Swansea head coach Francesco Guidolin has signed a new two-year contract. The Italian joined the club in January when they were just two points above the relegation zone and has since guided them to 11th place in the Premier League.A board meeting was held at the Liberty Stadium on Wednesday to discuss the 60-year-olds future and it has now been confirmed Guidolin will remain in the role. The Italian members of Guidolins backroom staff - Gabriele Ambrosetti and Diego Bortoluzzi - have also been offered new contracts. Francesco Guidolin has signed a new two-year deal with Swansea Im pleased to confirm that we have reached an agreement with Francesco on a new two-year contract, chairman Huw Jenkins told Swanseas official website.Francesco fully deserves the chance to continue his good work into the new campaign. He was prepared to come into the club at such a difficult time and put himself in a pressure situation with the club fighting for survival.He has achieved the goal of securing top-flight football for this club with plenty to spare and has earned the right to start afresh next season.Its going to be another challenge for everyone, but we are looking forward to seeing how far he can take this squad of players over a full season. Swansea beat West Ham 4-1 at the Boleyn Ground on Saturday There has obviously been a lot of speculation over recent weeks about a possible change of manager, but the board has been impressed with the way he has quietly gone about the job of improving performances and results since January.Jenkins later spoke to Sky Sports News HQ, where he explained further why the board felt Guidolin should be offered a new deal.The timing was right to make sure things are settling down well to make sure we can plan and get things right for the new season, to get Francesco signed up and to move things on, said Jenkins.We felt the clubs he worked for [in the past] were similar to Swansea. We are a smaller club in the Premier League challenging big clubs and he has done that well in Italy.We are looking forward to him having the full preparation of pre-season, to get everything prepared in the right way, and we can all look forward to the season ahead.There was a lot of speculation in the press as to whether we were talking to other managers.We had discussions, and Francesco is aware of that, but the decision to go down this route is the right one for the club.Jenkins also confirmed US investors looking to buy the club had no input into Guidolins appointment. Swansea City chairman Huw Jenkins said improved performances persuaded them to offer Guidolin a new contract Guidolin said he was honoured to be given a new deal.It is an important day for me, and I am honoured to be given the chance to continue managing this wonderful club, he told Swanseas website.I came into the club at a difficult time, and it was my first experience of the Premier League. Now, I have the possibility to start my work at the beginning of a new season; something Im excited about.I would like to thank my players first of all, plus the staff and our fans. It was very emotional for me to hear them sing my name after the game at West Ham, and Ive had nothing but good wishes from everyone Ive met on the streets of Swansea.The possibility for me to work with them and for them again is very important to me. Its an honour, and I am grateful to the chairman and the board for giving me this opportunity.Swansea host Manchester City in their final match of the season on Saturday, when they will look to finish their campaign with three victories in a row, following their 3-1 win over Liverpool and Saturdays 4-1 victory against West Ham. Also See: Guidolin unsure over future West Ham 1-4 Swansea QUIZ: Old football grounds Get a ￡10 free bet! Swell Botellas De Agua . Speaking Thursday on TSN 1050 Thursday, the Leafs GM also touched on the questions surrounding the teams leadership and the struggles of his big-name free-agent signing. “Its not from lack of effort from the coaching staff. Swell Bottle Comprar . LUCIE, Fla. http://www.botellasswellespana.com/ . "We have always prided ourselves on the way we play defence. Having two big pieces back is going to be a key for us moving forward for years to come," said Knighthawks head coach Mike Hasen. Comprar Botella Swell .Y. -- Canadas Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse have another World Cup gold medal after winning the two-women bobsled race on Saturday in Lake Placid, N. Swell España . First off, the fans ripped the Cubbies introduction of a fuzzy new kid-friendly mascot named "Clark". Months after South Dakota defeated Florida Gulf Coast in a WNIT championship game that doubled as a celebration of mid-major basketball, neither the Coyotes nor Eagles land in the preseason mid-major top 10.Some gratitude, right?But its all part of the same story. There is a lot of good basketball played in the mid-major conferences -- enough to produce a WNIT final between teams that deserved to be in the larger tournament.?Ignore these teams at your own peril.1. South Dakota State2015-16 record: 27-7; lost in NCAA tournament second roundSouth Dakota State was about a minute away from the Sweet 16 a season ago. After upsetting Miami in the opening round of the NCAA tournament, the Jackrabbits led Stanford by four with 86 seconds to play in the round of 32. The win slipped away, but the message was delivered: South Dakota State is a perennial Summit League powerhouse. And now the Jackrabbits -- No. 25 in espnWs preseason top 25 rankings -- return players who were responsible for 86 percent of the minutes in that game against Stanford. The Jackrabbits schedule this season includes trips to Oklahoma and Louisville and a mid-major clash against Green Bay.Name to know: Macy Miller. South Dakota State sticks around year after year because its never built around one player, but Miller is a heck of a cornerstone. Her elegant offensive game would work at any level.2. Western Kentucky2015-16 record: 27-7; lost in WNIT quarterfinalsThe Hilltoppers are here with an assist from the states two heavyweights. Former Louisville coach Michelle Clark-Heard is now the head honcho at Western Kentucky. And Kentucky is the source for impact transfers Jaycee Coe and Kyvin Goodin-Rogers (Goodin-Rogers will be eligible after the fall semester). Another vital addition: homegrown point guard Micah Jones, who was