with an apparent leg injury in the third quarter. Details about the injury were

In July and August, espnWs weekly essay series will focus on body image.The newspaper article quoted my coach as saying, She wrestles just as well as the guys. I was one of four girls on my high schools wrestling team.There werent enough of us to form a separate team, so we regularly trained with and competed against guys. About my male teammates, coach said, Our guys treat em just like everyone else.I remember things being more complicated.Two reporters from the local paper contacted me in the winter of 1997. They wanted to do a story on my life as a wrestler.I was 14 at the time and had been figure skating for almost 10 years. Figure skating was a nerve-wracking sport that I hoped would take me to the Olympics. To keep my conditioning up and ease my self-imposed pressure, I joined different teams. I got introduced to wrestling in physical education class.We were allowed to spar, and to my amazement, I defeated the other girls in my class. These wins didnt go to my head, though. Wrestling -- the sport, the matches, the moves -- was not popular among my female classmates.I assumed I won because they were either unfamiliar with that kind of contact, they were less strong or ambivalent. Figure skating required strength, but the type that came from pointed toes, extended legs and aerodynamic arm movements.Wrestling was tumbling, working your way out of someones grasp and then knocking them down. I wanted more.When I mentioned this to my best friend, she egged me on. She already wanted to join the freshman wrestling team, but she didnt want to do it alone. Out of solidarity and curiosity, I agreed.What ensued were two of the most mentally and physically daunting years of my life. Preparing to be tackled was so anxiety-inducing that my best friend and I would occasionally slap each other in the face to get over it.I was no stranger to the pain of conditioning, but the constant sprawling, then standing up, sprinting in place -- just to get ready to battle each other -- was something else. Sometimes I closed my eyes before lunging at someone. I was doing moves I had never done anywhere else, like the cross-face cradle and the single-leg takedown.There were a few guys who helped me with strategy and technique. They also shared that several teammates didnt think girls should wrestle guys. The rest seemed to believe we had the right to be on the team, they just werent comfortable with fighting -- or losing to -- a girl.This was evident at matches. We were supposed to sit together as a team, but the guys would end up keeping a little distance from the girls.There was also the winter ski trip. Traditionally, the guys would go to a ski lodge over winter break. The girls were never invited, nor did we ask to be included. It was taxing enough to be on a team where I didnt feel totally welcome; fighting for a spot on the ski trip felt like even more of an intrusion.Friends sometimes joked that coed wrestling would end up being sexual. My father worried it would create a green light for guys to be rough with girls off the mat. My mother supported my decision to compete but feared I would get hurt.Unbeknownst to me at the time, other parents and coaches expressed their concern for our safety too. Some hoped we would quit. This was the first time in my coachs 43-year career that girls had come out to wrestle for him, so he consulted other coaches around the city and state for guidance.I was just trying to survive and maybe even win. Strength-wise, I was no match for most of my male competitors, but my endurance and flexibility helped me wear them out and avoid getting pinned.My first win against a guy happened that first year on the team. Once I got him on the ground, I was able to pin his shoulders to the mat by splitting his legs apart. I pulled one near his face with my arms, and held the other down by wrapping my legs around his ankles. This is a cross-face cradle, the only pinning maneuver I really knew how to do.When the match was over, my coach said I received a standing ovation. I only remember my slim, 103-pound opponent shaking my hand and then hanging his head when he returned to his team. When I competed against and defeated other girls, all my teammates cheered.Despite these celebrations, girls wrestling never grew to be popular at my high school.In 1997, the reporters at the local paper didnt have this information. They pursued the story by photographing my training sessions and interviewing me, my coaches and my father.The heart of the story focused on my relationship with my dad and how he was not thrilled about my decision to wrestle. He cringed, but he never stopped me. In fact, he said, I guess itd be nice if this is the worst problem I ever have with her.Today, I would focus more on the fact that my mother supported my participation on the team, the norms and boundaries that coed wrestling upsets and the marginalization I never addressed with my team. It ultimately led me to quit after my sophomore year. The sport was too hard to do without having more love and acceptance from my teammates.Eryn Ashleigh Mathewson is a print and radio journalist. Her work has appeared in Womens eNews, Cremé Magazine and on 94.1FM KPFA Pacifica Radio in Berkeley.Cheap Nike Shox Sale . -- If this was Aaron Gordons final home game at Arizona, and it almost certainly was, then he went out in style. Nike Shox Clearance . LOUIS -- Mike Smith is used to facing plenty of shots, so this was nothing new. http://www.shoxnikesalecheap.com/ . Bryzgalov stopped 25 shots on Saturday in the Oklahoma City Barons 4-1 victory