SPORTS DIGEST: JACKSONVILLE ST. ACCEPTS INVITATION TO JOIN OVC

The Ohio Valley Conference will add a 10th member as Jacksonville State University accepted an invitation to join the conference on Monday.

Jacksonville St, located in Jacksonville, Ala., will become a member of the OVC no later than July 1, 2003. The Gamecocks are currently a member of both the Trans America Athletic Association and Southland Football League.

Jacksonville St. has an enrollment of 8,200 students and sponsors 14 sports.

The addition marks the first expansion by the OVC since 1996 and marks the first time in the 53-year history of the conference that it has had a member in Alabama.