Inside Division III College Lacrosse: NESCAC League

College lacrosse has become increasingly popular over the last decade or so. The most common divisions in lacrosse throughout the country are either Division I or Division III, where Division I is more intense and committing than Division III in the sense that it demands more of its players. Nevertheless, Division III is still a great division because of its competitive student-athletes that are hungry to win.

Nationwide, there are many different Division III leagues. Of these leagues, the most competitive is the NESCAC (New England Small College Athletic Conference) league. Within this league are some of the most competitive and well known institutions across the country, such as Middlebury College, Amherst College, Williams College, Hamilton College, Bates College, Bowdoin College, Wesleyan University, Trinity College, Tufts University, Connecticut College, and of course, Colby College. Lacrosse games between these schools are particularly competitive and usually end in a one goal victory for the team that worked that extra mile in order to pull away with a win.

Currently, Middlebury is placed #1 in the league, with an impressive record of 9-0. Colby trails right behind the Panthers with a record of 9-0 as well, though only three of those games were within the NESCAC conference. Trinity is also undefeated with a 7-0 record. These three teams have very similar records and therefore reveal the true competitiveness and intensity of the NESCAC league. One loss is capable of changing the position of any team in these rankings.


Ten years ago, college lacrosse was not too competitive, but the competition keeps getting better each year. Many Division III players who once had the opportunity to go to Division I want to experience college life and not have lacrosse as their job. Division III offers the student athlete to experience not only the thrill and excitement of playing other schools on the field, but also experience great opportunities given in the classroom as well as the average college social life.