over the Abbotsford Heat. The Oilers signed Bryzgalov to a one-year $2 million contract last Friday after shedding payroll by dealing defenceman Ladislav Smid to the Flames. Womens Nike Shox Clearance . In Europe, top teams seem to be largely happy with their squads after spending nearly $1 billion in the off-season. And although English league clubs are unlikely to splash cash in January, Arsenal and Chelsea could be tempted to strengthen their squads with new strikers. Buy Nike Shox . From filmmaker Nanette Burstein (On the Ropes), The Price of Gold revisits the saga that rocked the figure skating world ahead of the 1994 Lillehammer Olympic Winter Games: the assault on Nancy Kerrigan, and the plot that led its way back to her rival Tonya Harding.CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- With the two quarterbacks in front of him on the depth chart down with injuries, Jeff George Jr. has spent much of his redshirt sophomore season at Illinois on mop-up duty, manning the controls for a struggling offense.But on Dads Day at Memorial Stadium Saturday, the son of longtime NFL quarterback and Illinois legend Jeff George and the Illini defense pulled off a comeback that no doubt made the elder Georges day.George Jr. threw a touchdown pass with 1:25 left to take the lead, and with 19 seconds left Illinois defense came up with a fourth-down stop at its own 15 to pull out a 31-27 win.The victory was Illinois (3-6, 2-4 Big Ten) first over the Spartans since 2006, and ended a two-game losing streak in which Illinois coach Lovie Smith said he forgot how the team celebrates a win.We had forgotten what its like. They had to take me through the routine of singing the `Alma Mater, he said. Theres no excitement like a winning locker room, just genuine emotion.Across the stadium from the jubilant Illinois locker room, the Spartans struggled to explain how this one got away.The Spartans (2-7, 0-6) have lost seven straight, are off to their worst Big Ten start ever and are assured of a losing season. They dominated the game on paper, outgaining Illinois 490-304. Eight times Michigan State moved the ball to the Illinois 36-yard line or further, but turned those possessions into just two touchdowns and four field goals. Michigan States 10 penalties for 89 yards hurt.Very disappointing, Spartan coach Mark Dantonio said several times in his postgame news conference, shaking his head as he searched for an explanation. You kick four field goals, that sounds good. (But) it means theres missed opportunities in the red zone.George was just 13-29 for 140 yards, but he had two touchdown passes. The second touchdown was the 16-yard strike to Sam Mays that sealed the win.Obviously I feel like I made some mistakes, George said. The whole point of the game is to weather the storm and keep grinding.Michigan State had a shot late, driving the ball to the Illinois 15. But on fourth down with 19 seconds left in the game, Illinois linebacker Hardy Nickerson and defensive end Carroll Phillips stuffed quarterback Damion Terrys draw for a 1-yard loss.Terry came into the game in the fourth when Tyler OConnor left with an injury.THE TAKEAWAYMichigan State: OConnor and Terry proved Saturday that the Spartans arent lost at quarterback. With Brian Lewerke out for the seasonn, OConnor was steady.dddddddddddd He kept plays alive with his feet on a key third-quarter drive that ended with a touchdown and tied the game at 17-17. And when Terry came off the bench, he was cool under pressure.Illinois: Illinois came into the season talking up its defense, then spent eight weeks struggling to stop the run and, at times, avoid penalties and other mistakes that cost the Illini games. On Saturday, the Illini defense looked as good as initially promised. Playing with short fields and against an offense that has shown it can move the ball, defense kept the Illini in the game Saturday until the offense woke up.LONG-DISTANCE FOSTERKendrick Fosters day was almost lost in the late-game heroics, but Illinois junior running back was the spark that got the Illini offense going. He had 17 carries for 146 yards and two touchdowns, the second a 64-yarder. He has three scores of 56 yards or more this season, all of that after almost leaving the program last November.BOWLINGIts been a while since the Spartans finished a season with a losing record (2006, 4-8) or no bowl trip to look forward to (2009, a 6-7 season that ended at the Alamo Bowl).Six wins and a bowl remain possible for Illinois, but theres no margin for error. The Illini will have to win the rest of their games -- at Wisconsin, at home against Iowa and at Northwestern.INJURY REPORTMichigan State defensive end Malik McDowell left the game with an apparent leg injury in the third quarter. Details about the injury were not available. OConnor was injured in a pileup after running for a first down. He stayed seated on the sideline as Spartan staff talked to him for a long period. Dantonio did not have details about the injury but said he did not believe his fifth-year quarterback suffered a concussion.Illinois starting quarterback Wes Lunt for the second straight week dressed for the game but did not play because of the back injury he suffered Oct. 8 against Purdue. Second-stringer Chayce Crouch is out for the season.UP NEXTMichigan State: The Spartans host Rutgers Saturday. With Ohio State and Penn State left after that, the game is Michigan States best shot to get a third win this season.Illinois: The Illini head to Madison to face the No. 8 Badgers on Saturday.---More AP college football coverage: collegefootball.ap.orgFollow David Mercer on Twitter: (at)davidmercerAP ' ' '