Herkimer College announces plans to return to competition for intercollegiate sports; Esports team to become an official NJCAA team; Virtual Info Session to be held January 20

Herkimer County Community College has made the decision to allow several sports teams to participate in intercollegiate competition this spring.

The Herkimer Generals teams that will compete this spring include baseball, softball, men’s and women’s track and field, men’s and women’s golf, women’s tennis, men’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s bowling, men’s and women’s soccer, and men’s and women’s esports. Several of the teams held on-campus workouts and training in a structured and monitored environment during the fall semester.

Herkimer’s esports team will become an official NJCAA intercollegiate team this season. This past fall, the College’s esports club team participated in several SUNY tournaments. Becoming an official NJCAA team will provide additional opportunities for competition.

Herkimer College will hold a virtual information session on Wednesday, January 20 at 6 p.m. for prospective student-athletes and their families to learn more about the Herkimer Generals athletic program and plans for the spring 2021 season. For more information and to register for the virtual information session, visit www.herkimer.edu/sports2021. 

Herkimer’s decision to return to competition comes as a result of continued collaborative efforts among SUNY community colleges that are members of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) to assess and plan for the safe resumption of spring sports, including traditional fall sports that have been moved to spring, per NJCAA 2021 Sports Guidelines.

SUNY community colleges had the option to cancel intercollegiate athletics, to sponsor a Return to Play/Practice Plan or to sponsor a Return to Competition Plan. Detailed, sport specific Return to Competition guides have been developed, and while there will be autonomy on each campus for health and safety policies, SUNY community colleges will adopt requirements that each member institution will be expected to follow in order to compete. Guides were informed by governing athletic associations, and made to be consistent with CDC, New York State, SUNY and local health department guidelines and institutional recommendations and protocols. 

Each institution’s plans are dependent on local COVID-19 data and the ability to safely resume operations, as well as approval by their respective local health departments. NJCAA SUNY community college decisions will continue to be guided by best practice and cautious adherence to health and safety protocols intended to safeguard the well-being of student-athletes, staff, campuses, and communities. 

“We are committed to providing our student-athletes with a safe competition experience, and to collaborative efforts in support of our student-athletes,” said Donald Dutcher, who serves as the men’s director of Region III, as well as dean of students/director of athletics at Herkimer College.