NAC Cancelling Basketball Season

The North Atlantic Conference spans three states and includes five schools in Maine (Husson University, UMaine-Farmington, UMaine-Presque Isle, Maine Maritime Academy, and Thomas College) in November the conference opted to push back the start of the winter sports season until January and the second semester of the school year. Yesterday the conference presidents announced their decision to cancel the basketball season entirely because of the ongoing pandemic.

All basketball athletes will retain the full year of eligibility regardless of how many practices or games the teams play.

The swimming and diving championships are not happening. But the NAC is planning to offer a virtual event with the 5 schools taking part in swimming and diving this year at their own campus pools in March.

The full release from the NAC is below, and can be found on their website here.

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Waterville, Maine - The North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Presidents' Council today announced plans for winter sports and a timeline for making final decisions regarding fall and spring sports.

When the Council met in November, presidents offered support for tentative plans to conduct winter sports (men's and women's basketball and swimming & diving) during the spring semester, but opted to wait until January to make a final decision. Due to the state of the pandemic at this time, presidents determined that it is not feasible to conduct a NAC regular or postseason basketball schedule with members spread across three states.

Last fall, the conference developed tentative plans to begin conference basketball games January 29, 2021. That date was then pushed back after several institutions adjusted dates for the start of second semester. A variety of creative schedule options were crafted in the hopes that NAC basketball could safely be conducted. Ultimately, presidents determined the best course of action is to forgo a traditional conference schedule this year while allowing schools autonomy to play games at their own discretion.

The health and safety of student athletes, coaches, staff, and local communities remains a priority. As such, members agreed to adopt common safety practices for competition in addition to adhering to NCAA guidelines, and will prioritize fellow conference schools when developing independent competition schedules.

"We appreciate the hard work done by athletics administrators, athletic trainers, and conference office staff to develop schedule options and safety protocols with respect to contesting a conference basketball season," said Presidents' Council Chair Ray Rice, also the president at UMaine-Presque Isle. "The Council ultimately determined the safest course of action is to allow each school to provide competitive opportunities for student athletes in a way that works best for each campus."

The first official NAC Swimming & Diving Championship has been postponed until next winter. The first-ever NAC swimming & diving event, a virtual invitational, is slated for March 13-14, 2021. The five sponsoring institutions plan to compete either regionally or in their own campus pools and combine results virtually to determine overall event winners and team champions. A traditional three-day championship is planned for February 4-6, 2022.

Presidents previously endorsed plans for playing traditional fall sports on a smaller scale throughout the spring semester, with the understanding that adjustments may be needed. Fall sports in the NAC include men's and women's soccer, women's volleyball, men's and women's cross country, men's golf, and women's tennis. Though men's golf and women's tennis are typically conducted in the fall at the conference level, they are spring NCAA championship sports. As a result, NAC championships are planned for this spring in those two sports.

Previously approved spring sport schedules and championships remain in place while contingency planning is underway in the event adjustments are needed. Spring sports include baseball, softball, men's and women's lacrosse, men's and women's outdoor track & field, and men's tennis. Presidents will reconvene in mid-to-late February to determine if changing course is needed for swimming & diving, fall, or spring sports.

Eligible student athletes in all sports benefit from a blanket waiver in Division III this year. They will not be charged with a season of participation, regardless of the level of practices or games that do occur throughout the year. Student athletes also have two extra semesters to take advantage of extended eligibility.