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Vol. 112 | No. 7
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2021 EDITOR-INCHIEF Karly Graham
CULTURE EDITOR Dina Kaur
MANAGING EDITOR Jayna Bardahl
SPORTS EDITOR Eli McKown
COPY CHIEF SaMya Overall CAMPUS EDITOR Wendy Guzman CITY EDITOR Griffin Wiles
MULTIMEDIA EDITORS Devin Anderson-Torrez Chandra Fleming DESIGN Maddie Monroe
Graduate student defensive end Drew Beesley carries the Paul Bunyan trophy after the Spartans’ 37-33 win against the Wolverines on Oct. 30. Photo by Devin Anderson-Torrez
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SPOT L IG H T
MSU Swimming and Diving members s “This is the most dedicated group of people ever. They’re not gonna back down at all until this is fixed.” Kasey Venn Psychology junior
Psychology junior Kasey Venn looks back at her name on the record board on Oct. 21, in IM West, one day before the year anniversary of the team being cut from Michigan State Athletics. Photo by Devin Anderson-Torrez By Jared Ramsey jramsey@statenews.com
The skeletons of the Michigan State Swimming and Diving program sit in plain sight for marketing junior Sophia Balow while she works as a lifeguard at IM West. Balow spent her first two years on campus competing as a swimmer on the Michigan State Swim and Dive team and is constantly reminded at work that the team she came to MSU to be a part of no longer exists. “I spend a lot of time in the pool still,” Ba-
low said. “But it’s just so surreal because our record board is still up on the wall. The big Michigan State Swimming and Diving sign is still up on the wall and our coach is still up in his office ... But it feels like it’s a waste.” It has been just over a year since ex-Athletic Director Bill Beekman announced the MSU men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams would be cut following the completion of the 2020-21 season. Beekman stated that financial losses in the department due to COVID-19, coupled with the program’s inability to be competitive in the Big Ten, were
Psychology junior Kasey Venn makes her way down the lane in a butterfly stroke on Oct. 21, in IM West, one day before the year anniversary of the team being cut from Michigan State Athletics. Photo by Devin Anderson-Torrez
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the main reasons behind cutting the program. The team competed on campus in the spring, but the farewell tour was more of a burden for the swimmers and divers rather than a celebration of the program. “The question throughout this whole experience has been, ‘Why?’” Balow said. Members of the team opted out of the season and each event “felt like a pity party” with other Big Ten schools honoring the program as its last competition against Michigan State. Kinesiology senior Madeline Reilly said the decision left the members of the team heartbroken. “I feel silly giving you this analogy, but I would almost say it’s like a boyfriend that I’ve broken up with that I keep getting back together with, if that makes sense,” Reilly, who competed as a swimmer for three years, said. “I just have this foundational love of this school that’s never gonna go away because it’s brought me to my family; like these people are my family.” The fractured relationship drove seven members of the team to transfer to other Power Five schools like Duke and Texas to use the remainder of their eligibility. However, 39 members are still students at Michigan State, sticking it out in East Lansing because of the connection with teammates and love for MSU as an institution. “We definitely leaned on each other a lot,” management senior and diver Jakob Heberling said. “We’re always going to be a team and to have each other’s backs is really important. But like (Balow) said, it’s weird to not have people come in and do all the stuff that we usually do like go over team rules, get to know each other; it gets hard to not have that.”
