SPORTS
Sports briefs
Swimming MSU men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams finished competition Saturday in the 26th annual Rainbow Invitational hosted by the University of Hawaii.
SPORTS
Four year stars distant memory in college sports
Nothing hurts a program more than a player renouncing his eligibility to turn pro. It leaves programs with unexpected holes to fill and no reasonable way to fill them. It’s kind of like driving down the highway at 70 mph and suddenly throwing the car in reverse.
SPORTS
Transfers make impact on mats
With a 2-1 record thus far, the Spartan wrestlers are not only in good shape for this season, they have four junior college national champion transfer students hoping to lead the way. Arsen Aleksanyan, Rashad Evans, Anton Hall and Ryan L’Amoreaux have provided the Spartans with valuable depth. MSU head coach Tom Minkel said the Spartans don’t recruit just anybody, they look for potential. “You have to know they can compete at the national level,” Minkel said.
ICE HOCKEY
Icer honored to carry Olympic torch
Redshirt-freshman right wing Steve Swistak was in the American spotlight for a couple minutes Monday morning.
FOOTBALL
Questions abound in footballs future
Joe Namath he’s not, but that didn’t stop Charles Rogersfrom making a bold prediction after a 44-35 victory over Fresno State in the Silicon Valley Football Classic.
ICE HOCKEY
Spartan hockey has success with new ripples
The new year found three new faces in the Spartan lineup searching for, well, new beginnings.MSU head coach Ron Mason used a nonconference series against overmatched Quinnipiac to insert freshman goaltender Matt Migliaccio, junior left wing Steve Clark and redshirt sophomore forward Pat Brush into the Spartan lineup.Each played one game of the series - Clark in Friday’s 4-1 win and Migliaccio and Brush in Saturday’s 3-1 victory - but all hope the appearances won’t be their only cameos of the 2002 campaign.“I try to approach every weekend as if I was going to play,” said Brush, who had played in one previous game on Jan.
SPORTS
Baseball get new assistant coach
The new year brings new honors for two MSU freshmen. After being selected as second-team Freshman All-Americans by The Sporting News last month, offensive guard William Whitticker and linebacker Ronald Stanley made the Football News Freshman All-America teams. Whitticker received first-team honors after starting 11 of 12 games this season.
BASKETBALL
Hoosier country awaits struggling Hoops team
When No. 25 MSU and Indiana meet at 7 p.m in Bloomington, Ind., you can probably expect an exciting game.
FOOTBALL
Freshman named All-Americans
The new year brings new honors for two Michigan State freshmen. After being selected as second-team Freshman All-Americans by The Sporting News last month, offensive guard William Whitticker and linebacker Ronald Stanley made the Football News Freshman All-America teams. Whitticker received first-team honors after starting 11 of 12 games this season.
SPORTS
Womens basketball primed for Tinseltown
Hollywood would want no part of this story. Imagine “Rocky” ending with Rocky Balboa knocking out Apollo Creed in the first round to conclude the film.
BASKETBALL
Big Ten defeat opens season
Minneapolis - The MSU men‘s basketball team extended its road losing streak Saturday after a 70-67 loss to Minnesota at Williams Arena.The loss was No.
ICE HOCKEY
Spartans take second at GLI; reap honors over winter break
While you were away from the world of Spartan hockey... • The Spartans (15-4-2 overall, 10-3-1 CCHA) advanced to the title game of the Great Lakes Invitational, but lost the championship 5-4 in overtime to North Dakota on Dec.
SPORTS
Lions fans bid farewell to dome
Pontiac, Mich. - In a game closing out the season between two cellar-dwelling teams, one might expect something other than an enthusiastic crowd. But when the Detroit Lions (2-14) downed the Dallas Cowboys (5-11) 15-10, more than just two disappointing seasons came to an end - a chapter in Detroit Lions football history concluded with the final game at the Silverdome. Lions fans from throughout the country converged on the Silverdome one last time, and for Bill Vanfaasen the move to Ford Field in downtown Detroit couldn‘t come soon enough. Vanfaasen, formerly of Holland, Mich., has been driving from Green Bay, Wisc.
BASKETBALL
Freshman point guard shines in Taylors absence
Minneapolis - MSU freshman guard Chris Hill never imagined he would be starting in the first Big Ten opener of his collegiate career.Neither did sophomore point guard Marcus Taylor, who planned on directing the No.
SPORTS
Spartans make noise on national television
To believe it you had to see it. After 40 minutes of inspired play, the Spartan women’s basketball team made believers of one of the nation’s elite teams and a national television audience. MSU’s (9-3, 0-2 Big Ten) shocking 70-49 win over previously unbeaten No.
FOOTBALL
Offense rolls in 44-35 victory
With an offensive attack never seen before in MSU football history, the Spartans rolled to a 44-35 victory over Fresno State in the Silicon Valley Football Classic. The Spartans set MSU bowl game records with 44 points, 586 total net yards, 376 net yards passing and 210 net yards rushing. “We had a great game plan going into the game,” said sophomore quarterback Jeff Smoker, who threw for an MSU bowl record 376 yards.
SPORTS
Sports Briefs
Swimming MSU men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams finished competition Saturday in the 26th annual Rainbow Invitational hosted by the University of Hawaii.
ICE HOCKEY
Icers skate to weekend sweep over Quinnipiac
The sixth-ranked Spartans got exactly what they wanted from Quinnipiac this weekend - two hard-fought games and two victories.MSU (15-4-2) overwhelmed its nicknameless foe 4-1 Friday and 3-1 Saturday in the nonconference series at Munn Ice Arena.
ICE HOCKEY
Icers rebound against Quinnipiac in first of series
No. 6 MSU, still reeling from a loss to North Dakota in last week’s Great Lakes Invitational, reinforced its ego at the expense of nonconference foe Quinnipiac on Friday at Munn Ice Arena. The Spartans (14-4-2 overall, 10-3-1 CCHA) netted a 42-15 shot advantage and physically manhandled Quinnipiac in securing the 4-1 victory.
BASKETBALL
Mens hoops loses Big Ten opener to Gophers
Minneapolis - The MSU men’s basketball team remains winless on the road as it fell to Minnesota 70-67 Saturday in its Big Ten opener.