Facilities: California Polytechnic State University has begun renovation work to transform its 70-year-old Mustang Stadium into the new Alex G. Spanos Stadium. Work on the project is expected to be completed in August 2006. The first phase of construction will expand available seating to 10,000. Construction will not interfere with the 2005 Mustang football or soccer seasons. "This facility will provide our football and soccer programs with a modern venue comparable to the best Division I-AA facilities in the country," said Cal Poly Athletics Director Alison Cone. A parking lot south of the stadium will be used as a staging area during construction, then later become the site of the Memorial Plaza dedicated to the 16 football players, a graduate student assistant and a Mustang booster who died in a 1960 plane crash ... Wright State University has unveiled its Setzer Pavilion/Mills-Morgan Center, a state-of-the-art athletics training facility, in a ceremony August 23. The center includes strength, cardiovascular, eye and reaction training equipment, a full basketball practice facility, digital video-equipped areas for scouting, and coach and player lounges. "This facility places Wright State at the forefront of the Horizon League and is among the finest in NCAA Division I. It will help us recruit from the nation's best student-athletes for both our men's and women's programs," said Wright State President Kim Goldenberg. Local businessmen and Raider fans Fred Setzer and Bob Mills were the key donors and led the fund-raising campaign for the privately funded facility. The 28,000 square-foot pavilion also includes men's and women's basketball locker rooms, a Hall of Champions reception and lobby area complete with historical information on Wright State sports, and a new office complex for men's and women's basketball and athletics administration.

Miscellaneous: The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference sponsored an all-star men's basketball team this summer that completed a 15-day tour of China, compiling a 7-0 record against international competition. "China is a fascinating country and our student-athletes benefited greatly by being exposed to its culture, history and basketball programs," said MAAC Commissioner Richard J. Ensor, who traveled with the team. Highlights of the trip included visits to the Great Wall of China, Tiananmen Square, the Terra-Cotta Warriors and the Forbidden City. "The MAAC trip was exciting culturally," said Loyola College (Maryland) head men's basketball coach Jimmy Patsos, who coached the team. "It was a learning experience for everyone, including myself. As far as basketball goes, it was great because we faced tough competition and played in seven different venues, including an outdoor court with 5,000 people watching. China is basketball-hungry, and we were very lucky to be a part of such an exciting tour." ... The Northeast Conference has begun a year-long celebration of its 25th anniversary with the unveiling of a silver anniversary logo. NEC Commissioner John Iamarino said the league will feature a host of promotions, Web-based activities and flashbacks throughout the 2005-06 campaign as the league pays tribute to its history. Included are 25th anniversary teams for basketball and a 10th anniversary team for football, and a "My Memories" campaign that uses audio clips and written anecdotes from NEC coaches, administrators, players and media who have been a part of the league over the last quarter century to reminisce about the games, people and moments that most stand out in their minds. "The NEC has a growing list of accomplishments to take pride in as we celebrate our 25th anniversary," said Iamarino, now in his ninth year as Northeast commissioner. "Our 11 institutions, 21 championship sports and more than 4,000 student-athletes are testimony to the growth we've enjoyed since the conference began in 1981. More than the memorable individual and team achievements we've enjoyed, however, I'm most proud of the NEC's fulfillment of its stated goal of integrating our athletics programs within the academic missions of our member institutions. NEC participants truly are both students and athletes." The Northeast Conference was first established as the ECAC-Metro Conference in 1981. Original members included current schools Fairleigh Dickinson University, Metropolitan Campus; Long Island University, Brooklyn Campus; Robert Morris University; St. Francis College (New York); St. Francis University (Pennsylvania); and Wagner College. Current all-sport members that have joined since then are Central Connecticut State University, Monmouth University, Mount St. Mary's University, Quinnipiac University and Sacred Heart University.

-- Compiled by Gary T. Brown