2018 Women's Soccer Championship Program

The two-day tournament was held December 1-2, 2017 and featured Holy Cross, Manhattan, La Salle, and Towson. After a successful inaugural event, the Sport Changes Life Foundation announced the second annual Basketball Hall of Fame Belfast Classic to be held November 29-December 1. The 2018 event features an expanded field to eight schools. The schools will compete in two four-team brackets, with campus round games in the United States leading into two tournament brackets in Belfast aptly named ‘Samson’ and ‘Goliath’ after the iconic Harland and Wolfe cranes in the Titanic quarter ship yard of Belfast. Marist will represent the MAAC in the 2018 Basketball Hall of Fame Belfast Classic and Canisius will represent the MAAC in 2019. In June of 1995, the MAAC developed new 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. 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 two associate members Detroit Mercy and St. Bonaventure). 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. As of May 2018, all 11 MAAC institutions and three associate members (Dayton – Women’s Golf, Villanova – Water Polo, and Wagner – Water Polo) had at least one team that posted multi-year APR’s in the top 10 percent of all squads in each sport. A total of 49 teams received top 10 percent recognition. Siena led the MAAC with nine teams, followed by Fairfield with seven teams. Canisius, Marist, and Quinnipiac each had five teams in the top 10 percent. Iona and Niagara had four teams. Monmouth posted three, while Manhattan had two teams. Rider and Saint Peter’s each had one team in the top 10 percent. 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.

In May 2018, the MAAC embarked on a historic feat as the conference hosted its annual Baseball Championship at Richmond County Bank Ballpark for the first time ever in partnership with the Staten Island Yankees, a

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