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Stevens Institute of Technology

The Team:  The Ducks' 2-1
loss at Ithaca College on Oct. 25 ended their unbeaten streak in conference
play at 54 games. Now members of the Empire 8, the Ducks hadn't lost in league
play since a 5-2 defeat at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy of the Skyline
Conference on Oct. 22, 2002. ... The Ducks won on penalty kicks in the round of
16 and in the quarterfinals.

The School: The nation's fourth-oldest technological university was
founded in 1870 and helped develop the nuclear weapons that ended World War II.

The Graduate: Nate Davis, CEO of XM Radio.

The Place: At 1.3 square miles, Hoboken. N.J., hometown of Frank
Sinatra, is smaller than Bryan Park (2.42 square miles.) This is not to say it's
a small town. It's fourth in the country in population density, which is
measured by residents per square mile. Just across the Hudson from Manhattan.

Amherst College

                The Team: The Lord Jeffs, whose
nickname is derived from Lord Jeffrey Amherst, a British nobleman, come from 11
states and four foreign countries. Today's game is their first to be played
south of Philadelphia this season.

                The School:  Tied with Williams for the top spot on the
U.S. News survey of America's top liberal arts colleges. Its athletics program,
founded in 1860, is the oldest in the country.  Only one applicant in seven is admitted.

                The Place: Located in Amherst, Mass.,
100 miles west of Boston. Also home to the University of Massachusetts.

The Graduates: Three CIA directors (Stansfield Turner, William
Webster, John M. Deutch); President Calvin Coolidge; four Nobel Prize winners;
12 Pulitzer Prize winners; three astronauts; and Clarence Birdseye, the founder
of frozen food.

Triad Ties: In basketball, Amherst point guard Andrew Olson shared
the NABC Division III Player of the Year award with Guilford College center Ben
Strong in 2007.

Messiah College

                The Team: The Falcons are seeking their
sixth NCAA title this decade.  With 25
minutes left in regulation of the quarterfinal game at Christopher Newport,
Messiah had a two-man advantage and a 1-0 deficit on the scoreboard. The Falcons
didn't draw even until one minute remained in regulation, and they won it less
than three minutes into overtime.  Coach
Dave Brandt is 244-25-14 in 12 seasons on the job.

The School:  Hosted The
Compassion Forum, a town-hall meeting discussion of faith and politics, with presidential
candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton on April 13 of this year. John
McCain declined an invitation to participate.

                The Place: Grantham, Pa., is an
unincorporated village in Upper Allen Township, which is 12 miles southwest of
Harrisburg.

The Graduate:  Dr. Ernest L.
Boyer has been an advisor on educational policy to Presidents Richard Nixon,
Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.

Loras College

                The Team: The Duhawks, whose nickname was
invented by a Detroit sportswriter in 1924, broke open a scoreless tie at
halftime and pulled away for a 4-1 over the Polar Bears of Northern Ohio in the
quarterfinals. They're 20-4-1 on the year.

                The School: The institution now known
as Loras College is under its sixth name. It is named for its founder, the Most
Rev. Mathias Loras, who established a seminary in 1839 on the current site. It
is affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church.

                The Place: Located in Dubuque, Iowa and
less than 2 miles from the intersection of Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin.

                The Graduate: Veteran sportscaster Greg
Gumbel.

WOMEN

Messiah College

                The Team: Making their sixth Final Four
in the past seven years, the Falcons won the title in 2005. They're averaging
five goals a game and are led by Amanda Naeher, who has tallied 32 times.

The School:  Affiliated with
the Brethren in Christ Church, it hosted The Compassion Forum, a town-hall
meeting discussion of faith and politics, with presidential candidates Barack
Obama and Hillary Clinton on April 13 of this year. John McCain declined an
invitation to participate.

                The Place: Grantham, Pa., is an
unincorporated village in Upper Allen Township, which is 12 miles southwest of
Harrisburg.

The Graduate:  Dr. Ernest L.
Boyer has been an advisor on educational policy to Presidents Richard Nixon,
Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.

William Smith
College

                The Team: The Herons defeated Johns
Hopkins 3-1 with an inch of snow on the ground in their third-round win two
weeks ago.

                The School:
It's the sister school of Hobart College. The athletics departments are run
under one umbrella. The teams from all-male Hobart are known as the Statesmen. The
teams at William Smith, an all-female school named after a guy, are the Herons.

                The Place:
Geneva, N.Y., the Lake Trout Capital of the World, is located 50 miles west of
Syracuse.

                The Graduate:
Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman to graduate from an American medical
school (1849).

Williams College

                The Team:  The Ephs, whose nickname is derived from the
first name of college founder Ephraim Williams, are making their first
appearance in the national semifinals since 1999. Goalkeeper Lauren Sinnenberg
has more shutouts (nine) than goals allowed (eight.)

                The School:  Tied with Amherst  for the top spot on the U.S. News survey of
America's best liberal arts colleges. Winner of the Director's Cup for
all-around excellence in Division III sports in all but one of the rankings' 14
years. More than 35 percent of the student body participates on at least one
intercollegiate athletics team, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

                The Place:  Williamstown, Mass., is located four miles southeast
of the intersection of New York, Massachusetts and Vermont.

                The Graduates: George Steinbrenner and
his nemesis, Fay Vincent, are both Williams grads. Vincent, commissioner of
baseball at the time, suspended the Yankees' controversial owner for paying a
low-level gambler to turn up unsavory information on Yankees star Dave
Winfield. Steinbrenner, by the way, was an accomplished hurdler on the Williams
track team.

Wheaton College

                The Team:  Includes the only North Carolina resident
among the eight teams. She's Jami Herrmann, a defender from Charlotte. Wheaton
has won three of the past four NCAA titles and is led by Taryne Lee's 29 goals.

                The School:  Wheaton is a private Protestant school without
specific affiliation to a particular denomination. It  came to prominence in the 1860s under Jonathan
Blanchard, an abolitionist. It has branches in Chicago and the Black Hills of
South Dakota, home to a natural sciences center.

                The Place:
Wheaton, Ill., is 25 miles west of Chicago.

                The Graduate:
 Nathan Hatch, president of Wake Forest
University, is a Wheaton grad who, as a faculty member, co-founded the Institute
for the Study of American Evangelicals at his alma mater in 1982.