LEC Presidents Committed to Return of Athletics for 2020-21 Academic Year

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Presidents Council of the Little East Conference (LEC) committed to seeing the return of intercollegiate athletics for the upcoming 2020-21 academic year during its annual spring meeting, which was held via videoconference May 29, 2020.

While athletics will not look the same as in years past, the presidents are committed to providing a safe and competitive environment for every member of the campus community. They have been working diligently with state governments to facilitate the reopening of their campuses while meeting the challenges presented by COVID-19.

The LEC's athletic directors have met weekly since the end of March, providing valuable communication and sharing ideas while working on various institutional task forces to prepare for what the return to practice and competition may look like in the "new normal," with the health and safety of all student-athletes, staff and spectators at the forefront. The work on campus will now allow our institutions to work in a more collaborative way to develop league-wide protocols that will be to the benefit of each LEC program. The recommendations from the athletic directors will be made with the input from athletic trainers, campus health care professionals, coaches and event managers.

More information related to the start of preseason, sport schedules and LEC championships will follow as the beginning of the fall semester approaches, and each of the six New England states progress through their phases of reopening.

About the Little East Conference
The Little East Conference (LEC) was formed in 1986 when six public institutions gathered to create a single sport athletic conference, and has expanded into what is now New England's premier athletic conference for public institutions in NCAA Division III. The LEC features 19 championship sports and sponsors quality competition for our student-athletes, while following the Division III mission of "passion, responsibility, sportsmanship and citizenship." The Conference will grow to 21 championship sports for the 2020-21 academic year with the addition of men's golf and men's swimming & diving.