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Sports | 1000

SPORTS

Spartan walk-on players feel fortunate for a chance to play in Big Ten

Tim Mosley
February 21, 2001

They don’t receive much playing time, if they get any at all.They didn’t earn scholarships, instead applying for financial aid like most other college students.They weren’t even known to all the players on the team.They are walk-ons; players not recruited by college coaches, but who have the ambition and skill to secure themselves a position on the team.And while most will never know the glory of throwing a game winning touchdown, as South Carolina Gamecock Erik Kimrey did in 1999 as a walk-on quarterback, or recording a last second sack as Notre Dame walk-on Daniel Ruettiger - a.k.a.

SPORTS

Freshman jumps to new heights

Krista Latham
February 21, 2001

MSU women’s basketball freshman forward Julie Pagel isn’t used to losing. The former star of the 1999 Utica high school girls’ basketball team went 27-0 last year, leading her team to a state championship.

SPORTS

Hockey team maintains top ranking, raises money for kids

James Jahnke
February 21, 2001

Despite a 4-3-0 record in its last seven games, the MSU hockey team is the top-ranked squad in the land for the 15th straight week.The Spartans (25-4-4 overall, 18-4-3 CCHA) garnered 32 of 40 first-place votes in the USCHO.com poll and 15 of 18 in this week’s USA Today rankings.

SPORTS

W-hoops lose over weekend

Krista Latham
February 19, 2001

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - A touch more of offensive prowess would have been a blessing for the MSU women’s basketball team Sunday. Its defensive know-how kept the team on top most of the game against Illinois, but a late-game dip in offense let the Fighting Illini break away with a 52-50 win.

SPORTS

Special teams important in win

James Jahnke
February 19, 2001

DETROIT - When two teams are as evenly matched as No. 1 MSU and No. 5 Michigan, whichever team has the better special teams usually wins. Saturday night at Joe Louis Arena, the Spartans got that spark. MSU tallied three special teams goals - two on the power play and one shorthanded - in its 4-2 victory over archrival U-M, after both the power play and penalty killing units had struggled recently. Junior right wing Adam Hall did most of the damage, notching the shorthanded marker and one of the power play goals, to boost his season total to 15. “Power play is one of those things you can’t force, sometimes it’s there and sometimes it’s not,” Hall said.

SPORTS

Womens gold begins season

Keith Dunlap
February 16, 2001

The MSU women’s golf team opened its spring season by finishing 16th out of 18 teams after Wednesday’s final round of the TRW Regional Challenge in Palos Verdes Estates, Calif., according to MSU Sports Information. The competition was stiff for the Spartans, as the three-day tournament featured 15 teams ranked in the top 25. MSU, which was ranked 25th by www.golfstat.com entering the tournament, finished with a final team score of 941 - 57 strokes behind tournament winner and No.

SPORTS

Assistant coach enjoys opportunity

Leslie Escobar
February 16, 2001

Daune Koester calls her new position as assistant coach of the MSU women’s volleyball team an “awesome opportunity.” The 26-year-old Detroit native said though she has had many years of volleyball experience, this will be a new one. “I’ve never been this excited about working - it’s a great job and a great conference,” she said. Koester, hired this month, replaced former assistant coach Laura Abbinante and joins head coach Chuck Erbe and first assistant Todd Dagenais.

SPORTS

Evans will be tough rebound competition

Eric Mckinney
February 16, 2001

As a senior at Woodham high school in Pensacola, Florida no one gave Reggie Evans a second glance, but as the nation’s leading rebounder the junior is regarded as one of Division I’s best forwards.“Coming out of high school I didn’t get any scholarship offers at all,” Evans said of Division I programs.

SPORTS

W-hoops eye potential victory over Wildcats

Krista Latham
February 15, 2001

A mid-season turnaround could start tonight as the women’s basketball team travels to Evanston, Ill., to face Big Ten doormat Northwestern at 8:00 p.m.Although the Spartans (8-15 overall, 2-10 Big Ten) have lost their last nine games, their play in the two most recent games was dramatically improved, and head coach Joanne P.

SPORTS

Despite team loss, two wrestlers win

Keith Dunlap
February 15, 2001

There’s an old saying that there’s no “I” in “team,” but that still didn’t diminish the accomplishments of two MSU wrestlers last weekend during two tough losses.The first big performance came in a 32-3 loss to top-ranked Minnesota on Friday, as senior Pat McNamara defeated third-ranked Brett Lawrence 6-0 in the 133 pound weight class.The victory pushed McNamara from sixth to fourth in the www.intermatwrestle.com rankings at 133 pounds.Sophomore Karl Nadolsky followed that up with a 5-3 upset over fifth-ranked Mike Zadick of Iowa at 149 pounds during the third-ranked Hawkeyes’ 31-9 win over the Spartans on Sunday.Friday’s match against Lawrence was a homecoming for McNamara, who is a native of Jordan, Minn.“It’s nice to go home and win in front of your family and friends - I enjoyed that part of the weekend,” he said.

SPORTS

Miller to chat on ESPN.com

James Jahnke
February 15, 2001

Record-breaking MSU goaltender Ryan Miller will participate in a chat on ESPN.com today at 2 p.m. Fans can ask the sophomore questions by clicking on the “chat” link at the top of the ESPN.com main page or a link on the front page of msuspartans.com. Miller broke the 70-year-old NCAA record for career shutouts with his 17th against Alaska-Fairbanks last Saturday.

SPORTS

Chappell diversifies game

Eric Mckinney
February 15, 2001

As a shooter, when your shot doesn’t fall, life can be tough. And senior forward Mike Chappell knows that feeling well.When Chappell transferred to MSU after his sophomore year at Duke in 1998, Spartan fans and coaches thought he’d become the three-point specialist the team lacked, but that never materialized.“It’s been a struggle for him.