Conferences: The Presidents' Athletic Conference announced it will add Saint Vincent College, currently a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics that will become a provisional Division III member in 2006-07, as its eighth league member. Conference schools will begin scheduling contests in 16 sports (eight men's and eight women's sports) against Saint Vincent in fall 2006, and the school will begin a varsity football program in 2007. The school is expected to become eligible for PAC championships in 2010-11, when it is scheduled to complete its provisional membership. "Realigning with Division III and the Presidents' Athletic Conference is a long-term investment in the future," said Saint Vincent Vice-Chancellor and President James F. Will. "And we are excited to announce the return of football. I know everyone associated with Saint Vincent shares in our excitement about those decisions." Saint Vincent becomes the second institution invited to join the conference this year, joining Thomas More College, which was invited to join in April. "The acceptance of Saint Vincent is another step in the growth and development of the PAC into a premier NCAA Division III conference," said Rudy Marisa, Waynesburg College director of athletics and chair of the PAC Athletics Directors' Council. "Also, this addition will allow several of our schools to restore and renew athletics rivalries with Saint Vincent, including some that stretch over several decades. "League officials also noted the school's institutional compatibility with current members. "Saint Vincent brings an academic reputation and athletics history that is very consistent with our other conference members," said Waynesburg President Timothy Thyreen, who serves as chair of the PAC Presidents Council.

Facilities: Connecticut College recently installed a new all-weather turf surface at Lyn and David Silfen Field, home to the school's field hockey and men's and women's lacrosse teams. The new surface, which replaces a natural-grass field, is the ninth all-weather field in the 11-member New England Small College Athletic Conference, and also provides an additional facility for the college's soccer teams, as well as for club sports and intramurals. An estimated 600 Connecticut College students will use the field annually. Athletics Director Fran Shields said the new surface will alleviate weather-related scheduling problems, permit practices and games to be held year-round, and provide a venue for regional and national championship competition. "This facility makes a statement that our athletics programs are on a trajectory for a new level of excellence," Shields said. "Plus, the image of a turf field overlooking the Thames River (in New London, Connecticut) will put an indelible mark on the minds of visitors to our campus." The donor-funded $1.4 million project also includes several facility improvements benefiting track and field, including a new area for throwing events. The college also is considering establishing a memorial for a project subcontractor who died at the site during construction.

-- Compiled by Jack Copeland