Sports sponsorship: St. John's University (New York) will add a women's golf program that is slated to begin play in September 2002. The additional women's program gives St. John's 22 intercollegiate sports, 11 men's and 11 women's. Current St. John's men's golf coach Frank Darby, in his fifth year at the helm, will coach the women's program, too. The Red Storm women's golf team joins five other Big East Conference schools that sponsor the sport. Since the conference does not sponsor a championship, St. John's would compete with other teams for a spot in an NCAA regional ... Northern Illinois University has announced it will eliminate the university's 36-member men's and women's swimming and diving program. Three full-time coaching positions also will be eliminated. "In the end, we were guided by a commitment to doing what's best for our student-athletes, and that meant being honest with them about our ability to fund and maintain a strong, competitive program," said Cary Groth, the school's athletics director. "Successful swimming and diving programs require tremendous investment in facilities, and we aren't able to provide that investment. We had to look at opportunity for future success, competitiveness within our conference, facility needs and financial priorities. In the end, it became clear that we can't give our swimmers and divers the optimal athletics experience that they need and deserve." Groth said she and members of her staff met with team members and coaches immediately after the decision was made. Intercollegiate swimming became an official varsity sport at Northern Illinois in 1960.

-- Compiled by Gary T. Brown