New England Small College Athletic Conference

The New England Small College Athletic Conference is an intercollegiate athletic conference that competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III comprising sports teams from eleven highly selective liberal arts institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The eleven institutions are Amherst College, Bates College, Bowdoin College, Colby College, Connecticut College, Hamilton College, Middlebury College, Tufts University, Trinity College, Wesleyan University, and Williams College.
The conference originated with an agreement among Amherst, Bowdoin, Wesleyan and Williams in 1955. In 1971, Bates, Colby, Hamilton, Middlebury, Trinity, Tufts, and Union College joined and the NESCAC was officially formed. Union withdrew in 1977 and was replaced by Connecticut College in 1982. NESCAC members maintain some of the List of colleges and universities in [the United States by endowment|largest financial endowments] among liberal arts colleges in the world.

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History

Williams began its inaugural football season in 1881 and its rivalry with Amherst College is one of the longest at any level of college football. Bates and Bowdoin have competed against each other athletically since the 1870s and subsequently share one of the ten oldest NCAA Division III football rivalries, in the U.S., there is a long history of athletic competition between the two colleges and Colby. Colby began its now most notable hockey rivalry, with Bowdoin in 1922.
In 1899, Amherst, Wesleyan and Williams schools first began to compete together as the "Triangular League". Since then they have continued to play each other in most sports on a regular basis. The conference originated with an agreement among Amherst, Bowdoin, Wesleyan and Williams in 1955. Later, Bates, Colby, Connecticut College, Hamilton, Middlebury, Trinity, Tufts joined and the NESCAC was officially formed. The Conference was created out of a concern for the direction of intercollegiate athletic programs and remains committed to keeping a proper perspective on the role of sport in higher education.
Member institutions believe athletic teams should be representative of school's entire student bodies and hew to NCAA Division III admissions and financial policies prohibiting athletic scholarships while awarding financial aid solely on the basis of need. Presidents of each NESCAC institution control intercollegiate athletic policy. Conference tenets are usually more restrictive than those of the NCAA Division III regarding season length, number of contests and post-season competition.
Four NESCAC institutions are among the 39 that founded the NCAA in 1905: Amherst, Tufts, Wesleyan, and Williams. Prior to 1993 NESCAC generally did not allow member schools to send teams to NCAA championships. Since then all sports except football have had this freedom, many excelling in the NCAA Division III championships. The NACDA Directors' Cup, awarded since 1996 to the college or university in each NCAA Division that wins the most college championships, has been claimed at the Division III level by a NESCAC institution every year except 1998. In the 2012–13 season, four of the top ten NACDA Director's Cup institutions were from NESCAC: Williams, Middlebury, Amherst, and Tufts.

Chronological timeline

1971 – The New England Small College Athletic Conference was founded. Charter members included Amherst College, Bates College, Bowdoin College, Colby College, Hamilton College, Middlebury College, Trinity College, Tufts University, Union College, Wesleyan University and Williams College, beginning the 1971–72 academic year.
1977 – Union left the NESCAC after the 1976–77 academic year.
1982 – Connecticut College joined the NESCAC in the 1982–83 academic year.

Member schools

Current members

The NESCAC currently has 11 full members, all of which are private institutions of higher education. Admission to NESCAC institutions is highly competitive, with admit rates consistently below 15% for the majority of the conference. Some member schools are among the oldest institutions of higher education in the U.S., with Williams, Bowdoin and Middlebury being among the 40 oldest institutions in the country.
NESCAC members maintain some of the largest financial endowments among liberal arts colleges in the world. The largest endowments within the NESCAC belong to the three based in Massachusetts: Williams, Amherst, and Tufts. All members of the NESCAC coordinate fundraising cycles, financing for athletic programs as well as share sporting facilities.

Institution	Location				Endowment	Nickname	Joined	Colors
Amherst College	Amherst, MA	1821	1,907	7%	$3.549	Mammoths	1971
Bates College	Lewiston, ME	1855	1,800	13%	$0.447	Bobcats	1971
Bowdoin College	Brunswick, ME	1794	2,052	8.8%	$2.423	Polar Bears	1971
Colby College	Waterville, ME	1813	2,300	7.5%	$1.160	Mules	1971
Connecticut College	New London, CT	1911	1,990	36%	$0.482	Camels	1982
Hamilton College	Clinton, NY	1793	2,053	12%	$1.361	Continentals	1971
Middlebury College	Middlebury, VT	1800	2,774	12%	$1.597	Panthers	1971
Trinity College	Hartford, CT	1823	2,159	36%	$0.834	Bantams	1971
Tufts University	Medford, MA	1852	6,635	9%	$2.533	Jumbos	1971
Wesleyan University	Middletown, CT	1831	3,064	13.9%	$1.583	Cardinals	1971
Williams College	Williamstown, MA	1793	2,250	8%	$3.655	Ephs	1971

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Former member

The NESCAC had one former full member, which was a private institution.

