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The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference has ended its moratorium on membership expansion and now will consider applications from N.C. Central and Savannah (Ga.) State.

N.C. Central has long felt that its transition from NCAA Division II to Division I would be made easier if it could join a conference. Central submitted an application to the MEAC in December 2006.

"Getting into a conference will definitely enhance our sports programs, particularly in the areas of recruiting, increased revenues, consistent travel schedules and fan support," N.C. Central's athletic director, Dr. Ingrid Wicker-McCree, said in a prepared statement.

If the MEAC isn't officially closing the door on applications from other schools, N.C. Central and Savannah State certainly are first in line. For one thing, both play football, and the MEAC wants to add two football schools to its current 10. Overall, the league plans to expand from 12 members to 14.

''Obviously, you can go to divisional play (in football)," commissioner Dennis Thomas said in a phone interview.

Plus, "we need a Georgia presence," Thomas added, though insisting he wasn't referring to a specific school. With expansion, he said, "now we would have three institutions in the state of North Carolina."

The conference implemented a moratorium so it could come up with an expansion plan.

The 12 current MEAC members are Bethune-Cookman, Coppin State, Delaware State, Florida A&M, Hampton, Howard, Maryland-Eastern Shore, Morgan State, Norfolk State, N.C. A&T, South Carolina State and Winston-Salem State. All but Coppin State and Maryland-Eastern Shore play football in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA).

— News & Observer of Raleigh

MEN'S GOLF

UNCG: Will Bowman recorded rounds of 72 and 74 as UNCG carded a 36-hole score of 599 on the first day of the Rio Pinar Invitational men's golf tournament. Bowman is tied for 24th place after the opening round at two-over par. Central Florida's Blayne Barber is leading the field after a second round score of 64. Central Florida, the tournament host, leads the tournament with an opening-day total of 571.

PINE NEEDLES INTERCOLLEGIATE: Greensboro College shot 298 to lead after the first round of the Pine Needles Intercollegiate at the Pine Needles Resort. The Pride holds a three-stroke lead over the rest of the 11-team field thanks in part to the play of Michael Elder, one of three golfers to shoot 1-over 73 in cold and blustery conditions. The Pride leads Belmont-Abbey and Bridgewater, both of which shot 301. Union (Tenn.) University is fourth at 306, two strokes ahead of tournament host Guilford.

WOMEN'S GOLF

DUKE: Duke sophomore Kim Donovan registered her first career hole-in-one during the second round of the Wildcat Invitational on her way to notching a career-best 1-under 71 at the Peninsula Golf Club in Sonora, Mexico. Juliana Murcia of Arizona State and Pia Halbig of California are tied for first with a 2-under 142. UCLA leads with a two-day total of 582.

HONORS

GREENSBORO COLLEGE: Greensboro College's Dione Eccles is the USA South Conference women's basketball player of the week.The senior guard averaged 24.3 points, six rebounds, four steals and 1.3 assists in three wins last week.

OUTDOORS

BOWHUNTERS BANQUET: The North Carolina Bowhunters Association will hold its 23rd Annual Banquet and Raffle on March 7 at 6 p.m. in the Kerr-Scott Building on the N.C. State Fairgrounds in Raleigh. Banquet dinner tickets are $25. Contact Deann Stone for Banquet ticket reservations at (919) 477-7184. The banquet is open to the public.