Notre Dame College has released spring sports schedules for football, men’s and women’s basketball, wrestling and volleyball in partnership with the NCAA Division II Mountain East Conference (MEC).
The MEC will begin the sports season with no spectators, but all Notre Dame athletic contests are scheduled to be streamed live on the Falcons website. The league’s Board of Directors will evaluate the policy no earlier than January 19. All conference athletics schedules are contingent upon the ability to conduct sport while adhering to state and local guidelines and COVID-19 surveillance testing at each member institution utilizing the NCAA’s guidelines.
Over the semester, it is anticipated that the athletic department will perform more than 7,000 tests to comply with NCAA guidelines. Notre Dame already has performed nearly 200 rapid COVID-19 tests on student-athletes. Many of these students will be tested three times per week during their season. So far, only two students have tested positive and were immediately isolated.
All Notre Dame team schedules and a composite calendar are available at NotreDameFalcons.com. NCAA pandemic guidelines also are available online at NCAA.org.
Football
The Falcons football team will play five games, including three home games. Notre Dame will host the football season opener on March 13 against West Liberty, followed by a week-two home game against Frostburg State. The Falcons are then scheduled for matchups on the road the following two Saturdays (March 27 and April 3), playing Wheeling and Fairmont respectively. The program’s final regular season home game for the 2021 season is slated for April 10, as Alderson Broaddus comes to South Euclid to close out the regular season. The MEC football championship game is tentatively scheduled for the last week in April.
Women’s Basketball
The Falcons women’s basketball team is scheduled to play 16 regular season conference games, with the MEC Tournament tentatively taking place from March 3-7. The squad begins their season in January. Notre Dame’s women’s basketball team has been ranked sixth among the Atlantic Region by the Division II Sports Information Directors Association (D2SIDA) women’s basketball preseason polls
Men’s Basketball
The Notre Dame men’s basketball team is ranked eighth in a preseason poll as voted on by head coaches in the MEC. The men’s squad also begins its season in January. The Falcons are scheduled to play 16 regular season conference games, and their MEC Tournament also is expected to take place from March 3-7.
Wrestling
The College’s wrestling team will take on MEC opponents throughout the month of January. The campaign starts with battles against Wheeling University, Alderson Broaddus University and Davis & Elkins College January 16 in Wheeling, W.Va.
Notre Dame’s wrestling regular season will take place from January 16-30. Over that time, the Falcons will travel to Wheeling, Elkins and Fairmont, W.Va., to compete against two or three conference foes each weekend. The team comes home for contests in Murphy Gymnasium with a dual on January 19 against West Liberty University and January 26 versus Glenville State College. The wrestling tournament is expected to take place February 6 in West Liberty, W.Va.
Volleyball
Notre Dame’s volleyball team is set to open their season in February. MEC has split the conference into two, six-team divisions this season, giving the Falcons a 10-game regular season against divisional opponents. The MEC Tournament is scheduled to take place March 9-13.
December 2020
the Notre Dame Athletic Department contributed to this story
About Notre Dame College
For almost a century, Notre Dame College has educated a diverse population in the liberal arts for personal, professional and global responsibility. Founded by the Sisters of Notre Dame in 1922, the College has grown strategically to keep pace with the rapidly changing needs of students and the dramatic changes in higher education. But it has never lost sight of its emphasis on teaching students not only how to make a good living but also how to live a good life.
Today, the College offers bachelor’s degrees in 30 disciplines plus a variety of master’s degrees, certification programs and continuing and professional development programs for adult learners on campus and online. Notre Dame College offers NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletic programs for men and women and is located in a picturesque residential neighborhood just 25 minutes from the heart of Cleveland. Hallmarks of the Notre Dame experience include stimulating academics, personalized attention of dedicated faculty and staff, and small class sizes.
Notre Dame College is located at 4545 College Road in South Euclid. For further information, contact pr@ndc.edu.