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Sports | 1117

SPORTS

Grass installation a grueling process

Ben Landes
August 24, 2002

Sean McCarvel watched curiously as a tractor pulling two trailers loaded with grass modules growled by in early June.Onlookers had to gaze through the dark, long and narrow tunnel at the field entrance of Spartan Stadium in hope of catching a small glimpse of the new grass installation, which created MSU’s first grass football field since 1968.Tractors dropped off their loads every 10 minutes and got back on the road just as another rig pulled in.“I think it’s great - great for the players and great for the university,” 1993 graduate McCarvel said.

SPORTS

Athletes look forward to changes

Kristofer Karol
August 24, 2002

Every gameday for the last several years, MSU field hockey head coach Michele Madison feared for her athletes becoming victims of the cold, friction-filled ground of Spartan Stadium.But because of the installation of a new irrigated field that the team will play on this upcoming season, that fear is slowly running by Madison and her team.

SPORTS

Undergoing changes at the top

The 23-year professional relationship between former athletics director Clarence Underwood and MSU officially ended June 30 as his contract expired.Unlike his predecessors, Underwood, 68, left the department quietly - the same manner in which he achieved success.

SPORTS

Facilities provide outlet for all athletic interests

Dawn Klemish
August 24, 2002

You’re far away from home, you know no one and you have to walk everywhere. You’ve traded in the convenience of your car for your two feet - ah yes, it’s here, your first week of college. Instead of sitting in the dorm room and playing video games, you could get out and meet some people and get some exercise at the same time. Eighty-six percent of students and faculty have used IM services at one time or another during the year, and with its wide-range of activities from swimming classes to wallyball, it’s not hard to see why these buildings are such a popular hang out. “I usually went to (IM-Sports) West to play basketball and work out in the weight room,” said Al Harris, a former MSU student and current hospitality management junior at Morgan State University in Maryland.

SPORTS

Couple goes crazy over Nuts

Dawn Klemish
August 24, 2002

Elsie - Doris Hyland only gave birth to two children, but 28 call her mom.Doris, her husband, Jim Hyland, and their dog, Huey, are as much a part of the Lansing Lugnuts as the 26 athletes on the team’s roster.The six-year season-ticket-holders make a 40-mile trip from their home in Elsie each game to provide the Lansing squad with a source of positive influence and an ever-optimistic fan base.The Hylands have assumed the role of surrogate parents to a group of men that are sometimes farther away from home than they’ve ever been.

SPORTS

Team looks to follow up winning season

Benita Mehta
August 24, 2002

One of our university’s lesser-known sports teams has become one of its most successful, as MSU won the 2001 Big Ten Championship in field hockey. “It was huge winning the Big Ten,” head coach Michele Madison said.

ICE HOCKEY

Long-time coach takes over as director

Andrew Fifer
August 24, 2002

The waters have calmed, the ship has been righted and now there’s a new captain. MSU athletics director Ron Mason has taken the controls of MSU sports, and said he doesn’t expect a lot of change. Mason officially took over duties of the department July 1, after former athletics director Clarence Underwood ended his 23 years of work with MSU, with more than three years spent at the helm of MSU sports. Despite some tumultuous times, Mason and others credit Underwood with bringing unity and direction to the athletics department. “I’m not coming in here with any grand plan,” Mason said.

SPORTS

Lugnuts manager leads unpredictable life

Andrew Fifer
August 24, 2002

Every time the Lansing Lugnuts players step on the field it’s like a job interview for the Major Leagues. Each player hopes something they do during the game catches the watchful eye of a scout, and helps them navigate throught the Chicago Cubs farm system. It’s like the longest interviewing process a person could imagine.

ICE HOCKEY

Goalie ready for ice action

James Jahnke
August 24, 2002

If senior goaltender Ryan Miller leaves school early - and that’s still an “if” at this point - Spartan fans probably will be a little worried about MSU’s last line of defense.After all, Miller has been the epitome of excellence and durability in his three-year MSU career.

SPORTS

Get off your hiney, sign up for IM sports

Hola, estudiantes del compañero. Don’t mind that, I just felt the need to greet you all in Spanish. Anyway, another school year is upon us and, unfortunately, there is no way to squeeze a few more weeks out of the summer. The pain is here. Coming back to campus means being forced to adapt to and observe a lot of new stuff, including classes, classmates, professors and, in the dorms, new floormates. But as much as we all hate to be in school again, there are some things that make semesters worthwhile.

SPORTS

Spartans expected to be near leagues top

Andrew Fifer
August 24, 2002

Chicago - Although record-breaking wide receivers instead of smash-mouth running backs are receiving most of the preseason hype, the media seem to think the conference will return to the “Big Two, Little Eight” days of the Big Ten.The league’s preseason poll, released at the 31st annual Big Ten Conference Kickoff Luncheon in July, tabbed Michigan and Ohio State to finish first and second, respectively, in the Big Ten football standings.

SPORTS

Spartans have high hopes

Chicago - As the Big Ten Football Kickoff Luncheon wrapped up, one thing was clear: The Spartans are a fixture on everyone’s radar screen. The media picked MSU to finish third in the conference and named junior wide receiver Charles Rogers the preseason Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year.

SPORTS

Foreign tours begin with 108-52 victory

Antonio Planas
August 12, 2002

The Big Ten Men’s Basketball Foreign Tour Team easily won its opening game against Germany’s Tus Treis-Karden on Saturday, 108-52. MSU sophomore guard Chris Hill scored 10 points and was one of six Big Ten players scoring in double digits.

ICE HOCKEY

Gambling man, Miller refuses to reveal hand

James Jahnke
August 7, 2002

If Hollywood ever makes a sequel to the gambling flick “Rounders,” I would vote for Ryan Miller to replace Matt Damon as the lead actor. First of all, having someone with Miller’s wiry stature succeed on the big screen would give hopes of stardom to all skinny kids - like me, Mike Chappell and Grover from “Sesame Street.” But I digress. On a more “serious” note, I’d endorse Miller for the role because he’s got a great poker face.