In Brief

COLLEGES

Florida State confirms Pitt,
Syracuse apply to move to ACC

The Atlantic Coast Conference received application letters from Pittsburgh and Syracuse to join the league, a move that would leave the Big East scrambling to replace two of its longest tenured members.

Florida State president Eric Barron told The Associated Press on Saturday before the Seminoles played No. 1 Oklahoma that the ACC was excited about adding to its "northern tier."

"Pittsburgh and Syracuse, who have applied, these are solid academic schools, and the ACC is a truly academic conference," Barron said. "Certainly great basketball teams, a good history of football.

"I'm sure consideration will be very fast. I'll be surprised if it's not tomorrow (Sunday)."

Barron confirmed that 11 of 12 ACC presidents attended a meeting in Greensboro, N.C., on Tuesday, with the other participating by phone, and unanimously approved raising the exit fee to $20 million -- up from $12 million to $14 million -- for any member leaving the conference.

The Big East's exit fee is $5 million, though schools wanting to leave must provide 27 months' notice.

A jump by Pittsburgh and Syracuse could lead to another dramatic shuffle in college athletics. Texas A&M already has announced its intention to join the Southeastern Conference, leaving the future of the Big 12 in doubt. The board of regents at Oklahoma and Texas will meet Monday to discuss the possibility of the universities leaving that conference.

Also: Oregon received formal notice of the NCAA investigation into its football program's use of recruiting services.

The NCAA relayed the official Notice of Inquiry in a telephone call to Oregon president Richard Lariviere this week, the Ducks announced before their game against Missouri State.

Dave Gavitt, one of basketball's most influential leaders the last three decades, died at age 73 in a hospital near his hometown of Rumford, R.I. His death Friday night after a long illness was confirmed by his family.

Gavitt was a member of the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame and the first commissioner of the Big East Conference. He led Providence to the Final Four in 1973 and started the Big East offices there in 1979.

He was selected to coach the U.S. Olympic team in 1980, but the United States boycotted the Moscow Games. Gavitt was president of USA Basketball and oversaw the introduction of NBA players onto the U.S. Olympic roster, including the Dream Team in 1992.

The UNLV men's tennis team split six singles matches and won twice in doubles on the second day of its Fall Invitational at the Fertitta Tennis Complex.

Tamas Batyi, Willie Sublette and Brian Kenyon notched singles wins. Batyi and Sublette teamed for a doubles win, and Kenyon and Johannes Markel also won in doubles in the tournament, which includes Northern Arizona, Portland and Fresno Pacific.

The UNLV volleyball team dropped both its matches in the UNLV Classic at Cox Pavilion.

The Rebels (6-6) gave Baylor (11-3) a tough test before losing in five games, 25-23, 20-25, 25-18, 16-25, 15-12. Makenzie Moea'i had 19 kills, Stephanie Thelen notched 50 assists, and Allison Davies had 24 digs.

Earlier, the Rebels were swept by San Francisco, 25-23, 25-13, 25-21. Thelen had 24 assists and 10 digs.

Lauren Petersen led the UNLV cross country team to fourth place at the eight-team Aztec Invitational in San Diego. Petersen took fourth individually, covering 5 kilometers in 18 minutes, 43 seconds, and the Rebels finished with 96 points.

Biola won the team title with 43 points, and San Diego State's Marianne Hogan won the individual title in 18:21.

MOTOR SPORTS

Keselowski breezes to win
in Nationwide Series race

Brad Keselowski won the Nationwide Series race with a dominating run at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill.

Keselowski beat runner-up Carl Edwards by 8.568 seconds. Both drivers race today in the opening event in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.

Also: NASCAR found no evidence that Paul Menard intentionally spun to cause the final caution at Richmond, Va.

NASCAR president Mike Helton said he reviewed radio transmissions between Menard and his Richard Childress Racing team from last week's race and found "nothing conclusive" to indicate Menard spun on purpose.

Jeff Gordon was leading Kevin Harvick when Menard spun with 16 laps to go. The drivers pitted during the ensuing caution, and Harvick was first out of the pits to take the lead on the way to victory.

Tony Schumacher took the No. 1 spot in Top Fuel qualifying at the O'Reilly Auto Parts Nationals in Concord, N.C., the opening event of the NHRA's six-race playoffs. Matt Hagan (Funny Car), Jason Line (Pro Stock) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) led their categories.

MISCELLANEOUS

Thompson on track to become
youngest winner on LPGA Tour

Teenager Lexi Thompson shot 5-under-par 67 in the Navistar LPGA Classic in Prattville, Ala., and is in position to become the youngest player to win an LPGA tournament.

Thompson, who turned 16 in February, had a 15-under 201 total and a five-stroke lead heading into the final round. South Korea's Meena Lee was second at 210.

Paula Creamer set the age record for a multiple-round tournament when she won in 2005 at age 18.

Also: Michael Allen shot 4-under 68 to open a one-stroke lead over fellow Americans John Cook and Jay Don Blake after two rounds of the Champions Tour's Songdo IBD Championship in Incheon, South Korea.

Allen was at 10-under 134. Cook and Blake both shot 67.

Britain & Ireland outplayed Continental Europe in the greensomes and foursomes to take a commanding five-point lead in the Vivendi Seve Trophy, 11½ to 6½. The tournament, at Saint-Nom-La Breteche, France, ends today with 10 singles matches.

Serbia and France won doubles matches to stay alive in the Davis Cup semifinals after being swept in the opening singles.

France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Michael Llodra routed Spain's Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco 6-1, 6-2, 6-0 in Cordoba, Spain. Serbia's Nenad Zimonjic and Viktor Troicki beat Argentina's Juan Ignacio Chela and Juan Monaco 7-6 (4), 6-4, 6-2 in Belgrade, Serbia. Spain and Argentina lead 2-1 heading into today's singles matches.

Sidney Crosby knelt on the ice, completely gassed, a smile spread across his face. Clearly, it felt good to be back at work for Crosby, who has been out nine months while recovering from concussion-like symptoms.

The former NHL Most Valuable Player skated alongside his Pittsburgh Penguin teammates for about an hour as the club opened training camp. Crosby took face-offs. He rushed end-to-end. He avoided a playful squirt from a water bottle by coach Dan Bylsma. He pushed himself.

"I went as hard as I possibly could out there," Crosby said.

Bishop Gorman pitcher/infielder Joey Gallo was named to USA Baseball's 18-U national team.