2022 Hercules Tires MAAC Basketball Championships Program

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The official 2022 Hercules Tires MAAC Basketball Championships Program is published by the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and GO Agency.

TEAMS Canisius College.................................. 44 Fairfield University. ............................. 48 Iona College. ....................................... 52 Manhattan College. ............................. 56 Marist College. .................................... 60 Monmouth University........................... 64 Niagara University............................... 68 Quinnipiac University. ......................... 72 Rider University................................... 76 Saint Peter’s University....................... 80 Siena College....................................... 84

CHAMPIONSHIP INFORMATION Welcome Letters. .................................. 6 Feature Story....................................... 10 MAAC Chronology. ................................15 MAAC Commissioner.............................18 The MAAC Story.................................... 22 Time Out For Black Lives..................... 24 Operating Structure. ........................... 26 NCAA Tournament Brackets................ 30 MAAC Championship Brackets............ 32 Final Statistics and Results................. 36 Record Book........................................ 39 Commissioner’s Cup............................ 43 Academic Honor Roll........................... 88 MAAC Honor Roll Profiles. ................... 89 Championship History. ........................ 96

MAAC STAFF Commissioner........................................................ Richard J. Ensor, Esq. Deputy Commissioner....................................................... Jessica Grasso Senior Associate Commissioner/Chief Operating Officer....... Lauren Eads Associate Commissioner/Men’s Basketball.................Jordan Confessore Associate Commissioner/Senior Minority Administrator.... Hamilton Cook Assistant Commissioner/New Media.............................. Valerie McQuade Director of Women’s Basketball Operations.......................... Caitlin Lowe Director of Championships. ...............................................Kelsey Nugent Director of Championships............................................... Jessie Holzman Director of Championships & Compliance............................. Taylor Wood Director of New Media & Sports Communications...........Max Felsenstein Administrative Fellow...................................................... Gabrielle Harris Administrative Fellow........................................................Kate Tagliareni Administrative Fellow................................................... Conner Braddock Coordinator of Men’s Basketball Officials..................... Michael Stephens Coordinator of Women’s Basketball Officials...............Debbie Williamson Associate Coordinator of Women’s Basketball Officials....... Bonnie Petus Chairman & CEO, Van Wagner Group........................Richard M. Schaps Chief Operating Officer, Van Wagner Group. .....................John Massoni President, Van Wagner College. ........................................... Mike Palisi Chief Revenue Officer, Van Wagner College ......................Mark Donley Vice President, Marketing, Van Wagner College.............. Diana LePore Vice President, Campus-Wide, Van Wagner College............ Tim Curran General Manager, Van Wagner College. ...........................Patrick Quinn 800 Third Ave. 28 th Fl., New York, NY 10022 • 212.699.8400

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W E L COME L E T T E R S

W E L COME L E T T E R S

March 8, 2022

On behalf of the New Jersey Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, (CRDA), we welcome back the MAAC teams and coaches to historic Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall for five action-packed days of the 2022 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Basketball Championship. We are excited to have the tournament return to our venue this year, and we are confident that our building management team, Spectra Venue Management, will provide a safe environment to play this championship event. We look forward to a continued partnership with MAAC and invite you and your fans and families to experience all the great amenities and attractions Atlantic City has to offer. Our restaurants, shops and business partners are ready to host you! Visit our website at www.atlanticcitynj.com for a listing of all upcoming events.