Institution	Location	Founded	Affiliation	Enrollment	Nickname	Joined	Left	Colors	Current conference
Union College	Schenectady, NY	1795	Nonsectarian	2,197	Dutchmen & Dutchwomen	1971	1977		Liberty (LL)

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Membership timeline

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Academics

The NESCAC is known for low grade inflation, grade deflation, and rigorous academic standards. Some members have received limited media coverage over perceived grade inflation and deflation.
The colleges are also known for a range of high and relatively low tuition rates and comprehensive fees. Some of the colleges have been named the most expensive in the United States.

Association of American Universities

Tufts University is a member of the Association of American Universities.

Geographic distribution

Most applicants to schools in the NESCAC come from the Northeast, largely from the New York City, Boston, and Philadelphia areas. As all NESCAC schools are located on the East Coast, and all but one are in New England, most graduates end up working and residing in the Northeast after graduation.

Revenue

Total revenue includes ticket sales, contributions and donations, rights/licensing, student fees, school funds, and all other sources including TV income, camp income, food, and novelties. Total expenses includes coaching/staff, buildings/grounds, maintenance, utilities and rental fees, and all other costs including recruiting, team travel, equipment and uniforms, conference dues, and insurance costs.

Conference rank	Institution	2020 total revenue from athletics	2020 total expenses on athletics
1	Bowdoin College	$14,192,310	$14,192,310
3	Trinity College	$9,361,541	$7,767,209
2	Wesleyan University	$9,463,205	$7,475,961
5	Colby College	$8,768,711	$8,768,711
6	Williams College	$8,272,501	$8,272,501
4	Tufts University	$9,206,611	$7,635,731
7	Amherst College	$7,990,643	$7,505,943
8	Bates College	$6,524,589	$6,302,982
9	Middlebury College	$5,924,584	$5,924,584
10	Hamilton College	$5,848,366	$5,848,366
11	Connecticut College	$4,619,333	$4,619,333

Culture

Many colleges banned fraternities and sororities on the grounds of unwarranted exclusivity, and provided on-campus social houses for all students to engage with. Williams College displaced their fraternity system in the 1960s due to high levels of racial and religious discrimination. Williams College President Chandler stated, "there remained the system of blackballing and secret agreements between some fraternities and their national bodies to exclude blacks and Jews... it was essentially a caste system based on socioeconomic status as perceived by students." Bates rejected the fraternity system in 1855, when it was founded. Colby disbanded its fraternities and sororities in 1984. At Bowdoin, fraternities were phased out in 2000. Despite the lack of Greek life, NESCAC schools are widely known for a prominent drinking culture. Schools within the NESCAC conference have made institutional efforts to diversify student body, and attract and wide range of students to their institutions. Many schools in the NESCAC provide significant financial aid to help increase the enrollment of lower income and middle class students.

U.S. presidents in the NESCAC

The NESCAC have graduated three U.S. presidents. The first president to graduate from the athletic conference was Franklin Pierce, the 14th president of the United States, a Bowdoin graduate of 1824. The 20th president, James A. Garfield, graduated from Williams College in 1856. The third U.S. president to graduate from a NESCAC institution was Calvin Coolidge, who graduated from Amherst College in 1895. President Chester Arthur was an 1848 graduate of Union College, a former NESCAC member, and President Woodrow Wilson was a professor at Wesleyan from 1888 to 1890.

Sports

The NESCAC sponsors championship competition in 13 men's and 14 women's NCAA sanctioned sports.

Sport	Men's	Women's
Baseball
Basketball
Cross Country
Field Hockey
Football
Golf
Ice Hockey
Lacrosse
Rowing
Soccer
Softball
Squash
Swimming & Diving
Tennis
Track & Field
Volleyball

Men's Sports

Men's varsity sports not sponsored by the NESCAC that are played by NESCAC schools

;Notes:

Women's Sports

Women's varsity sports not sponsored by the NESCAC that are played by NESCAC schools

;Notes:

Football

Until the 2017 season, the 10 football-playing NESCAC schools only played 8 regular season games. On April 27, 2017, the NESCAC announced that it would adopt a full 9-game round robin schedule. In addition to the ban on postseason play, the NESCAC football league is notable for member teams playing conference games only. While some Division II and Division III teams play only conference schedules, NESCAC is unique in all of its members playing only within conference games. Every institution fields a football team except for Connecticut College.

Baseball

NESCAC Baseball is the only men's sport to utilize divisions. Bates, Bowdoin, Colby, Tufts, and Trinity compete in the East Division, while Amherst, Hamilton, Middlebury, Wesleyan, and Williams compete in the West Division. Connecticut College does not sponsor baseball. The NESCAC has won the College World Series once: by the Trinity Bantams in 2008. Current member schools have appeared in the College World Series a combined total of 5 times.

