Conferences: The University of Central Florida has announced it will become a football-only member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC), effective for the 2002 season. The move increases the MAC membership in football to 14 with two divisions of seven teams. UCF will compete in the East Division along with the University of Akron; the University at Buffalo, the State College of New York; Kent State University; Marshall University; Miami University (Ohio); and Ohio University. Bowling Green State University, which had been in the East Division, will move to the West Division and join Ball State University, Central Michigan University, Eastern Michigan University, Northern Illinois University, the University of Toledo and Western Michigan University. "This is a significant event in the 55-year history of our conference," said MAC Commissioner Rick Chryst. "UCF has established a solid football program at the Division I-A level in a very short time. They fit with our league both competitively and academically." ... The NCAA has named College Hockey America (CHA) as an automatic-qualifying conference to the Division I Men's Ice Hockey Championship, effective in 2003. The CHA will join the Central Collegiate Hockey Association, Eastern College Athletic Conference, Hockey East Association, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and the Western Collegiate Hockey Association as the sixth Division I college hockey conference to be eligible for an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The NCAA recognized September 1999 as the official start date of the CHA and subsequently determined that the league is eligible for the automatic bid under the pre-existing NCAA bylaws, effective for the 2003 championship. CHA members include the U.S. Air Force Academy; the University of Alabama, Huntsville; Bemidji State University; the University of Findlay; Niagara University; and Wayne State University (Michigan). "The membership of College Hockey America is extremely pleased to receive confirmation from the NCAA for conference membership retroactive to September 1999," said R.H. "Bob" Peters, CHA commissioner. "The growth and development of collegiate hockey over the past decade is unprecedented, and College Hockey America is an example of the ever-expanding interest and participation in hockey at all levels."

Miscellaneous: The Southeastern Conference has announced that Worldspan will become the official presenting television sponsor of SEC women's athletics events on Fox Sports Net South for the 2001-02 academic year, the first such agreement of its kind for women's college sports. Worldspan, a provider of technology for travel agents, suppliers, and Internet travel companies, is in its second year as an SEC corporate partner. "This sponsorship aligns perfectly with our supportive position for women -- not only on the athletics field, but also in the world of technology and commerce," said Paul J. Blackney, Worldspan president and CEO. The programming schedule includes both regular-season and conference championship events in soccer, volleyball, basketball, gymnastics, softball, golf, tennis, track and field and swimming and diving. Worldspan also will present a regular women's athletics feature on SEC-TV Weekly. Worldspan's on-air presence began with the November 1 edition of SEC-TV Weekly.

-- Compiled by Gary T. Brown