2018 MAAC Swimming & Diving Championships Program

2018 MAAC Swimming & Diving Championships

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 been upgraded to full MAAC sports. The men’s league currently consists of six MAAC schools (Canisius, Manhattan, Marist, Monmouth, Quinnipiac, and Siena along with one associate member Detroit Mercy). The women’s league features competition among nine MAAC institutions (Canisius, Fairfield, Iona, Manhattan, Marist, Monmouth, Niagara, Quinnipiac, and Siena). The 2017 Men’s Lacrosse Championship Game aired on ESPNU and Sirius XM for the first time in history. In the spring of 2014, the MAAC expanded the championship field to six teams in Men’s and Women’s Soccer, Volleyball, Women’s Lacrosse, Softball, and Baseball.

Academics and Athletics The MAAC prides itself on the accomplishments of its student-athletes 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. The most recent APR’s are multiyear rates based on scores from the 2012-13, 2013-14, and 2015-16 academic years. All 11 MAAC institutions had at least one team that posted multi-year APR’s in the top 10% of all squads in each sport, with Siena having eight teams, Fairfield, Iona, and Marist all having six teams respectively in the top 10%. Men’s Golf and Women’s Cross Country programs led all MAAC sports with five recipients each. First-class facilities are the standard within the MAAC, as teams regularly play in top-notch arenas, such as Madison Square Garden, Barclays Center, Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, MassMutual Center, KeyBank Center, Times Union Center, Webster Bank Arena, Mohegan Sun Arena, and Sun National Bank Center. This year, the MAAC takes the 2017 Women’s Soccer Championships to the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, FL from October 27-November 1. The 2018 MAAC Men’s and Women’s Golf Championships will be held once again at Disney’s Magnolia Golf Course from April 19-22. In the past several years, a number of the MAAC schools have enjoyed success in national postseason play. This past season, Quinnipiac’s Women’s Basketball team won its first NCAA Championship game in program history and became the first MAAC school to advance to the Sweet 16 since Marist in 2007. The Bobcats defeated Marquette University and the University of Miami en route to their Sweet 16 appearance against the University of South Carolina. In 2015, Siena’s Women’s Basketball team became the first MAAC Women’s Basketball program to make it to a postseason championship game. The Saints advanced all the way to the title contest of the Women’s Basketball Invitational (WBI) where Siena fell to Louisiana-Lafayette. 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 an additional five NCAA wins since their run in 2007. Saint Peter’s Men’s Basketball team claimed the 2017 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) title, to become the first MAAC program to win a national postseason championship since Siena’s Men’s Basketball team in 2014. The Saints earned the league’s first basketball postseason championship in its history by winning the 2014 College Basketball Invitational (CBI). In 2013, the MAAC had a record six 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, 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.

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