March 8, 2022

Dear MAAC Basketball Fans: Welcome to the 41 st annual Hercules Tires MAAC Basketball Championships! 2022 marks the third year that the MAAC’s premier event is being hosted by Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall. And what a year it has been for college sports as America has again fought the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic! Sports have not been immune to the struggles and pain caused by the pandemic and the MAAC has worked with the NCAA to ensure the health and safety of our student-athletes, coaches, and staffs in staging its basketball championships under these unique conditions. The good news is that for this year’s championships the attendance ban on fans has been lifted as sports returns to a new normal of safety awareness while resuming public engagement in our great game of basketball. March Madness is underway, and we welcome you all to Atlantic City. Even better news for local college hoops fans is that the MAAC, Atlantic City Sports Commission, and CRDA announced that the current hosting agreement for the championships at Boardwalk Hall will be extended through 2023! This a great boost to locals’ sports fans and the community as college basketball emerges from the pandemic and looks to grow the MAAC Basketball Championships in Atlantic City. Fortunately, for fans unable to attend the MAAC’s ESPN long-time partner will ensure that all championship games will be broadcast on the ESPN family of networks. The MAAC broadcast partnership with ESPN has been a huge game changer for the MAAC since it was launched in 2014. With all MAAC home games broadcast on either ESPNU, ESPN3 or ESPN+ it has allowed the conference and its member schools to expand its brand and reach throughout the nation and internationally on the Sidearm Sports streaming service. I want to thank all the MAAC’s partners and co-hosts for their efforts this year. The Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA), the City of Atlantic City, Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall, the Atlantic City Sports Commission, MEET AC, Monmouth University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and the MAAC have worked diligently to create a first-class event for our student- athletes and coaches. Included in these acknowledgements are the MAAC’s hospitality hosts at the Tropicana Casino and Resort, the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City, The Showboat Hotel, The Claridge – A Radisson Hotel and the Sheraton Atlantic City Convention Center Hotel. This annual event is a showcase of college basketball that conference membership looks forward to each March and brings economic rewards to the region through team and fan travel and entertainment. Playing in the NCAA Tournament is a life-long goal of MAAC athletes and coaches, and that is why the level of play is so intense as 22 teams chase the elusive bid that starts the “Road to the Final Four.” The pressure is real and the stakes high for all 22 MAAC teams as they get a shot to punch their ticket to the “Big Dance.” This year the “Big Dance” will conclude in New Orleans for the men and Minneapolis for the women and the MAAC championship winners are ready to ‘Dance’ as March Madness returns to Atlantic City. We also want to remind our basketball fans that the KeyBank Center along with the MAAC, Canisius College and Niagara University will host the 2022 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball First and Second Rounds in Buffalo, NY. The long-time commitment to hosting NCAA championships by the MAAC is part of the conference’s give back to the Association as well as our partner host communities and local sports fans. In 2023, the MAAC will again host the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball First and Second Rounds in Albany, NY at the MVP Arena. I want to thank all of those who have worked tirelessly to make the event a memorable experience, with special thanks to the Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall General Manager, JimMcDonald and his staff, our colleagues at the CRDA, as well as Atlantic City Sports Commission, CEO Larry Sieg, and staffers Dan Gallagher, Casey Sickler and Nancy Taylor. Also, Michelle Perry, the MAAC’s design and operations consultant at Game Changers Consultants, Dave Siroty and Dave Popkin from Front Porch Athletics and MAAC Properties sponsorship team from Van Wagner including Patrick Quinn. Van Wagner has been connecting brands to sports for over twenty years and is an important piece to the teams that financially supports the basketball championships. Lastly, I would like to thank the sponsors and local community for your support. We look forward to exciting MAAC basketball this week, as well as showcasing Atlantic City through our broadcast partner, ESPN, to a national audience of sports fans. Thank you for your continued support and enjoy the championships!

Sincerely,

Mónica de los Ríos Interim Executive Director Casino Reinvestment Development Authority

March 8, 2022

Welcome to the 2022 MAAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships. We are once again honored to host the championships at Atlantic City’s Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall and welcome spectators back into the facility. Over the course of the past two years, our staff has been tirelessly working with local, county and state officials to update our operating protocols by creating and implementing policies and procedures to ensure the security and safety of everyone entering through our doors. The health and safety of our employees, partners, customers and guests is our number one priority and our team is committed to upholding these required standards of cleanliness throughout our facility. Thank you for joining us this week and allowing us to showcase our world class facility and city! We wish all the student-athletes and coaches good luck this week as you compete to earn a spot in the big dance.

Sincerely,

Jim McDonald General Manager

March 8, 2022

Welcome to the 2022 MAAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships! On behalf of Meet AC and the Atlantic City Sports Commission, I am pleased to welcome you back to our beautiful seaside destination. We are thrilled to welcome back the championships in Atlantic City at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall. The tournament week will be full of the finest college basketball featuring elite student-athletes battling for a bid to the NCAA Tournament. Your hard work, preparation, and dedication will be showcased for all to see throughout the tournament taking place in one of the East Coast’s iconic shore towns. While visiting Atlantic City, I encourage you to dine, explore and play after the games are complete. There are endless experiences all within walking distance of the arena. Be sure to visit meetac.com to discover what’s happening in

Atlantic City. Our hospitality awaits your arrival. Best of luck as you battle at the Boardwalk!

Sincerely,

Sincerely,

Richard J. Ensor Commissioner

Larry Sieg President and CEO Meet AC and Atlantic City Sports Commission

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F E AT U RE S T O RY

F E AT U RE S T O RY

The MAAC and NCAA – Decades of Successful Championship Collaborations By Hamilton Cook

