Athletic director Julie Soriero | Varsity teams 30 | |
University Massachusetts Institute of Technology Conference New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference
Collegiate Water Polo Association (men's water polo)
Eastern Association of Women's Rowing Colleges (women's crew)
Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges (men's crew)
New England Intercollegiate Sailing Association (sailing) NCAA Division III & Division I (women's crew & men's water polo) Location Cambridge, Massachusetts | ||
Massachusetts Institute of Technology's intercollegiate sports teams, called the MIT Engineers, compete mostly in NCAA Division III. Most of the school's sports compete in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC), with sports not sponsored by the NEWMAC housed in several other conferences. The football team, which had competed in the New England Football Conference through the 2016 season, will join the bulk of MIT's sports in the NEWMAC in 2017, when that conference begins sponsoring football. One MIT sport, women's rowing, competes in Division I in the Eastern Association of Women's Rowing Colleges (EAWRC). Men's water polo, a sport in which the NCAA holds a single national championship for all three of its divisions, competes in the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) alongside Division I and Division II members. Three sports compete outside of NCAA governance: men's rowing competes in the Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges (EARC), sailing in the New England Intercollegiate Sailing Association of ICSA and squash in the College Squash Association. In April 2009, budget cuts led to MIT's eliminating eight of its 41 sports, including the mixed men's and women's teams in alpine skiing and pistol; separate teams for men and women in ice hockey and gymnastics; and men's programs in golf and wrestling.
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Origin of the name
The Institute's sports teams are called the Engineers, their mascot since 1914 being a beaver, "nature's engineer". Lester Gardner, a member of the Class of 1898, provided the following justification: "The beaver not only typifies the Tech, but his habits are particularly our own. The beaver is noted for his engineering and mechanical skills and habits of industry. His habits are nocturnal. He does his best work in the dark."
History
MIT fielded several dominant intercollegiate Tiddlywinks teams through 1980, winning national and world championships. MIT has produced 188 Academic All-Americans, the third largest membership in the country for any division and the highest number of members for Division III.
Facilities
The Zesiger sports and fitness center (Z-Center), which opened in 2002, significantly expanded the capacity and quality of MIT's athletics, physical education, and recreation offerings to 10 buildings and 26 acres (110,000 m2) of playing fields. The 124,000-square-foot (11,500 m2) facility features an Olympic-class swimming pool, international-scale squash courts, and a two-story fitness center.