Basic HTML Version
2012 Stags Soccer 9
TheMAAC Story
With 10 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of qual-
ity and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference is in its 32nd year of competi-
tion during the 2012-13 academic year.
The MAAC was founded in 1980 by six charter members: the U.S.
Military Academy, Fairfield, Fordham, Iona, Manhattan and Saint
Peter's. 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, Fairfield, Iona,
Loyola, Manhattan, Marist, Niagara, Rider, Saint Peter's, and
Siena. In addition, associate members compete in men’s lacrosse,
women’s golf, women’s rowing and the MAAC Water Polo League
The MAAC will support 24 sports and championships during the
2012-13 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 relationship 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 will work together to co-
host the 2013 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship
Regional at Sun National Bank Center in Trenton.
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 and three associate mem-
bers, while six MAAC institutions, including Fairfield, comprise the
women’s league. In 2002, the MAAC added the MAAC Women's
Water Polo League, which is currently made up of three MAAC
schools and four associate members.
Sacred Heart started participating in MAAC Women's Rowing in the
spring of 2008, while Drake joined for the 2010 Championship
and Robert Morris in 2011. The MAAC added three associate
members - Albany, Boston University and Hartford - to women's
golf, with the programs starting competition at the 2010
Championship.
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 mem-
ber 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, the Webster Bank Arena,
First Niagara Center, Times
Union Center, and the Sun
National Bank Center. The
other MAAC championships
boast their share of outstand-
ing locales as well, such as the
Ridley Athletic Complex at
Loyola, where the men's soc-
cer championship will be con-
tested 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 participated 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 run in 2007. In the fall of 2011, the Iona men's cross coun-
try team finished tied for ninth place at the NCAA Championship
race, extended the Gaels' streak to 10 straight Top 10 national fin-
ishes.
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 2012-13 academic year is Dr. Eugene
J. Cornacchia, Ph.D., the President of Saint Peter's, while
Canisius’s John J. Hurley will serve as Vice President. Don Harnum,
Director of Athletics at Rider, chairs the Committee on Athletic
Administration, with Siena Associate Athletics Director/Senior
Woman Administrator Joyce Eggleston, the Vice Chair.