2021 Cross Country Championship Program

THE MAAC’S DISNEY STORY

2021-22 DISNEY CHAMPIONSHIPS

lasting memories for the student-athletes, recruiting opportunities for the coaches, and broadcasts produced by the award-winning ESPN production team housed at the facility. 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 events 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 ESPN Events 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 week, continues to draw elite men’s basketball teams to compete. One MAAC school is included in the field each year. Iona College will represent the MAAC in the 2021 installment of the ESPN Events Invitational. During the 2015 Invitational, 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 sixth year in a row the 2022 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. The 2021 champions were the Quinnipiac University (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.

Men’s & Women’s Cross Country Saturday, October 30, 2021 ESPN Wide World of Sports Lake Buena Vista, FL

Men’s & Women’s Golf Friday, April 22, 2022 - Sunday, April 24, 2022 Disney’s Magnolia Golf Course Lake Buena Vista, FL 2021 Men’s Champion: Iona College 2021 Women’s Champion: Quinnipiac University

2020 Men’s Champion: Iona College 2020 Women’s Champion: Iona College

The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), along with Walt Disney World Resorts, enters its 23rd 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 2021-22 academic year, MAAC men’s and women’s basketball will return to the stage when the MAAC/ASUN Challenge tips off, featuring four MAAC and ASUN teams as they face off for bragging rights at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in the HP Field House from November 19-20. The 2021 Challenge will mark the second time the conference has hosted a MAAC basketball event at the ESPN Complex, although a MAAC men’s team competes in the ESPN Events Invitational each year over Thanksgiving Week which is an NCAA Multi-Team Event sponsored by the MAAC. The 2021 Challenge will feature two men’s and two women’s teams from each conference: Iona College, Manhattan College, Liberty University and the University of North Alabama on the men’s side; Fairfield University, Manhattan College, Florida Golf Coast University and Stetson University on the women’s side. All games will air on ESPN3 except for the men’s matchup of Iona College versus Liberty University which will air on ESPNU at 5:00pm on November 19. With a rich tradition of competition at the complex, The Iona College volleyball program won the 2018 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship over Canisius. The Gaels clinched an automatic berth into the NCAA Volleyball Championship for the second time in program history. The 2018 tourney marked the 5th time the conference has hosted volleyball at the ESPN 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 the crown. The MAAC’s operation at Disney allows the conference to provide its participating student-athletes, their families, and fans a world-class sports championship experience. During the weekend in Disney, student-athletes have access to the playing facilities, on-site hotels, theme parks, and for championships an awards banquet held after hours in one of Disney’s theme parks. These are designed to provide

Men’s Golf Champions 2000 Iona 2001 Iona 2002 Iona

DISNEY CHAMPIONSHIPS HISTORY

2003 Loyola 2004 Loyola 2005 Loyola 2006 Siena 2007 Siena 2008 Loyola 2009 Loyola 2010 Loyola 2011 Loyola 2012 Loyola 2013 Loyola

Men’s Cross Country Champions 2000 Iona 2004 Iona 2008 Iona 2012 Iona 2016 Iona

Women’s Cross Country Champions 2000 Marist 2004 Marist

2008 Iona 2012 Iona 2016 Iona

Men’s Soccer Champions 1999 Fairfield 2003 Saint Peter’s 2007 Loyola 2011 Fairfield 2015 Rider Volleyball Champions 1998 Fairfield 2002 Manhattan 2006 Siena 2010 Niagara

Women’s Soccer Champions 2001 Loyola 2005 Fairfield 2009 Loyola

2014 Saint Peter’s 2015 Saint Peter’s 2016 Siena 2017 Saint Peter’s 2018 Iona 2019 Iona 2020 N/A* 2020-21 Iona Women’s Golf Champions 2000 Fairfield

2013 Monmouth 2017 Monmouth

2014 Siena 2018 Iona

* 2020 Championship Canceled due to COVID-19

2001 Siena 2002 Siena 2003 Siena 2004 Siena 2005 Siena 2006 Siena 2007 Siena 2008 Siena 2009 Siena 2010 Siena 2011 Siena 2012 Siena 2013 Butler 2014 Siena 2015 Albany

2016 Quinnipiac 2017 Quinnipiac 2018 Albany 2019 Albany 2020 N/A* 2020-21 Quinnipiac

@MAACSports | #MAACXC | Championship Central | Championship History

Championship History | Championship Central | #MAACXC | @MAACSports

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