Alicia Sacramone, the best gymnast in Brown University history after only one season, is the Eastern College Athletic Conference champion on the uneven parallel bars and ECAC rookie of the year, but her gymnastics goals include success in the Far East as well.

Sacramone hopes to make the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team and earn a medal or two at the Beijing Games, quite attainable goals given her credentials: 2003 national team member at the age of 15; contender for the U.S. team in the 2004 Olympics at Athens; gold medalist in the floor exercise and bronze medalist in the vault at the 2005 World Championships in Australia; silver medalist in the vault and captain of the U.S. team that finished second at the 2006 World Championships in Denmark last October.

“It’s preparing me for bigger things I want to do. I hope each year I can progress,” she said by cell phone while en route to the ECAC Championships at Cornell.

So how does a world-class gymnast and potential Olympian end up at Brown? Location, location, location. As a high-school senior, Sacramone had signed a letter of intent with UCLA but eventually decided that “California was not the place for me. I’m an East Coast girl.”

She grew up in the Boston suburb of Winchester, daughter of an orthodontist and a salon owner, and trained with Mihai Brestyan at his American Gymnastics Club in Ashland, Mass. So her support group was here, not in L.A.

“She has been with her coach since Day One. She never changed gyms. That was a motivating factor,” said Sara Carver-Milne, the Brown coach. In addition, Brown sophomore Jennifer Sobuta and Sacramone were teammates at Brestyan’s, and Brestyan’s son Rodney wrestled at Brown.

“He (Mihai) is a big fan of Brown, and we have a great relationship,” Carver-Milne said. “It’s been the best of both worlds for Alicia. She is getting a top-notch education, she is competing in Division I, and she is still training with her coach.”

All winter Sacramone practiced with her Brown teammates during the week and competed on weekends. Twice a week she drove to Brestyan’s gym, first in Ashland and then at his new facility in Burlington, Mass. This summer she will train and compete with the U.S. team as well as with Brestyan.

Sacramone has set Brown records in the vault (9.9), floor exercise (9.925) and all-around (39.250). At the Ivy Classic in February she became the first gymnast in Ivy League history to win all four events — beam, bars, vault, floor — and the all-around. She broke the Ivy record in the all-around and tied the record in the vault. She earned a No. 1 ranking in the East in the all-around and qualified for the NCAA Regionals this weekend.

She did not compete in the all-around at Cornell last Saturday because of a four-stitch gash to her left big toe that she suffered while practicing on the beam a week earlier. She and her coaches decided that with the NCAA Regional only a week after the ECAC meet, and the nationals a week after the regional, it would be better not to put undue stress on her foot.

Sacramone, 19, has enjoyed her college gymnastics experience, in part because the atmosphere is less intense than on the international circuit.

“I can relax a little more. It’s a lot more fun and team-oriented. That’s not what I’m used to. It’s great to have a team behind you. It’s rather new for me,” she said.

Sacramone and her teammates bonded in no time.

“There was a lot of speculation before she came. A lot of high-level gymnasts crave attention and are high-maintenance. Alicia fit right in, and they embraced her. They enjoy her stories. They’re talking about going to Beijing, to the Olympics, to cheer for her,” Carver-Milne said.

“And she is so humble it makes it easy for them. She is not conceited and never brags. She points out her flaws and lets them know that they can do some things that she can’t. A lot of that is due to her parents,” the Brown coach added.

Fred and Gail Sacramone wrote the rules for their daughter early.

“School always comes first. They said if you don’t do well in school, you don’t go to the gym. They put the rules in place so I didn’t lose my focus. I know I’m not going to be doing gymnastics all my life,” Sacramone said.

While she is doing gymnastics, she is one of the best.

“What sets her apart is that everything she does is a little higher, a little tighter and more cohesive,” Carver-Milne said. “She has skills that no one in the world has. She was second in the world on the vault and was world champion on the floor. She has experience competing against the Russians and the Chinese. Most gymnasts don’t get that kind of exposure.”

USA Gymnastics will select its Olympic team two to three months before the Games, Sacramone said, so she could return to Brown for her sophomore year, compete for the Bears next winter and then increase her training regimen next spring. Or, she could take a semester or year off and focus solely on Beijing.

“It’s a long process to make it. There are a lot of meets and selective camps, and you just have to go out and do your best,” she said. “History is a big factor, if they know they can rely on you, and you can hit it under pressure.”

With her World Championships medals, not to mention her collegiate honors, Sacramone has demonstrated she can hit it under pressure.

Sobuta, who finished seventh in the all-around at the ECACs, has also qualified for the NCAA Regional. Another Brown gymnast, sophomore Rachel Foodman, is the ECAC Scholar-Athlete this year even though she missed most of the season due to an injury. She has a 4.0 average as a public policy major.

Softball stars

Softball pitchers from Rhode Island and nearby Massachusetts continue to impress, and hitters are coming up big as well.

Rhode Island College’s Nicole Riley (North Providence) is 9-0 this season with an ERA of 0.11. She has 69 strikeouts and only eight walks in 62 2/3 innings. She became RIC’s career leader in victories last week and is 57-15 with a 32-game winning streak.

The Anchorwomen are 12-2, 2-0 in the Little East and ranked 21st in the nation in Division III.

Keene State senior Erin Fuoroli (Warwick/Pilgrim) beat Western Connecticut, 4-2, in the first game of a doubleheader sweep Saturday and improved to 5-1. Keene is 11-1, 2-0 in the Little East.

Hofstra’s Kayleigh Lotti (South Attleboro, St. Raphael) threw consecutive one-hit shutouts against George Mason and improved to 8-4. She was four outs from a perfect game on Saturday and one out from a perfect game on Sunday. She also had three saves last week and struck out 28 batters, bringing her total to 118 in 97 2/3 innings.

Towson senior Jillian Kiley (Hope Valley/Chariho) beat Delaware, 1-0, with a five-hit, four-strikeout performance Saturday in the first game of a doubleheader sweep. The shutout was her third of the season and eighth of her career. She improved to 8-7 this season. Towson is 15-15, 2-4 in the Colonial Athletic Association.

Wheaton’s Audrey Poulton (Charlestown/Chariho) pitched the Lyons to a 6-5 victory over Springfield Saturday and drove in the winning run with a two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the seventh in the second game of a doubleheader. Erika Marini (Pawtucket/St. Raphael) hit a home run in the first game, a 9-4 loss.

Wheaton pitcher Jodi Moynagh threw a five-inning perfect game in a 12-0 rout of Bridgewater State in the second game of a doubleheader Sunday. Wheaton won the opener 8-0. Marini had a two-out, two-run double in the first inning of the nightcap, and Poulton had two hits.

Roundup

Sarah Macdonald (Rumford/Lincoln School) scored two goals, including the game-winner, in Oregon’s 11-10 lacrosse victory at Lehigh Saturday. They were her first goals of the season and helped the Ducks improve to 8-4 . . . Bryant junior Jessica Valentini had five hits in a doubleheader sweep of Pace Saturday and improved her batting average to .407. She had a home run during a split with C.W. Post on Sunday . . . Providence College junior Ahmed Haji won the 5,000 in 14:20.78 at the Southern Connecticut Owl Invitational and led a Friars sweep. Charlie Dewey won the 800 (1:55.06) and led a sweep in that event. James Lourenco (West Warwick) finished third. Meghan Owen won the women’s 800 in 2:17.31 . . . Providence College field hockey coach Diane Madl is an assistant coach for the U.S. Under-16 team that is touring in Holland this week and will compete in the Easter Tournament at Valkenswaard next weekend.

mszostak@projo.com