The State News recently caught up with MSU wrestler Nick Simmons. The Spartans went 1-1 in meets against Pittsburgh and Edinboro. • Last movie he's seen in theaters: "Walk the Line" • Brad and Jen or Brad and Angelina: "Brad and Jen" • Last song played on his iPod: "Temperature by Sean Paul" • His mentality going into a match: "With any match, I just want to get in and out as quickly as possible.
Although the No. 19 Spartans' winning streak ended after splitting a pair of games at Nebraska-Omaha this past weekend, the poise and spirit of the team has not been dampened. "You can't get down on one loss," senior forward David Booth said.
If you were in attendance at Munn Ice Arena last Tuesday night, you would have seen a good Spartans hockey team beat Michigan, 2-0.
After being idle from competition since Dec. 30, the No. 18 MSU wrestling team is primed and ready for tonight as it travels to the Fitzgerald Field House to battle Pittsburgh.
Having won five contests in a row, including seven of the past eight, the MSU hockey team is red hot. After making Michigan its latest victim in a 2-0 Tuesday night win, the Spartans (13-8-5 overall, 7-5-4 CCHA) have a quick turnaround and will face Nebraska-Omaha in a road series starting tonight. The Spartans are now in a third-place CCHA tie with Lake Superior and are in the process of playing six times in two weeks. "You just really can't take a night off," senior defenseman Jared Nightingale said.
PAUL DAVIS Senior basketball center Rochester Davis averaged 20.5 points and 11.0 rebounds on 55.6 percent shooting in the past two games.
After landing a top 20 2006 recruiting class, MSU men's basketball coach Tom Izzo already secured commitments from two of the top guards in the 2007 class. Kalin Lucas, of Orchard Lake St.
The MSU football team added an in-state pass rusher when Jonathan Misch, of Orchard Lake St. Mary's Preparatory, verbally committed to the Spartans on Monday morning. Misch, who flew under the recruiting radar, is undersized for a defensive end at 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds, but he compensates with a high energy level and great potential. "I have a high motor," he said.
Points haven't been easy to come by for the MSU women's basketball team. In the last two games, the Spartans have struggled to get points from their bench, and some of the starters have been inconsistent as well. The team will need to regain its scoring punch soon because the opposition isn't getting any easier.
Big Ten Men 1. Wisconsin (4-0 Big Ten, 14-2 overall) Defeated Northwestern 68-52 on Saturday 2.
Women's basketball reporter Ethan Conley embarked on a five-day road trip to Wisconsin and Minnesota.
The MSU football team added Derrick Jackson to its coaching staff as the defensive line coach. Jackson, known for his recruiting efforts, joins MSU from Northern Illinois, where he served as the defensive interior line coach, helping the Huskies rank second in the MAC in scoring defense in 2005. Prior to Northern Illinois, he spent two years as defensive line coach at Eastern Illinois and two years coaching defensive ends at the U.S.
Men's basketball reporter Matt Bishop recalls the atmosphere at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio, where the Spartans pulled the win against the Buckeyes in double overtime. Well, folks, Value City Arena is no Breslin Center. What Value City Arena is, though, is a place where the fans get loud at all the wrong times (like when the home team has the ball) and are never loud unless their team, in this case, Ohio State, hits a shot that ties the game. They might as well change the name of the place to Munn Ice Arena because the similarities between the two are striking. Ohio State handed out towels to many of the fans, but like the cheering, the only time the towels were waved was when Ohio State hit a basket that tied the game.
The MSU men's tennis team began the season with a convincing doubleheader sweep of Northern Illinois, 5-2, and IUPUI, 7-0, Saturday at the MSU Indoor Tennis Facility. The opening sweep for the 2006 campaign marks the sixth consecutive season MSU has inaugurated the season with a doubleheader sweep.
By Alex Altman Special for The State News The MSU gymnastics team put together its best performance of the season on Saturday, defeating Western Michigan and Pittsburgh at Jenison Field House in front of a large crowd. The Spartans finished with a combined score of 193.550, an improvement of more than four points from last weekend's meet when they lost to Kentucky 192.775 to 189.225. Despite battling an ankle sprain, junior Kristen Coleman finished the meet in first place with an all-around score of 38.500, helping improve the Spartans' record to 2-1. Freshman Katlyn Roggensack finished with the fourth best score of 38.200, and junior co-captain Chayla Hill finished in first place in both the vault and floor exercise, earning scores of 9.850 and 9.875, respectively.
The last time Michigan and MSU met on Oct. 22 in Ann Arbor, no winner was decided, and the two teams skated to a 3-3 tie.
Minneapolis — In the corners of Minnesota's Williams Arena there are scoreboards that don't actually show the score, but instead tally the total number of rebounds, steals and blocks by each team. They're not scoreboards, they're "hustle meters." They were a clear indication of why the MSU women's basketball team fell to No.
The State News caught up with gymnastics senior co-captain Sarah Alexander before the start of Wednesday's practice.
JEFF LERG Freshman goaltender Livonia Last weekend against Wayne State, Lerg stopped 42 of 44 shots in 3-1, and 5-1 wins, respectively.
They've combined for 14 goals and 25 total points this season. They combined for two huge goals in the 3-3 CCHA-opening tie at Michigan, and they've all been drafted by various NHL clubs. But the greatest part about the trio of Justin Abdelkader, Tim Kennedy and Tim Crowder is that they're all just freshmen. "They have good chemistry; they seem to mesh really well," MSU head coach Rick Comley said of the line.