FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[Pat Coleman]

Looking forward to traveling 600 miles to Fort Wayne to watch the good guys play the Bants and potentially face our other alma mater in the D3 title game Saturday. First things first on Thursday.

NM
#rollcards 

Find me courtside if you can.

Will do and look forward to meeting you in the flesh on Thursday. Assuming the Fort Wayne War Memorial isn't dry (D1 games definitely ARE NOT), first round is on us.

NM

I appreciate that, but I'll be working, so ... I might have to decline. 

[MapleBBQChicken]

We'd be remiss if we didn't also congratulate Hartford State on making their 2nd straight final four. Not an easy thing to do.

What's not easy, making consecutive final fours or congratulating Trinity? 

Regardless, I'll echo the congratulations... always great to see the NESCAC winning on the national stage.

On that note, shoutout to the 4 NESCAC hockey teams still playing as the NCAA quarterfinals approach this weekend. Those would be Hamilton on the men's side, and Middlebury, Amherst, and Colby on the women's.

[Nescacman]

We'd be remiss if we didn't also congratulate Hartford State on making their 2nd straight final four. Not an easy thing to do.

What's not easy, making consecutive final fours or congratulating Trinity? 

We think you know the answer to that...

[Nescacman]

Congratulations to our good friend, Coach Mike Whalen, on being named the NACDA D3 Athletic Director of the Year. Well deserved honor.

https://athletics.wesleyan.edu/news/2025/3/17/general-mike-whalen-83-named-nacda-athletics-director-of-the-year.aspx

Since Whales joined Wes in 2010 as Head Football Coach, he's had an amazing impact on Cardinal football and the Wesleyan athletic program as a whole: 2x NESCAC champs, 6x Little 3 champs, and 82-37 overall record. National titles in MLax, WTen, and Crew. Numerous other Little 3's, NESCAC team titles, and individual NESCAC titles. His plaque in the Wesleyan Sports Hall of Fame awaits! Williams loss was our gain. Maybe the biggest mistake in Eph history was letting Whales leave (and then hiring HCOF Kelton). #rollcards

NM

[The truth 101]

Congrats to Tufts alum Phil Lutz on an amazing pro day. Phil boasted a 4.53 40 yard dash a 6.72 three cone drill(which would have placed second at the combine) and a 35.5 inch vertical. Quite impressive! Rooting for all our NESCAC draft eligible guys as the draft approaches.

[lumbercat]

That is impressive.

Maybe we are seeing a return to the trend from the 1960s-70s when the academic attraction of the NESCAC schools occasionally attracted a player or two who could easily play at a higher level but opted for the quality of academics in the NESCAC.

Back in the day it was typically at Amherst and Williams where  quality players would opt for those those schools despite strong IVY and D1 interest. Several went on to the pros.

I don't think we will see players from this generation in the NFL but it's clear that more D1 level prospects are being recruited to the NESCAC these days.

[Scoops]

The dynamics have shifted significantly in the league. You cant just get away with recruiting the best in new england. Trinity has been succesful with it but you still need that group of out of region kids to put you over the hump. What interesting is Tufts and Wesleyan have done a great job of this but have lacked the depth that come from recruiting at a high level within the region to get them over the hump. I would argue they have had more top end talent than the rest of the league the last few years; them leading the league in transfers to D1's being a prime example of this. However without the ability to build a complete roster especially the jumbos have been dissapointing in the lack of winning they have been able to do with those guys.

I think it's an interesting point 24/7, but not necessarily an accurate one in my opinion. I do agree that regional kids are great for depth and for rounding out a team's roster. It's unlikely that any of the schools in the league are going to be entirely out of region. But I think the days of "winning in your back yard" are antiquated for sure in the NESCAC. Tufts in particular has made a killing in California and Texas recently, and haven't really needed regional guys unless they were exceptional like Lutz (and Berlitti to a lesser extent).

To your point, I just think Tufts hasn't ever figured out how to use all of their talent at the same time, as opposed to force feeding their top guy. I mean think about it... They had a team in 2022 with Lutz (NESCAC POTY & all-american), Richardson (NESCAC POTY & all-american), Moore (2x all conf), Reece (all conf, lead league in rushing), Tyler Johnson (all conf and lead the league in rushing), Cepalia (all American) and Berlutti all on the roster at the same time and they forced the ball to Lutz. And look, I get why. Lutz was a MONSTER. But if you have all that talent, you have to spread the ball around and force teams to defend everywhere all at once. They didn't do that and they went 6-3. So it's less about having the local depth guys. More about using your high end out of region guys properly.

