Hamilton College and the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) have announced that they are canceling intercollegiate athletics competition for the 2020 fall season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The College’s official statement about the fall season can be found below. (see: NESCAC statement and Hamilton College COVID-19 updates) Hamilton’s fall sports include men’s and women’s cross country, field hockey, football, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s rowing, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s tennis, and volleyball. Neither the College nor the conference have made a decision regarding the winter and spring sport seasons.
Hamilton College Message on Fall 2020 Intercollegiate Athletics Competition
The New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) decided today (July 10) that conference competition for fall sports must be cancelled for 2020. In keeping with Hamilton’s efforts to limit travel to and from College Hill, Hamilton’s fall athletic teams will not compete or travel off campus during the semester. Hamilton recognizes that athletics is an important part of the educational experience for many of our students. We will continue exploring ways to offer meaningful athletic experiences while ensuring careful attention to the health and safety of our athletes, coaches, staff, and community.
The return to safe play for all of our teams will be informed by guidance from federal, state, and local health authorities, and national organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the American College Health Association (ACHA), the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA), NESCAC, the NCAA, and Hamilton's COVID-19 Task Force.
Once our students return to campus and have been tested for the virus, we plan to offer opportunities at some point this semester for all student-athletes on Hamilton’s 29 intercollegiate teams to participate in small group outdoor activity and then hopefully progress to more formal team practices when conditions allow. Neither NESCAC nor Hamilton has made a decision pertaining to intercollegiate competition for winter or spring sports teams.
NESCAC member institutions include Amherst College, Bates College, Bowdoin College, Colby College, Connecticut College, Hamilton College, Middlebury College, Trinity College, Tufts University, Wesleyan University, and Williams College.