KeyBank Center, and member institutions, Canisius College and Niagara University, have combined to host eight prosperous NCAA events, all producing attendance numbers above 53,000, respectively. The quartet’s success officially tipped-off in the year 2000, with the East Region of the Men’s Basketball First and Second Rounds on March 17 and 19. As games coincided with the arena’s first name change from Midland Arena to HSBC Arena, the event calculated an astonishing 58,046 attendees combined through the three sessions. Four years later in 2004, the Men’s First and Second Rounds would welcome 55,840 fans from March 18 to March 20, another sellout crowd. Those fans would get to witness the Connecticut Huskies defeat Vermont and DePaul in Buffalo before eventually winning the national title on April 5. In 2007, not only did the MAAC pack HSBC Arena with a three-sessions total of 56,290, they also produced the biggest upset of the First Round when No. 11 VCU upended N0. 6 Duke, 79-77 behind a shot from Eric Maynor with 1.8 seconds left, ousting the Blue Devils in the opening round for the first time since the mid-90s. A sellout crowd that included 56,535 guests on March 19 and 21, the First and Second Rounds of the 2010 Men’s Tournament at the Buffalo arena was all chalk with No. 1 Syracuse and No. 2 West Virginia each advancing out of the region. The 2014 Men’s First and Second Rounds for the MAAC was the most successful while also being arguably the most entertaining site of that respective year’s NCAA Championships. Hosting a combined 57, 256 fans through the course of the event, the MAAC and HSBC Arena sold more tickets than any other opening round sites for that year. They also gave the country its Cinderella and its eventual national champions. No. 11 Dayton broke the hearts of national powerhouses Ohio State and Syracuse in Buffalo, to start its run which eventually ended to the No. 1 overall seed Florida in the Elite 8. On the other side of the bracket, No. 7 UConn would move past Saint Joseph’s and then Villanova in Buffalo, eventually edging Kentucky in the national title game at AT&T Stadium for their 4 th program crown. The most recent NCAA Men’s Basketball First and Second Rounds held at what is now KeyBank Center, was in 2017, (54,686 total attendance), putting the quantity at six total completed NCAA Men’s First and Second Rounds.

From that inaugural NCAA event in 1995 and since the turn of the millennium, the MAAC has successfully hosted 17 additional NCAA Championships, ranging from indoor sports such as basketball and ice hockey to outdoor sports like cross country and rowing. “The MAAC has been and continues to be a leader in its commitment to hosting NCAA championships. From basketball to rowing, the diversity of events hosted sets the MAAC apart from other conferences,” remarked Michelle Perry, President & CEO Gamechangers Consulting. A TRACK RECORD OF SUCCESS IN WESTERN NEW YORK That sellout crowd at the 1995 NCAA Basketball First and Second Rounds for the MAAC would only be the beginning of what would be a long run of sellouts and successful NCAA events. The most notable counterpart of the conference would come from Western New York, in the city of Buffalo. An alliance with the premiere destination for sports and entertainment in downtown Buffalo, the multipurpose indoor arena, now known as KeyBank Center, is the largest indoor arena in Western New York, seating 19,070 fans in its normal configuration. The collaboration of the MAAC,

A s March Madness concludes and the newly crowned NCAA Men’s Basketball National Champions cut down the nets, the college basketball national theme song “One Shining Moment” blasts through every sound system in the facility, a tradition that has been carried out to end each men’s basketball season since 1987. The song plays to the tune of a montage of highlights from the recently completed tournament, displayed on every video board in the bowl and simultaneously on the national broadcast. But exactly one month before a national champion can be crowned, before the Final Four team’s tip-off, before the Elite Eight and Sweet Sixteen, there are the opening rounds. The First and Second Rounds: where Cinderella is born, where unknown players become household names, where upsets are inevitable, and where mid-major conferences like the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference can put together a first-class stage for the aforementioned events to be born. The MAAC has had the privilege to make these dreams, and many others come to fruition since the mid 90’s.

HOW IT STARTED Dating back to 1995, the MAAC and NCAA have partnered on an array of championships, enabling the conference and its member institutions the chance to gain national exposure, furthering the mission of the conference. The collaboration between the conference and NCAA began with the 1995 NCAA Men’s Basketball First and Second Rounds in Albany, New York, at what is now known as MVP Arena. Alongside member school Siena College, the duo successfully co-hosted the sellout event, with 45,300 attendees through three sessions on March 17and March 19. “In 1990, when the MAAC moved its basketball tournament to what was then the Knickerbocker Arena in Albany, I, among others, recognized the options the facility presented the league for hosting NCAA Championships,” said MAAC Commissioner, Rich Ensor. “This led the MAAC to partner with the arena and Siena College on hosting its first NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball First and Second Rounds in 1995. Pretty much since that sellout experience, the MAAC has been aggressive in seeking out bids to a wide variety of NCAA Championships in multiple venues throughout its geographic footprint.”

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F E AT U RE S T O RY

F E AT U RE S T O RY

RETURNING TO THE CAPITAL REGION Exactly 20 years after the inaugural NCAA hosted MAAC event at Knickerbocker Arena, the conference would return to once again put on a first-class championship for the nation in Albany, NY. Now named the Times Union Center, the MAAC and Siena would reunite to host the 2015 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Albany Regional. The Albany Regional produced numerous storylines, but the headline of the region was the return of former (and now current) Siena women’s basketball head coach Jim Jabir, to the Capital Region. Jabir would lead the Dayton Flyers to the program’s first ever Elite Eight appearance, where they ended up falling to the top-ranked team in the country and No. 1 overall seed UConn, a Huskies team that would go on to win their third straight national championship eight days later. In March 2018, the MAAC and Siena teamed up again to host the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Albany Regional for the second time. This time around, the Albany Regional was the highest attended site out of the four regions with over 20,000 fans in attendance over the two days of competition. As a result of the accomplishments earned by the MAAC and Siena in 1995, 2015, and 2018, the pair were also awarded a Men’s Basketball First and Second Rounds for the 2020 season, which was unfortunately cancelled due to COVID-19. Despite the cancellation in 2020, the NCAA championship will make its return to the Capital Region in 2023 and 2024 at the aforementioned MVP Arena, making Albany the destination that has hosted the second most NCAA Championships co-hosted by the MAAC. “The NCAA Tournaments have such nationwide interest, so to be able to bring an event with that level of popularity to the Capital Region speaks to the value of basketball in the area, the fanbase, and the overall community support of college basketball,” Siena College Vice President and Director of Athletics, John D'Argenio said. “To be able to have a national event with worldwide popularity in MVP Arena is exciting, and everyone in the Albany area comes together to be a great host.”