School	College World Series Championships	College World Series Appearances	Last CWS Appearance	NCAA Tournament Appearances	Last NCAA Appearance
Trinity	2008	4	2009	10	2019
Wesleyan		1	1994	3	2015
Tufts		0	n/a	10	2023
Amherst		0	n/a	7	2018
Williams		0	n/a	3	2007
Bowdoin		0	n/a	2	2012
Middlebury		0	n/a	4	2024
Bates		0	n/a	0	n/a
Colby		0	n/a	1	2024
Hamilton		0	n/a	0	n/a

;Notes:

NCAA championships

The Middlebury Panthers lead the NESCAC in NCAA men's titles with 15, while the Williams Ephs lead in women's titles with 30 and in overall NCAA titles with 38. Excluded from this list are all national championships earned outside the scope of NCAA competition, including women's AIAW championships.

School	Total	Men	Women	Co-ed	Nickname	Most successful sport
Williams	38	8	30	0	Ephs	Women's tennis (10)
Middlebury	36	15	21	0	Panthers	Men's ice hockey (8)
Amherst	13	5	8	0	Mammoths	Women's basketball (3)
Tufts	11	7	4	0	Jumbos	Men's soccer (4)
Bates	5	0	5	0	Bobcats	Women's rowing (5)
Bowdoin	5	1	4	0	Polar Bears	Field hockey (4)
Trinity	4	2	2	0	Bantams	Baseball (1), Women's lacrosse (1), Women's rowing (1), Men's ice hockey (1)
Wesleyan	2	1	1	0	Cardinals	Men's lacrosse (1), Women's tennis (1)
Colby	1	0	1	0	Mules	Women's rowing (1)
Connecticut College	1	1	0	0	Camels	Men's soccer (1)
Hamilton	1	0	1	0	Continentals	Women's lacrosse (1)
Total	114	39	77	0

The following is a list of NCAA-recognized national team championships by NESCAC schools.
Baseball :

2008 – Trinity

Men's basketball :

2003 – Williams
2007 – Amherst
2013 – Amherst

Women's basketball :

2011 – Amherst
2017 – Amherst
2018 – Amherst

Men's cross country :

1994 – Williams
1995 – Williams

Women's cross country :

2000 – Middlebury
2001 – Middlebury
2002 – Williams
2003 – Middlebury
2004 – Williams
2006 – Middlebury
2007 – Amherst
2008 – Middlebury
2010 – Middlebury
2015 – Williams

Field hockey :

1998 – Middlebury
2007 – Bowdoin
2008 – Bowdoin
2010 – Bowdoin
2012 – Tufts
2013 – Bowdoin
2015 – Middlebury
2017 – Middlebury
2018 – Middlebury
2019 – Middlebury

Women's golf :

2015 – Williams

Men's ice hockey :

1995 – Middlebury
1996 – Middlebury
1997 – Middlebury
1998 – Middlebury
1999 – Middlebury
2004 – Middlebury
2005 – Middlebury
2006 – Middlebury
2015 – Trinity

Women's ice hockey :

2004 – Middlebury
2005 – Middlebury
2006 – Middlebury
2009 – Amherst
2010 – Amherst
2022 - Middlebury

Men's lacrosse :

2000 – Middlebury
2001 – Middlebury
2002 – Middlebury
2010 – Tufts
2014 – Tufts
2015 – Tufts
2018 – Wesleyan

Women's lacrosse :

1997 – Middlebury
1999 – Middlebury
2001 – Middlebury
2002 – Middlebury
2003 – Amherst
2004 – Middlebury
2008 – Hamilton
2012 – Trinity
2016 – Middlebury
2019 – Middlebury

Women's rowing

2002 – Williams
2003 – Colby
2006 – Williams
2007 – Williams
2008 – Williams
2009 – Williams
2010 – Williams
2011 – Williams
2012 – Williams
2013 – Williams
2014 - Trinity
2015 – Bates
2017 – Bates
2018 – Bates
2019 – Bates
2021 – Bates

Men's soccer :

1995 – Williams
2007 – Middlebury
2014 – Tufts
2015 – Amherst
2016 – Tufts
2018 – Tufts
2019 – Tufts
2021 – Connecticut College

Women's soccer :

2015 – Williams
2017 – Williams
2018 – Williams

Softball :

2013 – Tufts
2014 – Tufts
2015 – Tufts

Women's swimming & diving :

1982 – Williams
1983 – Williams

Men's tennis :

1999 – Williams
2001 – Williams
2002 – Williams
2004 – Middlebury
2010 – Middlebury
2011 – Amherst
2013 – Williams
2014 – Amherst
2016 – Bowdoin
2018 – Middlebury

Women's tennis :

1999 – Amherst
2001 – Williams
2002 – Williams
2008 – Williams
2009 – Williams
2010 – Williams
2011 – Williams
2012 – Williams
2013 – Williams
2015 – Williams
2017 – Williams
2019 – Wesleyan

Women's indoor track :

2007 – Williams
2019 – Williams