Simon Fraser Universitys days of being banned from NCAA championships may be coming to an end. The NCAA is on the verge of going international. By supporting a change in constitutional language, the NCAAs Executive Committee paved the way for SFU, located in Burnaby, B.C., to become the first member from outside the U.S. to join the American college sports governing body. "Im absolutely ecstatic to be the first Canadian school to join the NCAA and to give our student-athletes the opportunity to compete against the best programs in the United States and Canada," said Milton Richards, Simon Frasers senior director of athletics and recreation. All it will take now is a vote from the Division II Presidents Council next Thursday. If approved, Simon Fraser could be playing games as of Sept. 1 as an NCAA member. SFU has competed in NCAA for the past three years as part of a 10-year pilot program for Canadian schools, but the Clan was prohibited from competing for national championships because of its provisional status. SFU teams could only advance as far as conference championships. Its the first time since the NCAA adopted the 10-year pilot program for Canadian schools that a university has moved this close to full NCAA membership. "The biggest thing this means is that our student-athletes can have all the full rights and privileges of being a member of the NCAA," said Richards. Last year, the Simon Fraser mens soccer team was ranked No. 1 in the NCAA, but it could not compete for a national title. Meanwhile, some SFU teams in other sports, like womens swimming squad, were not allowed to be ranked. The provisional status also denied athletes all-America awards. Richards said the pending full status will greatly enhance recruiting efforts. NCAA student-athletes are eligible for athletic scholarships whereas Canadian student-athletes receive other, more limited forms of financial assistance. "It means we can go out and get the best student-athletes in the world and offer them a scholarship," he said. In the past, he said, some athletes chose CIS schools over Simon Fraser for the chance to compete for national titles. Simon Fraser, which has teams in 17 sports, will compete in Division II, because the NCAA will not allow it to enter teams in Division I. But Richards said the university will not add new sports as a result of the decision. "We have 17 and you only need 10 to be a Division II member," he said. "I really dont see us adding any more programs." Consequently, Simon Fraser will continue to go without a hockey program for the foreseeable future. Since Division II schools do not compete in hockey, Simon Fraser would have to petition the NCAA to gain entry to Division I, he said. Although Division III schools compete in hockey, Division II schools are not permitted to ice teams at the lower level. "Hockey is a different issue," said Richards, adding Simon Fraser will gauge interest in setting up a hockey program. The governing bodys decision to go outside the U.S. promises to expand NCAA membership, provide more dues money to the NCAA, pave the way for more international schools to join the organization and allow the NCAA to extend its reach beyond the American borders -- as Major League Baseball, the NBA and NHL have already done. SFU womens basketball coach Bruce Langford said his team, perennially one of the best in Canada, now has a chance to gain recognition for success that it has had in the U.S. "Last year, being on probation, we had some pretty big wins and upset some highly-ranked teams," he said. "We never really had a sense of how that stood in comparison to all of the Division II leagues. We did make the playoffs locally, but then we couldnt move out of those playoffs. So that (NCAA decision) is going to give us the chance to do that this year." Langford said his players will also benefit from increased competition. "The league were in now is tougher day to day," said Langford. "Its more competitive. We have to show up. If you dont show up, youre going to pay for it. There were certainly many nights in the CIS, in our league, where it was hard to motivate players. Theyd beat the (other) team quite a bit, and the next time we played them, (SFU players) had to dig deep within themselves to get themselves motivated. ... That doesnt happen (in the NCAA), because the bottom end is quite higher than the bottom end in the CIS. "At the top end, there are certainly more good teams, because there are so many good teams in Division II." Although it may sound phony, SFU players also feel they are representing Canada every time they are playing American schools. "We are referred to as the Canadians," he said. "We are the unique different piece. We are the only NCAA school thats not in the United States of America, so everywhere we go, we seem to be uniquely different. So were always carrying that on our shoulders, and I think the kids like that burden." Langford said exposure to higher levels of competition could also help develop more Olympians. "The heart of the kid and roar of the lion inside of them is going to be the thing thats going to determine whether they make it (to the Olympics), but our piece certainly is good to help push them." B.C. Lions centre Angus Reid, an SFU alumnus, said its great that Canadian student-athletes will be able to get an excellent education at home and compete at what is regarded as the highest level in North America. "Its going to be a hard road (for the SFU football team against NCAA competition), but anything great doesnt come easy," said Reid, whose SFU team competed in the NAIA. "But I think its a worthwhile, vicious fight to take it on, go out there and do what you have to do to be able to compete, raise the level of football in Canada, and show the kids in our country that you can stay in our country and still compete with the best." However, Lions general manager Wally Buono does not necessarily see a benefit for CFL teams recruiting Canadian talent. "I dont know if it hurts us, other than the fact that SFU probably now will be recruiting Americans to play for SFU in the NCAA," he said. "Its going to give less opportunity for Canadians." Buono predicted SFU will recruit Americans in order to be able to compete in the NCAA. He recalled that SFU recruited south of the border when it played in the NAIA in the 1970s and 1980s. SFUs move to the NCAA could prompt other schools in Eastern Canada, like Acadia in Nova Scotia and Bishops in Quebec, to move to the U.S. circuit because they are located near the Canada-U.S. border. Canadian university football coaches have complained about discrepancies in funding and competition levels among schools north of the border, but CIS rules require that schools include all of their sports in the Canadian organization or leave them all out. Buono sees more athletes having an opportunity