Double-A Zone, NCAA's Official Blog

Wimbledon will finish this weekend and what better way to kick off your celebration than with the legendary Billie Jean King. I had the opportunity to sit down with King for an exclusive interview at last year's Convention where she won the NCAA's Gerald R. Ford Award...

USA Today reports that overuse of energy drinks by college and high school athletes is a growing concern among health professionals...

After a year as a football-only member in the country's oldest historically black athletic league, the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), Chowan University announced it would become a full member of the conference beginning in August...

Clay Travis has a really interesting blog on Fanhouse, asking if it's time universities ban their student-athletes from using Facebook...

Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith has been appointed chairman of the Division I Men's Basketball Committee for 2010-11. Smith will succeed UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero, who will be chair for the upcoming school year...

Will Mike Krzyzewski bolt the Blue Devils for the NBA? The latest rumor had Coach K heading to the Lakers to replace Phil Jackson. That's not going to happen. And, if you believe Krzyzewski (and you should) he's not going anywhere, ever. He told reporters: "I'm not going to the Lakers...

Former NCAA champion and Washington student-athlete Ryan Brown is headed to the 2009 World Track and Field Championships in August. Brown finished third in the 800-meters on the final day of the U.S. Track & Field Championships at Oregon's Hayward Field...

Princeton announced yesterday that Chris Bates will become head coach of its men's lacrosse program and replace Hall of Fame coach Bill Tierney who surprised the lacrosse world by accepting a job as head coach at Denver earlier this month...

You might have seen the recent video on Yahoo.com of AAA outfielder Josh Womack showing off his crazy bat skills. Well, another video of Womack's bat tricks is making the rounds, and it should end any debate about whether or not his tricks are real...

NCAA President Myles Brand accepted the 2009 Pathfinder Award on Sunday. It was one of his most public appearances since being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer earlier this year. "It's been my great pleasure to help lead the work of the NCAA these past seven years," he said...

We're a little late to this party, but the Web site Causecast has a really cool video of the Florida Gator's visit to the White House where the President praised them for their community involvement and services...

Yesterday I had the privilege of attending the graduation of the NCAA Institute for Ethnic Minority Males and Females...

Last night Tiger Woods appeared on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" to square off with the host in three holes of golf--virtual golf that is. Fallon challenged Woods in the Wii version of the video game Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 and defeated his guest handedly...

While it is common practice for school's to self report violations to the NCAA, I have never heard of an institution enforcing its own punishment like Australian rugby coach Brad Fittler announced Wednesday...

Vice President (and 1968 Syracuse University College of Law graduate) Joe Biden met with the NCAA champion Syracuse lacrosse team Wednesday to celebrate the school's NCAA-record 11th national championship...

President Obama announced yesterday that he will streamline the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) application process by reducing its 153 questions by 20 percent. Previously the form proved too confusing for many families...

LSU won its sixth national Title last night, capping a three-game series against Texas 11-4. The Tigers led 4-0 in the first inning thanks to a 3-run homerun by Jared Mitchell who was voted the CWS Most Outstanding Player...

Today is the 37th anniversary of the ground-breaking legislation that changed the face of intercollegiate athletics and ushered an era of opportunity for women in higher education. Check out our interactive timeline, detailing the high points over the lifetime of this often controversial law...

USA Today teamed with The Princeton Review to create a list of "100 Best Value Colleges for 2009." The list aims to help students and families "make every education dollar count" in the recent economy by highlighting schools that provide high-quality academics at a reasonable price...

Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA), the world governing body of swimming, announced today that there will be virtually no restrictions on swim suits at this summer's world championships, contrary to the announcement they made last month...

Hundreds attended a memorial for former University of Kansas athletics director Robert Frederick who died suddenly after a biking accident. Frederick's former pastor, Peter Luckey, remembered him as a good story teller with a love of competition...

The College World Series finals begin tonight, pitting top-ranked LSU against a Texas team that made it to the finals thanks to some timely homeruns against Arizona State...

While I may not have been a 300 lb. lineman in college, reading Sports Illustrated's recent article about nutrition and body weight composition for student-athletes after college felt like a page out of my own diary...

The NFL made official this week its decision to expand the Rooney Rule to include front-office workers...

Last year we wrote a lot about Brandon Jennings' decision to forgo college and play in Europe...

North Carolina eliminated Southern Mississippi from the College World Series yesterday in an 11-4 victory, sending Golden Eagle head coach Corky Palmer into retirement...