The adjustment to life as a student rather than a student-athlete has been difficult for the team members that remain at MSU. MSU’s return to normal student life on campus, in addition to not having the structure of the team as an everyday constant, has made them confront any lingering emotions about the team being cut. The return of students to campus also meant the return of using Michigan State’s recreational facilities, including the pool at IM West. IM West was the home of Michigan State Swim and Dive since the 1950s, and its return this year has led to mixed emotions for the swimmers still on campus. Balow said that going back to the pool as a lifeguard is frustrating because it serves as a reminder of the what-ifs. For communications senior and swimmer Kasey Venn, the return to IM West was heartbreaking. Venn joined MSU’s club swimming team to continue to compete and stay active this year. She said the first meet back in IM West was especially tough for her. “It was mostly sad for me, rather than frustrating, just because I am swimming with a bunch of people who aren’t on the actual team,” Venn said. “And my name is on the record board, and I’m looking at it and I’m like, I’m literally swimming for a club organization in the same pool that I competed in as a real athlete. It’s not humiliating, but it’s really come to this.” Heberling said that his first realization that he was back at MSU just to be a student this year was biking past IM West after the first day of classes. When he saw the building, it kicked in that his career competing as an athlete was over. “I came by on the trail here and it was the first time that I’m not going to practice and that hit me,” Heberling said. “I was like, ‘Wow, this is the first time in like 21 years of my life that I haven’t had scheduled practice or anything like that kind of commitment.’ My whole life, I’ve always been going out doing sports and practice and stuff. So, that’s been hard. It’s been a big transition to go from something that you dedicate your life to, to not having it anymore.” The return to campus has also left members of the team in an “awkward” position with other student-athletes and the athletics department in general. The members of the team are still invited to attend other MSU
S POT L I G H T
struggle with the shift to student life sporting events as student-athletes and have been honored at the Athletics Department’s varsity jacket ceremony. The interactions with other MSU athletes at these events have served as a reminder for the former swimmers of the gap that now stands between them and the rest of the athletics department. Reilly said they feel like outsiders in places like the Clara Bell Smith Student-Athlete Center and 1855 Place, two of the student-athlete hubs on campus. She said going in those buildings this year is not the same as in years past when the team existed and she feels like the swimmers are disconnected from the rest of the department now. Reilly was the swimming team’s representative to MSU’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, or SAAC, and used that as a way to bolster her leadership skills to prepare for after college. She said not having SAAC, coupled with not having the team, has cut into her personal goals that she set out for herself coming into MSU. “The opportunities that I was gifted here at Michigan State and my first three years of my collegiate athletic experience have completely shaped me into the person I am today and have completely driven my goals forward,” Reilly said. “And to think that I can’t be a part of making this athletic department a better place for athletes to thrive in the future just breaks my heart.” Despite the unexpected and unwanted reminders that presented themselves since returning to campus, Balow said that the team is ready to move forward past the last year of heartbreak since the team was cut. She said that the team wants to work with the athletic department to reinstate the program. Michigan State’s new Athletic Director Alan Haller has not publicly commented on the program’s future since he was hired two months ago. However, Michigan State President Samuel L. Stanley said in a press conference with reporters after Haller’s hiring that the issue was “closed” and that he had not had any discussions with Haller on bringing the team back. The swimmers and divers, along with a group of parents and alumni, Battle for Spartan Swim & Dive, have vehemently pushed for MSU administration to reverse its decision over the past year and want to work with Haller to come up with solutions to bring the team back. Also, members of the women’s team have filed a Title IX lawsuit against MSU for cutting the program. Michigan State Swimming and Diving was one of 112 college sports programs that were cut due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to businessofcollegesports.com, and Michigan State was one of 35 institutions to cut a program. Of the 112, 37 programs have been reinstated and 77 — MSU swimming and diving included — remain cut. Battle for MSU Swim & Dive, along with the swimmers and divers on campus, are looking to be like Iowa or East Carolina, who reinstated their swimming and diving programs this year, and are willing to go to extreme lengths to do so. There has been no communication between the athletics department and the swim and dive team this year about reinstatement, according to the swimmers. Venn said that they are letting the battle group handle any conversations with administrators right now. “Our alumni are not gonna back off,” Venn said. “And that’s what I think the main thing is, they’re not going to stop. This is the most dedicated group of people ever. They’re not
Marketing junior Sophia Balow watches the waters at the IM West pool where she used to swim as a Spartan on Oct. 21, one day before the year anniversary of the team being cut from Michigan State Athletics. Photo by Devin Anderson-Torrez
gonna back down at all until this is fixed.” For now, the swimmers are waiting to hear from the MSU administration and waiting to see what happens in the courtroom in the Title IX case. Balow said that even a year later, they are still left wondering “Why us?” after the lack of effort from MSU’s end to reinstate the team.
