GAMBIER – At last, Kenyon athletics are returning to the field for real games.
In a release on the Kenyon athletics website on Monday, Feb. 22, the school laid out its schedule for spring sports. Schedules were released for the Lords’ baseball, golf, lacrosse and tennis teams as well as the Ladies’ lacrosse, softball and tennis teams.
Each squad will be playing either all or mostly North Coast Athletic Conference teams, though not a complete league schedule.
The NCAC will split into two divisions to divide member schools into week-long pairings.
Kenyon will compete with Allegheny, Hiram and Wooster in baseball, softball, golf, and men’s and women’s lacrosse.
For men’s and women’s tennis, Kenyon is paired with Allegheny, Wooster and Denison.
“We also have worked closely with our coaches to develop deliberate and measured plans to return to sports this spring, drawing on guidance from the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the North Coast Athletic Conference,” Kenyon Director of Athletics, Fitness and Recreation Jill McCartney wrote in an email to employees and students on Monday morning. “It is our hope that our spring sports teams will be able to participate in divisional conference competitions — those that do not require overnight travel — along with a few non-division contests with nearby teams.
“Our plans include strict guidelines for masking, social distancing and health assessments. Athletes will practice in assigned pods under the supervision of a coach. Group interaction will be introduced progressively over five weeks, with the emphasis on best practices to reduce spread of COVID-19.”
The Lords and Ladies have not taken the field for anything other than practices or intersquad scrimmages this school year.
The last time Kenyon faced opposition was March 13, 2020, when both baseball and women’s tennis wrapped up their respective spring trips to Florida.
The men’s tennis team will be the first one back, hosting Case Western Reserve on March 13. Men’s lacrosse and softball are next on March 20, with the Lords traveling to Wittenberg while the Ladies welcome Case Western Reserve for a doubleheader.
The rest of the teams open play a week later.
No schedule was released for men’s or women’s track and field, which was between seasons when the pandemic shutdown began. The last event they competed in was the NCAC indoor meet on Feb. 29, 2020, and their outdoor season was set to begin at Muskingum’s Muskie duals on March 20, 2020.
For full schedules, visit athletics.kenyon.edu.
