Michigan State roundup: Four track athletes advance to NCAA Championships
Michigan State’s track & field team had another successful day at the East Preliminary Round in Lexington, Kentucky, on Friday. Juniors Katelyn Daniels and Noah Gary both punched their tickets to the NCAA Championships.
Daniels joined junior Jade Madison in the javelin and senior Hannah Sailar in the pole vault in punching her ticket to Eugene. Daniels finished 10th in the discus with a throw of 53.57m. Entering her final throw, Daniels, a two-time All-American in the discus, was 13th. On her final throw, she came through with the 53.57m that got her in the top 12. This will be her third-straight trip to the NCAA Championships.
Gary will advance to the NCAA Championship in the pole vault, finishing 11th with a vault of 5.25m. Gary is the only Big Ten athlete from the East Preliminary Round to advance to Eugene in the pole vault.
WRESTLING
Spartans sign four for next season
Michigan State wrestling head coach Roger Chandler has announced that four student-athletes will be joining the team for the 2017-18 season.
Joining the Spartans will be Brendan Black (Hobart, Indiana/Hobart High School), Cameron Caffey (Carbondale, Illinois/Carbondale Community High School), Austen Malczewski (Romeo, Michigan/Romeo High School) and Warren Stanfield III (Walled Lake, Michigan/Walled Lake Central High School).
Black won the Indiana state title at 138 pounds his senior year after a 30-1 campaign and was a four-time all-state selection.
Caffey claimed the Illinois Class 2A title at 182 pounds his senior year, going a perfect 41-0.
Malczewski went 52-5 his senior year, finishing third in Michigan at 171 pounds and was a two-time state qualifier.
Stanfield III finished his senior year at 51-2, finishing third in Division I at 130 pounds for Walled Lake Central.
WOMEN'S TENNIS
Chua wins national sportsmanship award
Michigan State women’s tennis player Aslina Chua was honored as the national winner of the Cissie Leary Award for Sportsmanship for the 2016-17 season by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.
The ITA recently announced Chua as the Midwest regional winner of the Cissie Leary Award for Sportsmanship, advancing her to the qualifying pool for the national award. The candidates for the award were evaluated based on sportsmanship, character, overcoming adversity, athletic performance and also with excellence in the classroom and extracurriculars.
The Kuching, Malaysia native is very active in volunteering with RISE—a nonprofit that uses sports to improve racial relations—and the Todd Martin Youth Leadership program. She also helps out with school readings and teaching tennis to kids.
She is a four-time MSU Dean’s List honoree, along with being a 2017 Academic Excellence Gala Honoree.
Chua had an overall singles record of 17-15 for the 2016-17 season. One of her highlight wins this season at No. 1 singles was defeating Martina Frantova of North Carolina State, nationally ranked No. 34.