“We definetly leaned on each other a lot. We’re always going to be a team and to have each other’s backs is really important.” Jakob Heberling Management senior
Management senior Jakob Heberling dives in the team’s pool for the first time since the program was cut. Shot on Oct. 22. Photo by Chloe Trofatter
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SPORTS
EAST COAST TO EAST LANSING:
Tyson Walker, A.J. Hoggard bring longtime relationship to Michigan State By Sean Reider sreider@statenews.com On the floor of Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, Big Ten Media Days were in full swing. Athletes and coaches were peppered with questions by a roaming band of beat writers, television personalities and national affiliates in their allotted one-on-one, 30-minute sessions. Reporters crisscrossed the hardwood to move from one scrum to another, scribbling frantically in a notebook or listening intently to anything and everything Big Ten basketball. It’s the first time plenty of people will be getting formal access to the subjects they cover. And for the athletes and coaches, who are either giving a game smile to one final question or slouching back in their seats, it appears exhausting. Still, this is the preseason. There’s plenty of excitement to be shared about a season yet to begin. When asked about junior guard Tyson Walker’s addition to a point guard situation that cratered in Michigan State’s disappointing 2020-21 season, senior forward Gabe Brown shakes his head and smiles slyly, the first spark in a line of routine questions. “He’s brought a lot to the table,” he said with a pleasant emphasis. “As you all saw (at MSU’s first open practice), a lot to the table.” Less than a week later, Michigan State Head Coach Tom Izzo held court at the Breslin Center to discuss all things Michigan State, be it football, in-person classes and, yes, basketball. Again, another question about the point guards. And more of the same tempered praise surrounding two known — but not yet proven — quantities. “When we’re pushing that ball with our point guards, there’s times that even I think we look good,” Izzo said. “That doesn’t happen very often.” Quarterbacks, New York City cab drivers, floor generals — these are some of the names used to describe Walker and sophomore guard A.J. Hoggard, the two point guards holding the hopes and full potential of Michigan State men’s basketball’s 2021-22 campaign in their hands. In one corner, there’s Hoggard. A Coatesville, Pennsylvania native, who played half of his high school basketball career at Archbishop Carroll in Philadelphia before transferring to Huntington Prep in Huntington, West Virginia. After his freshman year at MSU, he’s the one holdover at the position after it became a revolving door for lackluster production and led then-junior guard Foster Loyer and then-sophomore guard Rocket Watts to transfer to Davidson College and Mississippi State, respectively. In the other corner, Walker. The Westbury, New York native and Christ the King alum played two years at Northeastern University before transferring to MSU in April, averaging 6
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“They’re both like New York City cab drivers. They get along well together. They both work very hard.” Tom Izzo MSU men’s basketball Head Coach Sophomore A.J. Hoggard (LEFT) poses for a portrait and junior Tyson Walker (RIGHT) interviews at the Michigan State Men’s Basketball Media Day at the Breslin Center on Oct. 20. Photos by Rahmya Trewern
18.8 points per game with 4.8 assists to boot on his way to a Colonial Athletic Association, or CAA, title and CAA Defensive Player of the Year honors. Already a fast talker, Hoggard goes even faster when talking about his 20-pound weight loss this summer, growing into the position and the guy he’s supposed to be competing with, Walker. It’s a relationship that goes deep, all the way back to long weekends on the road, grinding the youth travel basketball circuit up and around the East Coast. “He’s from New York, I’m from Pennsylvania, so growing up, going to tournaments, you play each other every weekend,” Hoggard said. “We formed a relationship since fourth grade, our parents know each other, so him coming here kind of gave me a sense of back home, East Coast competitiveness.” If you ask the duo, neither of them said either has changed much since their halcyon days of weekend ball. Hoggard said Walker’s the same guy as a player and a person who just happened to get older. Walker complimented Hoggard’s consistently strong scoring ability and noted his passing has come into its own since their very first matchups. This season will mark the first time they take the court on the same team. The bond between both players and their families developed as the weekends on the road stacked up. After all, it was Hoggard’s father who first told Walker and his family to let him reclassify, a pivotal decision for any young athlete. And when Walker decided to enter the transfer portal, there was more than enough interest from major programs across the country. Hoggard said he saw Walker’s tweet announcing he was leaving Northeastern and when there was a clear interest in TU ESDAY, NOVEMB E R 2 , 202 1