granted a fifth year after she tore her ACL in the second game last season. Western Kentucky will get a chance to turn some heads this season with games against DePaul, Indiana and Louisville (and potentially at least one of Baylor, Ohio State and Syracuse).Name to know: Kendall Noble. She has been a conference freshman of the year, player of the year and twice its defender of the year. Whats left after averaging 18.1 points per game, 7.1 rebounds and 5.6 assists? Maybe All-American.3. Chattanooga2015-16 record: 24-8; lost in NCAA tournament first roundJim Foster started his schedule this season with games against Rutgers, Florida and Indiana, so maybe the Chattanooga coach thinks he has something special (games against Connecticut, Louisville and Notre Dame follow, as well as mid-major peers Green Bay and Florida Gulf Coast). The Lady Mocs return their three leading scorers and just about all the meaningful minutes that didnt go to Alicia Payne. They also welcome back Chelsey Shumpert, an all-conference pick whose 2015-16 season was reduced to three games by injury.Name to know: Jasmine Joyner. Only Bethune-Cookmans Kailyn Williams has more blocks among active Division I players, and Joyner got off to a slow start with 56 blocks as a freshman. She has 258 the past two seasons.4. Penn2015-16 record: 24-5; lost in NCAA tournament first roundPenn battled back and forth with Washington in their first-round game last season, even though the Huskies won in the end. The reigning Ivy League champions return all six players who averaged double-digit minutes in 2015-16. The teams two centerpieces: Michelle Nwokedi and Sydney Stipanovich (19.7 rebounds per game and 5.4 blocks per game between them), and a deep backcourt with plenty of shooters carries its weight. Dont sleep on the opener at Duke.Name to know: Michelle Nwokedi. She was a bit player as a freshman and then transformed into a sophomore who rarely left the court. Her development changed the trajectory of the teams national potential.5. Green Bay2015-16 record: 28-5; lost in NCAA tournament first roundFirst, the bad news: Megan and Kaili Lukan will not be with Green Bay this season. Both sisters graduated after enjoying a successful career on the court; they both embodied the program well. The Phoenix also lost Tesha Buck to transfer. But heres the good news: Allie LeClaire, MMehryn Kraker and Jessica Lindstrom are returning.dddddddddddd The trio averaged double-digit scoring last season. And with three redshirt freshman, coach Kevin Borseth is back to his old stockpiling ways.Name to know: Jessica Lindstrom. In a breakout sophomore season, Lindstrom grabbed nearly twice as many rebounds as any teammate, but she still hit 44 3-pointers.6. Saint Louis2015-16 record: 26-8; lost in WNIT third roundThe Atlantic 10 is fertile mid-major ground, but Saint Louis is a less familiar representative in these rankings. These Billikens belong. Led by bona fide star Jackie Kemph, the team returns seven of nine rotation regulars. The Billikens also add Michigan transfer Paige Rakers, a needed 3-point asset, and Akron transfer Kerri McMahan. Unfortunately, while the A-10 offers challenges, Saint Louis didnt do itself favors with its schedule. Marquee home games against Missouri and Washington State probably wont be enough to build any kind of NCAA at-large résumé.Name to know: Jackie Kemph. No returning player in the country averaged more assists per game last season, yet Kemph is also the third-leading returning scorer in the A-10. Shes still just a junior.7. Belmont2015-16 record: 24-9; lost in NCAA tournament first roundThe Bruins return all six players who started double-digit games en route to the NCAA tournament a season ago, which is promising continuity for a group that ranked in the top 30 nationally in overall field goal shooting, 3-point shooting and assist-to-turnover ratio. They also have useful size in 6-foot-3 Sally McCabe, the Ohio Valley Conference defensive player of the year. Belmont isnt going to get an at-large tournament bid, but home games against Green Bay and IUPUI offer notable tests, as do road trips to Louisville and Minnesota.Name to know: Darby Maggard. Ranked No. 74 among incoming freshmen a season ago, sandwiched between Michigan and Ohio State signees, the 5-foot-5 Maggard played up to those credentials as a freshman.8. Gonzaga2015-16 record: 19-14; lost in WNIT second roundA loss against Utah in the WNIT snapped Gonzagas streak of nine consecutive 20-win seasons, a stretch that included four trips to the Sweet 16. Some might see that as a sign of decline, but a healthy Elle Tinkle and a lot of backcourt depth might instead make it an aberration. Eligible transfers Chandler Smith (Nebraska) and Makenlee Williams (Utah State) could help. The Bulldogs play Stanford, Michigan and Florida State in the span of eight days in November.Name to know: Jill Barta. Did the versatile, 6-3 Barta emerge late in the season as the next in a line of standouts, or did she feast on weak competition? Well see, but she was fantastic in the WCC as a redshirt freshman.9. Colorado State2015-16 record: 31-2; lost in NCAA tournament first roundThis is not the team that won 31 games last season. Of the seven players who played meaningful minutes against South Florida in the NCAA tournament, only three remain. The Rams didnt lose everything, though. In addition to Ellen Nystrom, the Mountain West preseason player of the year, the Rams return Elin Gustavsson, Stine Austgulen and Hannah Tvrdy, all of whom played important minutes last season.Name to know: Ellen Nystrom. Shes the reason to believe Colorado State has an encore, whether its through scoring or making others better. Shes a triple-double waiting to happen.10. Bucknell2015-16 record: 25-8; lost in WNIT second roundThe Bison had to rank among the most injury-ravaged teams in the country last season, yet they still won a game in the postseason. So while graduating scorer Jacquie Klotz is a blow, simply staying healthy could alleviate much of that pain. That includes co-captain Megan McGurk, who missed the second half of last season. Early trips to North Carolina and Rutgers are interesting opportunities against wounded traditional powerhouses.Name to know: Claire DeBoer. She ranked among the Patriots top 10 in points, rebounds, assists and steals. DeBoer is listed as the leagues preseason player of the year. ' ' '