In addition to the plethora of men’s basketball NCAA events in downtown Buffalo, the MAAC has also merged with Canisius and Niagara for the pinnacle of Division I Men’s Ice Hockey, hosting both the 2003 and 2019 Frozen Fours (the equivalent to basketball’s final four). The 2003 national semifinals and championship totaled in-person viewership numbers of 55,745, selling out all three sessions. The total attendance was the second largest at the time since the late 1980’s and was the fourth highest attendance for the Frozen Four all-time to date. In 2019, the Frozen Four at KeyBank Center recorded a final attendance of 53,350. With a proven track record of successful NCAA Championships in Western New York, the MAAC, Canisius, Niagara, and KeyBank Center will look to add another sellout Men’s Basketball First and Second Rounds next week when they host the 2022 First and Second Rounds for the seventh time, and ninth overall NCAA Championship. “Our team here in Buffalo is among the most experienced in the country at hosting NCAA Championship Events as this is the 9 th NCAA Championship event at what is now the KeyBank Center,” Canisius Director of Athletics Bill Maher said. “Our history of hosting successful NCAA Championship events is a key reason the NCAA returns to Buffalo and why with WNY community embraces the event each time we are fortunate enough to host.” “Buffalo’s selection as the host of the 2022 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball First and Second Rounds is further proof of our destination's growing reputation as a premier city for college and amateur athletic events,” President & CEO of Visit Buffalo Niagara Patrick Kaler said. “This event will bring thousands of visitors to Western New York and generate a significant economic impact for our hotels and restaurants during a typically slower time of year. Each tournament we successfully host gives us more momentum to land additional first-rate athletic events in the future. I commend the MAAC and the local organization committee who was involved in bringing the tournament to our resurgent destination this year and in the future.”

MAAC also hosted the 2013 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Regional at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut alongside Fairfield University. HOW IT’S GOING As the collaborative partnership between the MAAC and NCAA continues to enhance, more hosting responsibilities have been granted to the conference. In 2020 the MAAC was awarded additional future NCAA hosting opportunities from 2022 through 2026. Coming up this year on March 17 th and 19 th , the MAAC, Canisius College, and Niagara University will host the aforementioned Men’s Basketball First and Second Rounds at KeyBank Center. On the future docket for the league are the 2023 Men’s Basketball First and Second Rounds and the 2024 Women’s Basketball Regionals, which will both take place at the MVP Arena with co-host Siena. For the third time, the MAAC will merge with the Ivy League to host the 2025 Women’s Rowing National Championships (Divisions I, II, and III) at Mercer Lake in West Windsor, NJ. Lastly, in 2026, the MAAC along with Canisius and Niagara will again serve as co-host for the Men’s Basketball First and Second Rounds at KeyBank Center. By having an excellent working relationship with various facilities, and a top reputation for hosting events, the MAAC has been awarded 24 total, past, present, and future NCAA Championships, a quantity that is sure to grow. The mutualistic relationship enhances the NCAA’s events and helps further the MAAC’s mission of nationwide recognition for hosting top notch events.

“Albany, New York has long been a huge college basketball championship market. The 1995 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball First & Second Rounds sold out in Albany before any other market in the country. The same thing occurred when we hosted the 2003 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball East Regional Championship,” General Manager of MVP Arena Bob Belber explained. “The 2023 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball First & Second Rounds returns to Albany. The NCAA Women’s Division I Basketball East Regional has been hosted numerous times with near sellout crowds and the MAAC Men’s & Women’s Basketball Championship Tournament has been hosted in Albany 19 times.” EXPANDING THE NCAA FOOTPRINT Although the MAAC’s track record of the NCAA events have been predominately men’s and women’s basketball, the conference has delved into a variety of other NCAA championships in locations outside of both Buffalo and Albany. Of the 18 total MAAC hosted NCAA events, the league has also run two NCAA Division I, II, & III Rowing Championships with the Ivy League at Lake Mercer in West Windsor, NJ in 2012 and 2017, the 2017 NCAA Division I Cross Country Northeast Regional at Van Cortlandt Park in Bronx, New York with Iona and Manhattan, and the 2011 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with Rider University. The MAAC and Rider also joined forces for a pair of NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournaments at Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton, NJ in 2006 (First and Second Rounds) and in 2009 (Regional). The 2006 event recorded the third highest attendance for the women's championship First & Second Rounds. The

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MAAC CHRONOLOGY

FALL 1980 WINTER & SPRING 1995 SUMMER 1988 WINTER 2017 2020 WINTER

The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference is founded. U.S. Military Academy, Fairfield University, Fordham University, Iona College, Manhattan College, and Saint Peter's College are the charter members, and will begin competition in the fall of 1981.

