Duquesne University was picked to finish fifth in its first football season in the Northeast Conference. The Dukes, who left the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference after 10 titles in 14 seasons, return 13 starters from their 6-4 team from a year ago.

Albany received five first-place votes in the preseason coaches poll to sit atop the conference. It is followed by Monmouth (two first-place votes), Central Connecticut State (one) and Wagner. Duquesne was selected in front of Robert Morris, Sacred Heart and Saint Francis, Pa.

Georgia is reworking its offensive line after losing starting left tackle Trinton Sturdivant for the season with a severe knee injury. Sturdivant started 13 games as a freshman in 2007.

• The director of the Seattle Sports Commission wants to add another bowl game. Ralph Morton said that his group is in the early stages of trying to bring a bowl game back to Seattle. He hopes to develop a relationship with the Pacific-10 Conference for a game in 2010. Seattle had a two-year run as host of a bowl game (Seattle Bowl), but it ended in 2003.

The New York Islanders hired Scott Gordon, the AHL coach of the year, to replace dismissed head coach Ted Nolan. Gordon, 45, guided the Providence Bruins to the second round of the playoffs last season and the AHL's best record.

• Brett Hull and longtime New York Rangers Brian Leetch and Mike Richter are members of the 2008 class of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame. The group also includes Cammi Granato, the all-time scoring leader for the U.S. women.

Two Nebraska wrestlers, including one who won an NCAA championship in 2007, have been dismissed from the team after posing naked for videos and photographs on an Internet pornography site.

Paul Donahoe and Kenny Jordan were let go, three days after a blog posted images of them taken from Fratmentv.com, a Web site featuring naked or partially clothed male athletes.

Greg Oden can still dunk. That much was clear when the top pick in the NBA draft in 2007 worked out in front of the media for the first time since right knee surgery wiped out his rookie season with the Portland Trail Blazers. Oden, a 7-footer from Ohio State, showed no signs of problems in two-on-two workouts.

• The New Orleans Hornets will play seven preseason games before their season opener at Golden State in late October, including two games in Europe as part of NBA Europe Live. The Hornets take on the Washington Wizards Oct. 14 at the O2 World in Berlin. The team will close out NBA Europe Live Oct. 17 at the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona.

• The Detroit Shock of the WNBA acquired six-time All-Star Taj McWilliams-Franklin from the Washington Mystics for forwards Tasha Humphrey and Shay Murphy and a 2009 second-round pick.

• Phoenix Mercury center Tangela Smith had arthroscopic surgery on her right knee and is expected to recover in four to six weeks.

Dover International Speedway in Delaware got a new sponsor for the Sprint Cup Series race Sept 21. The race will be billed as the Camping World RV 400.

• Mike Skinner will take over Michael Waltrip Racing's No. 00 Toyota in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series, replacing rookie Michael McDowell for the next three races.

Dan Walters, a mini-tour pro from of Lancaster, extended his lead to four shots after another 3-under 68 in the second round of the 92nd Robert L. Fryer Memorial Open Championship in Spring House, Pa. Walters has a 136 total for a four-shot lead going into the final round over David DeNunzio of Jeannette (71), Mike Van Sickle (69) of Pine-Richland High School and Nathan Smith (66) of Brookville, Pa.

Brett Grandstrand hit a solo home run in the third inning, but the Kalamazoo Kings edged host Washington, 2-1, in the Frontier League.