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Named the top public high school in the country by U.S. News and World Report, Thomas Jefferson (Alexandria, Va.) boasts the brightest teens in America. In fact, the only field in which they could be considered underdogs is the playing field.

The NCAA tournament field shows high school basketball players don't have to choose between books and ball for college. The top schools have found players who succeed at both.

Since taking over Plymouth's football program in 1971, coach Chuck Lenahan has guided the Bobcats to 17 state championships, 11 undefeated campaigns and 10 runner-up finishes.

Cold weather is as much a part of football lore as the I-formation and John Madden. And in northern states like Vermont, cold-weather games are a way of life.

For most student-athletes, the summer provides some much-needed downtime. But for the remarkable few who balance sports, school and military obligations, many spend their precious few weeks away doing what they do best -- serving the country.

Guam doesn't send many athletes to the Olympics, but Derek Mandell longed to be one of them. That seemed far-fetched four years ago, but the former Portland runner is close to fulfilling his dream.

Playing two sports is a tradition in Russell Wilson's family. His dual-sport talents and unrelenting work ethic are allowing him to succeed in baseball and compete for the starting quarterback job at NC State.

From Jim Thorpe to Jim Brown to Bo Jackson, Jackie-Joyner Kersee and Deion Sanders, college sports has a celebrated history of dual-sport athletes. But sport specialization and the pressures of big-time athletics is threatening their future.

It might not get the national attention other in-state rivalries -- like Alabama-Auburn -- receive, but Alaska's grudge match between Anchorage and Fairbanks is as heated and as unique.

With the 114th meeting coming this November, it's easy to see why the storied Hampden-Sydney-Randolph-Macon football rivalry is known simply as "The Game." But the animosity between the two schools goes deeper than just football.

Most athletes spend their summers working out in preparation for the upcoming season. Denver attackman Andrew Bourke may have found the greatest training program of all.

Two years ago, Chris Atkinson was nearly killed in a freak accident on the ice. His journey back from the brink has inspired his Vermont teammates, writes Chris Preston.

Without scholarships to offer, Division III programs are selling the full college experience their schools have to offer.

Catering primarily to current and former students of Division II and III schools, Web sites like d2football.com and d3hoops.com tap in to a niche audience who grew up watching or playing sports at schools you would never see on television.

Stanford has found perennial success at the Division I level thanks to a massive athletic budget, state-of-the-art facilities and national media attention. But how do schools stay at the top of the Divisions II and III ladders? ESPN.com investigates.

Money matters more for athletic programs like those at Texas, Kentucky and Oklahoma State. And because Division II and III schools don't need as much money, they have far fewer problems with overeager boosters.