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Somerset, NJ -- Northeast Conference (NEC) Commissioner Noreen Morris today announced the cancellation of the 2021 NEC Indoor Track & Field Championships.

The event was originally scheduled for February 19-20 at Ocean Breeze in Staten Island, NY. NEC member institutions expressed concern with the ability for student-athletes to meet NCAA resocialization guidelines and ramp up to championship caliber conditioning level upon returning to campus following an extended winter break. The conference administrators decided cancelling the event was the most prudent course of action to ensure the health and safety of student-athletes. The lack of suitable dates to reschedule, restrictions on indoor gatherings in New York City and the challenges in meeting social distancing guidelines also played a role in this decision.

In making this difficult decision, conference athletic administrators collectively stressed the importance of providing NEC indoor track and field student-athletes with competitive opportunities during the spring semester. The NEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships are scheduled for May 1-2 at Bryant and the conference is exploring the viability of hosting the NEC Cross Country Championships in early March.

“In navigating a host of logistical issues, including insufficient resocialization time upon return from winter break and an almost non-existent competitive window prior to the event, we have made the agonizing decision to cancel this year’s NEC Indoor Track & Field Championships," said NEC Commissioner Noreen Morris. "What this year has taught us is that we need to adjust as circumstances dictate in order to keep the health and safety of NEC student-athletes as our number one priority. We will do everything possible moving forward to ensure our indoor track and field student-athletes have a robust outdoor experience this spring."

About The Northeast Conference
Now in its 40th anniversary season, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of 10 institutions of higher learning located throughout seven states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to a number of the largest markets in the United States - New York (#1), Boston (#9), Baltimore (#26), Hartford/New Haven (#33) and Providence (#53). Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 24 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 16 different NCAA Championships. NEC member institutions include Bryant, Central Connecticut, Fairleigh Dickinson, LIU, Merrimack, Mount St. Mary’s, Sacred Heart, St. Francis Brooklyn, Saint Francis U and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league’s official website (www.northeastconference.org) and digital network (www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat, all @NECsports.