Michigan State Sporting Events to Return Following Fatal Campus Shooting – NBC Chicago
Michigan State’s sporting events, set to return after deadly campus shootings, originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Sporting events across the state of Michigan will resume competition both on the road and at home after a this weekend mass shooting Earlier this week, three students were killed and five wounded on campus.
Prior to the announcement, the university said it had had many interviews with healthcare professionals and school leadership, as well as interviews with athletes and staff.
“The safety and physical and mental well-being of our students and staff is at the core of Michigan State Athletics,” said Athletics Director Alan Haller opinion.
“In consultation with mental health professionals and in discussions with our student-athletes, it became clear that a return to training and competing is a crucial part of their recovery. Student-athletes were given an active voice in deciding to return to competition, as well as autonomy to make their own individual decisions about participation.
“Athletics can be a rallying point for a community in need of healing, a fact many of our student-athletes have mentioned to me. The opportunity to represent our entire community has never felt so great. I also recognize that everyone grieves in their own uniqueness and there are some who are unwilling to return to sporting events. Those feelings are incredibly valid and as Coach Izzo so eloquently said last night, I hope we all focus on looking out for each other.”
On Wednesday night, men’s basketball head coach Tom Izzo gave a powerful speech at a candlelight vigil on campus.
Izzo, who has coached the Spartans since 1995, talked about gun violence and the importance of staying together in the MSU community during these trying times.
Among the sporting events postponed as a result of Monday night’s mass shooting was the men’s basketball team, which Minnesota hosted Wednesday night.
The men’s tennis team that hosted Drake on Wednesday followed suit, along with Friday’s women’s gymnastics meet in Illinois.
When will MSU athletes return to competition?
Women’s basketball will host Maryland on Saturday, February 18 at 3:00 p.m. ET as originally scheduled.
The men’s basketball team will travel to Ann Arbor at 8:00 p.m. ET on Saturday to play Michigan. The Spartans return home on Tuesday, February 21 for a 9:00 p.m. ET match against Indiana.
The men’s tennis team will not travel to Virginia for games against Virginia Tech and VCU, instead hosting Drake at 10 a.m. Saturday
This weekend’s women’s tennis games against Marshall and Columbia are both canceled.
The hockey team traveled to Madison, Wisconsin on Wednesday for its competition on Friday and Saturday.
The following teams are expected to travel Thursday for their weekend road competitions: softball to Elon, NC, baseball to Arizona and women’s golf to Melbourne, Florida.
On Friday, wrestling and men’s and women’s track and field teams are scheduled to travel to Central Michigan and Michigan, respectively. They also compete on that day.
Athletes from the track and field teams are also scheduled to compete in Notre Dame on Saturday.
When is the Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament?
The 26th edition of the Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament will be held March 8-12, 2023 at the United Center in Chicago.