MAAC_Program_2025_V4_Pages

THE MAAC STORY

The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Story

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 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.

With 13 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 44th year of competition during the 2024-25 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 University, Fairfield University, Iona University, Manhattan University, Marist University, Merrimack College, Mount St. Mary's University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Sacred Heart University, Saint Peter's University, and Siena College. With 13 member schools, the conference is the largest in its 44 year history. The MAAC supports 24 sports and championships during the 2024-25 academic year; in addition, the MAAC champion earns automatic qualification to the NCAA Championship in 15 sports. In addition, associate members include Long Island University, Virginia Military Institute, and Wagner College in Men's Lacrosse. La Salle University, Long Island University, Villanova University, Virginia Military Institute, and Wagner College in Women's Water Polo. Drake University, Jacksonville University, Long Island University, Robert Morris University, and Stetson University compete in Women's Rowing. The University at Albany, is a member in Women's Golf. On June 1, 2018, the MAAC announced that 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 30th meeting in New York City. In 2020, Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall hosted the MAAC Basketball Championships (ended abruptly due to COVID-19) for the first time in history and the Championships returned 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 ten MAAC Men's Basketball Championships and six 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 2022, the MAAC returned to Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall, successfully completing the championships with no COVID limitations for the first time since moving to Atlantic City. Saint Peter's men and Fairfield women captured the championship trophies and moved on to the NCAA March Madness field of 68. Saint Peter's would go on to become Cinderella of the tournament, making MAAC and NCAA history along the way. A No. 15 seed, Saint Peter's became the first MAAC program (men or women) to advance to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight, defeating No. 2 Kentucky (85-79 OT), No. 7 Murray St. (70-60), and No. 3 Purdue (67-64). The Peacocks were also the first ever 15 seed in NCAA history to advance to the Elite Eight. On March 6, 2023 the MAAC announced that Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall will remain as the host site for the 2024-26 men's and women's basketball Championships. The three-year extension will afford the conference the right to host its annual basketball championships at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in 2024, 2025, and 2026. By having an excellent working relationship with various facilities, and a top reputation for hosting events, the MAAC has been able to be awarded several future NCAA Championships. Alongside Canisius and Niagara, the MAAC successfully hosted the 2022 Men's Basketball First & Second Rounds at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY. The MAAC and Siena College hosted the 2023 Men's Basketball First and Second Rounds and are set to host the 2024 Women's Basketball Regionals at the Times Union Center in Albany, NY. The MAAC, alongside the Ivy League, was also selected to host the 2025 Women's Rowing Championship Finals (Divisions I, II,

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JIM WHELAN BOARDWALK HALL | ATLANTIC CITY