Colgates Elise DeRoo 12 was one of two Patriot League student-athletes to be nominated for the 2012 NCAA Woman of the Year Award.

DeRoos nomination was based on her service, leadership, athletics and academics.

Elise DeRoo 12 graduated with a 3.97 grade-point average with a degree in molecular biology.

DeRoo, a native of Newtown, Conn., finished an incredible four-year career at Colgate this spring. She was a dominant force in cross country for two years, capturing the womens individual championships in 2009 and 2010 before taking third at the 2011 event.

DeRoo was also a force within the league in both the indoor and outdoor seasons of track and field during her career.

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It’s already been a busy offseason but that doesn’t mean there won’t be plenty to talk about when the season starts in less than three months. Here are five stories to keep an eye on when the season officially kicks off on August 31.

Urban Meyers presence at Ohio State will be a key story in 2012. (Brooke LaValley/Columbus Dispatch/MCT)

How quickly will Urban Renewal take place at Ohio State?

Buzz: It’s amazing the difference a year makes. Last year at this time, Ohio State was engulfed in a cloud of uncertainty. The pro

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How was last year different from all other years? In 2001, Jim Grobe’s first season at Wake Forest — yes, he’s been in Winston-Salem more than a decade — the Demon Deacons were 3-4 heading into November before winning three of their last four. A year later, Wake Forest was 4-4 before taking three of five, capped by a 38-17 bowl win over Oregon. In 2007, the Deacons stumbled out of the gate with two straight losses before righting the ship, eventually winning nine games. The only year last season might resemble, when it comes to Grobe’s bowl teams at Wake Forest, might be 2008: first 3-0, then 4-3, the Deacons ending up winning at least eight games for the third consecutive season. The progr

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Dennis Erickson had three jobs over a four-year span: Idaho in 1986, Washington State from 1987-88 and Miami (Fla.) in 1989. He once had three jobs over a six-year span: Miami in 1994 – leaving the program under an N.C.A.A. spotlight – the Seattle Seahawks from 1995-98 and Oregon State in 1999. He returned to Idaho in 2006, led the Vandals to four wins and then left for Arizona State, his third job in the Pac-12 over the previous two decades. Mercenary? Disloyal? Like all subjective labels, it depends on where you stand. Todd Graham is on his fourth head coaching job in seven years. He’s had two one-and-done stints, at Rice in 2006 and Pittsburgh a year ago. He’s

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Hundreds of millions of dollars in federal and state funds are now being spent to build so-called data warehouses to track students from their earliest years through postsecondary education. Standardized test scores are a key feature of the tracking systems, especially when they are attributed to individual teachers. In time, enthusiasts of the data-is-great school of thought believe we will have the information we need to identify “effective” teachers and make sure that there is an effective teacher in every classroom. With the data comes a tight focus on targets: higher test scores and higher graduation rates.

As the pressure to reach the targets get tougher, many districts are devising ways to raise their graduation rates that have nothing to do with thinking and learning.

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Jeff Bertani rarely forgets the faces and names of his players.

So when he saw a photo of Rudy Eugene –the man now known as the “face eating” naked man shot dead by Miamipolice over the weekend on the MacArthur Causeway — the hairs on theback of Bertanis neck stood up.

The veteran high school football coach at North Miami Beach SeniorHigh recognized Eugene almost instantly.

“He didnt play for me very long — one season — but Im pretty good with faces,” Bertani said. “No doubt he played for us. Its still pretty shocking to know that guy played for us.”

Bertani, entering his 16th season as the head coach of the Chargers, said Eugene spent three years at North Miami Beach High, but only played for him as a junior in 1998.

The Herald has reported that Eugene graduated from North Miami High in 2000.

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