2019 Water Polo Championship Program

2019

THE MAAC’S DISNEY STORY The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), along with Walt Disney World Resorts, enters its 20th year of hosting MAAC Championships in Lake Buena Vista, FL as part of the conference’s mission to provide the best experience for its student-athletes, their families and fans. For the 2018-19 academic year, the MAAC Women’s Volleyball Championship, featuring 10 of the MAAC member schools, will be held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in the HP Field House from November 15-17. The 2018 tourney will mark the 5th time the conference has hosted volleyball at the ESPN Complex, most recently in 2014 when Siena College won the trophy and secured the NCAA Championship automatic bid. With a rich tradition of competition at the complex, the 2016 MAAC Men’s and Women’s Cross Country took place on site with a course that winded through fields and a nearby wooded area. Iona College claimed victory in both championships. In 2017, the women’s soccer championship was hosted at the complex with Monmouth taking homing how the crown. The championship operation at Disney allows the MAAC to provide its participating student-athletes, their families, and fans a world-class sports championship experience. During the championship weekend in Disney, student-athletes have access to the playing facilities, on-site hotels, theme parks, and an awards banquet held after hours in one of Disney’s theme parks. These are designed to provide lasting memories for the student-athletes, recruiting opportunities for the coaches, and world-class broadcasts. The MAAC and ESPN have an agreement with Disney through 2022, which includes ESPN live broadcasting elements for all championships and events. ESPN’s state-of-the-art studios broadcast highlights of MAAC championships throughout all Disney World Resort hotel properties on the ESPN channels and MAAC. TV. All MAAC contests for the hosted championships are broadcasted by ESPN using on-site studios. Oftentimes, the ESPN studio is used as an innovation lab for the network and the MAAC is the beneficiary of this investment, whether it’s basketball or the rarely seen live transmission of the cross-country races.

In conjunction with ESPN the MAAC has co-hosted the Advocare Invitational (previously the Old Spice Classic) at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex since 2006. This eight-team tournament, which is held over Thanksgiving weekend, continues to draw elite Men’s Basketball teams to compete. One MAAC school is included in the field each year. Canisius College will represent the MAAC in the 2018 installment of the Advocare Invitational. During the 2015 Advocare Invitational, the two-time MAAC Men’s Basketball Player of the Year, Monmouth University’s Justin Robinson, set the tournament scoring record with 77 points over three games to claim MVP honors. The MAAC Men’s and Women’s Golf Championships are also held at Walt Disney World. The Men’s and Women’s Golf teams compete at PGA-caliber courses during the spring and rotate between Disney’s Palm and Magnolia Arnold Palmer managed courses. The golf hosting agreement at Disney was recently extended through the 2022 championships. For the fifth year in a row the 2018 MAAC Men’s & Women’s Golf Championships will take place at Disney’s Magnolia Golf Couse. Since relocating the championships to Orlando, not one round of golf has been scratched because of weather, allowing MAAC athletes to opportunity to focus on winning the trophy and moving on to the NCAA Regional’s. Last year champions were University at Albany (women) and Iona College (men). During the fall championship weekend, the MAAC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) heads down in Disney to volunteer at a local charity, assist in the championship operations, and hold its annual fall meeting. In addition, two MAAC SAAC commercials are produced at ESPN studios to be used during the season on MAAC school produced broadcasts. The MAAC has used this time to provide leadership training from the well-respected Disney Institute staff, or consultants in the field that understand the family entertainment, inclusivity and customer service principles that have made Disney a leader in entertainment, broadcasting and event management.

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