2021 Hercules Tires MAAC Basketball Championships Program

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T H E M A A C S T O RY

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Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the MAAC canceled all spring sport competitions, practices, and other athletic related activities for the remainder of the 2020 Spring semester. Later the decision was made to move the fall 2020 sports into the winter of 2021 providing scaled back schedules and expanded championship formats as the pandemic continued to restrict athletic competition. This was the first time a season of sports competition was ever canceled in the MAAC. The MAAC Council of Presidents approved by laws to launch an Esports League and Championships in 2020. The presidents approved Esports as an official MAAC co-ed club sport. The decision comes after two years of evaluation and co-sponsorship of events with the ECAC, including the highly successful HV Gamer Con 2019 in Albany, NY. The 2020 MAAC Esports Championships were set to be held in the Adrian Phillips Theater at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the 2020 MAAC Esports Championship was held virtually as will be the case in 2021. The 2020 Championships featured four games: League of Legends, Rocket League, Overwatch, and Super Smash Ultimate. 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 2020, all 11 MAAC institutions and four associate members (Dayton – Women’s Golf, Hartford – Women’s Golf, LaSalle – Women’s Golf, and 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. Quinnipiac and Siena College led the MAAC in NCAA Public Recognition Awards, with both institutions naming seven programs to the list. Fairfield University and Marist College followed, both with six programs ranking in the top 10 percent of their sport. Iona and Niagara had four teams. Canisius, Manhattan, Monmouth, and Rider posted two teams. Saint Peter’s 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 Single-A affiliate of the New York Yankees. In the past several years, several the MAAC schools have enjoyed success in national postseason play. In 2018, Quinnipiac Women’s Basketball picked up its third NCAA Tournament win in the last two years. The Bobcats defeated Miami in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to No. 1 UConn in the Second Round. In 2017, Quinnipiac won its first NCAA Championship game in program history and became the first MAAC women’s basketball program to advance to the Sweet 16 since Marist in 2007. The Bobcats defeated Marquette and Miami en route to their Sweet 16 appearance against 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, 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. The MAAC has also been a leader in the forefront of technology, expanding the notoriety of the league into cyberspace. In 2017, the league reached a conference-wide agreement with SIDEARM Sports (extended in 2020), to design and host the MAAC web page. MAACSports.com has been a great success, providing fans with fresh content, up-to-date results, live and on-demand video, and an online merchandise store. In September 2011, the conference announced the launch of MAAC.TV, the league’s first broadband network. Eight schools (Canisius, Fairfield, Iona, Manhattan, Marist, Monmouth, Rider, and Saint Peter’s) were part of the original network. In May 2014, the MAAC continued to grow its partnership with ESPN by announcing the launch of the MAAC Branded ESPN3 Channel. All MAAC and school produced digital contact can be viewed through this channel. In the 2017–18 academic year the MAAC entered into a new eight-year agreement with ESPN and produced a total of 325 events on the ESPN family of networks. The first MAAC events on ESPN+ were men’s & women’s lacrosse games produced by Monmouth University. The 2018 Baseball Championship was the first MAAC championship to air entirely on ESPN+. As a part of the current MAAC-ESPN partnership ESPN+ will become home to hundreds of MAAC games, championships, and shows that are easily accessible to MAAC fans throughout the country. Under the ESPN agreement, 2019–20 marked the first year that all MAAC institutions will have school production facilities and by the end of 2024–25 the conference and schools will produce over 500 collegiate athletic events and shows on the ESPN family of networks. The MAAC President for the 2020–21 academic year is Rev. James J. Maher, President of Niagara University. The Vice-President is Dr. Patrick F. Leahy, President of Monmouth University, Commissioner Richard J. Ensor, Esq. serves as the league’s Secretary/Treasurer, Bill Maher, Director of Athletics at Canisius College, will chair the Committee on Athletic Administration, and Sarah Fraser, Senior Associate Deputy Director of Athletics/SWA at Quinnipiac University, will serve as Vice Chair.

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