Before, he was named the "Buffest." Now, he is the best mascot in the country - officially. This past weekend, the beloved MSU mascot, Sparty, took first place at the 2004 Universal Cheer Association/Universal Dance Association College Nationals in Orlando, Fla. "For us, it is like winning the Final Four or the Rose Bowl.
The MSU women's tennis team opened its season this weekend with losses to two ranked opponents, No.
MSU swimming and diving lost both its weekend road meets as the women's and men's teams each fell to Northwestern and Purdue. On Friday, the men's team (3-5 overall, 0-3 Big Ten) went down, 129-111, to the No.
Senior setter Nikki Colson was honored Saturday as the MSU volleyball team's Most Valuable Player for the second year in a row. With 1,585 assists on the season, Colson broke her own record en route to setting the career assist record for MSU with 4,563. Colson, along with teammate senior libero Emmy Miller, took home the 2003 Captains' Awards.
This season, the No. 25 MSU women's basketball team has made a name for itself with its defense. After putting on arguably their best defensive effort in a game against Ohio State last week, the Spartans (13-3 overall, 3-2 Big Ten) bettered the effort against Michigan in a 67-33 win Sunday.
Paul Davis had the look of a beaten warrior. Blood seeped through a small bandage covering his right eyebrow.
Old habits are hard to break. But even though the MSU hockey team failed again to sweep this past weekend's series at Bowling Green, the split was a bit different, as the Spartans played close to a complete game.
The newest addition to the Spartan football 2004 lineup said the main thing he hopes to accomplish in his freshman year is to keep the team on track for another winning season. Justin Kershaw, a 6-foot-5, 235-pound, strongside defensive end from Reynoldsburg High School in Columbus, Ohio, committed on Saturday to play for the Spartans.
Refusing to be discounted as a Big Ten contender, the Spartans delivered another dominating win, tossing their hat into the tight conference race. MSU (7-7 overall, 2-1 Big Ten) followed up an 18-point win over Penn State on Wednesday with a 71-54 mauling of Michigan on Saturday afternoon. It was the first time since the end of November that MSU put together back-to-back wins and the first time the Spartans began living up to the No.
Softball ranked in preseason polls MSU softball team was ranked No. 24 in the ESPN.com/USA Today Softball Top 25 preseason poll released Wednesday. The Spartans are one of just three Big Ten teams in the top 25, including No.
At one point this season, the MSU hockey team was riding high on a six-game unbeaten streak. Now, they're struggling to win games and desperately searching for points.
A familiar name will be part of the MSU football team next season. College of the Canyons defensive end Domata Peko said he plans to make a verbal commitment to head coach John L.
Matthias Askew's decision to enter the 2004 NFL Draft has left both fans and analysts divided. The junior defensive lineman announced Monday he would forgo his senior season in order to pursue a professional career. Stewart Mandel, an online reporter for Sports Illustrated, said Askew will probably be a third or fourth-round pick, not faring as well as former Spartans who also left early.
The No. 25 MSU women's basketball team gets back into Big Ten play tonight at Ohio State. The Spartans (11-3 overall, 1-2 Big Ten) know it will be another test in the tough Big Ten conference, but a welcome one for MSU after two consecutive conference losses to No.
The Spartans wanted to defend their case as a contender for the Big Ten title. Wednesday night against Penn State, they did it with defense. MSU smothered the Nittany Lions all night en route to a 76-58 victory in front of a jubilant Breslin Center crowd. "I think we got back to our old selves," MSU head coach Tom Izzo said.
Todd Dagenais has some adjusting to do. MSU's former associate head volleyball coach will be spending the next few weeks getting acclimated to his new home, Colorado Springs, Colorado. "The funny thing is, the biggest adjustment has been getting used to the altitude," Dagenais said, adding that the city is more than a mile above sea level.
Spartan football's fall lineup is going to add some much-needed bulk, now that defensive tackle Daniel Zynn has committed to play. The 6-foot-4, 303-pound Zynn was one of the best defensive tackles coming out of high school, and was ranked second at the California Nike Camp.
Students left campus for winter break and three Spartan hockey players left for the World Junior Championships in Finland, but the rest of the team still had points to earn.
With one period left and down two goals, it was do-or-die time for the U.S. National Junior Team, which included three Spartan hockey players.
In the past, a conference home opener against Penn State would be one of the easier games on MSU's schedule.