2019 Volleyball Program

In March of 2017, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced the field of teams for the inaugural Basketball Hall of Fame Belfast Classic, a college basketball tournament held in conjunction with the MAAC, Sport Changes Life, Rory McIlroy’s Foundation, the Rory Foundation, and The SSE Arena, Belfast. 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 hosted the 2018 Basketball Hall of Fame Belfast Classic which featured an expanded field to eight schools. The schools competed 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 College represented the MAAC in the 2018 Basketball Hall of Fame Belfast Classic.

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). Thewomen’s league features competition among nineMAAC 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 andWomen’s Soccer, Volleyball, Women’s Lacrosse, Softball, and Baseball. 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, amember of the IonaWomen’s Rowing team, was awarded one of the nation’s 32 Rhodes Scholarships for academic achievement and civic leadership. As of May 2018, all 11MAAC institutions and three associatemembers (Dayton –Women’s Golf, LaSalle –Women’s Golf, Villanova –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 47 teams received top 10 percent recognition. Siena led the MAAC with nine teams, followed by Marist College and Quinnipiac University with seven, while Fairfield University had six teams achieve a perfect rate. Five programs from Niagara University and four from Iona College recorded flawless scores. Manhattan registered two teams while Canisius College, Monmouth University, Rider University, and Saint Peter’s University each had one squad earn a score of 1,000. First-class facilities are the standard within the MAAC, as teams regularly play in top-notch arenas, such as Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall, Madison Square Garden, Barclays Center, NassauVeterans 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 IslandYankees, a Single-A affiliate of the NewYork Yankees. The Baseball Championships are set to be held at Richmond County Bank Ballpark through 2023. This year, the MAAC hosts the inaugural MAAC/ASUN Challenge at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Academics and Athletics

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