Michigan State, he immediately hit the phones to rekindle their relationship — and deliver his pitch. “I just told him it’s a real family,” Hoggard said. “A lot of schools preach it, I’ve been through it. ... I just told him, if he comes here, he’s gonna be locked in from day one and everybody gonna show him love.” Walker, a little quieter and more reserved than Hoggard, has a more simple memory of his recruitment. “It was just like ‘Yo, come here,’ you know?” he said of Hoggard’s selling points. “‘I’m with you.’ So, that was it.” Walker committed after some solid recruitment and watching tape of prior Michigan State point guards, and then worked over the summer and set the stage for what Izzo called a “quarterback controversy” in regards to who will start. The dynamics are interesting enough: Walker’s a proven player taking a leap in conference competition, while Hoggard’s taken the right developmental steps all summer after demonstrating some inconsistency last season. It’s a unique arrangement, to say the least, and one Izzo serves with a unique description. “They’re both like New York City cab drivers,” he said. “They get along well together. They both work very hard. They’re a little different —one shoots it better than the other, one’s bigger and stronger. One depends on the ball a little bit better. One rebounds a little bit better. So, I think it’s going to be a good combination.” It will have to be a good combination to improve Michigan State’s fortunes after a season with a nearly nonexistent running game and key playmakers’, such as redshirt senior forward Joey Hauser and junior forward Malik Hall, production suffering due to a lesser passing game. Hoggard and Walker have been tasked
“We can hold each other accountable and (have it) not be like someone’s trying to tear you down. He could tell me something I might not want to hear, I can tell him something he might not want to hear. It’s just gonna go a long way.” A.J. Hoggard Sophomore guard with revitalizing both aspects of the game, creating a minor adjustment for Walker, who said he isn’t used to getting the outlet and pushing the ball as fast as possible. Regardless, Walker said he thinks the Spartans’ fast break is really good and fits his natural quickness, so long as he gets in a rhythm with it. He added that Hoggard helped assimilate him into the team on the court as much as off. “I think I know everybody pretty well on the team,” he said. “It was easy to figure out what everybody likes to do just by watching (Hoggard) play with them.” Despite the responsibilities at hand, both Walker and Hoggard downplay
their competition for the starting job in practice and eschew any notion that it’s affected their relationship. Walker said it “doesn’t even feel like competing” and Hoggard said they can get into plenty of arguments on the court and act like “nothing happened” once they reach the locker room and beyond. “We can hold each other accountable and (have it) not be like someone’s trying to tear you down,” Hoggard said. “He could tell me something I might not want to hear, I can tell him something he might not want to hear. It’s just gonna go a long way.” Off the court, Walker said Hoggard and him spend time together playing Call of Duty: Warzone and take trips to Tropical Smoothie Cafe and Cold Stone Creamery. “He just comes along for the ride,” Walker said.Two longtime friends, former opponents and now teammates. Don’t forget that they’re also proud East Coast point guards, a region romanticized for producing flashy guard play and legendary playground showcases at Rucker Park. It’s a different flavor of play than what’s been seen in the past at Michigan State, a program that’s pulled its all-time greatest point guards almost entirely from Michigan. But the promise is more than there, even if it’s coming from a different place. So, as a preview before a homecoming of sorts against Kansas on Nov. 9 at Madison Square Garden, what separates them from, say, a typical Midwestern point guard? “I mean, we might play on the playground a little bit more,” Hoggard said lightly. “We’re tougher.” For the first time, Walker is a little more descriptive than Hoggard when asked what sets them apart. “We’re crafty, we’re tough,” he said. “Very good at finishing, and we just like to win.”
