MSU’s wrestling squad landed its third recruit from the area, when Mason’s Tony Greathouse verbally committed to the Spartans on Monday.Greathouse - No.
Reporters weren’t asking Joe Goodenow the questions he expected to hear in his first three seasons at MSU.Instead of queries about hat tricks, tape-to-tape passes or bone-rattling body checks, Goodenow has had to explain separated shoulders and groin pulls.Those are certainly not the topics the 5-foot-10, 196-pound Toronto native wants to be synonymous with his collegiate career.“The last four years have really been a struggle to be healthy,” said Goodenow, a senior left wing and center.
Champaign, Ill. - Unforced errors cost the Spartan volleyball team a perfect weekend, as it settled for a split after Illinois swept MSU 3-0 in Champaign, Ill., on Saturday.The Illini handled the Spartans for all three games of the match winning 30-27, 30-26 and 30-22.The Spartans (11-4, 4-4 Big Ten) suffered more serve and pass breakdowns against the Illini, recording 12 service errors and 13 return errors.
The No. 16 MSU men’s cross country team ran to 234 points and a sixth-place finish out of 35 teams Saturday at the Pre-NCAA Meet in Greenville, S.C.No.
The No. 13 women’s cross country team beat the top-ranked team in the country, by placing second out of 34 teams with 118 points at the Pre-NCAA meet in Greenville, S.C.No.
After opening the weekend with a disappointment, the Spartans women’s soccer team returned Sunday with more intensity and resulted in a better outcome.The MSU women’s soccer team (6-5-2 overall, 3-4-1 Big Ten) lost to Purdue 2-0 on Friday and beat Indiana 2-1 on Sunday.The Spartans struck quickly against Indiana (6-4-1, 3-3-1).After only five minutes of play, sophomore midfielder Trisha Kenny sent the ball down field to sophomore forward Tiffany Laskowski, who put the ball in the net.Kenny also attacked the Indiana defense tenaciously in the second half, creating several opportunities because of her increased intensity, Kenny said.“I always try to use my speed, because that’s really all I have,” she said.
The No. 6 field hockey team’s winning streak grew to four games as it beat Kent State 3-2 on Sunday and Indiana 3-2 in overtime Friday. MSU improved to 12-4, which is the team’s most wins since the 1996 season.
MSU’s Homecoming weekend was New York City firefighter Mike Cantwell’s first visit to the Midwest. And it sure was a memorable one.
Plans to convert the playing surface in Spartan Stadium from artificial turf to natural grass took a step forward with the hiring of the Lansing-based Haussman Construction Co. The firm outbid six other construction companies with a price tag of $649,832 and the MSU Board of Trustees accepted that lowest bid at its meeting Friday.
The sounds blasting over the speakers may have come from the past, but the faces on the floor reflected the future for the MSU men’s and women’s basketball teams.At 10:30 p.m.
MSU’s defensive secondary may have entered Saturday’s Homecoming game against Iowa as a question mark but emerged as an exclamation point in the Spartan’s 31-28 win.The loss of both starting cornerbacks to ankle injuries in the bye week gave MSU reason to worry.
Top-ranked MSU’s two-game series against Lake Superior State wasn’t much more than target practice for the Spartans, who outshot the Lakers 85-33 Thursday and Friday at Munn Ice Arena.MSU’s re-emphasis on offensive production was plainly evident in the sweep, as the Spartans (2-0-1 overall, 2-0-1 CCHA) torched the Lakers (0-2-0, 0-2-0) for 11 total goals - a number the Spartans only eclipsed in one CCHA series last season.Ron Mason, MSU’s head coach of 23 seasons, has encouraged this year’s team to utilize its raw offensive talents, even at the expense of the Spartans’ time-tested defensive tradition.At one point in the second period of Friday’s 6-1 win, all five Spartan skaters darted below the circles in the Laker zone - a move that would have been sacrilegious for a Mason-coached team in recent years.“Our system that we’re playing gives us an opportunity to pursue a little bit more,” said Mason, who earned his 899th career win Friday.
The fans at Old College Field expecting to see a classic battle between MSU and Michigan were not disappointed.After several shifts of momentum, the Spartans (8-2-1, 3-1 Big Ten) left the field with a 4-2 victory over rival U-M (7-4-1, 1-3 Big Ten).The Spartans grabbed control of the game early with two goals off penalty kicks - one by junior midfielder Nick DeGraw and one by senior midfielder Anders Kelto.With an early lead, the Spartans said they felt a great deal of pressure lifted off them.“(Scoring first) is huge against a team like Michigan,” DeGraw said.
MSU alumni won’t be the only ones returning to Spartan Stadium on Saturday for the Homecoming football game against Iowa.
The first step toward another winning basketball season begins tonight and the Spartans aren’t too proud to ask for some support.The MSU men’s and women’s basketball teams officially begin their seasons with the Motown Lo’Down at 10:30 p.m today in Breslin Center.Players will be available to sign autographs, and prizes will be given away before the teams are officially introduced with Motown tunes blasting in the background.At midnight, the first official practice for both teams will begin, giving fans a sneak look at the Spartan teams.For the men, that team will be drastically different than last year’s.The team lost five seniors after they graduated (including starters Charlie Bell, Andre Hutson and David Thomas) and said adios to guard Jason Richardson and forward Zach Randolph, who left early for the NBA.That mass exodus has put a tad bit of pressure on the remaining players and new freshmen to follow four years of Big Ten Championships, three straight Final Four appearances and the 2000 National Championship.“The (freshmen) have to step up, they don’t really have a choice,” junior forward Adam Ballinger said.
Hockey and football aren’t the only on-campus athletic draws this weekend.The MSU women’s soccer team starts the weekend off with a 4 p.m.
Just like Willie Nelson, the Spartan volleyball team will be “on the road again” this weekend as it tangles with the Indiana Hoosiers at 7 p.m.
When No. 15 Ohio State came to East Lansing on Sunday to take on the MSU men’s soccer team.
MSU hockey head coach Ron Mason is scheduled to receive a roughly $20,000 raise to his annual base salary at the MSU Board of Trustees meeting Friday.The Board will vote to increase his salary from $153,215 to $173,215.