D- III athletes won’t lose their eligibility for playing this year

The Division III Presidents Council approved a one-time blanket waiver which will allow all Division III student-athletes to compete during the 2020-21 academic year without losing any eligibility.

“This one-time waiver provides our students the flexibility and clarity now to make the necessary decisions for their academic and athletic experiences,” said Spalding President Tori Murden McClure, who is the chair of the Presidents Council. “We continue to see the impacts the COVID-19 pandemic is having on our studentathletes and membership, and the Presidents Council unanimously concluded this recommendation was appropriate.”

Coast Guard is the only Division III program in Connecticut with athletic events scheduled during the fall season. Coast Guard’s rowing team won five of six races against U.S. Merchant Marine Academy on Saturday. The pistol and sailing teams also squared off against USMMA on Saturday. The women’s volleyball team played twice against Army and then defeated Merchant Marine 3-0 on Saturday. Coast Guard is scheduled to play its annual football game against USMMA on Nov. 14 and there are upcoming games scheduled for the men’s soccer, rifle and men’s tennis teams.

The NESCAC, which includes Connecticut College, Trinity and Wesleyan, announced earlier this month that there will be no conference games scheduled or conference tournaments held during the winter season.

The blanket waiver was approved by the Division III Management Council last week after the NCAA said that nearly 75 percent of the Division III conference supported the onetime waiver.

Steve McLaughlin / Wesleyan University The Wesleyan men’s lacrosse team defeated Salisbury 8-6 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. to win its first national championship in 2018.