Richard Ensor becomes the third Commissioner of the MAAC, a post he continues to hold.

The NCAA Basketball Selection Committee shocks the country by selecting MAAC regular-season champion, Manhattan, as a #13 seed in the Southeast Region. Manhattan becomes the first MAAC team to receive an at-large bid. Manhattan would go on to defeat Oklahoma in the first round before falling to Arizona State.

Quinnipiac women’s basketball team makes historic Sweet Sixteen run in the 2017 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. The Bobcats became the second MAAC women’s basketball team to advance to the Sweet 16 since 2007.

The MAAC announced all MAAC men’s and women’s basketball games will be made available for international streaming. All MAAC games are currently broadcast to anybody within the continental United States, and select international markets, via ESPN3 and ESPN+. The announcement comes as part of the MAAC’s contractual agreement with SIDEARM Sports, the conference’s website provider.

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M A A C COMM I S S I O N E R

M A A C COMM I S S I O N E R

Richard J. Ensor, Esq. MAAC Commissioner

In 2017 the MAAC expanded it brand internationally with the launch of the Basketball Hall of Fame Belfast Classic in Northern Ireland. Manhattan College was the first MAAC team to participate in the MTE which was also the first regular season NCAA Division I basketball game ever played in Europe. The MAAC hosts with the BBHOF several basketball MTEs including the Mohegan Sun Classic and one- day events in Los Angeles, Phoenix, Miami, Toronto and Atlantic City. The Belfast Classic developed out of the MAAC’s partnership with the Sports Changes Life Foundation in Belfast. The primary goal of the Sport Changes Life Foundation is to provide an opportunity for raising the aspiration of young people on both sides of the Atlantic so that they can live out their dreams and guide them as sport changes their lives. The foundation mission is built on inspiration, hope and victory. SCL works in disadvantaged communities to help young people find a path to a brighter future with the help of international student-athletes, the Victory Scholars, many of whom have played men’s and women’s basketball in the MAAC. Building on its success in Europe, the newly reformulated partnership from Belfast, now named Inspirus, announced in 2020 that college basketball will make its debut in the Middle East in future years. A 1975 graduate of Saint Peter’s University, Ensor has served in many administrative capacities in college sports including positions at his alma mater, Saint Louis University and Seton Hall University. In 1982, Ensor was awarded a Master’s degree in sports management with honors from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. An attorney, Ensor graduated from Seton Hall University’s School of Law in 1987 and was admitted to the New Jersey Bar in June of that year. He has taught as an Assistant Professor in Sport Management at UMass, where his concentration was on sports marketing and sports law, and as an adjunct at Seton Hall School of Law. Ensor is a member of many professional associations, including the American Bar Association. In addition, Ensor is a member of sport-related associations such as the Sports Lawyers Association, the New Jersey Bar Association Sports Law Committee, the American Bar Association, Forum on the Entertainment and Sports Industries, Philadelphia Sports Congress, NACDA and the CAANJ. In 2017, Ensor was first elected Treasurer of the Sports Lawyer’s Association and his term was extended another three years in 2020. He has published in the areas of Sport Law, and Sport Marketing. In 1994 Ensor served as chair of the New Jersey Bar Association Sport Law Committee. A member of the Collegiate Commissioner’s Association (CCA), Ensor served as President of the association from 2007–09. He will serve as chair of the CCA DI Subdivision for 2019–21. Ensor has been involved in NCAA governance since 1999 when he began a four-year term on the NCAA Division I Management Council, a segment

academic image into its marketing campaign. The MAAC has carved a well-earned niche as an athletic conference that balances quality academics and athletics. In 2016, the MAAC announced a new 8 year agreement with ESPN which includes broadcasts annually on ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3 and ESPN+ including men’s and women’s basketball and championships from ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, FL. The deal also formalizes the launch of ESPN3 school production facilities at all MAAC schools which will produce upwards to 600 broadcasts a year by 2025–26. Ensor has long championed as association with ESPN’s brand and the MAAC assisted with the launch of ESPN+ in April 2018, as it had done previously with ESPNU and ESPN3. In 2019 the MAAC announced a new sponsorship sales representation 8-year agreement with Van Wagner Sports & Entertainment which will manage the multimedia rights and negotiate and execute corporate sponsorships on the Conference’s behalf. Van Wagner will work to enhance event-driven experiences for the Conference while creating a year-round brand presence for sponsors, member institutions and their fan bases through sponsorship sales, promotions, event production, broadcast rights and marketing initiatives. The MAAC, along with Walt Disney World Resorts, enters its 23 rd year of hosting MAAC Championships in Lake Buena Vista, FL. 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 new agreement continues 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. In conjunction with Disney Sports and ESPN the MAAC has co-hosted the ESPN Events Invitational (previously the Advocare/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 2021. The MAAC Men’s and Women’s Golf Championships are also held annually at Walt Disney World. The golf hosting agreement at Disney’s Magnolia Course was recently extended through the 2024 championships.

