Sports sponsorship: Nicholls State University has announced it will discontinue its men's outdoor track and field program and reintroduce a men's tennis program. The university will end its sponsorship of the track team at the end of the Southland Conference track and field championships this semester. Tennis will be added next fall. The move resulted from a recommendation from the athletics department and approved by the school's athletics council, which is a committee composed of faculty, staff and students. "While we are sensitive to the student-athletes involved, it is in the best interests of Nicholls State to make this change," said Stephen Hulbert, university president. "I am convinced we can provide a better collegiate experience and be more competitive in tennis than we have been in outdoor track and field," said Rob Bernardi, director of athletics. The men's tennis team finished third in the 1979 NCAA Division II tennis championships and second in the 1980 NCAA tournament. The sport was dropped in 1984. Additionally, the tennis courts at Nicholls State recently have been refurbished. Tuition-support packages will be made available to the four outdoor track student-athletes on scholarship at the beginning of the 2003-04 academic year with remaining eligibility, should they choose to complete their studies at Nicholls State. "It is only fair that we give these young men the opportunity to earn their degrees here at Nicholls State," Hulbert said ... The University of New Orleans will add women's swimming to its 14-sport athletics program for the 2004-05 academic year and has named Ashley Tappin as the head coach. Tappin, an Olympic gold medalist, will oversee the program that was discontinued in 1992. "She brings instant credibility to our program," said New Orleans Athletics Director Jim Miller. New Orleans began its swimming program during the early 1980s. The athletics department, which had initially decided to add women's soccer at some point a few years ago, decided to make this change in a move to satisfy its Title IX requirement. "When I came aboard in January 2003, soccer was still on the radar screen, but I made the determination that it would be more equitable from both a facilities and a recruitment perspective to implement women's swimming instead," Miller said. "Women's soccer is still a possibility down the road, but it would depend on our ability to secure an all-purpose on-campus stadium that would accommodate soccer and track and field."

Facilities: State University of New York at Binghamton opened its on-campus $33.1 million Events Center January 31 when, in front of a school-record crowd of 4,660, the Bearcats defeated America East Conference rival University of Hartford, 75-68, in men's basketball. The multipurpose facility features a 200-meter track, tennis courts, locker rooms, office space and weight and athletic training rooms. The contemporary, 156,000-square-foot facility is held together by eight 80-ton trusses, allowing for an unobstructed view throughout the horseshoe-shaped arena. The building can accommodate about 8,000 people for concerts and commencement. The Binghamton men's and women's basketball teams will play the rest of their 2003-04 home dates in the building, which was designed by Einhorn, Yafee & Prescott Architects and Engineers of New York City.

Milestones: James Sweat, women's basketball coach at Norfolk State University, captured his 500th career victory February 9 when the Spartans defeated South Carolina State University, 66-56. Through February 9, Sweat's record was 500-190. He is in his 23rd season ... Jacksonville University basketball coach Hugh Durham, who ranks ninth among active Division I coaches with 616 career victories, recently became the first coach in NCAA history to be the all-time winningest coach at three different Division I schools when he posted his 89th career win as the Dolphins' head coach. He already holds the record for best winning percentage at Florida State University with a 230-95 (.708) record and is the all-time winningest coach in the 98-year history of University of Georgia basketball with 297 wins. Durham is in his seventh season at Jacksonville, his 36th season overall as a collegiate head coach with a career record of 616-413. "Any time you accomplish something of this nature, it encompasses everybody in the program," said Durham, who also serves as Jacksonville's director of athletics. "I'm happy for the players and the coaches because of how hard we have battled this season." Durham is one of 11 Division I coaches to lead two schools to the NCAA Final Four (Florida State in 1972 and Georgia in 1983), but the only coach to lead both teams to their only Final Four appearance ... Pennsylvania State University men's tennis coach

Jan Bortner earned his 300th career victory February 22 with the Nittany Lions' 6-1 victory over St. Bonaventure University. In his 22nd season at Penn State, Bortner has 125 victories he earned as head coach of the women's program from 1983 to 1990 and 175 wins as head coach of the men's program since taking over during the 1990-91 academic year. Bortner is a Penn State graduate who played in the NCAA Men's Tennis Championships from 1972 to 1975.

Miscellaneous: A baseball attendance record figures to be set March 11 when San Diego State University hosts the University of Houston in Petco Park, home of Major League Baseball's San Diego Padres. Advance ticket sales for the opening game of the Aztec Invitational between the Aztecs and the Cougars already have exceeded 26,000. The NCAA single-game record for a college baseball game is 27,673 in a game played between Louisiana State University and Tulane University. The San Diego State-Houston game, based on tickets already sold for the event, already would rank second on the NCAA single-game attendance list. The event will be the first in the new home of the San Diego Padres. "We're very appreciative of the support of the baseball fans throughout San Diego County in getting behind this event and making it a huge success," said San Diego State head baseball coach Tony Gwynn.