Sports sponsorship: Georgia College & State University will add women's soccer as its 10th varsity sport. Play will begin as a club sport in fall 2003 before growing to varsity status and competing in the Peach Belt Conference in fall 2004. Eight other institutions currently sponsor women's soccer in the Peach Belt Conference. "Adding a women's soccer program is something we wanted to do for a long time," said Athletics Director Stan Aldridge. "Soccer is a sport that has grown in popularity in this area." GC&SU also announced that Robert Parr will coach the team. Parr comes from Austin, Texas, where he was a senior staff coach for the Capital City United Soccer Club, training ages 8 through 19 boys' and girls' teams. From 1989 to 1995, he led the nonscholarship men's club program at the University of Texas at Austin, which captured an NCCSA national championship in 1990 ... Michigan Technological University announced that it is discontinuing its football program, effective immediately. The institution announced the decision to terminate the program because of budget considerations. Michigan Tech completed its 80th football season in November.

Milestones: Tom Shirley, women's basketball coach at Philadelphia University, recently posted his 450th victory when the Lady Rams defeated the University of Bridgeport February 22. Shirley, in his 22nd year as a collegiate head coach, ranked ninth among active Division II women's basketball coaches entering the 2002-03 season. Shirley also serves as athletics director at Philadelphia and is a member of the Division II Membership Committee.