Fall Athletic Competition

Dear Middlebury Community,

We write today to confirm the disappointing but expected news that we will not be able to hold athletic competitions during the fall semester. We had hoped when we sent an earlier communication about the NESCAC decision regarding fall sports that there might be a possibility for limited competition, but current national conditions with COVID-19 require us to adopt a more definitive policy.

The NCAA Division III Administrative Committee wrote the following in a statement on August 20:

“The Division III Administrative Committee recommends member schools not compete in the fall term to avoid potential increased health and safety risks.”

We agree with the Administrative Committee’s statement and recommendations, and our coaches have already informed teams of this news. We understand how disappointing this is to our athletes and their families and to the entire Middlebury community.

The health and safety of our community is always our top priority, and this is one of many necessary steps we need to take to protect students, staff, faculty, and Panther fans. Athletics staff and coaches have been hard at work to ensure that we can provide an enjoyable and productive fall term, including holding team practices that follow health guidelines, as we face these challenging circumstances together.

We continue to work with our local and state health officials as well as our NESCAC and NCAA partners as we look beyond the fall semester, and we will keep you apprised of further decisions as they are made.

We look forward to welcoming many of you back soon for a healthy start to the new academic year.

Sincerely,

Erin Quinn, Director of Athletics

Jeff Cason, Provost