Those teams, Simmons wrote in a nine-page response that she will present to the Brown University Corporation later this week, "should be given the chance to demonstrate that their supporters are able to endow their sport at the level deemed necessary by the University." As part of a plan aimed at putting "all team sports on a better financial footing," Brown athletic director Michael Goldberger "has proposed a five year period of time to allow teams to raise a total of $42 million in additional endowment funds," Simmons noted.

-Carolyn Thornton

Brown blanked Columbia, 17-0, in the 1990 finale.

Brown's defense was immense, holding Pinceton to 208 yards

Brown took a 10-0 lin the first quarter on linebacker Daniel Smithwick's 34-yard interception return for a touchdown and Alexander Norocea's 39-yard field goal.

Tellef Lundevall caught an 11-yard touchdown pass from Kyle Newhall-Caballero, and Mark Kachmer scored from the 1-yard line iin the second quarter.

Norocea kicked a 23-yard field goal in the third quarter, and Lundevall threw a 24-yard option pass to Jimmy Saros for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. On the previous play Nate Lovett ran 22 yards on a fake punt for a first down.

Brown improves to 4-1 and 1-1 in the Ivy League. Princeton drops to 1-4, 1-1.

The two competed in the same tournament this week, the 20-team Lady Pirate Invitational in Georgia.

North Kingtown's Morrell won the event on rounds of 71-70-71 for a 4-under 212 total. Vongphouomy, a La Salle grad, tied for second with scores of 70-75-68 for 213. Vongphoumy now plays for the University of Maryland. She led Maryland to the team title. It was her second runner-up finish this fall.

Morrell plays for Old Dominion. Her team finished 16th.

Also, John McCarthy, a former R.I. Junior Champion from East Greenwich, won a tournament in Potsdam, N.Y., and led his Skidmore College team to the tournament title of the Liberty League. McCarthy had rounds of 74 and a course record 67 for 141.

Lochte and Phelps were nominated for male athlete of the year. Lochte won five gold medals and a bronze at the world championships in July, while also setting the first individual world record since high-tech bodysuits were banned at the end of 2009.

Phelps won seven medals, including four golds, at the meet in Shanghai.

Along with Franklin, North Kingstown's Elizabeth Beisel, Rebecca Soni and Dana Vollmer were nominated for female athlete of the year. All four won individual gold medals at worlds.

The winners will be determined through online fan voting, which ends Nov. 18.

The awards will be presented Nov. 20 in Los Angeles.

O'Leary declined to identify his friends, but says he's been kept in the loop by UCF officials. However, the coach says he has no idea as of early Tuesday afternoon if UCF had been extended an official invitation from the Big East. UCF officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Big East schools gave a go-ahead Monday for the conference to expand to as many as 12 teams for football, a move that could involve adding six members. UCF officials have said moving to any conference would require an all-sports invitation.

Sacramone will receive a gold medal after the U.S. women ran away with the title at the world gymnastics championships Tuesday night even though she was back in the United States recovering from surgery to repair a torn Achilles. It's her 10th world medal, breaking the American record she'd shared with Shannon Miller and Nastia Liukin.

"Alicia is here with us in spirit, and we all knew that her heart was here," said Aly Raisman, who trains with Sacramone in the Boston area. "We did it for her. She deserved the gold medal and we are really happy that we got it for her."

Sacramone, a former student at Brown University, tore her Achilles last Thursday during training in Tokyo, a huge blow for the Americans. The 2008 Beijing Olympics captain is prized for her leadership skills along with big scores on the vault, where she was the defending world champion, as well as the balance beam and floor exercise. But Sacramone told her young teammates she had faith in them, and they used her injury as motivation in winning the third world title for the United States.

Sacramone returned to the U.S. on Saturday, and had surgery on Monday. Raisman said they'd exchanged text messages before the finals.

"She just told me she knew we were going to rock it and we were going to do amazing," Raisman said.

Sacramone sent a message to the team on Twitter afterward, saying, "Words can't describe how proud I am of all of you!"

