New England Small College Athletic Conference
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| New England Small College Athletic Conference | |
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| Data | |
| Classification | NCAA Division III |
| Established | 1971 |
| Members | 11 |
| Sports fielded | 27 (13 men's, 14 women's) |
| Region | New England |
| States | 5 - Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Vermont |
| Headquarters | Hadley, Massachusetts |
| Commissioner | Andrea Savage |
| Locations | |
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The New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) is an athletic conference consisting of eleven highly selective liberal arts colleges located in New England and New York. Most of the colleges have been competing against each other since the 1800s. The colleges in this conference are often referred to as the "Little Ivies".
According to the NESCAC, "The formation of NESCAC originated with an agreement among Amherst College, Bowdoin College, Wesleyan University and Williams College first drafted in 1955. Along with these four institutions, Bates College, Colby College, Hamilton College, Middlebury College, Trinity College and Tufts University are sustaining charter members. Connecticut College was added in 1982, bringing the Conference's membership to its current total of 11 institutions."
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[edit] Members
The league currently has 11 full members:
| Institution | Location | Team Name | Founded | Founding Religious Affiliation | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amherst College | Amherst, Massachusetts | Lord Jeffs | 1821 | Congregationalist | 1,648 |
| Bates College | Lewiston, Maine | Bobcats | 1855 | Free Will Baptist | 1,684 |
| Bowdoin College | Brunswick, Maine | Polar Bears | 1794 | Congregationalist | 1,710 |
| Colby College | Waterville, Maine | White Mules | 1813 | Northern Baptist | 1,821 |
| Connecticut College | New London, Connecticut | Camels | 1911 | Methodist | 1,910 |
| Hamilton College | Clinton, New York | Continentals | 1793 | Presbytarian | 1,780 |
| Middlebury College | Middlebury, Vermont | Panthers | 1800 | Congregationalist | 2,350 |
| Trinity College | Hartford, Connecticut | Bantams | 1823 | Episcopalian | 2,188 |
| Tufts University | Medford, Massachusetts | Jumbos | 1852 | Universalist | 4,700 |
| Wesleyan University | Middletown, Connecticut | Cardinals | 1831 | Methodist | 2,900 |
| Williams College | Williamstown, Massachusetts | Ephs | 1793 | Congregationalist | 2,049 |
[edit] Conference championships
The NESCAC holds conference championships in
- Fall season: Men and Women's Cross Country, Field Hockey, Golf, Men and Women's Soccer, Volleyball;
- Winter season: Men and Women's Basketball, Men and Women's Ice Hockey, Men's and Women's Squash, Men and Women's Swimming and Diving;
- Spring season: Baseball, Men and Women's Lacrosse, Men's and Women's Rowing, Softball, Men and Women's Tennis and Men and Women's Track and Field.
[edit] NCAA Division III competition
Prior to 1993, NESCAC generally did not allow its member schools to send teams to NCAA championships. Since then, all sports except football have had this freedom, and have excelled in the NCAA Division III championships. For example, the Division III NACDA Director's Cup, awarded since 1996 to the college or university that wins the most college championships, has been awarded to Williams College every year except 1998.
Middlebury College leads the conference in total number of National Championships, having won 27 individual titles since the NESCAC lifted its ban on NCAA play. Williams College is second, having won 14 in sports including Men's Basketball (1), Men's Soccer (1), Men's and Women's Tennis (3, 2), Men's and Women's Cross Country (2, 2), Women's Crew (2), and Women's Indoor Track & Field (1). One NESCAC member, Tufts University, holds the distinction of playing the first game of College Football between two American colleges, a contest between Tufts and Harvard University on June 4, 1875 in Cambridge, Mass. and played its second game in 1875 against Bates College in the first intercollegiate football game in Maine.
[edit] Conference venues
| School | Football | Basketball | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stadium | Capacity | Arena | Capacity | |
| Amherst | Pratt Field | 8,000 | LeFrak Gymnasium | 2,450 |
| Bates | Garcelon Field | 3,000 | Alumni Gymnasium | 750 |
| Bowdoin | Whittier Field | 9,000 | Morrell Gymnasium | 2,000 |
| Colby | Seaverns Stadium | 5,000 | Wadsworth Gymnasium | 2,500 |
| Connecticut | Non-football school | N/A | Luce Fieldhouse | 800 |
| Hamilton | Steuben Field | 2,500 | Margaret Bundy Scott Field House | 2,500 |
| Middlebury | Youngman Field at Alumni Stadium | 3,500 | Pepin Gymnasium | 1,200 |
| Trinity | Jessee/Miller Field | 6,500 | Oosting Gym | 2,000 |
| Tufts | Ellis Oval | 6,000 | Cousens Gym | 1,000 |
| Wesleyan | Andrus Field | 5,000 | Silloway Gymnasium | 1,200 |
| Williams | Weston Field | 10,000 | Chandler Gymnasium | 2,900 |
[edit] Athletic spending
The U. S. Department of Education publishes statistics on athletic spending by colleges[1]. In 2004-05, athletic spending by NESCAC schools was as follows:
| School | Athletic Spending | Div III rank | Amount per Student | Div III rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amherst | $3,004,696 | #16 | $1,832 | #7 |
| Bates | $3,150,992 | #14 | $1,808 | #8 |
| Bowdoin | $3,710,200 | #7 | $2,212 | #4 |
| Colby | $2,181,256 | #44 | $1,198 | #38 |
| Connecticut | $1,610,230 | #105 | $847 | #91 |
| Hamilton | $1,855,184 | #65 | $1,035 | #60 |
| Middlebury | $4,028,115 | #4 | $1,709 | #11 |
| Trinity | $2,893,037 | #19 | $1,210 | #36 |
| Tufts | $2,397,536 | #31 | $489 | #164 |
| Wesleyan | $3,079,274 | #15 | $1,140 | #47 |
| Williams | $5,697,753 | #2 | $2,779 | #1 |
In Division III, Williams College athletic spending is second only to Christopher Newport University, which spends 2% more than Williams but has more than twice as many students. Connecticut College athletic spending is unusually low because it does not have a football team. Tufts per-student athletic spending is low because it has nearly double the undergraduate population (4,900) of its nearest NESCAC rival (Wesleyan, with 2,700)
[edit] Related athletic conferences
Amherst, Wesleyan, and Williams are also members of the Little Three conference. Bates, Bowdoin, and Colby are also members of the CBB conference.
[edit] Alumni
Bill Belichick, head coach of 3 Super Bowl winning New England Patriots teams, and Eric Mangini, former defensive coordinator for the Patriots and current head coach of the New York Jets, both hail from NESCAC member school Wesleyan University.
Professional hockey player Guy Hebert was a student at NESCAC member school Hamilton College. Hebert eventually played for the New York Rangers.
Professional football player Ethan Brooks graduated from Williams College in 1996. He was an offensive tackle for a number of teams until his retirement in 2005, and achieved his greatest success as a starter for the Baltimore Ravens.
Eric Decosta, the Director of College Scouting for the Baltimore Ravens, attended Colby College, where he was the captain of the football team during his senior year and later received a M.A. from Trinity College (Connecticut), where he coached football from 1993 to 1995. He was recently named one of the most powerful people in sports under the age of 35 by The Sporting News.
[edit] External links
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