2014 Golf Championship Program

2014 MAAC MEN’S ANDWOMEN’S GOLF

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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 number 1 of the 31 Division I conferences with a 100% women’s basketball graduation rate, # 2 in baseball, #5 in men’s basketball and number 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, ErinWhalen, 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.

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