2013 MAAC Cross Country Championships
6
MAACSPORTS.COM
@MAACSPORTS
/MAACSPORTS
THE METRO ATLANTIC ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles
of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in
athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference is in its
33rd year of competition during the 2013-2014 academic
year.
The MAAC was founded in 1980 by six charter members:
the U.S. Military Academy, Fairfield University, Fordham
University, Iona College, Manhattan College and Saint
Peter’s College. Competition followed one year later in the
fall of 1981 with members competing in the sports of men’s
cross country and men’s soccer. On January 2, 1982, Army
traveled to Iona for the first MAAC men’s basketball game
and the MAAC story had begun.
Current Conference members include: Canisius College,
Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College,
Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University,
Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s
University, and Siena College. In addition, associate
members include the University of Detroit Mercy in men’s
lacrosse; St. Francis (N.Y.) College, Villanova University,
Virginia Military Institute and Wagner College are all
associate members of the MAAC Women’s Water Polo
League. Drake University, Jacksonville University, Robert
Morris University, Sacred Heart University, and Stetson
University compete in women’s rowing, while the University
at Albany and the University of Hartford take part in women’s
golf competition. With the addition of field hockey to the
sports lineup in the fall of 2013, the MAAC will support 25
sports and championships during the 2013-2014 academic
year; in addition, the MAAC champion earns automatic
qualification to the NCAA Championship in 16 sports.
TheMAACBasketball Championships return to Springfield’s
MassMutual Center in 2014 for the final year of a three-year
stint; the championships in Springfield are co-hosted by
the Massachusetts Convention Authority and the Naismith
Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. By having an excellent
working relationship with various facilities, the MAAC has
been able to attract a number of NCAA Championship
events. In March 2014, The MAAC, Canisius College and
Niagara University will team up to host the 2014 NCAA
Men’s Basketball Championship Second & Third Rounds at
the First Niagara Center in Buffalo, NY. The trio successfully
hosted the same event to sellout crowds in 2000, 2004,
2007 and 2010 as well as the 2003 NCAA Men’s Frozen
Four. Last year, the MAAC and Fairfield hosted the 2013
NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Regional at Webster
Bank Arena in Bridgeport, CT. Rider and the MAAC paired
up to host the 2012 NCAA Rowing Championships at Lake
Mercer in West Windsor, New Jersey, 2011 NCAA Division
I Wrestling Championships at the Wells Fargo Center in
Philadelphia, the 2009 NCAADivision I Women’s Basketball
Championship Regional, and the 2006 NCAA Division
Women’s Basketball Championship First and Second
Rounds at the Sun National Bank Center in Trenton, NJ.
In June of 1995, the MAAC developed new opportunities for
student-athletes as the conference announced the formation
of the MAAC Men’s and Women’s Lacrosse Leagues. The
men’s league began competition in the spring of 1996, while
the women’s league commenced in the spring of 1997.
Since their inception as associate sports leagues, both
men’s and women’s lacrosse have come into the fold as full
MAAC sports. The men’s league currently consists of six
MAAC schools - Canisius, Manhattan, Marist, Monmouth,
Quinnipiac and Siena - and one associate member – the
University of Detroit Mercy. The women’s league features
competition among nine MAAC institutions - Canisius,
Fairfield, Iona, Manhattan, Marist, Monmouth, Niagara,
Quinnipiac and Siena.
MAAC Associate Sports
In 2002, the MAAC added the MAAC Women’s Water Polo
League. The league is currently made up of three MAAC
schools - Iona, Marist and Siena - as well as four associate
members, St. Francis (N.Y.), Villanova, Virginia Military
Institute and Wagner.
