New England Small College Athletic Conference
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The New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) is an athletic conference consisting of 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."
Union College was an original charter member, but left the NESCAC in 1977 after an incident with ice hockey recruiting.
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Past and Present Member Colleges
- Amherst College Lord Jeffs -- Amherst, MA (1971-)
- Bates College Bobcats -- Lewiston, ME (1971-)
- Bowdoin College Polar Bears -- Brunswick, ME (1971-)
- Colby College White Mules -- Waterville, ME (1971-)
- Connecticut College Camels -- New London, CT (1982-)
- Hamilton College Continentals -- Clinton, NY (1971-)
- Middlebury College Panthers -- Middlebury, VT (1971-)
- Trinity College Bantams -- Hartford, CT (1971-)
- Tufts University Jumbos -- Medford, MA (1971-)
- Union College Dutchmen -- Schenectady, NY (1971-1977)
- Wesleyan University Cardinals -- Middletown, CT (1971-)
- Williams College Ephs -- Williamstown, MA (1971-)
Conference Championships
The NESCAC holds conference championships in
- Fall season: Men and Women's Cross Country, Field Hockey, Football, Golf, Men and Women's Soccer, Volleyball;
- Winter season: Men and Women's Basketball, Men and Women's Ice Hockey, Men and Women's Swimming and Diving;
- Spring season: Baseball, Men and Women's Lacrosse, Women's Rowing, Softball, Men and Women's Tennis and Men and Women's Track and Field.
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, and Williams is currently in first place for the 2004-05 academic year.
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 of Maine.
Related Information
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.