Evanston, Ill. - The row of MSU players knelt on the sidelines in single file, clasping hands, hoping for just one more miracle. Apparently, it was the Wildcats turn for miracles- again. That 47-yard Northwestern field goal was the improbable ending to a game that defied all logic. “I just hoped we had a few more seconds left,” head coach Bobby Williams said. But the Spartans didn’t.
The MSU men’s tennis team spent the weekend at the Tom Fallen Invitational in South Bend, Ind., taking on Wisconsin, Ball State, Purdue and host team Notre Dame. The Spartans defeated Big Ten opponent Wisconsin 4-2 in singles competition.
Things weren’t going smoothly for the offensive line midway through Saturday’s game at Notre Dame.Redshirt freshman guard William Whitticker left the game with an ankle injury, and junior guard Paul Harker collapsed with a seizure on the sidelines.
The MSU men’s and women’s cross country teams will be traveling Saturday to Minnesota for the Roy Griak Invitational. Both teams are coming off impressive showings at last week’s Spartan Invitational at Forest Akers East Golf Course.
The MSU men’s golf team opens its season today as it heads to Ann Arbor for the Wolverine Invitational. The 21-team field, which includes seven Big Ten teams, begins play today and will compete through Sunday. “It’s always a tough one - the first one - because you haven’t gotten through the expectations yet,” head coach Mark Hankins said. Despite that factor, he said the team anticipates a strong finish this weekend. “We have a good team,” Hankins said.
Senior defensive specialist Lisa Ashton had big plans for this season. Her relentless hustle on defense, her work ethic and her leadership were going to be inspirational for her teammates.What the Spartan volleyball co-captain didn’t plan on giving her teammates was a lesson in vulnerability and optimism.“Maybe taking a look at me on the sidelines will remind them they aren’t guaranteed four years of play,” Ashton said.
The MSU volleyball team is out to prove it’s not knocked out after losing two straight in last weekend’s Big Ten opening matches.The bell rings to start the second round at 7 p.m.
Mateen Cleaves may not be a Spartan or a Detroit Piston any more, but his local fan support doesn’t seem to care.About 30 fans watched as Cleaves played horse Thursday in front of the Okemos Sprint Store at 3544 Meridian Crossing Drive with four radio station winners.
The MSU coaching staff’s agenda for this weekend is fairly simple - provide the freshmen with their first competitive collegiate atmosphere, get the returning players back up to game speed and at all costs, avoid injuries. But it’s easier said than done. Just five days after their first practice, the Spartans are being thrust into back-to-back exhibition games, starting with the annual Green and White intrasquad game at 7:05 p.m.
With only three returning players, the women’s tennis team will open its fall season today by hosting The Spartan Cup at the MSU tennis courts. Matches are set to begin at 9 a.m.
In front of a crowd of friends, classmates, parents and mentors Thursday, Williamston wrestler Andy Simmons, a three-time Michigan High School State Champion, announced his intent to join the Spartans next fall.“I am going to State because I really like the program and it will be close so that people from around here can come and see me,” Simmons said.
Things have been pretty wild in the world of sports lately. The Detroit Lions are hitting rock bottom early into the season instead of during the middle of its schedule, and 38-year old Michael Jordan is returning to the NBA for the second time.
The MSU head football coaches are so worried about starting flat against Northwestern on Saturday - like the team did last year - they addressed the issue minutes after beating the Fighting Irish.“They just want to make sure that unlike last year we don’t come off a couple of wins in the beginning and then get too high and forget about next week’s game,” senior linebacker Josh Thornhill said.
The MSU Spartan volleyball team saw two extreme ends of the spectrum last weekend. At No.
If MSU’s T.J. Duckett is considered the Midwest’s “freak of nature,” then Northwestern’s Damien Anderson comes in a close second. Both Heisman Trophy candidate running backs are known for their uncanny speed and strength, despite the fact they differ in size. Duckett, at 6-foot-1 and 249 pounds, bruised his way to 1,353 yards in 2000, while Anderson, at 5-foot-11 and 207 pounds, scampered for 2,063 - the most in the Big Ten.
There was a time no one questioned his moves, his word was gospel, and he could do no wrong.But with one fax, he has brought a hellfire of controversy upon himself.Michael Jordan’s announcement Tuesday that he will return to the NBA to play for the Washington Wizards has the entire sports world wondering what to expect.To many around East Lansing, his return brings a lift to basketball and to sports in general.“It’s great,” human resources senior Ashli Fabiano said.
Detroit - Sadness shrouded CCHA Media Day at Joe Louis Arena on Tuesday, as the league’s 12 coaches remembered Maine head coach and former MSU assistant Shawn Walsh, who died Monday after a 15-month battle with renal cell carcinoma, a rare form of cancer. But the loss hit at a much more personal level for MSU head coach Ron Mason. Walsh, 46, was the ex-husband of Mason’s daughter, Tracey Hein.
Detroit - The CCHA unveiled its preseason media poll at the league’s annual Media Day in Joe Louis Arena on Tuesday, and the Spartans were in familiar territory - atop the league. The media overwhelmingly endorsed MSU to repeat as CCHA regular season champions, giving the Spartans 22 out of 26 possible first-place votes.
Most of the talk at MSU’s hockey media day Monday in Munn Ice Arena centered around two things - “The Cold War” outdoor hockey game on Oct.
MSU students seeking a spot in the Izzone will have a chance to earn tickets this week, but the process is slightly different than in years past.