to compete in other sports at a higher level, but he is not sure what the benefits are for SFUs football program, because it will be a long time before the Clan can excel against top American schools on the gridiron. The Executive Committee voted Wednesday to also include Mexican schools for NCAA consideration. The expansion to Mexico could begin as early as next year if the Division II presidents approve the proposal next week. The holdup has been accreditation. Current rules require all NCAA schools to be accredited by a U.S. agency. Division II presidents want the language changed to also include schools in good standing in their own nations accreditation program and has applied to one of six American accreditation agencies for approval in the U.S. The Executive Committee voted to support the change. Richards stressed that Simon Fraser still wants to compete against Canadian schools. As a result, Simon Fraser will compete against Canadian schools in non-conference games and other events. -- With files from the Associated Press cheap jerseys from china . -- Canadas Graham DeLaet is quietly becoming the Cinderella of these FedEx Cup playoffs. wholesale jerseys . -- His passes were hitting receivers in stride and right between the numbers, not skipping off the ground or whizzing behind their heads like so many of Tim Tebows. http://www.jerseysgod.com/ .S. Ryder Cup team surprised European captain Jose Maria Olazabal. cheap jerseys . Jack Nicklaus gave Palmer a hard handshake. Gary Player offered a pat on the back, a fitting end to a memorable day for the golf greats. Nicklaus, Palmer, Player made up a threesome in a nostalgic, 18-hole exhibition round Saturday in conjunction with the second round of the Champions Tours Insperity Championship. Wholesale nfl jerseys . -- Notre Dame running back Cierre Wood announced Monday he is entering the NFL draft, deciding against returning for a final year of eligibility.ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The way things are going for the Los Angeles Angels, its difficult for Jered Weaver to focus on the fact that he is one victory away from his first 20-win season in the majors. Then again, the only reason the Angels still have a shot at a post-season berth is because their ace keeps winning. Weaver kept them within striking distance in the AL wild-card chase, posting his league-leading 19th victory on Sunday with a 4-1 decision over the struggling Chicago White Sox. Albert Pujols reached the 100-RBI mark for the 11th time in 12 big league seasons with a two-run double as the Angels remained 2 1/2 games behind Oakland for the second wild-card spot. Kendrys Morales hit a two-run homer that helped the Angels complete a three-game sweep. "Obviously theres a little bit of scoreboard watching going on now as we dwindle now here," Weaver said. "But weve got to do what weve got to do and not worry about what other teams are doing. Its obviously a great sweep, and hopefully we can keep it rolling against Seattle." The White Sox lost their fifth in a row and led Detroit by a half-game in the AL Central. The Tigers lost the opener of their day-night doubleheader against Minnesota. Weaver (19-4) threw 113 pitches in 6 1-3 innings, allowing a run and five hits with four strikeouts and dropping his ERA to 2.74. He finished his home slate 11-2, including a no-hitter against Minnesota on May 2. The three-time All-Star right-hander established a career high for wins, eclipsing his total from last season. "To get one more than last year is great, and now Ive got a couple more starts to try and get 20," Weaver said. "It wasnt a personal goal of mine by any means, but its nice to get a new career high. Any win right now is important, personal accolades aside. Thats what weve got to do -- win ballgames, no matter what it takes." The victory didnt come easily for Weaver, who battled through 94-degree heat during a 33-pitch first inning. He escaped a bases-loaded jam, striking out Alex Rios at the end of an 11-pitch at-bat and retiring A.J. Pierzynski on a grounder. "It felt like it was a million degrees out there," Weaver said. "Having to throw upwards of 30 pitches in the first is obviously not what you want to do, but they made me work. Thats what their game plan was, and they did a good job of it. It was a little erratic and it could have been a lot worse, so it was good to come out of that first one unscathed and be able to extend it into the seventh.dddddddddddd" White Sox manager Robin Ventura bemoaned his teams failure again to come through in the clutch. They were 1 for 17 with runners in scoring position during the series. "We had Weaver in trouble early and were in a really good position, but he showed again why hes a good pitcher and we just couldnt cash in," Ventura said. "Im sure hes been in situations like that before." Kevin Jepsen threw 1 2-3 scoreless innings in relief of Weaver. Garrett Richards, Scott Downs and Ernesto Frieri each retired a batter in the ninth because of lefty-righty matchups. "The reason we did that today was because a lot of our bullpen guys had been pitching a lot," manager Mike Scioscia said. "Garrett had a little bit in him, Downs had a little bit in him and Ernie has a little bit in him. So when you added it up, you hope youll get a full inning." Gavin Floyd (10-11) gave up four runs and seven hits in six innings while striking out eight. Chicagos only run came in the seventh, when Pierzynski doubled, advanced on Weavers wild pitch and scored on Dayan Viciedos sacrifice fly. Floyd matched zeros with Weaver until the sixth, when the Angels erupted for four runs. Mike Trout walked with one out, Torii Hunter sent him to third with a hit-and-run single to left field, Pujols lined the next pitch to left field to score both runners and Morales followed with his 22nd homer. "You walk the first guy -- and not a good guy to walk because it puts a lot of pressure on you with Trout getting on base," Floyd said. "Torii got the base hit, and it happened pretty quick. It wasnt one of those drawn-out innings." NOTES: Weaver is 101-51 with a 3.23 ERA through his first 205 major league starts. Brother Jeff was 76-84 record with a 3.09 ERA in his first 205 big league starts with the Tigers, Yankees and Dodgers. ... The Angels have won only five games all season in which they scored fewer than three runs, and five different pitchers started those games. Oddly enough, Weaver wasnt one of them. ... The Angels have swept seven series of three or more games this season, and five of them have come since Aug. 20, including a three-game set against Detroit on their previous homestand. ... Paul Konerko is 2 for 22 lifetime against Weaver after going 1 for 2 with a walk. ... Trout has scored a major league-high 122 runs, two shy of the Angels franchise record set by Vladimir Guerrero in 2004. ' ' '