4 2012-13
Stags Women’s Basketball
TheMetroAtlanticAthleticConference
W
ith 10 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 32nd year of
competition during the 2012-2013 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 fol-
lowed 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, Loyola University Maryland, Manhattan
College, Marist College, Niagara University, Rider University, Saint
Peter's University, and Siena College. In addition, associate members
include the University of Detroit Mercy, Jacksonville University and
Virginia Military Institute in men's lacrosse. St. Francis (N.Y.) College,
Villanova University, VMI and Wagner College are all associate mem-
bers of the MAAC Women's Water Polo League. Drake University,
Jacksonville University, Robert Morris University and Sacred Heart
University compete in women's rowing, while the University at Albany,
Boston University and the University of Hartford began competition in
women's golf in the spring of 2010. The MAAC will support 24 sports
and championships during the 2012-2013 academic year. The MAAC
has automatic qualification to 15 NCAA Championships, with the
MAAC being eligible for women's rowing for the first time in the
spring of 2013.
The MAAC Basketball Championships returns to
Springfield's MassMutual Center for the 2013 and
2014
championships, which will be co-hosted by
the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of
Fame. By having an excellent working rela-
tionship with various facilities, the MAAC
has been able to attract a number of NCAA
Championship events. Most recently, the
MAAC and Rider hosted the 2012 NCAA
Rowing Championships at Lake Mercer in
West Windsor, New Jersey. The MAAC and
Rider also co-hosted the 2011 NCAA
Division I Wrestling Championships at the
Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. The
MAAC, Canisius College and Niagara
University successfully hosted the 2010
NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship First and Second
Rounds at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo, New York. All three parties host-
ed the event in 2004 and 2007. The MAAC and Rider University co-
hosted the 2009 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship
Regional at the Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton, N.J., after recording
the third highest attendance figure for the women's championship
with the First and Second Rounds in 2006. The MAAC and Rider will
work together to co-host the 2013 NCAA Division I Women's
Basketball Championship Regional at Sun National Bank Center in
Trenton.
.
MAAC Associate Sports
In June of 1995, the MAAC continued to develop 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. The men's league consists of four
MAAC schools - Canisius, Manhattan, Marist, and Siena - and three
associate members - Detroit, Jacksonville and Virginia Military
Institute. The women's league consists of MAAC institutions Canisius,
Fairfield, Iona, Manhattan, Marist, Niagara and Siena.
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, VMI and Wagner.
Sacred Heart started participating 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 the summer of 2009, the MAAC added three associate members
-
Albany, Boston University and Hartford - to women's golf, with the pro-
grams starting competition against MAAC members Fairfield, Niagara
and Siena in 2009-2010.
Academics & Athletics
The MAAC prides itself on the accomplishments of its student-ath-
letes in the classroom, as well as on the field. 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. Jose
Vargas, a Loyola student, was also awarded a Rhodes Scholarship in
1999.
First-class facilities are the rule with MAAC schools, as teams reg-
ularly play in top-notch arenas, such as Madison Square Garden, the
MassMutual Center, the IZOD Center, First Niagara Center, HSBC
Arena, Times Union Center, the Webster Bank Arena, and the Sun
National Bank Center. The other MAAC championships boast their
share of outstanding locales as well, such as the Reverend Harold
Ridley, S.J., Athletic Complex at Loyola, where the men's soccer cham-
pionship will be contested in the fall of 2012, and Waterfront Park in
Trenton, New Jersey, home of the 2013 MAAC Baseball Championship.
This year, the MAAC will take the men's and women's cross country
championships to Orlando, Florida at the ESPN Wide World of
Sports Complex. The 2013 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
made a total of 80 NIT appearances and 50
NCAA appearances. For the first time in 16
years, the MAAC had two teams advance to
the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball
Championship, with Loyola earning the
league's automatic bid and Iona garnering an at-large
bid. In March 2012, Fairfield and Manhattan participat-
ed in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament, with
the Stags advancing to the semifinals. The Manhattan women
participated in the Women's Basketball Invitational, reaching the
semifinal round of the tournament for the second consecutive season.
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
runs in 2007. In the fall of 2011, the Iona men's cross country team
finished tied for ninth place at the NCAA Championship race, extend-
ed the Gaels' streak to 10 straight Top 10 national finishes.
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. Six schools - Canisius,
Iona, Manhattan, Marist, Rider, and Saint Peter's - are currently part
of the network, which broadcast over 400 live events in 2011-12.
The MAAC President for the 2012-2013 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.
Don Harnum, Director of Athletics at Rider University, will chair the
Committee on Athletic Administration, and Joyce Eggleston, Associate
Athletic Director/Senior Woman Administrator at Siena College will
serve as Vice Chair.