Worlds begins Friday with women's qualifying, and the U.S. women compete Saturday.
Losing Sacramone is a huge blow for the Americans, who prize the 23-year-old as much for her veteran leadership as her big scores on vault, where she's the defending world champion, balance beam and floor exercise. She was one of only two Americans who'd competed at worlds before -- Aly Raisman was on last year's silver-medal squad -- and she considered keeping the rookies calm and focused as important as anything she did on the floor.

The Americans still should have little problem finishing in the top eight and qualifying for next summer's London Olympics. But just a few days after looking like the favorite for gold, winning a medal of any color will be a much bigger challenge. Then again, the U.S. faced a similar predicament at the 2003 world championships, losing three team members to injury or illness. The Americans went on to win their first world title.

Without Sacramone, the five remaining Americans -- uneven bars specialist Anna Li had already been ruled out with an abdominal injury -- will have to compete on each event in qualifying, where the top four scores count. Only three gymnasts compete on each event in team finals, but all three scores count.

U.S. champ Jordyn Wieber has already proven she can handle the spotlight, beating world champion Aliya Mustafina at the American Cup, her first meet as a senior. But fellow first-year seniors McKayla Maroney, Sabrina Vega and Gabby Douglas will have to show they can handle the pressure as well as they did at last year's Pan American Championships. After helping the U.S. win the team gold in Guadalajara, Mexico, the three divided the four individual event titles among themselves.

Vega also was second in the all-around to fellow American Kyla Ross, who is too young to be here at worlds.

Because Sacramone is still on the U.S. roster, she would receive a medal if the Americans win one. She currently has nine world medals, tied with Shannon Miller and Nastia Liukin for most by an American.

The action will take place over two days on the weekend of March 29-31, which is Easter weekend, a coincidence that will certainly please hotel and restaurant owners.

"The fact that the games will be held over Easter weekend will provide a nice boost to the local economy during a traditionally slow weekend for area hotels and restaurants," said Martha Sheridan, president and CEO of the Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau.

"It's nothing but a true bonus; we're not displacing anyone else who might have been here that weekend."

Brown University will serve as the host school, something that men's hockey coach Brendan Whittet says is an exciting opportunity for his program. Whittet says he'll use Providence's hosting role as a recruiting tool and as a motivational tool for his players.

"Our goal will be to play in the NCAAs, and the great thing is, that if we do that, we'll be here," in Providence, Whittet said.

Providence Journal publisher Howard G. Sutton will serve as chairman of the host committee for the event.

"In 2000 I had the honor of co-chairing the NCAA Frozen Four, which was held in Providence, along with John Palumbo, Publisher of RI Monthly," Sutton said. "Having the East Regional for the 2013 NCAA Hockey Tournament come to Providence will hopefully be the first of many NCAA hockey visits to a city and state steeped in hockey tradition. I look forward to Chairing the Host Committee."

Providence is one of four regional sites in the 2013 tournament, joining Manchester, N.H.; Toledo, Ohio; and Grand Rapids, Mich. One team will advance from each regional to the Frozen Four in Pittsburgh.

It will be the ninth time that Providence has hosted NCAA Hockey Tournament action, but the first time since 2003.

Providence earned rave reviews when it hosted the first and second rounds of the 2010 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, an event that was hosted by Providence College. Although a bid has not yet been formally submitted, Providence plans to submit one to host the 2014 tournament.

The Fighting Irish announced the move Wednesday. Notre Dame, which has been a member of the CCHA since 1992, will become the 11th member of Hockey East. Current members include Boston College, Boston University, Maine, UMass, UMass-Lowell, Merrimack, New Hampshire, Northeastern, Providence and Vermont.

Conference realignment is shaking up college hockey.

The Western Collegiate Hockey Association has invited five teams from the CCHA to join in two years, when the Big Ten starts its hockey league. The new National Collegiate Hockey Conference will also begin play that year with eight schools.

At least 18 of the 58 teams currently playing NCAA Division I hockey -- 31 percent -- will change conferences by 2013.

Be nice to have the playoffs, though.

Could we perhaps have fan voting sometime next year on the teams we'd like to see play in April?

In the meantime, they drop the puck Thursday night at the Garden to open the 2011-12 NHL season.

After, that is, raising the Stanley Cup championship banner to the rafters!