Middlebury, Williams, Colby, Trinity (Conn.) athletics photos

The New England Small College Athletic Conference was the first to call off its fall 2020 competition schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and now, it has become the first to do the same for the winter schedule.

Just over a week after winter activities were permitted to begin, under NCAA Division III guidelines, the conference made its announcement. The Division III championships committee had recently re-stated their guidelines for the postseason for the winter and spring, if they can be held, with smaller bracket sizes and an adjusted postseason schedule.

This announcement does not preclude the possibility that NESCAC schools can take part in non-conference play. However, conference schools started making their announcements calling off all winter sports following the issuance of this release.

The text of the NESCAC's release follows:

With the fall semester for NESCAC institutions well underway, the health and safety of students, faculty, staff and the broader community remain our foremost concerns. Our institutions have limited travel off campus, restricted visitors to campus, and implemented strict protocols on physical distancing. To further mitigate the risk of exposure to COVID-19 and protect the well-being of those on campus and in the surrounding communities, each of our institutions is conducting a robust COVID-19 testing program.

In addition to these measures, many of our institutions have made or are considering significant modifications to the 2020-21 academic calendar. As a result, many of our students will not return to campus for the spring semester until late January or early February.

Given these institutional policies and calendar changes, the NESCAC presidents have unanimously decided to cancel NESCAC conference competition, including conference championships, for the winter season. Among other things, the timing of students’ return to campus means there will not be enough time to conduct meaningful conference play.

We understand this decision will disappoint many of our students, given the important role athletics plays in the student experience. We remain committed to providing meaningful opportunities for our students to engage in athletic activities. Students may continue to participate in practice activities, strength and conditioning, skill development and leadership programming in accordance with NCAA, conference and institutional policies, as well as state and local health guidelines. Institutions may schedule outside competition at their discretion.