of the new national governing system for the intercollegiate sports association. He represented the CCA DI membership on the Council from 2017–19. Ensor had previously served on the previous CAA Council and in January 1996, he served as Chair of the Division I-AA NCAA Convention/Business Session. Since 2016 he has served on the NCAA Nominating Committee. He previously served on the Division I Championships Cabinet where he chaired the exempted events subcommittee. Ensor has also served on the NCAA Division IAA Governance Committee and on NCAA committees dealing with playing season exemptions, athletic certification, and the regulatory culture of the NCAA, governance restructuring and antitrust issues. Ensor was appointed in 1996 and 2003 to a one-year term as the chair of the IAA commissioners. From 1999–2003 he served Secretary/Treasurer of the Ice Hockey Collegiate Commissioners Association. In 2007 Ensor extended his involvement with national issues when he was appointed to a 5-year term on the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee. The committee is charged with annually selecting teams, seeding, bracketing and operating the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship including the Final Four. In 2019 Ensor completed a 2-year term as chair of the NCAA Division Women’s Basketball Oversight Committee, which is charged with guiding the governance of the sport within the association. His term was extended in September 2019 to a four-year extension on the committee. In September 2020, Ensor was named as a member of the NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions which is committed to preserving fairness and credibility within college sports. In 2001 Ensor was named by the American Football Foundation as its Commissioner of the Year and in 1999 he was presented a Distinzn 1998 was inducted into the Saint Peter’s University Hall of Fame. He also is a member of the Monsignor Donovan HS Hall of Fame. In 1996, the University of Massachusetts, Amherst Sport Management Program named Ensor as the recipient of the VanderZwaag Distinguished Alumnus Award. In 1989, the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities named Ensor as one of the “Leaders of Service” in its Bicentennial Series publication. In 1993, Ensor was honored by NACWA as a “Good Guy” for his efforts regarding gender equity. In 2004 Ensor received a Mousecar award from Walt Disney World for his efforts to make dreams happen for the MAAC’s student-athletes participating in championships at ESPN Wide World of Sports. In 2016, he was honored by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame for his leadership in basketball and contributions to the game. The WBCA has honored Ensor twice for his contributions to women’s basketball with the coach’s association’s Presidents Award in 2014 and as its Administrator of the Year in 2015. Ensor and his wife Deirdre, who are the parents of four children reside in Lanoka Harbor, NJ.

A proven leader in intercollegiate sports, event management and sport law for over three decades, Richard J. Ensor was named the third Commissioner of the Metro Atlanti c Athletic Conference in August 1988. Ensor has provided leadership through a national pandemic that shuttered sports in 2020 and through resulting financial and operational challenges as intercollegiate competition remerged in 2021 in an environment of bubbles, testing and arenas with no fans. In a period of continuing conference realignment in intercollegiate athletics, legal and equity challenges and a pending revision of the NCAA Constitution and Bylaws, Commissioner Ensor continues to provide the MAAC with strong guidance and advocacy for its interests within the NCAA. During his tenure the MAAC has secured a stable membership base, expanded the number of championships conducted and developed an extensive marketing program cemented with broadcast agreements with ESPN, a web paged hosted by SIDEARM Sports and secured championship venues such as Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall (Atlantic City, NJ) and Disney Sports Attractions. During a time of tumultuous realignment, health and financial challenges within NCAA Division I conferences the MAAC remains a homogenous association of private institutions of similar size and funding, which are committed to student-athlete excellence both on the playing fields and in the classroom. The MAAC’s graduation rate is yearly in the top 25% of all leagues and the MAAC regularly receives NCAA Public Recognition Awards for its member schools placing in the top 10% in the NCAA’s Academic Progress Rate for student-athletes. Ensor is a past member of the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee and past president of the Collegiate Commissioners Association (CCA). He serves on the boards of the Sports Lawyers Association, the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association, the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, Philadelphia Sports Congress, and NACDA’s IAAA ADs. He has served multiple terms on the NCAA DI Council and has served as chair of the Women’s Basketball Oversight Committee on which he will remain with a recent term renewal that concludes in 2023. Since 2017, Ensor has served on the Arizona State University Sports Law and Business Program National Advisory Board. In 2020, Ensor was named a member of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Board of Directors for a three-year term. The Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame honors those who have contributed to the sport of women’s basketball. The Hall of Fame opened in 1999 in Knoxville, Tennessee. It is the only facility of its kind dedicated to all levels of women’s basketball.

