CONNECTICUT, USA — The New England Small College Athletic Conference has announced NESCAC conference competition for fall sports must be canceled for fall 2020.
NESCAC representatives said in keeping with public health guidance, each of our institutions has put in place physical distancing protocols, limits on travel on and off-campus, and limits on the size of on-campus gatherings.
Connecticut has three schools in the conference: Trinity College, Wesleyan University, and Connecticut College.
On Friday, conference officials released a statement explaining their decision even though it was with "great reluctance."
The Division III NESCAC is just one of many conferences making decisions to not play or play in-conference games only. The Ivy League announced on Wednesday it will not have sports in the fall. Other Division 1 Power 5 conferences like the Big Ten and PAC12 have decided to play in-conference games only. The Big East has not made any decision yet on fall sports.
The University of Bridgeport announced on Friday, it too will be canceling all fall sports this year due to concerns over the health of its athletes.
UConn announced Friday they preformed 150 COVID-19 tests on their student-athletes and all of the results came back negative.
NESCAC Presidents' Statement on Fall Sports:
Over the last several months, NESCAC institutions have been focused on the safe reopening of their campuses this fall. Member institutions have recently announced plans for the upcoming year, with the health and well-being of students, faculty, staff, and the broader community the foremost concern.
In keeping with public health guidance, each of our institutions has put in place physical distancing protocols, limits on travel on and off-campus, and limits on the size of on-campus gatherings. Consistent with these policies, the NESCAC Presidents have decided unanimously, though with great reluctance, that NESCAC conference competition for fall sports must be canceled for fall 2020.
Athletics remains an important part of the experience for our students. Conference members will continue to work together to seek creative ways to provide meaningful athletic opportunities for our students during the upcoming academic year. To that end, the Presidents have agreed to modify some NESCAC rules to enable coaches and students to engage in practice and training opportunities outside the traditional season, in accordance with the rules of each member institution and local health directives.
As the pandemic evolves, we will continue to monitor changing federal, state, and local guidance, and we will consult with each other as well as public health authorities and the NCAA about the possibility of further changes to NESCAC rules.
We will provide updates as information becomes available.
Biddy Martin, Amherst College
Clayton Spencer, Bates College
Clayton Rose, Bowdoin College
David Greene, Colby College
Katherine Bergeron, Connecticut College
David Wippman, Hamilton College
Laurie Patton, Middlebury College
Joanne Berger-Sweeney, Trinity College
Tony Monaco, Tufts University
Michael Roth, Wesleyan University
Maud Mandel, Williams College