One year after floods devastated portions of the region, the University of Iowa's track and field and softball teams are still recovering...

Earlier this week, the SportsBusiness Journal ranked the top revenue-generating college sports programs in the country. Texas ($120.3 million), Ohio State ($118 million) and Florida ($106 million) led the pack, which included four SEC and four Big Ten schools...

An umpire at a high school game in West Burlington, Iowa ejected a crowd of more than 100 after several members yelled comments following a controversial call. The umpire eventually allowed the crowd to return, but only after asking police to observe...

The MAC has announced plans to trim more than $100,000 from the conference budget. Cutbacks include abolishing printed media guides, discontinuing media days for men's and women's basketball and eliminating gifts athletes receive during MAC championships.

Have you read about the cool new technology the NBA is using to quantify the play of its athletes? According to the New York Times, the NBA tested a high-tech tracking system, comprised of six high-definition cameras that track and document the movement of players...

ESPN will televise the Rose Bowl Game starting in January 2011, it was announced today by John Wildhack, ESPN executive vice president, programming and acquisitions...

This post was written by Director of the NCAA News Gary Brown. Do you have what it takes to be an athletics administrator with integrity? Test your ethics by taking the following exam...

Auburn men's and women's swimming and diving coach Richard Quick died Wednesday from cancer. Quick was a six-time United States Olympic coach and won 13 NCAA titles. He served as Tiger's head coach from 1978-82, coming back to the school in 2007...

Acoording to an article in USA Today, officials in the New York City parks department and the Los Angeles schools have decided to forgo crumb rubber in artificial turf. The two cities will use alternative materials, such as coated grains of sand, as the cushion layer beneath the synthetic grass...

The NCAA and NBA announced yesterday the launch of iHoops, a Web site designed for the youth basketball community in the United States and Canada...

Villanova's star point guard Scottie Reynolds has decided to remain a Wildcat for his senior season, removing his name from the NBA draft pool on Tuesday...

According to the New York Times, "candy before exercise can enhance performance, but only to a point." I've heard stories of swimmers eating Jello powder and honey before a swim. There's even a rumor that frozen York peppermint patties can give you a better boost than any other candy...

In a move aimed to curb contact under the basket, the Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved a rule, requiring that a secondary defender must establish position outside the area from the front of the rim to the front of the backboard to draw a charge/player-control foul...

That depends. How much do you know about college athletics? According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, knowledge of athletics is a key differentiator for those seeking the top spot...

Arkansas (39-22)- The Razorbacks come to Omaha after knocking off the 5th-ranked Florida State Seminoles in dramatic fashion in the Super Regionals...

High school students in urban areas across the country have come to appreciate squash. Yes, squash. According to the New York Times, after-school programs that combine squash and academics are popping up around the country...

The University of Utah is

Did you read Harold O. Levy's op-ed in yesterday's New York Times? In it Levy, the former New York City schools chancellor, makes some pretty innovative suggestions for saving education in America...

The first African-American head football coach in what today is the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) -- the 119 institutions that compete in the annual postseason bowl games -- was hired in 1979...

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has jumped on the World Cup bandwagon, formally endorsing the United State's bid for the 2018 or 2022 games...

This post was written by Michelle Brutlag Hosick, Associate Director, The NCAA News. I started tweeting about nine months ago. I don't use the technology very much, at least I didn't until I started writing an NCAA News story about athletics departments that use the tool...

The Washington Huskies have had a good week. Not only did they win the softball national championship, they also got word that their team's boosters had shelled out $400,000 to install lights in their home stadium. The lights have been a significant issue in the Huskies' post-season play...

The PAC -10 has won 22 of 28 Division I women's softball championships. The only non-conference teams to win were Texas A&M; (1983, 1987), Cal State Fullerton (1986), Fresno State (1998), Oklahoma (2000) and Michigan (2005)...

A special thanks to USA Today columnist Michael Hiestand for illustrating why we love (and sometimes hate) Twitter. In his recent column, Hiestand takes a look at sportscasters and their sometimes surprising tweets...

Have you heard about the Phoenix Mercury's decision to replace their team's jersey logo with a corporate logo from sponsor LifeLock? First, I think it's fine (if a bit short-sided) for professional teams to sell spots on their jerseys to the highest bidder...

Attendance at women's basketball games reached an all-time high for the 2009 season, increasing attendance from 11,114,054 in 2008 to 11,160,293. It was the third time the sport reached the 11 million mark. Division II represented the largest growth with an additional 124,000 fans attending games...

