Spartan Sports Roundup
9/16/2008 12:00:00 AM | General
Sept. 16, 2008
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
Spartan Sports Roundup provides a brief overview of the Olympic sports teams in action. Read a recap of last week's action, look ahead to this week's action and find key notes on each team in this weekly recap.
 | Community Outreach |
• A student-athlete "prom" was held on Sunday night at the Spartan Club presented by Bank of America. This event was spearheaded by the women's soccer program as a fundraiser for Adalin Farnum, the five-year-old daughter of women's assistant soccer coach Tammy Farnum, who was diagnosed last spring with a rare form of leukemia. A total of $5,800 was raised for the family by the 235 student-athletes attending this event.
• The Stanley Cup will be at Saturday's football game against Notre Dame. Thanks to the generosity of the Detroit Red Wings organization, the Cup's visit will be used as a fundraiser for the hockey program's "Shoot for a Cure" initative. The program was started by former Spartan (and current Red Wing) Justin Abdelkader, with all money raised going to Cure Kids Cancer at Sparrow Hospital. Fans will be able to have their photo taken with the Stanley Cup for a $5 donation, with every dollar collected going directly to charity.
| Cross Country |
Roster | Schedule
Last Week: MSU hosted the annual Spartan Invitational with more than 3,000 collegiate, high school and middle school runners competing. Senior Nicole Bush (Wyoming, Mich.) finished first in the collegiate women's race with a time of 21:12, followed by teammates Lisa Senakiewich (Davison, Mich.) who finished second with a time of 21:37 and Emily MacLeod (Loveland, Ohio) who finished third with a time of 21:41. Four other Spartans finished in the top ten. On the men's side, sophomore Spencer Beatty (Harbor Springs, Mich.) was the first Spartan to cross the finish line with a time of 25:12, followed by senior Adam Sprangel (Jackson, Mich.) who clocked a 25:14, finishing fifth and sixth, respectively. Sophomore Joe Dimambro (Flint, Mich.) finished eighth, while senior Shane Knoll (Warren, Mich.) came in ninth.
Next Week: The Spartans next compete at the William & Mary Inter-Regional Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 27.
| Field Hockey |
Roster | Schedule | Statistics
Big Ten Standings | Big Ten Statistics | Big Ten Schedule
Last Week: The 10th-ranked Spartans traveled to New England for two games. On Saturday, Michigan Sate posted a 2-0 shutout of 18th-ranked Boston University. Junior Angela Pagura (Columbus, Ohio) and freshman Chantae Miller (East Amherst, N.Y.) recorded goals in the game, and Elissa Unger (Reading, Pa.) made a season-high seven saves in goal. The Spartans topped New Hampshire, 6-1, the following day, recording a season-high 36 shots. Six different players scored for Michigan State. Junior Floor Rijpma (Bunnik, The Netherlands) and classmate Jeamie Deacon (Wexford, Ireland) both recorded goals and assists in the game.
This Week: Michigan State travels to Miami (Ohio) this weekend for the Miami September Showcase. The Spartans face the host Red Hawks on Friday, Sept. 19 at 3 p.m., and Pacific on Saturday, Sept. 20 at 1 p.m. Michigan State holds a 10-4-1 all-time record against Miami (Ohio) and a 5-1-0 record against Pacific. Former MSU assistant Ashley Egland is in her first season with Pacific as an assistant coach.
Notes: Unger was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 15, the first weekly award of her career. She recorded her first shutout of the season on Saturday against 18th-ranked Boston University. Unger recorded 11 saves, played all 140 minutes and recorded a .917 save percentage on the weekend. She has a .690 save percentage and 1.50 goals against average (GAA). Unger is second in the Big Ten in save percentage, tied for third in saves with 20, and is fourth in GAA. She ranks 25th nationally in GAA, and is ranked 44th in save percentage ... Senior Gwen Riley (Louisville, Ky.) leads the team in scoring with 10 points, and Rijpma and Deacon are tied for second with eight points each. Deacon is tied for 11th nationally in assists per game, and Riley is tied for 20th ... Michigan State leads the Big Ten in shots per game, and is tied for second in both goals and assists per game ... MSU is ranked 11th nationally in scoring average with 3.47, is tied for ninth in goals per game with 3.50, and is tied for ninth in winning percentage ... Deacon is tied for second in the Big Ten in assists, and Riley is sixth.
| Men's Golf |
Roster | Schedule
Last Week: Won the inaugural Spartan Classic on Sunday, held at the Kingsley Club in Kingsley, Mich. The Spartans carded an eight-under par 276 to win by 14 strokes, as the event was shortened to 18 holes due to inclement weather. Sophomore Graham Baillargeon (Mississauga, Ontario) topped junior Jack Newman (Des Moines, Iowa) on the first playoff hole to claim his first collegiate victory, after the pair shot three-under par 68s. Senior Randy Hutchison (Traverse City, Mich.) tied for third with a two-under par 69.
