SWARTHMORE, Pa.—Swarthmore College Athletics released the schedules for fall intercollegiate competition on Friday, highlighting a return to NCAA play on Sept. 1, 2021, and marking the school's first intercollegiate competition since March 13, 2020. The schedule announcement was made in conjunction with the Centennial Conference's press release announcing a plan for a regular schedule of athletic competition in the fall.
The Centennial Conference announced:
" The Centennial Conference is pleased to announce that, under the current circumstances, we anticipate a regular schedule of athletic competition and championships for academic year 2021-22. With guidance from the Centers for Disease Control, the NCAA Sports Science Institute, and the American College Health Association, the Conference and individual member schools are preparing protocols focused on the health, safety and well being of our student-athletes, coaches, spectators, officials and campus communities. These protocols may be subject to change as external and internal circumstances evolve. We recognize the challenges experienced by many over the past year; the Centennial Conference is excited to move forward with optimism as we look forward to a full return to competition!"
The fall season opens on Sept. 1 with a 5 p.m. home Field Hockey game against Widener, a Men's and Women's Cross Country meet at Rose Tree Park at 5:30 p.m., a 7 p.m. road tilt for Men's Soccer at Widener, a 7 p.m. home matchup for Volleyball against Widener, and a 7:30 p.m home game for Women's Soccer against Arcadia.
Schedules for winter and spring sports will be posted at a later date.
For the latest COVID information at Swarthmore, please visit: https://www.swarthmore.edu/covid-19-information
Men's and Women's Cross Country
The cross country squads open the 2021 season at Rose Tree Park in Media on Sept. 1 with the Bryn Mawr Invitational 5K. On Sept. 17, Swarthmore travels to Haverford to compete against a slate of local Division I and III competitors in the Mainline Invite 3-mile and 4-mile meets. Then on Oct. 1, Swarthmore will go to Lehigh University for the historic Paul Short Run. Oct. 16 has the Garnet heading to Rowan University for the Border Battle, and then the Garnet will vie for the Centennial Conference crown on Oct. 30 in Baltimore. When Swarthmore last competed in 2019, the women were ranked as high as No. 35 nationally and third in the region, while the men were ranked as high as sixth in the region.
Field Hockey
Field Hockey starts out the campaign with six of its first seven games at home, beginning with the season opener against Widener. The Garnet's non-conference slate continues with bouts with Arcadia University (Sept. 5), Stevens Institute of Technology on the road (Sept. 11), Eastern University (Sept. 15), Delaware Valley University (Sept. 18), and Cabrini University (Sept. 22). Swarthmore opens Centennial Conference action at home against Johns Hopkins University on Sept. 25. Swarthmore's remaining non-conference game of the season comes on the road at Elizabethtown College on Oct. 6. Swarthmore's last home game of the season comes on Oct. 23 at 1 p.m. vs. Dickinson College. Full Schedule
Men's Soccer
Men's Soccer ended the 2019 season with an NCAA Tournament run, the No. 16 ranking in the nation, and an 11-4-5 record. After opening the season on the road at Widener, Men's Soccer returns home for their first game at Clothier Field Stadium on Sept. 4 against Immaculata University for the first game of the Garnet Alumni Classic. The Garnet conclude the tournament the following day and then travel to Maryland for a three-game swing in which the Garnet will face Salisbury University, St. Mary's College (Md.), and then begin Centennial Conference play at Johns Hopkins University. Swarthmore has three non-conference games the rest of the way, facing Eastern University at home (Sept. 21), PSU Abington at home (Oct. 5) and Lycoming College on the road (Oct. 12). Swarthmore hosts Dickinson for the final home game of the season on Oct. 23 at 4 p.m. Full Schedule
Women's Soccer
Ranked as high as No. 16 in the nation in 2019, Women's Soccer reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament after knocking out No.15 Arcadia in the NCAA's First Round. The Garnet and Arcadia Knights will meet again for a re-match at home in the first game of the season. Swarthmore is then away nearly the rest of September, road-tripping to Washington D.C. for a neutral site game against NCAA Division II Maryville University on Sept. 5, and playing road games against NYU (Sept. 10), Stevens (Sept. 12), Moravian College (Sept. 15), and Johns Hopkins for the first Centennial game of the year (Sept. 22). Swarthmore is finally back home at the friendly confines of Clothier Field Stadium on Sept. 25 for a 4 p.m. game with Gettysburg. Other than a midweek home game with University of Mary Washington on Oct. 20, the Garnet have conference games the rest of the way. The last chance to see Swarthmore at home during the regular season is Oct. 23 at 7 p.m. against Dickinson. Full Schedule
Volleyball
After opening the season at home against Widener, Volleyball plays in a tri-match at Kean University on Sept. 4. The Garnet return home the following weekend to host the Garnet Quad where they will face Stevens, Lebanon Valley College and Marymount University. On Sept. 18, Swarthmore travels to play Salisbury and Christopher Newport University. Centennial Conference action begins on Sept. 25 at home against Johns Hopkins University, the reigning national champions. Swarthmore plays conference matches the rest of the way, save matches with Rowan University, University of Scranton, and Stockton University. Swarthmore's final home matches of the year come against Dickinson and Stockton on Oct. 23. Full Schedule