After Washington defeated Florida in game 1 of the Women's College World Series both teams talked to the media. Washington ace Danielle Lawrie talks about her pitching performance after Game 1 of the Women's College World Series...

Game 1 photos

At tonight's Women's College World Series the NCAA and AT&T; are teaming with the American Cancer Society to support the "Strike Out Cancer" initiative...

Tonight's first pitch was thrown out by cancer survivor Haley Bubbard. Haley is a two-time cancer survivor. At age 11, she was first diagnosed with CML leukemia and then again at age 16 with mucoepidermoid carcinoma...

Washington cruised through Game 1 of the WCWS championship series, as the Huskies shutout top seed Florida 8-0. Danielle Lawrie threw a two-hitter to set a new Washington record with her 41st career shutout. Check out ncaa.com/wcws for the full story...

Check out it out all the Double-A Zone's WCWS coverage. It's been an unbelievable day of softball at the Women's College World Series...

Click here for a recap of Thursday and Friday's action at the WCWS. Another record attendance! 8,475 - for tonight's session...

During every WCWS game fans get a chance to participate in on-field games. Watch a couple of fans try to run the bases after spinning around 10 times.

It's a hot day in Oklahoma City. Fans are doing what they can to stay cool!

DAY 2 REWIND Day 2 of the WCWS is in the books. A record crowd of 8,323 fans were on hand for today's session. The old record was 8,230 (Session 3, 2008 Texas A&M; def. La.-Louisiana, 2-1; Arizona State def. UCLA, 4-0). Saturday is elimination day. The games are Georgia vs. Missouri at 11 a.m...

Here's a slideshow from the afternoon session. The morning session had the second-highest attendance ever - 6,093. EARLIER:...

I headed down to the field before the start of Game 3: Michigan vs. Alabama.

At a recent conference meeting SEC Commissioner Mike Slive asked conference football coaches to play nice and stop the smack talk. Recent flare-ups between Tennessee Coach Lane Kiffin, South Carolina's Steve Spurrier and Florida's Urban Meyer have caused a media stir...

USA Today reports today that "The final regular-season ballots in the USA TODAY Coaches' Poll will no longer be made public beginning with the 2010 football season." The ballots have been made public since 2005. What do you think of this change?

President Barack Obama's Supreme Court pick has made some signigicant sports rulings as a federal appeals court judge ...

Dowling College junior pitcher Buddy Cipoletti will be blogging about the team's experience at the NCAA Division II College World Series in Cary, NC...

Some interesting facts I learned from a recent New York Times article on the Zamboni: The Zamboni is a family-run business headquartered in Paramount, California between Compton and Bellflower. 200 to 250 machines are produced yearly. The Frank J...

Fifteen team championships were awarded over Memorial Day weekend...

Notre Dame's Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick told the New York Times the Yankees were open to having college football at the new Stadium, and he would like the Fighting Irish to be the first team to play there...

Throughout the season, the 13th-ranked Oklahoma baseball team has been swinging for more than just a berth to the College World Series...

The NCAA has invited 26 football coaches who one day hope to be head coaches at NCAA colleges and universities to its NCAA Football Coaches Academy, May 27-29, in Indianapolis. The Academy will be held in conjunction with the Black Coaches and Administrators Convention in downtown Indianapolis...

Earlier this week the Congressional Budget Office issued a paper examining the tax-exempt status of college sports. The CBO rightly stated that universities receive their non-profit status thanks to their role in educating students...

There are two games tonight: No. 6 Georgia vs No 11 Ohio State, 7 p.m., ESPN2 and ESPN360.com. No. 8 Stanford vs No. 9 Arizona at 9:30 p.m., ESPN2 and ESPN360.com It's not too late to become of a fan of the WCWS on Facebook...

LSU is considering mandatory employee furloughs to combat the proposed $34 million budget cuts by Gov. Bobby Jindal in light of the national economic crisis. The furloughs would include LSU's football coaches...

The international swimming federation, FINA, has challenged the validity of 146 types of high-tech swim suits. FINA believes the suits create an unnatural competitive advantage and are largely responsible for the more than 100 swimming world records set in the last 18 months...

This post was written by Michelle Brutlag Hosick, Associate Director, The NCAA News. I love baseball - major leagues, minor leagues, college, youth leagues. It doesn't matter. There's just something about the game, about the strategy of it. It's about more than strength, speed, size and power...