Amidst the continuing health and safety concerns due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, Maritime College made the difficult decision to not participate in a formal conference or non-conference schedule during the upcoming fall semester.  This decision has been made based on concerns regarding the health and safety of our athletes, our ability to safely host visiting teams and spectators, and challenges regarding travel to other campuses and other states.

Our plan is for student-athletes to return to campus in September with the rest of the student body.  Upon their return to campus, student-athletes will start to workout with their coaches in small groups.  We will follow the New York State Guidelines and gradually progress to a goal of team practices and meaningful competition opportunities, if the conditions relative to the virus allow. This approach gives our department the opportunity to adjust accordingly based on how the COVID-19 virus is behaving. 

"As a department our main goal is the health and safety of our student-athletes and staff," said Interim Director of Athletics Mike Berkun. "This plan helps us do that while working towards a secondary goal of practice and competition for our student-athletes, which helps us continue to strive towards providing the best possible experience at Maritime."

On Thursday, July 9, the NCAA announced a blanket eligibility waiver for all Division III athletes if their team can complete only 50% or less of the sport's maximum contests/dates of competition due to the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This means that student-athletes will retain their eligibility for the year if the team competes in 50% or less of the sports maximum contests. Please see the full release from the NCAA for more information on the blanket waiver.

Additionally, the spring sports will follow the same guidelines as the fall teams for their non-traditional fall seasons, and the winter sports will begin workouts/practice when deemed appropriate. As Maritime College and the athletic department receive further information from New York State and the NCAA we will continue to posts updates on the website and our social media pages.