With his 6-foot-4, 280-pound frame culminating with his bald head and fire red goatee, Justin Hartis looks like a warrior.And the junior lineman from Charlotte had a chance to battle with some of the best warriors in high school football Saturday afternoon during the Nike Football Training Camp held at the practice fields next to the Duffy Daugherty Football Building.
The MSU football team’s long snapper from last season signed as an undrafted free agent with the Washington Redskins on Sunday night - five minutes after the conclusion of the NFL Draft. Tony Grant, 23, signed a two year deal in addition to a small signing bonus after not being picked up during the seven-round draft. The electrical engineering senior said he didn’t know if he would get drafted at all. “I don’t know any details, all I know is I’m a Redskin,” Grant said.
With a little help from the Wolverines, the MSU baseball team staged a ninth-inning rally Sunday and won 5-3 at Ray Fisher Stadium.The Spartans (26-9 overall, 9-6 Big Ten) entered the final inning down 3-0.
The NFL Draft can be the most exciting two days in a young college football player’s life. This weekend, five Spartans came one step closer to playing professional football. Five players from a team that finished 7-5 last season is a pretty good accomplishment, and showed just how much talent that team had. Last year the Spartans weren’t represented until the seventh round, when three players were selected. Cornerback Renaldo Hill went to the Arizona Cardinals, center Siitupe Peko went to the New York Jets and T.J.
First-round draft pick T.J. Duckett was the guy in the spotlight this weekend, but four other Spartan players quietly fulfilled childhood dreams of their own. Tight end Chris Baker, wide receiver Herb Haygood, defensive tackle Josh Shaw and punter Craig Jarrett all had their names called in the 2002 NFL Draft, which took place Saturday and Sunday in New York. All four were Spartan seniors last fall - but being drafted is the official start of their professional football careers.
After three straight nonconference games, the MSU softball team returns to Big Ten action this weekend. The Spartans (21-26 overall, 3-7 Big Ten) travel to Iowa City, for a two game series with the Big Ten-leading Hawkeyes (28-14, 8-2). The two teams begin the series at 6 p.m.
For the first time in years, the four-game baseball series between MSU and Michigan has some meaning.MSU (23-8 overall, 6-5 Big Ten) and U-M (11-19, 6-6) are currently in fifth and sixth place, respectively in the conference.
The track and field teams will head to Kalamazoo Saturday to compete in the Western Michigan Invitational at Kanley Track. The women’s team will begin competition at 10:30 a.m.
A few hopeful Spartans are anxiously waiting to hear their names announced this weekend at the 2002 NFL Draft in New York. Junior tailback T.J.
Kenneth Walter Gest, a member of the only MSU swimming team to win a Big Ten Championship, died April 4 of pancreatic cancer at Munson Medical Center in Traverse City. He was 65 and had been living in Traverse City since 1976. Gest was an All-America swimmer and a member of the Spartan’s 1957 squad.
Of course, Spartan fans know the names of basketball guard Marcus Taylor and hockey goalie Ryan Miller.But when those star athletes’ respective seasons ended with disappointing first-round NCAA Tournament losses last month, the result was a temporary void of recognizable Spartan athletes.Spring sports have traditionally been overlooked around campus because MSU has had trouble competing with warm-weather schools from the South and West.
The wrestling season is over, but the team is still receiving accolades. The MSU wrestling team is ranked No.
Patience has been a huge virtue for center fielder Chris McCuiston this season.In this, his senior season, McCuiston has finally settled down in the batters box and become a serious hitting machine.
Before the MSU softball team returns to Big Ten play this weekend, the Spartans play Loyola today in nonconference action.MSU (21-26 overall, 3-7 Big Ten) will travel to Chicago for a 5 p.m.
The MSU baseball team broke an 18-year-old record Tuesday with five home runs in its 22-6 beating of Wayne State.The Spartans (23-8 overall, 6-5 Big Ten) entered the nonconference game with 57 home runs, two shy of the 1984 record of 59.
With freshmen rackets leading the way, the MSU women’s tennis team is having one of its best seasons in recent years.After two years of rebuilding, third-year head coach Tim Bauer has started to implement his style of players.
More than 150 fans, many donning caps with the Old English “D,” had the opportunity to ask a legend for one last “Long Gone.”Ernie Harwell, the voice of the Detroit Tigers was on campus Monday signing copies of his new book, “Ernie Harwell: My 60 Years in Baseball.”Harwell, who has broadcast Tiger baseball for more than 42 years, met and took photos with his fans from the Lansing area in the Castle Board Room at MSU-Detroit College of Law Building.Communication junior Nick Kovacic said he called his father, Mike, to tell him that Harwell was coming to campus.
The MSU softball team looks to break its losing streak with a rematch against Oakland. The Spartans (20-25 overall, 3-7 Big Ten) defeated the Grizzlies 2-1 at Old College Field on April 3.
After splitting a series with Indiana during the weekend, the MSU baseball team is turning its attention to Wayne State today. The Spartans (22-8 overall, 6-5 Big Ten) host the Warriors (11-13, 7-3 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletics Conference) at 3 p.m.
The Spartan hurlers pitched well enough to win, but their batters couldn’t get it done. The MSU softball team (20-25 overall, 3-7 Big Ten) dropped both games of a Sunday doubleheader at Old College Field to Minnesota by a combined score of 5-0.