After 12 months without intercollegiate athletics, Bowdoin College in Brunswick announced Tuesday that it plans to compete on a limited basis this spring against in-state opponents.
Bowdoin’s announcement came shortly after the New England Small College Athletic Conference announced plans to move forward with regular season conference scheduling for the spring. The NESCAC has not held conference events or championships since the winter season of 2019-20.
Bowdoin, however, will not participate in the NESCAC’s spring sport season, because of the school’s community travel guidelines during the coronavirus pandemic.
“We have been working toward the goal of providing an opportunity for our athletes to compete safely, and I am thrilled we are moving forward with our plans,” Athletic Director Tim Ryan said in a statement on the school’s website. “While we will compete on a limited basis this spring and opportunities will be based upon team-specific circumstances, we are grateful for the work done by our partners within the Bowdoin community to make this possibility a reality.
“To varying degrees, fall, winter and spring teams will have the opportunity to have a limited number of contests, on weekends, in April and early May, which is exciting.”
Bowdoin’s announcement was one of several Tuesday regarding spring sports at NCAA Division III colleges in Maine.
The University of Southern Maine in Gorham announced it will try to play as close to a full schedule as possible for each of its spring sports, focusing on Little East Conference opponents. USM offers baseball, softball, men’s and women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s track and field, men’s and women’s tennis and golf in the spring.
“I’m delighted that USM’s spring sport student-athletes will be provided the opportunities to train and compete this year in compliance with requirements set forth by civil authorities,” USM President Glenn Cummings said in a statement.
USM’s first spring sports contest, according to its website, is scheduled to be a men’s lacrosse game at St. Joseph’s College in Standish on March 17.
The school’s campus remains closed to the public, meaning no fans at its home athletic events. Teams will forgo their typical “spring break” trips to southern destinations and no contest will include overnight travel during the regular season. Nonconference games will focus on local competition.
The University of New England in Biddeford announced it has modified its plans for spring sports to allow for competition with colleges within its conference starting on March 27.
Last week, UNE said it would pursue spring sports competition only with colleges in Maine and New Hampshire, citing Maine’s travel restrictions to and from states in southern New England during the pandemic. UNE is one of 10 schools in the Commonwealth Coast Conference, with the other nine in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
But on Friday, Gov. Janet Mills announced that residents of all New England states are now exempt from quarantine or testing requirements before visiting Maine.
As a result, UNE spring sports teams will now compete exclusively against conference rivals. UNE offers men’s and women’s lacrosse, softball, women’s track and field and men’s golf in the spring. Spectators will not be permitted at any athletic events at UNE.
St. Joseph’s started its spring season on Sunday with its men’s lacrosse team beating Maine Maritime 18-7 in Castine, but has yet to release schedules for its other spring sports of baseball, softball, women’s lacrosse and men’s and women’s track and field.
St. Joe’s is a member of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference, which on Monday announced it would authorize limited conference competition this spring. GNAC schools are located in all six New England states.
“Due to varying state-by-state guidelines and because the GNAC’s 13 core members represent all six New England states, schools shall retain the autonomy to opt out altogether or schedule local non-conference competition as they see fit,” according to a release from the conference.
Bates College in Lewiston, another NESCAC member, announced Tuesday it “intends to take advantage of every possible opportunity to compete while following all college and state public health protocols.”
Colby College in Waterville, a third NESCAC school in Maine, had yet to announce its plans for spring sports as of early Tuesday evening.
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