Student Athletes Volunteer at Tim Staudt Ultimate Golf Outing

Aug. 27, 2008

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Several Michigan State student-athletes donated their time to a worthy cause as they spent part of their day out at Forrest Akers West Golf course, helping out at the 10th Annual Tim Staudt Ultimate Golf Outing. The outing, hosted by WILX anchor Tim Staudt, has raised more than $500,000 in its nine-year history and will add to that total today.

The Ultimate Golf Outing, in conjunction with the Sparrow Foundation and Coaches for Kids, set out nine years ago to help build the first pediatric emergency room in Mid-Michigan. The facility opened at Sparrow Hospital in January, 2008 and continues to receive funds from charity outings such as the Ulitmiate Golf Outing

Plenty of MSU student-athletes were on hand to provide the golfers with fun activities every few holes. Men's Basketball star Goran Suton (Lansing, Mich.) was there to help assist golfers in a free throw contest after the 12th hole. If two of the four people in the group hit the shot, they could take one stroke off of their total score, or they could elect to have Suton shoot for them.

"Some of them have not had very good shots, but I have hit two of three," Suton said. "It's great to come out here and help at something like this, especially when you're helping out something like the Children's Miracle Network."

Senior quarterback Brian Hoyer (North Olmstead, Ohio) was there to wave the checkered flag at the end of the Tim Staudt 500, a golf cart drag race between the 13th and 14th holes. The race gave the golfers another chance to have a little fun and the winner got to drop a stroke from their score. After the race, Hoyer met with many well wishers as the team will head to the University of California for the season opener this weekend.

In all, 13 student-athletes were on hand to participate in the event. Justin Potes (Adrian, Mich.) of the baseball team, Amanda Huck (Emmaus, Pa.) and Holly Sherman (Vancouver, British Columbia) of the field hockey team, Matt Schepke (Warren, Mich.), Kurt Kivisto (Birghton, Mich.) and Andrew Rowe (Spring Lake, Mich.) of the ice hockey team, Marquise Gray (Flint, Mich.) of the basketball team, Kelly Moffit (Flora, Ind.) and Selina Rodriguez (Kentwood, Mich.) of the gymnastics squad, and Allyssa DeHaan (Grandville, Mich.) and Cetera Washington (Kalamazoo, Mich.) of the women's basketball team were all on hand throughout the day.

For more on the tournament and the pediatric emergency room, visit www.sparrowfoundation.org.