S PORTS
After a year of waiting, Matilda Ekh arrives in East Lansing for women’s hoops from Sweden By Melanie Sovernisky msovernisky@statenews.com For the past year, MSU women’s basketball freshman Matilda Ekh played a waiting game. COVID-19 travel restrictions held Ekh in her hometown of Västerås, Sweden, preventing her from joining the team in East Lansing. “For me the entire process was really difficult,” Ekh said. “I was supposed to come last year, but I couldn’t because of COVID and I couldn’t get my visa back. It has been a struggle, but I am glad to be here.” Although faced with this challenge, Ekh continued to practice throughout the year. “I played in the first division in Sweden last year, and then I played with the national team this summer, so I’ve had teams to work with all the time,” Ekh said. “When I decided not to come, the coaching staff and I just kept talking every once in a while to keep me updated on what was going on here, and I kept that updated with what was going on with our season.”
Now, the 6-foot guard/forward has finally arrived. The team and coaching staff have welcomed Ekh with open arms, she said. “It’s been really fun playing with (Ekh),” senior guard Nia Clouden said. “She is not like a freshman; she plays really experienced. I know she had professional experience overseas, and you can definitely tell. She picks things up really fast, so we don’t ever have to worry about having to explain stuff twice.” The big question is why Michigan State? What was the pull for Ekh that drew her in from across the globe? “It was a tough decision,” Ekh said. “I didn’t know a lot about college when I was choosing, but I had a good feeling about Michigan State and the coaching staff when I was here visiting.” Ekh is joined by many freshman on the roster including guard DeeDee Hagemann, forwards Lauren Walker, Isaline Alexander and center Brooklyn Rewers. So far though, Ekh has looked to be the leader of this freshman,
Coach Suzy Merchant, along with the rest of the coaching staff, high five the team as they prepare for their game against Iowa in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament on March 12. Photos by Lauren DeMay
starting in the exhibition game against Northwood on Oct. 31 as she racked up 15 points in 21 minutes. “Having (Ekh) here alongside the incoming freshman has been awesome,” junior guard Julia Ayrault said. “They have done a great job of listening and taking everything in and being available. It’s been really cool getting to know them, and I’m excited to see what they do on the
court this year.” Michigan State women’s basketball Head Coach Suzy Merchant said the mix of veterans and newcomers on the team excite her for the team’s potential. “I am really excited about this group,” Merchant said. “We have about 84% of our scoring back, our top seven scorers and our NCAA tournament team. They were young last year, but now they’re very
much more veterans. ... The new kids that have come in and have picked things up really quickly.” Ekh and the rest of the women’s hoops team will kick off their season Nov. 9 at the Breslin against Morehead State. “My main goal this season is to get adjusted and get a spot on the team,” Ekh said. “I want to make it as far as possible.”
“They have done a great job of listening and taking everything in and being available. It’s been really cool getting to know them, and I’m excited to see what they do on the court this year.” Julia Ayrault Junior guard
NEVER MISS UNFOLDING STORIES RIGHT: Spartan fans celebrate as Freshman cornerback Charles Brantley intercepts the ball, clinching a 37-33 win against the Wolverines on Oct. 30. BELOW: Redshirt junior wide receiver Jayden Reed waves to the fans after the Spartans raced back from a 16-point deficit to beat the Wolverines on Oct. 30 Photos by Devin Anderson-Torrez
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