Josh Levin at Slate had this article last Friday about Athletes in Action, one of the nation's premier exhibition clubs.

This year the NCAA banned D1 schools from playing noncollegiate opponents like AIA. The rationale was that schools could gain a recruiting advantage by scheduling games against club teams with prospective college players.

The ban does not apply to the women's side, but it might at some point. "From a men's standpoint, some of the membership was concerned these games create a relationship between an institution and club teams that result in an unfair recruiting advantage," NCAA spokesman Jeff Howard said. "It just hasn't been addressed on the women's side."

A personal aside: Kelley Siemon, who played with my sis in high school and then won a title at Notre Dame in '01, played for AIA rather than taking a shot at the W. Earlier that year, Kelly comped us tickets for the UConn-Notre Dame game at the Civic Center. We were cheering for UConn, but had to keep it under wraps, because we were sitting in the middle of a big contingent of Notre Dame nuns. She is now coaching, I forget where. (Anyone know?)

UPDATE: Kelley Siemon is now Kelley Deyo, coaching at Liberty. Thanks to Pilight and Glenn for the fast responses.

We've been hoping Kelley will move back here because Sara's all-Edina rec league team really needs a post, and former Gopher Kelly McNulty plays for another team (traitor!). Then again, Kelley might not like my constant Falwell bashing.