FOOTBALL
NCAA grants Harker sixth year of eligibility
Offensive guard Paul Harker has been granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA, coach John L. Smith announced on Saturday.
SPORTS
Rowers place fourth in regional championship
The MSU women's crew team took home fourth-place overall honors on Sunday in the 2003 Lexus Central/South Region Sprints on Melton Hill Lake in Oak Ridge, Tenn.
FOOTBALL
Ottney retires, citing chronic knee problem
Senior center Brain Ottney announced he will forgo his fifth and final year of eligibility because of chronic knee problems.
BASEBALL
'U' immortalizes former coach, player
On Sunday, the MSU baseball team retired its first two numbers in school history.Former MSU greats Danny Litwhiler and Robin Roberts were on hand for the ceremony, in which the fence in left center field was adorned with banners brandishing the numbers one and 36, respectively."It was a great day for Spartan baseball," MSU manager Ted Mahan said.
BASEBALL
Lugnuts drop 2, tally 13 errors in losses
The road has taken its toll on the Lugnuts already and Lansing has only been gone for two days. After taking three of four games from Wisconsin (19-18) last week at home, the Lugnuts (21-14) have now dropped two straight to the Timber Rattlers. That isn't all Lansing is dropping.
SPORTS
Sports briefs
Golfers Kansas-bound for NCAA tournament After a successful regular season, the No. 54 Spartans travel to Manhattan, Kan.
SPORTS
Tavarez, Lugnuts blank Burlington, 2-0
Lansing - The Lugnuts completed a three-game sweep of Burlington on Monday, downing the Bees 2-0 in the first and only game of a doubleheader on Monday.Lugnut righty Anderson Tavarez (4-0) tossed the first complete-game shutout of his career in the win.
BASKETBALL
U-M sanctioned by NCAA
Michigan's basketball team was restricted from the next postseason last Thursday by the NCAA for violations involving former booster Ed Martin paying Wolverine basketball players during the 1990s.Although the university placed a self-imposed ban on the men's basketball team from appearing in the NCAA Tournament last season, the NCAA infractions committee deemed the penalty "meaningful," but not enough.
SPORTS
Sports briefs
Burleigh, Fouch earn all-Big Ten honors Two Spartans captured conference recognition following the 2003 Big Ten Women's Golf Championships on April 25-27 in Iowa City. Freshman Dayna Burleigh took top honors, snagging Big Ten Freshman of the Year accolades and junior Allison Fouch was an all-conference second-team selection. Burleigh, who finished 16th at the conference tourney with a four-round score of 305, became just the third Spartan in club history to receive the honor. Fouch found a spot on the conference's second team after carding a 303 through four rounds for a 10th-place finish at the Big Ten championships.
FOOTBALL
Former Spartan wideout projected No. 2
While some professional prospects might be motivated by fame and fortune, MSU wide receiver Charles Rogers plays the game of football for those who looked after him, and for those he now looks after. "My family and my kids come first," he said.
SPORTS
Sports briefs
Butts follows former coach to Kentucky After one year of serving as an assistant coach on the women's basketball team, Niya Butts announced she is leaving for an assistant coaching position at Kentucky. Butts will be joining new Wildcat head coach Mickie DeMoss, who was named Kentucky's head coach after 18 years as an assistant and associate head coach at Tennessee.
SPORTS
Standout Jorgensen looks to pace 'U' at invitational
As his eagle putt from the back fringe rolls downhill 25 feet to the hole and then three feet past it, Eric Jorgensen wears a look of both surprise and knowing on his face. "Man, that's fast," he says. He was standing on the green of the par-5 13th hole at Forest Akers West Golf Course.
SPORTS
High-priced QBs aren't needed to win anymore
Well, the football world is just one day away from the offseason's most anticipated event - the NFL Draft. Names will be called.
SOFTBALL
Spartans hoping for easy weekend, more wins
The MSU softball team hopes to continue its quest for a Big Ten title this weekend when it faces conference cellar dwellers Indiana and Purdue. The fourth-place Spartans (30-14 overall, 8-5 Big Ten) will tussle with both the Hoosiers (17-27, 0-12) and the Boilermakers (31-22, 4-8) - 11th and ninth in the Big Ten, respectively - at Old College Field.
BASEBALL
Junior hurler relishes unorthodox release
Bryan Gale thrives on being one-of-a-kind. The junior right-hander's pitching style is what puts him in a class of his own on the mound.
SPORTS
'U' out for revenge against Purdue
Via a late season winning push, the MSU men's tennis team has found its way into the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament. The Spartans enter tournament play as the fifth seed in the 11-team pool. They're paired with fourth-seeded Purdue - a team they lost to on April 13. Head coach Gene Orlando said despite his squad's fifth-place finish in the conference (14-11 overall, 5-5 Big Ten), Friday's quarterfinal match against No.
SPORTS
Sports briefs
Rowers' boat honored The women's crew team had a strong showing against Notre Dame on Tuesday, winning five of six races on Lake Ovid at Sleepy Hollow State Park in Laingsburg. The No.
SPORTS
Spartans hope health equals victory
With the Big Ten Tournament arriving today, the women's tennis team is still searching for its first conference win.Pitted against sixth-seeded Wisconsin (10-11 overall, 5-5 Big Ten), head coach Tim Bauer believes his 11th-seeded Spartans (8-14, 0-10) have the best opportunity yet to taste victory."The mood of our team right now is very up," Bauer said.
SOFTBALL
'U' tries to avoid upset
The MSU softball team's tour against in-state competition continues with a nonconference doubleheader against Oakland today. The Spartans (29-13 overall, 8-5 Big Ten) have already faced Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan and Central Michigan, with games against Detroit-Mercy and Michigan still ahead.
BASEBALL
Spartans dismantle Saints, 14-6
After struggling to muster runs the past three games, the Spartans' bats were smoking Tuesday afternoon.MSU tallied 16 hits en route to a 14-6 beating of Siena Heights.The Spartans (12-24 overall, 4-10 Big Ten) jumped out to a quick early lead - a 9-0 advantage after two innings - MSU manager Ted Mahan emptied his bench at the start of the third inning.