Under Ensor’s direction, the MAAC has focused efforts to showcase its member institutions in its annual men’s and women’s basketball championship. Since 1990 with the support of the MAAC Council of Presidents and the league’s athletic administrators and coaches the MAAC has held its premier event in state of the art playing facilities such as MVP Arena (former Times Union Center) in Albany, NY, and the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY. The MAAC announced in 2018 that Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ had been selected to host the 2020–22 MAAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships. The inaugural Hercules Tires MAAC Men’s & Women’s Basketball Championships in the world-famous venue was cut short when the COVID-19 Pandemic caused the cancellation of March Madness and all remaining college sports for the 2019-20 academic year. In 2021 the championships resumed competition, but the teams competed before limited audiences of friends and families as teams qualified for the NCAA that were conducted in single sites for all 64 or 68 teams in COVID-19 bubbles. The 2020 cancellation also ended the hosting of its inaugural coed Esports Championships in Atlantic City in the Adrian Phillips Theater, which is part of Boardwalk Hall. The MAAC did conduct the championships the following month for the following games online: League of Legends; Overwatch; Rocket League; and, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Marist College was the overall winner of the MAAC Esports Championships presented by New Jersey Army National Guard and was named the Program of the Year. MAAC champions will receive bids in the future to the national tournaments for the games under the MAAC’s membership in the Electronic Gaming Federation (EGF). Instrumental in the expansion of MAAC sports offerings to reflect the MAAC’s commitment to Division I membership and diversity, Ensor guided efforts within the MAAC beginning in 1992 to add women’s soccer, in 1996 men’s lacrosse, and in 1997 women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s indoor track and rowing. In 1998, the MAAC added outdoor track and field and women’s golf, and in 2002–03 it added women’s water polo. Esports was added in 2020. The league currently sponsors 23 sports and is awarded automatic or play- in bids to 15 NCAA championships [baseball, softball, tennis (m&w), golf (m&w), basketball (m&w), lacrosse (m&w), rowing (w), soccer (m&w) water polo (w), and volleyball (w)]. Additionally, MAAC men’s and women’s cross country have access to the NCAA championship through a regional qualifier race. Over half the MAAC sponsored sports now have direct access to NCAA Championships for the first time in the history of the conference. (Up from 13 sports and two automatic bids in 1988).

To award its fans, arena partners and membership, provide staff training and networking, the MAAC during Ensor’s tenure has been very aggressive in seeking out opportunities to host NCAA Championships in various sports. With member schools it has served as a co-host of the 1995, 2000, 2004, 2007 and 2010 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament First and Second Rounds at the Times Union Center and the KeyBank Center 2014 2 nd & 3 rd rounds, respectively, and the 2003 NCAA Men’s Basketball East Regional at the Albany, NY arena and the 2003 and 2019 NCAA Men’s Frozen Four at the Buffalo venue. Additionally, the MAAC co-hosted the 1998, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2016 NCAA Northeast Cross Country Regional at Van Cortlandt Park – Bronx, NY. In 2002, the MAAC was a co-host of the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championship at the Times Union Center, and it repeated as host in 2011 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA. The MAAC co-hosted the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament First and Second Rounds at the Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton, NJ in 2006 and then hosted the Trenton Regional at the same site in 2009. In 2013 the MAAC hosted the regional again, this time at the Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, CT, and in 2018 and 2019 it co-hosted the regional again at the Times Union Center in Albany, NY with Siena College. Upcoming hosting commitments include the 2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball First & Second Rounds at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY, which will be co-hosted with Canisius College and Niagara University. In 2020, the MAAC was awarded additional future NCAA hosting opportunities including the 2023 Men’s Basketball First and Second Rounds and the 2024 Women’s Basketball Regionals at the Times Union Center in Albany, NY which will be co-hosted with Siena College. The MAAC, alongside the Ivy League, was also selected to host the 2025 NCAA Women’s Rowing Championship Finals (Divisions I, II, and III) at Mercer Lake in West Windsor, NJ. In 2026, the MAAC along with Canisius College and Niagara University will host the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball First and Second Rounds at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY. Ensor, who spearheads the league’s marketing efforts, has sought to tie the conference’s strong

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T H E M A A C S T O RY

The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Story

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. 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 bylaws to launch an Esports League and Championships in 2020. The presidents approved Esports as an official MAAC co-ed club sport. The decision came 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. The 2020 Championships featured four games: League of Legends, Rocket League, Overwatch, and Super Smash Ultimate. The 2022 MAAC Esports Championship will take place at the Showboat Hotel in Atlantic City, March 10–12. 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, MVP Arena (former 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. The 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. The site was redesigned in the fall of 2021. 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 600 collegiate athletic events and shows on the ESPN family of networks. The MAAC President for the 2021–22 academic year is Rev. James J. Maher, President of Niagara University. The Vice-President is Judy D. Olian, Phd., President of Quinnipiac 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.