This Week: Michigan State travels to Ann Arbor for the Wolverine Invitational, set for Saturday and Sunday at the U-M Golf Course. Shotgun starts are scheduled for 8:30 a.m. each day. The Spartans will face California, Colorado State, Columbia, Eastern Michigan, Gardner Webb, Iowa State, Michigan, Missouri, Oakland, San Diego, UC-Davis, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin and Xavier.
| Men's Soccer |
Roster | Schedule | Statistics
Big Ten Standings | Big Ten Statistics | Big Ten Schedule
Last Week: The men's soccer team defeated Buffalo, 1-0, Friday (Sept. 12) afternoon at DeMartin Stadium. In his first career start, sophomore goalkeeper Avery Steinlage (Grand Haven, Mich.) made three saves in shutting out the Bulls and handing them their first loss of the season. MSU's game scheduled for Sunday (Sept. 14) against Illinois-Chicago was cancelled due to poor field conditions as a result of the heavy rain over the weekend. No make-up date has been scheduled.
This Week: The Spartans begin Big Ten play this weekend on Sunday (Sept. 21) at Ohio State. The Buckeyes are currently ranked 10th in the nation and own a 4-1-1 record this season.
Notes: Sophomore Jeff Ricondo (Wheaton, Ill.) scored the second goal of his career in the Spartans' 1-0 win over Buffalo ... Senior Doug DeMartin (Mason, Mich.) ranks second in the Big Ten in points with 11 and is tied for second in goals (five). He is tied for 14th nationally in points per game, and is tied for seventh in goals per game ... Redshirt freshman Jeremy Clark (Sterling Heights, Mich.) started the first four games in goal for the Spartans, while Steinlage was in goal last game.
| Men's Tennis |
Roster | Schedule
Last week: Michigan State men's tennis opened fall play at the Hoosier Invitational in Bloomington, Ind. MSU had top five finishes in both singles and doubles action. Junior Tyler Sauerbrey (Marshall, Mich.) was MSU's top finisher, landing third place in singles while senior Alex Forger (Okemos, Mich.) finished fourth. The team of Jason Norville (Farmington Hills, Mich.) and John Allare (Mainville, Ohio) finished fourth overall in doubles while the team of John Stratton (Monroeville, N.J.) and Austin Brooks (Houston, Texas) took fifth.
Next Week: The Spartans next compete at the Northwestern Invite on Friday, Sept. 26.
| Softball |
Roster | Schedule
This Week: Softball opens fall play this weekend at the 14th Annual Traverse City West Collegiate Softball Tournament. On Saturday, the Spartans will take on Western Michigan at 10:30 a.m., Michigan at noon, and Central Michigan at 2 p.m. in five-inning games. MSU will conclude the tournament on Sunday with the championship and consolation games.
Next Up: The Spartans host a doubleheader on Sunday, Oct. 5 to conclude fall competition. MSU will face Detroit Mercy at 11 a.m., and Wayne State at 3 p.m.
| Women's Golf |
Roster | Schedule
This Week: The Michigan State women's golf team opens the 2008-09 season this weekend by hosting the Mary Fossum Invitational at Forest Akers West Golf Course. Teams from Eastern Michigan, Ferris State, Iowa, Kent State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Northwestern, Toledo and Western Michigan will be competing. Competition begins at 8:30 a.m. both days. MSU has won the fall tournament at Forest Akers West in four of the last five years, capturing the 2003, 2005 and 2007 Mary Fossum Invitationals and the 2006 Lady Northern Invitational. The Spartans finished second at the Big Ten Championship last season, and were 11th at the NCAA West Regional Championship.
Next Up: The Spartans next compete at the Lady Tar Heel in Chapel Hill, N.C. on Friday, Oct. 3.
| Women's Soccer |
Roster | Schedule | Statistics
Big Ten Standings | Big Ten Statistics | Big Ten Schedule
Last Week: The women's soccer team picked up two more wins to remain undefeated. On Friday (Sept. 12), MSU downed Western Michigan, 3-1, and on Sunday (Sept. 14) defeated Kent State 3-0 in a rain-soaked match. The Spartans' 7-0 record is the longest winning streak to start the season in program history.
This Week: MSU will host Detroit Mercy in a mid-week match on Wednesday (Sept. 17) at 4 p.m. at Okemos High School. The Spartans hit the road this weekend, taking on Brigham Young on Friday (Sept. 19) at 9 p.m. ET.
Notes: The longest undefeated streak to start the season in program history was in 2000, when the team began the season 7-0-1 ... Freshman Laura Heyboer (Hudsonville, Mich.) continues to lead the conference in points (21) and goals (eight). She is tied for fifth nationally in points per game, tied for 10th in goals per game, and is tied for 21st in assists per game ... Junior Lauren Hill (Northville, Mich.) ranks second in points (16) and sophomore Cara Freeman (New Lenox, Ill.) is third (15) in the conference. Hill and Freeman are also tied for second in goals with six each in the Big Ten. Hill is tied for eighth nationally in points per game, and is tied for 15th in goals per game, while Freeman is tied for 26th in points per game ... Junior Lauren Sinacola (Rochester, Mich.) continues to lead the Big Ten in assists with eight, and is tied for third nationally in assists per game ... For the second straight week, junior goalkeeper Lindsey Wrege (Portage, Mich.) was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week. Wrege has started all seven games for the Spartans and has allowed just two goals. She posted a shutout streak that eclipsed 504 minutes and spanned five games. Wrege is ranked 18th nationally in goals against average and is 13th in save percentage.
Players Mentioned
