Conferences: Centenary College (Louisiana) has accepted an invitation to become the ninth member of the Mid-Continent Conference. Centenary will begin league competition in 2003-04 and will be immediately eligible to compete for conference championships and NCAA berths. "The Mid-Continent Conference invited Centenary College to become a member because it was the right decision from a philosophic and programmatic standpoint," Commissioner Jon A. Steinbrecher said. "In the long term, Centenary will make the Mid-Con a better conference." Centenary offers programs in baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's golf, gymnastics, men's and women's rifle, men's and women's soccer, softball, men's and women's swimming, men's and women's tennis and volleyball. Of those sports, only gymnastics and rifle are currently not sponsored by the Mid-Continent. Centenary joins existing league members Chicago State University; Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis; University of Missouri, Kansas City; Oakland University; Oral Roberts University; Southern Utah University; Valparaiso University; and Western Illinois University.

Sports sponsorship: Canisius College will reduce its total of varsity sports from 23 to 16. The college will eliminate football, men's and women's indoor and outdoor track, men's and women's tennis, and rifle. Canisius officials said the reduction is an effort to provide a better experience for all of its student-athletes by more effectively concentrating resources. The changes will be effective for the 2003-04 academic year. "Canisius believes that this is a positive move for our athletics program," President Vincent M. Cooke said. "Our goal is to enhance the overall quality of the athletics program so that it reflects the same high quality that we have in our academic programs and in our campus facilities. This signals a firm commitment to Division I athletics for Canisius, and our intention to build our athletics program into a consistently competitive, high-quality program." Ellen O. Conley, vice-president for student affairs, said the decision to eliminate sports was difficult. "We are concerned for the coaches and the student-athletes involved in the affected programs," she said. "However, we believe this move will allow us to concentrate our resources in fewer sports and make us a much more excellent program overall." Over the past three years, the college has allocated additional resources for full-time coaches in men's ice hockey, women's softball and women's volleyball. The school also recently completed a $1.3 million renovation to its Koessler Athletic Center to provide an on-campus venue for indoor sports, especially men's and women's basketball and women's volleyball. "Under the realignment, the funds currently spent on the discontinued sports will be reallocated among the remaining sports," said Timothy J. Dillon, director of athletics. "Additional funding will be allocated to athletics in succeeding years to allow us to offer more athletics scholarships, hire more full-time coaches and to make other necessary upgrades." The college anticipates that more than 90 student athletes will be affected by the reductions. Canisius will continue to honor the athletics scholarships held by those students. "The impact on the remaining athletes will be tremendously positive," said Cooke. "The reductions will provide for more facility time and support services for our student-athletes and will limit late-night practices. We believe the results will be better win-loss records, better use of our athletics facilities and support services and most importantly a better-quality experience for our athletes."

Miscellaneous: St. Francis University (Pennsylvania) ended the fourth-longest football losing streak in Division I (I-A and I-AA) history November 2 with a 23-16 win over La Salle University. The Red Flash ended a string of 30 consecutive losses dating back to the 1999 season, when St. Francis defeated St. Peter's College, 21-8. St. Francis posted a 2-9 record in 1999, then went winless in 2000 and 2001. Junior tailback Michael Hall led the Red Flash to the victory over La Salle, rushing for a career-high 247 yards and two touchdowns on 37 carries against the Explorers. The Red Flash trailed La Salle, 14-0, before rallying for the win. Prairie View A&M University lost 80 straight games from 1989 to 1998; Columbia University dropped 44 straight decisions from 1983 to 1988; and Northwestern University lost 34 consecutive contests from 1979 to 1982.

-- Compiled by Gary T. Brown