Athletics
Connecticut College is a member of the NCAA Division III and the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC). There are 28 varsity sports programs, 15 for women, 12 for men, and a coed sailing team. Sports for both genders include basketball, cross country, ice hockey, lacrosse, rowing, soccer, squash, swimming, tennis, indoor and outdoor track and field and water polo. There are women’s varsity programs in field hockey, sailing, and volleyball.
The College affirms the principles of NESCAC, whose members “are committed first and foremost to academic excellence and believe that our athletic programs must always support our educational mission.” It is the intent of our intercollegiate athletics program to compete at the highest level and strive for NESCAC and NCAA championships.
In addition to our varsity programs, the Department of Athletics and Physical Education supports recreation, intramural, and physical education opportunities for all students. Additionally, we provide facilities for club sports in basketball, field hockey, frisbee, ice hockey, lacrosse, rugby, soccer, tennis, and volleyball. Physical education courses include the one-credit lifetime sports golf, tennis, and squash as well as offerings in rock climbing, riding, scuba, ice skating, and fitness. Four-credit offerings include Contemporary Issues in Sport, Theory of Coaching, Essentials of Fitness and Wellness.
The facilities for the program are extensive. The 10,000-square- foot fitness-wellness center features over 40 cardio stations and weight training space in two stories overlooking the Thames River. Other central facilities include a synthetic turf field with lights for use by field hockey, soccer and lacrosse as well as club sports; six outdoor tennis courts; a rock climbing wall; an ice arena for ice hockey and figure skating programs; an eight-lane, 37.5-meter swimming pool and diving well; three multipurpose indoor courts for indoor tennis and recreational use; two wood floor practice and competition courts for volleyball and basketball; two wood floor exercise studios for team stretching, yoga, dance, Zumba and Pilates; three inter- national squash courts and two squash/racquetball conversion courts; an on-campus waterfront with facilities for rowing and sailing programs; and an indoor rowing tank facility complete with two double-sided tanks with eight seats and exercise equipment. Additionally, there are five natural grass fields for practice and competition.
Tryouts are open to the student body. Any student wishing to participate in any part of the program of intercollegiate sports is required to have a medical classification from the athletic training staff.