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Sports

SPORTS

Team poised for national championship run

Dawn Klemish
August 15, 2003

The MSU field hockey team is not satisfied with last year's trip to the Final Four - this year, they aim to take it all.The 2002 season was an exciting one for MSU, as the squad set a school record for most wins in a season (23), went undefeated on its home turf and captured its first Big Ten Field Hockey Tournament Championship with a thrilling 3-0 win over arch rival Michigan, a team they hadn't defeated since 1997.

FOOTBALL

Spartans revamp defense, want to be aggressive

Megan Homanick
August 15, 2003

A new aggressive approach on the defensive side of the ball has the MSU football team puffing up with confidence. Last year, the MSU defense that ranked 83rd overall out of 117 Division I-A teams was hard-pressed to stop the run or sack opposing quarterbacks.

SPORTS

'U' offers sports fans many great places for games

My mom always told me to take joy in the little things. After seven years of school, I've "taken joy" in just about everything sports-related on campus - big, small or otherwise, and I've learned the little things are most often overlooked by the average sports fan.

SPORTS

'U' bet: Spartans can only improve

Two days and one month before the MSU football season begins against the Broncos of Western Michigan, I saw the movie "Seabiscuit." For those of you not in the racehorse know, I'll quickly summarize the story of the legendary horse. Seabiscuit had very low - if any - expectations. Seabiscuit was a descendant of the famed racehorse Man o' War yet, as a colt, he showed very little promise.

FOOTBALL

Team captains look to restore leadership

Megan Homanick
August 15, 2003

Three of last season's four football captains were benched, suspended or jailed.The 2002 captains - quarterback Jeff Smoker, center Brian Ottney, safety Thomas Wright and running back Dawan Moss - are a stark contrast to the humble disposition displayed by this year's group, a bunch of linemen and a linebacker."Last year the guys didn't follow through," senior captain Paul Harker said.

SPORTS

Inexperienced running backs show promise, skill

Megan Homanick
August 15, 2003

Coming into the 2003 season, the MSU running backs are overshadowed, undersized, thin on depth and inexperienced - but that might not be a bad thing.After the Spartans lost their top two running backs from last season - Dawan Moss to graduation and David Richard to Missouri on a transfer - the running corps were looking depleted.

SPORTS

Team wants to contend

Dawn Klemish
August 15, 2003

After a first NCAA Tournament berth in school history, the MSU women's soccer team has its sights set on a Big Ten Championship. Junior midfielder Ashley Lawson said losing just two starters to graduation leaves her team with an advantage for the upcoming year. "Obviously the seniors will be missed," she said.

SPORTS

Rogers begins NFL career

Megan Homanick
August 15, 2003

Detroit - As Charles Rogers stepped out from behind a closed door on Ford Field's concourse level, camera bulbs popped and hundreds of heads turned to catch a glimpse of the Saginaw native and former Spartan star clad in Honolulu blue and silver."It's nice for me, being a prospect from Michigan," said Rogers, while sitting down to sign autographs.

VOLLEYBALL

Seniors spark team workouts

Megan Homanick
August 13, 2003

Summer is usually a time to relax, but not in the case of the MSU volleyball team. Usually preseason is the time teams start practicing together, getting a feel for what they will be able to accomplish during the upcoming season. But with four seniors and 11 returning letterwinners, senior co-captain libero Emmy Miller and senior co-captain setter Nikki Colson wanted to get a head start on their competition.

BASKETBALL

Jordan, Bird might play against 'U'

Lindsey Anderson
August 13, 2003

Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Scott Skiles might match up against Tom Izzo's Spartans this fall in what would be the greatest exhibition game played on the Breslin Center hardwood. Rumors circulated Tuesday on campus about the NBA legends competing against the Spartans in the preseason Magic Johnson All-Stars game Nov.

FOOTBALL

Smoker: Great to be back

Megan Homanick
August 13, 2003

It used to be a weekly routine for Jeff Smoker - talk football with reporters after practice. But in his first appearance after being reinstated Wednesday as a member of the Spartan football team, the senior signal caller seemed withdrawn and not amused with questions that circled around a substance-abuse problem that led to a suspension last season. Smoker looked so caught up in relief of being back on the squad since October that he headed for the locker room without realizing he had left behind his helmet. Nevertheless, Smoker remained willing to reprove himself and handle the attention of being a quarterback. "I learned to just move on and realized that I was responsible for things that happened last year," Smoker said.

SPORTS

Lugnuts shut out Fort Wayne, 5-0

Lansing - Three straight wins and a 5-0 shutout of the Fort Wayne Wizards on Sunday at Oldsmobile Park have the Lugnuts thinking they've righted the ship.With so much of Lansing's recent slump coming off poor hitting and sloppy play, the Lugnuts combined to score four runs in the eighth off fundamental hitting and base running."Everything that we could do well as a club, we did today," Lansing manager Julio Garcia said.

BASKETBALL

Izzo, Hill still in medal contention at Pan Ams

MSU head basketball coach Tom Izzo and the rest of Team USA faced its second loss at the 2003 Pan American Games on Tuesday, forcing the Americans to move to the bronze medal game. Team USA (2-2) lost to Brazil 92-80 in the last five minutes of the semifinal game.

FOOTBALL

Smith picks lesser-known captains

Megan Homanick
August 7, 2003

Three of last season's four football captains were benched, suspended or jailed. The 2002 captains - quarterback Jeff Smoker, center Brian Ottney, safety Thomas Wright and running back Dawan Moss - are a stark contrast to the humble disposition displayed by this year's group, a bunch of linemen and a linebacker. "Last year the guys didn't follow through," senior captain Paul Harker said.

FOOTBALL

Practice kicks off new regime

Staring out at MSU's practice field with bloodshot eyes, panting and swatting flies from his sweaty head, junior defensive tackle Brandon McKinney survived the Spartans' first full day of football practice Wednesday under new head coach John L.