Wesleyan Chases the NESCAC's First NCAA Football Bid
Back in a familiar place, but with plenty more on the line, the Wesleyan football team looks to make more history this Saturday. The two-time defending NESCAC Champions sit with a 7-1 record heading into the last game of the regular season. Awaiting the Cardinals is a familiar and local foe, Trinity, a team Wesleyan needed to defeat in the last week of both the 2024 and 2025 seasons to secure the league crown.
Revenge will certainly be on the mind of the Bantams, as will Wesleyan’s dreams of a third straight NESCAC title, but what’s spurring both teams on is the chance to be the first NESCAC program to represent the league in the NCAA Division III Football Championship. Back in April 2025, the NESCAC presidents approved a proposal from the conference athletic directors to allow NESCAC football teams to participate in the NCAA Div. III Championship, effective in fall 2026. This monumental change opens the door for NESCAC football to play against teams from outside the conference—something that hasn’t happened since 1991—which would allow the student-athletes and coaches the opportunity to play for an NCAA National Championship.
“Having been part of Wesleyan football as a player, coach, and now athletic director, I know how much this program and its traditions mean to our alumni and the entire Wesleyan community,” said Michael Whalen ’83, Wesleyan’s director of athletics. “What Coach DiCenzo, his staff, and our student-athletes have accomplished over the past several years has been remarkable. The opportunity to compete for a third consecutive NESCAC championship is significant in itself, but the possibility of representing Wesleyan and the conference in the NCAA Championship makes this an especially historic moment. I’m proud of how far this program has come and excited that our student-athletes now have the opportunity to compete on a national stage.”
Knowing what’s at stake, this Saturday’s annual in-state, end-of-season battle between Wesleyan and Trinity has even more on the line. As a two-time defending champion that suffered a loss to Amherst on Oct. 24 after a 5-0 start, Wesleyan football has since rallied with wins over Bowdoin and Williams to stay alive in the race for NCAA qualification. Trinity is a 12-time winner of the NESCAC, with twice as many titles as the next-closest team, and heads into Saturday’s game as the lone remaining unbeaten team in the conference.
“Our game day atmosphere is by far the best in Division III,” said Dan DiCenzo, head coach of football. “Having the field in the center of campus is awesome. People are tailgating all around the field, the fence around the field has the fans really close. Our players and staff love to compete on Andrus; it truly is a great environment.”
Trinity would guarantee an NCAA Championship bid with a win, while Wesleyan would guarantee their spot with a win and Amherst loss to Williams. If Amherst were to beat Williams, combined with a Wesleyan win over Trinity, then all three teams would be 8-1 and a random draw out of a hat would be the tiebreaker scenario used by the league office.
“This game is always important, but the NCAA implications make it enormous,” said Wesleyan football alum and longtime superfan Dave Bagatelle ’86. “I expect a tremendous crowd beyond the usual group of parents. The game is in Hartford, the weather looks to be decent, and many people will come out. There have been large crowds for this matchup over the past several years, even without NCAA qualification at stake. All the added significance should bring another great crowd on Saturday.”
Averaging a listed home attendance of 2,788 for Wesleyan’s four home games this season, the support from the Wesleyan faithful on Andrus Field is a constant. In each of the past seven seasons, Wesleyan has averaged north of 2,500 fans per home game. Wesleyan has enjoyed the benefits of a true homefield advantage and that support made an impact the last time Wesleyan played at Trinity.
In that 2024 meeting between the Cardinals and Bantams, nearly 5,000 people attended that noon kickoff. With an outright NESCAC Championship on the line, the roar from the Wesleyan faithful could be heard over the cheers from the Trinity supporters. Half the bleachers were covered in red, many of whom celebrated Wesleyan’s win on the field with the players and coaches following the Cardinals’ 27-17 win.
“It was incredible,” Bagatelle said. “Wesleyan travels better than any team in the NESCAC. At some away games, we have more people in the stands than the home team. We travel well, organize large tailgates, and provide tremendous support. The players appreciate the encouragement and the camaraderie among the players, parents, alumni, and Wesleyan students who make the trip is amazing.”
Two years ago, Wesleyan shocked the Bantams. Last year, they did the same. A shot at a three-peat, the chance to be the first NESCAC team to compete for a NCAA Championship would be a game changer for the last fall NESCAC football Saturday of the season.
