2013 MAAC Cross Country Championships
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Sacred Heart began participation in MAAC Women’s
Rowing in the spring of 2008. Drake University joined the
league for the 2010 MAAC Championship, while Robert
Morris began competition in the spring of 2011. In 2012
Jacksonville University brought its men’s and women’s
teams into MAAC Rowing, and Stetson University joins the
league in 2014.
MAAC women’s golf competition is comprised of five
member schools – Fairfield, Monmouth, Niagara, Quinnipiac
and Siena – and two associate members – the University at
Albany and the University of Hartford.
For the first time in league history, an associate member was
added in men’s swimming & diving when Bryant University
joined the league in the summer of 2012.
In April of 2013 the MAAC added field hockey as a
sponsored sport with competition beginning in the fall of the
2013-14 academic year between four member institutions
– Monmouth University, Quinnipiac University, Rider
University and Siena College. In June of 2013 the MAAC
added three associate members to the Field Hockey league
- Bryant University, Robert Morris University, and Sacred
Heart University, bringing the MAAC to seven teams, while
Fairfield University will join the league starting in the 2015-
16 academic year.
Academics and Athletics
The MAAC prides itself on the accomplishments of its
student-athletes in the classroom, as well as on the field.
In the NCAA’s October 2013 Graduation Rate Success
Report the MAAC was ranked #1 of the 31 Division I
conferences with a 100% women’s basketball graduation
rate, # 2 in baseball, #5 in men’s basketball and #3 in all
sports. Mary Beth Riley, a 1991 graduate of Canisius, was
the first recipient of the NCAA Woman of the Year Award.
In the fall of 1998, Erin Whalen, a member of the Iona
women’s rowing team, was awarded one of the nation’s 32
Rhodes Scholarships for academic achievement and civic
leadership.
First-class facilities are the rule with MAAC schools, as
teams regularly play in top-notch arenas, such as Madison
Square Garden, the Barclays Center, the MassMutual
Center, the IZOD Center, First Niagara Center, Times Union
Center, the Webster Bank Arena, and the Sun National
Bank Center. This year, the MAAC will take the women’s
soccer championship to Orlando, Florida at the ESPN Wide
World of Sports Complex. The 2014 MAAC Men’s and
Women’s Golf Championships will be held at Disney’s Palm
Golf Course.
In the past several years, a number of the MAAC schools
have also enjoyed success in NCAA Championships.
MAAC schools have played in a total of 80 NIT games
and 79 NCAA games. In 2013, the MAAC had a record
6 men’s basketball programs participate in postseason
play- Iona (NCAA Championship), Niagara (NIT), Canisius,
Fairfield, Loyola, and Rider (CIT). Canisius and Loyola
both advanced to the Quarterfinal round of the College
Insider Tournament, while Rider reached the second round.
In 2012, the MAAC had two teams advance to the NCAA
Division I Men’s Basketball Championship for the first time
in 16 years, with Loyola earning the league’s automatic
bid and Iona garnering an at-large bid. In 2007, the Marist
women’s basketball team advanced to the Sweet 16 before
falling to the eventual National Champion, the University of
Tennessee. The Red Foxes have recorded five NCAA wins
since their run in 2007.
The MAAC has enjoyed a long partnership with television
industry giant ESPN since 1986 when the men’s basketball
championship game was shown on national television for
the first time. In 2013-2014, ESPN will air over 50 MAAC
events nationwide to over 80 million homes. Highlighted
events include the men’s and women’s basketball
championships, the men’s soccer championships from the
ESPN Wide World of Sports and the MAAC Basketball
regular season package on ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3.
The MAAC has also been a leader in the forefront of
technology, expanding the notoriety of the league into
cyberspace. In 2007, the league reached an agreement
with JumpTV, Inc., now NeuLion, Inc., to design and host
the MAAC web page. MAACSports.com has been a great
success, providing fans with up-to-date contest results, live
and on-demand video and an online merchandise store.
The MAAC, in conjunction with NeuLion, launched an
iPhone app in February 2011, followed by Android and iPad
apps that were released during the 2011-12 academic year.
In September 2011, the conference announced the launch
of MAAC.TV, the league’s first broadband network. Eight
schools - Canisius, Fairfield, Iona, Manhattan, Marist,
Monmouth, Rider, and Saint Peter’s - are currently part of
the network, which broadcast over 400 live events in 2012-
13.
The MAAC President for the 2013-2014 academic year is
Dr. Eugene J. Cornacchia, Ph.D., the President of Saint
Peter’s University. The Vice-President is John J. Hurley,
the President of Canisius College. John D’Argenio, Director
of Athletics at Siena College, will chair the Committee on
Athletic Administration, and Alison Sexton, Senior Woman
Administrator at Fairfield University will serve as Vice Chair.