several future NCAA Championships. Along with Siena, the MAAC was chosen to host the 2020 Men’s Basketball First & Second Rounds at the Times Union Center in Albany, NY, which was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Alongside Canisius and Niagara, the MAAC will host the 2022 Men’s Basketball First & Second Rounds at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY. In 2020 the MAAC was awarded additional future NCAA hosting opportunities including the 2023 Men’s Basketball First and Second Rounds and the 2024 Women’s Basketball Regionals at the Times Union Center in Albany, NY which will be co-hosted with Siena College. The MAAC, alongside the Ivy League, was also selected to host the 2025 Women’s Rowing Championship Finals (Divisions I, II, and III) at Mercer Lake in West Windsor, NJ. In 2026, the MAAC along with Canisius College and Niagara University will host the Men’s Basketball First and Second Rounds at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY. In March 2018 the MAAC hosted the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Albany Regional with Siena College for the second time since 2015 at the Times Union Center in Albany, NY. The Albany Regional was the highest attended site out of the four regions with over 20,000 fans in attendance over the two days of competition. During the 2016–17 academic year, the MAAC hosted the NCAA Division I Cross Country Northeast Regional at Van Cortlandt Park with Iona and Manhattan, the 2017 NCAA Men’s Basketball First & Second Rounds at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY with Canisius and Niagara, which marked the fifth time that all three parties partnered for this same event (2004, 2007, 2010, and 2014), and the 2017 NCAA Division I, II, & III Rowing Championships with the Ivy League at Lake Mercer in West Windsor, NJ. The MAAC, Canisius, and Niagara successfully hosted the 2014 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Second and Third Rounds at the First Niagara Center in Buffalo, NY. The MAAC and Fairfield hosted the 2013 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Regional at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, CT. The MAAC and Rider co-hosted the 2012 NCAA Rowing Championships at Lake Mercer in West Windsor, NJ and also co-hosted the 2011 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA. The MAAC and Rider co-hosted the 2009 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship Regional at the Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton, NJ, after recording the third highest attendance figure for the women’s championship with the First & Second Rounds in 2006. 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 announced the second annual Basketball Hall of Fame Belfast Classic to be held November 29–December 1. The 2018 event 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 shipyard of Belfast. Marist 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

With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 41 st year of competition during the 2021–22 academic year. The MAAC was founded in 1980 by six charter members: the U.S. Military Academy, Fairfield University, Fordham University, Iona College, Manhattan College, and Saint Peter’s College. Competition followed one year later in the fall of 1981 with members competing in the sports of Men’s Cross Country and Men’s Soccer. On January 2, 1982, Army traveled to Iona for the first MAAC Men’s Basketball game and the MAAC story had begun. Current Conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College. The MAAC supports 24 sports and championships during the 2021–22 academic year; in addition, the MAAC champion earns automatic qualification to the NCAA Championship in 15 sports. In addition, associate members include St. Bonaventure University in Men’s Lacrosse. La Salle University, Long Island University, St. Francis Brooklyn, Villanova University, Virginia Military Institute, and Wagner College in Water Polo. Drake University, Jacksonville University, Robert Morris University, Sacred Heart University, and Stetson University compete in Women’s Rowing. La Salle University, the University at Albany, University of Dayton, and the University of Hartford are members in Women’s Golf. On June 1, 2018, the MAAC announced that the Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ was selected to host the 2020–22 MAAC Men’s & Women’s Basketball Championships. The MAAC Council of Presidents unanimously accepted the facility’s bid to host the championships at their May 30 th meeting in New York City. Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall will host the MAAC Basketball Championships for the first time in history and the Championships will return to the state of New Jersey for the first time since 2003, when they were played at Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton. A total of nine MAAC Men’s Basketball Championships and five Women’s Basketball Championships have been held in New Jersey, including the inaugural event in 1982 at what was the Meadowlands Arena in East Rutherford. In response to the growing COVID-19 pandemic, the MAAC canceled the 2020 Hercules Tires MAAC Basketball Championships that were being held in Atlantic City, New Jersey, midway through the third day of competition. This was the first time the championships were ever canceled. The last game of the season and championship had the Fairfield women’s basketball team defeat Siena 72-56 in the quarterfinals. The NCAA also cancelled the Division I 2020 Men’s and Women’s Championships and later all spring sports as college sports reacted to the health threats posed by the pandemic to its student-athletes, coaches, and fans. In 2021, the championships returned to Atlantic City as the first event hosted at the arena since the MAAC shutdown operations in 2020. The teams competed in a restricted manner that included daily PCR COVID-19 testing, practices hosted across town at the Atlantic City Convention Center, and with limited attendance by friends of families who were seated in upper levels of Boardwalk Hall. In year of limited competition, the Iona College men and the Marist College women captured the championship trophies and moved on to 68 and 64 team fields hosted in Indianapolis and San Antonio within strict bubble environments. By having an excellent working relationship with various facilities, and a top reputation for hosting events, the MAAC has been able to be awarded

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