Facilities: Chatham College broke ground last semester on an $18 million athletics and fitness center that is scheduled for completion in fall 2004. "Athletics are essential to today's Chatham women, and fitness and health are an important part of their daily routines," said Chatham President Esther L. Barazzone. "The ability to compete on the field is as vital to a young woman's well-being as the ability to compete intellectually, and Chatham has instilled those qualities in its alumnae for well over a century. We believe our investments in infrastructure ultimately will benefit our students throughout their lives." The facility, designed by the architectural firm of Hastings + Chivetta of St. Louis, will complement the existing neighborhood, which includes stately old mansions that were once owned by prominent industrialists. Inside, however, the facility will include all the latest in technology. The campus level of the center will include a spacious lobby and lounge, a fitness/weight training room, cardio room, dance/aerobics studio, pool observation deck and classroom. The pool level will include an eight-lane competitive pool, locker rooms, hydrotherapy, sauna and steam rooms, offices, two international regulation squash courts and a climbing wall. The gymnasium level will include a full-sized gymnasium, locker rooms and an athletics office suite. The spectator level will include a gymnasium overlook, a spectator concourse, concessions, a jogging track and a conference room ...

Tufts University honored retired longtime athletics director Rocco "Rocky" Carzo by dedicating its newly renovated athletics facility to Carzo, who served the university for 36 years. Carzo came to Tufts as head football coach in 1966 and coached the Jumbos until 1973, when he was promoted to athletics director. Carzo was the president of the Eastern College Athletic Conference in 1994 and also was the Division III vice-president of the NCAA from 1989 to 1991 ... Robert Hartwell, current athletics director at Division II Adelphi University, was honored by Babson College when the school rededicated its newly renovated soccer field the Hartwell-Rogers Soccer Field. A member of Babson's hall of fame, Hartwell was the former director of athletics and men's soccer coach as the school, which he led to its first NCAA championship in 1975 ... Agnes Scott College dedicated a new tennis facility -- The Byers Tennis Courts, which were given by Tricia Byers, a 1998 graduate of Agnes Scott and Ken Byers, in honor of Tricia Byers' mother, Kathleen Hope Fling, a 1933 graduate of the school. Agnes Scott will host the Great South Athletic Conference Tournament on the Byers Courts in April.

Sports sponsorship: California Lutheran University has announced plans to add four new varsity sports: men's and women's swimming and diving and men's and women's water polo. "California Lutheran has been looking forward, for a long time, to having an aquatics program," said athletics director Bruce Bryde. "We're looking forward to being successful in this program, and this will hopefully be a positive addition to our school and our conference." Currently, the school is the only member of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference without an aquatics program. Teams will train and compete off campus until its new athletics complex is completed. The first of the four sports to launch will be men's water polo, which will begin in the fall of 2003. Once the new teams are in place, Cal Lutheran will sponsor 19 different varsity sports.

Milestones: John Gagliardi, football coach at St. John's University (Minnesota), became only the second coach in NCAA football history to win 400 career games when Johnnies defeated Linfield College, 21-14, in December in the quarterfinals of the Division III playoffs. Gagliardi is in his 50th season at the school and in his 54th year overall as a collegiate head coach ... Todd Raridon, head men's basketball coach at Nebraska Wesleyan University, notched his 250th career victory when the Prairie Wolves defeated NAIA member Concordia University (Nebraska), 69-67 ... Tracey Ranieri, women's soccer coach and senior woman administrator at State University College at Oneonta, took home her 150th career victory with a 10-0 win over State University of New York Institute of Technology at Utica/
Rome. Ranieri is in her 12th season at Oneonta State and her 14th overall. Her current record is 154-90-17 ... Bob Barnes, women's soccer coach at Ohio Wesleyan University, reached the 100-win mark with a victory over Hiram College. Barnes, in his sixth season at Ohio Wesleyan, has a career record of 100-17-1 ... Kelly Britsky, women's volleyball coach at La Grange College won her 100th career match with the Panthers' 3-1 win over Huntingdon College ... Steve Domin, women's soccer coach at Carthage College, recorded his 100th career victory with a 3-1 decision over North Central College. Domin has been the program's only coach since it gained varsity status in 1995 ...

Dave Duda, Widener University men's basketball coach, notched his 100th victory with a 68-66 defeat of Moravian College ... Aziz Haffar, men's soccer coach at Simpson College, won his 100th match when the Storm defeated Clarke College, 4-0. Haffar also is women's coach at the school, and his combined record for the men's and women's programs is 195-88-20 ... Dan McGraw, women's basketball coach at State University College at Oneonta, took home his 100th victory recently. McGraw has been named conference coach of the year twice and was selected as region II coach of the year by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association in 2001 ... Brian McLaughlin, women's tennis coach at Montclair State University, notched his 100th victory with an 8-1 win over Stevens Institute of Technology ... Luis Reis, the women's soccer coach at Wheaton College (Massachusetts), recorded his 100th career victory this season. Reis has led Wheaton to two NCAA tournament appearances and three New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference championships ... Judy Wolfe, swim coach at Bryn Mawr College, earned her 100th career win with the team's victory over Marymount College. Wolfe is in her second year with the Owls.

-- Compiled by Kay Hawes