[jmcozenlaw]

That is impressive.

Maybe we are seeing a return to the trend from the 1960s-70s when the academic attraction of the NESCAC schools occasionally attracted a player or two who could easily play at a higher level but opted for the quality of academics in the NESCAC.

Back in the day it was typically at Amherst and Williams where  quality players would opt for those those schools despite strong IVY and D1 interest. Several went on to the pros.

I don't think we will see players from this generation in the NFL but it's clear that more D1 level prospects are being recruited to the NESCAC these days.

I could see the occasional one off, but if the Ivy League is interested and the student athlete has or can grow into borderline NFL measurables, I think he chooses a just as much of a top notch education and a better brand of football.

We have a kid in the neighborhood, parents are both NESCAC grads and he had his pick of 5 different NESCAC schools. 6 of the Ivy League schools, most of the Patriot League schools, Vanderbilt, Duke, etc. were all over him. He will be attending Princeton, playing football and hoping to give lacrosse a shot. He's got great measurables, excellent gene pool with mom and dad, money to throw away, but is the greatest, most down to earth young man I've ever met. He almost chose Tufts, but a few Princeton alums made a huge difference in the decision.

[lumbercat]

Unless a kid is a solid power 5 level talent I've always scratched my head when marginal D1 prospects who are academically qualified choose a lower or mid level D1 program over the Ivies. Just me I guess, it's an individual decision but back in the day I would have jumped both feet into an Ivy opportunity.

[Trin9-0]

In case you missed it, over the weekend Trinity became just the third NESCAC school to win the men's D3 basketball national title. This is the first NESCAC team to win the natty since Amherst in 2013. Amherst also won in 2007 and Williams did it in 2003. Williams has been runner-up three times (2004, 2010, 2017) and Amherst once (in 2008).

In 2015 Trinity joined Middlebury as the only other NESCAC school to win a men's D3 ice hockey national championship (the Panthers have won 8 national titles, the most recent in 2006). Trinity has been runner-up twice (2017 and 2024) and Midd once (2007).

Trinity is also the only NESCAC school to win the D3 baseball national championship, which it did in 2008. Wesleyan was a runner-up once (1994).

Compared to their NESCAC brethren, the Bantams haven't traditionally fared as well nationally in the Olympic sports and rarely finish well in the Director's Cup standings because of that. But when it comes to the most popular sports played/watched in the U.S. Trinity has done very well on the national stage over the last 20 years.

[Trin9-0]

A deserved tip of the cap to Wesleyan as well for reaching the men's hoops Final Four. The Cardinals went an incredible 29-0 this season against teams who aren't Trinity but were 1-2 against the Bantams. A credit to the strength of the league.

[NESCACFball24/7]

Unless a kid is a solid power 5 level talent I've always scratched my head when marginal D1 prospects who are academically qualified choose a lower or mid level D1 program over the Ivies. Just me I guess, it's an individual decision but back in the day I would have jumped both feet into an Ivy opportunity.

I think you are overlooking the fact that there are alot of high academic schools that still offer great experiences and most importantly offer full scholarships and often nil money that is not available for ivy league players.

[lumbercat]

I did overlook the whole NIL thing. I was stating what my thinking has been in the past. Older guys like me may be less up to speed on Nil but you are right. If indeed the highest level academic schools are paying kids that will most likely change the relevance of my prior post.

BTW I think the whole NIL thing is going to have a significant negative influence on college sports and the things that many of us have always appreciated about D1 Football and Basketball.
 
After the great Maryland win the other day in the NCAA tourney they asked the kid who hit the winning shot at the buzzer what he likes about Maryland HC Willard. His response was pretty telling: "He do pay us the money".

[nescac1]

D1 football and basketball teams are now essentially comprised of mercenaries for hire on one year contracts with the highest bidder, playing in conferences with no geographical or historical significance.  There is really no lasting connection between player, coach, school and fans, and historic rivalries are largely dying. 

I don't make any value judgment, as players benefit as well they should, but this is just how it works in 2025.  And it actually makes D3 sports an entirely different (and in my view superior!) experience and the only thing that remotely resembles what college athletics signified when most of us were growing up. 

[lumbercat]

N1-
Well stated, couldn't agree more.