first series sweep since early November, and solidifying home ice for the first-round CCHA playoffs.
MSU football head coach John L. Smith named former Jacksonville Jaguars defensive line coach Lucious Selmon as his defensive line coach Saturday.
The No. 20 MSU wrestling team will head to Iowa this weekend, facing some stiff competition in the 2005 Big Ten Championships, hosted by Iowa. The Spartans will have their work cut out for them, with eight Big Ten schools ranked in front of the Spartans. MSU (7-6-1 overall, 4-3-1 Big Ten) faces another setback as it will be without 184-pound redshirt freshman Joe Williams, due to a nagging knee injury. "He's probably going to have surgery in another week or so," MSU head coach Tom Minkel said.
When Troy Ferguson skated in green and white from 1999 to 2003, Munn Ice Arena was in the midst of a record sell-out streak, packing people into the arena to create one of the best atmospheres in college hockey. "When I played, the crowd was good," Ferguson said.
On a night where seven seniors were formally honored, senior captain Jim Slater who stole the show, posting three points, including the game-winning goal in the 3-2 come-from-behind win over Notre Dame.
The junior was named the Big Ten Wrestler of the Week after pummeling Oklahoma's Brad Martens 18-5 on Friday to improve his 2004-05 record to 16-5. The State News: How do you feel you've been wrestling recently? Boudro: Real good.
Senior captain Jim Slater joked that if not for his teammates, he wouldn't have any friends. Slater, along with six others who have dedicated significant time and effort to MSU hockey, will formally say goodbye Friday at Senior Night. Slater, Kevin Estrada, Ash Goldie, Mike Lalonde, Matt Migliaccio, Adam Nightingale and Rod Tocco will take the traditional lap around Munn Ice Arena before the Spartans play host to Notre Dame at 7:05 p.m. The seniors will be honored for their dedication to MSU hockey and also will take time to briefly reflect on their hockey careers and the friendships they made along the way. "These guys in my class are my best friends here now, and I hope for the most part we at least stay in touch," Lalonde said. Lalonde and Estrada even have plans of starting their own hunting and fishing business sometime down the road in Canada. "We've talked about getting together a fishing-hunting type, lodge-type system where we take people out and guide them around the province in (British Columbia), maybe even in Alberta to go hunting and fishing," Lalonde said. The seniors all agree the past four years have gone by quickly. "I knew I was coming to one of the better programs in the country for hockey as well as educational purposes," Goldie said of his expectations for the MSU hockey system. "It's a great experience.
Evanston, Ill. - It's hard to believe that MSU junior guard Maurice Ager would have another huge scoring game against Northwestern. But after the Wildcats cut an 18-point deficit to five points late in the game, Ager was there to stop them.
MSU head coach Tom Izzo picked Northwestern as his sleeper team this year in the Big Ten. Although the Wildcats (14-13 overall, 6-8 Big Ten) have struggled with injuries and chemistry, they still are fighting for an NIT spot. "We've been hit by injuries and a lot of other things," Northwestern head coach Bill Carmody said.
MSU head coach Joanne P. McCallie shared the honor of Big Ten Coach of the Year after she led her team to a record of 25-3, an MSU record for wins. She was named Coach of the Year by the media and Ohio State head coach Jim Foster was named Coach of the Year by the coaches. "The Coach of the Year award is really a program of the year award," McCallie said.
The MSU men's track and field team placed ninth in the Big Ten Indoor Championships this weekend. Wisconsin won the indoor title with 144.5 points, and Indiana came in second with 105.5.
Tim Bograkos always has been a favorite of MSU head coach Tom Izzo. But lately, the senior guard has been garnering even more praise from his coach for his hard work and determination. "He's probably the hardest working, toughest player that we've got the last three or four years," Izzo said.
MSU head football coach John L. Smith lost yet another assistant coach to a rival Big Ten school. Defensive backs coach Paul Haynes was hired by Ohio State, he confirmed Monday. Haynes joins running backs coach Reggie Mitchell and defensive line coach Steve Stripling as assistants who have left the Spartans in the past few months. Haynes, a Columbus native, said the opportunity to move back to his roots was the only major factor in his decision. "It's home for me," Haynes said.
The MSU women's track and field team came in sixth place at the Big Ten Indoor Championships in Ann Arbor. Michigan finished first, and Illinois and Minnesota were second and third place, respectively. Sophomore Cynetheia Rooks had an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 54.25 in the 400-meter dash, an event she also won.
Bloomington, Ind. - MSU head coach Tom Izzo wouldn't suggest to anyone in the world to play the type of schedule his team did last year. After playing Kansas, Duke, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Syracuse and UCLA in the nonconference conference, the Spartans lost all six games heading into the Big Ten. But although the schedule stripped his team of a lot of confidence, Izzo suggested that the experience of tough, close games would help MSU. That's one reason that Izzo knew Sunday's game against Indiana, an NCAA Tournament bubble team, would be a nail-biter. "Indiana is a good enough team.
The Izzone student section's ritual when the opposing team's players are being introduced before a game is to hold up newspapers and yell, "Who cares?" But before Thursday's game against Wisconsin, the chant was somewhat subdued. Everyone in the building cared about this game.