Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC, ) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division I, consisting of eleven schools located in three states of the northeastern United States: Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York. Members are all relatively small private institutions, a majority Catholic or formerly Catholic, with the only exceptions being three secular institutions: Rider University and the conference's two newest members, Monmouth University and Quinnipiac University. The MAAC currently sponsors 25 sports and has 17 associate member institutions. History. The conference 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 officially began the next year, in the sports of men’s cross-country and men’s soccer. Competition in men's and women's basketball began in the 1981–1982 season. In 1982, Saint Peter's was the first women's team to represent the MAAC in the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament. In 1984, the MAAC received an automatic bid to the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, where Iona was the first team to represent the MAAC on the men's side. The conference currently  possesses 15 automatic bids to NCAA Championships. In 2012–13, the MAAC became eligible for its 15th NCAA Championship automatic bid when women's rowing fulfilled the qualifying requirements. The league added football in 1993, but discontinued it following the 2007 season. From 1997 to 2003, the MAAC sponsored ice hockey. At that time, the hockey league split from the MAAC and changed its name to Atlantic Hockey. Also, Marist College and Rider University moved the majority of their intercollegiate athletic programs to the MAAC in 1997 with the intent that the MAAC would enhance media exposure and competition for their  men's and women's Division I basketball programs. In September 2011, the conference announced the launch of MAAC.TV, the league's first broadband network. In March 2012, for the first time in 16 years, the MAAC had two teams advance to the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament, with Loyola earning the league's automatic bid and Iona garnering an at-large bid. In July 2013, Quinnipiac University and Monmouth University joined the MAAC to replace Loyola University Maryland, departing to the Patriot League. Also in 2013, the MAAC announced that it would add field hockey with league  play set to begin in the 2013–14 academic year. However, field hockey was dropped after the 2018 season. The MAAC field hockey league was effectively taken over by the Northeast Conference (NEC), which reinstated the sport the following year. The conference decided to no longer host a conference championship for men's rowing after the 2016 season, which is governed by the Intercollegiate Rowing Association. On January 25, 2022, Monmouth announced it was leaving the MAAC after the 2021–22 school year to join the Colonial Athletic Association. The MAAC responded by entering into negotiations with Mount St. Mary's University , a full but non-football NEC member. ESPN reported on April 27, 2022 that the addition of Mount St. Mary's for 2022–23 and beyond would be finalized in early May. The last of these developments came shortly after the MAAC's greatest success in men's basketball, when Saint Peter's became the first 15-seed ever to reach an NCAA regional final, losing there to North Carolina. Over the conference's history, MAAC teams have achieved national acclaim in many sports. In the summer of 2002, the Marist men's varsity eight boat advanced to the semifinals of  the Temple Challenge Cup at the Henley Royal Regatta. In 2007, the Marist women's basketball team advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament. The Red Foxes have recorded five NCAA wins since their run in 2007. In the fall of 2011, the Iona men's cross country team finished tied for ninth place at the NCAA Championship race, extending the Gaels' streak to 10 straight Top 10 national finishes. In basketball, MAAC teams have made a total of 80 NIT appearances and 50 NCAA basketball tournament appearances. Notable MAAC student athletes include  Mary Beth Riley, a 1991 graduate of Canisius, who was the first recipient of the NCAA Woman of the Year Award and Erin Whalen, a member of the Iona women's rowing team who in the fall of 1998 was awarded one of the nation's 32 Rhodes Scholarships for academic achievement and civic leadership. Member institutions. Current. Full. The MAAC has eleven member institutions. Departing members are in red. Associate. Departing members are in red. Sports. The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference sponsors championship competition in 10 men's and 13 women's NCAA sanctioned sports, plus two sports not  organized by the NCAA—esports, which are fully coeducational, and men's rowing. Men's. Departing member Monmouth in pink. Women's. Departing member Monmouth in pink. Facilities. Departing member Monmouth in pink. Basketball. Men's. NCAA tournament at-large bids. In 2012, Iona, who was inspired by one of their all around best players Sean Armand, which had lost in the semifinals of that year's MAAC tournament, received an NCAA at-large tournament bid. This was the second time the conference was awarded multiple men's NCAA bids. After St. Peter’s won the 1995 MAAC tournament, the  NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament selection committee awarded Manhattan College an at large bid. The Jaspers proved the committee correct by defeating Oklahoma in the first round. The same first-round success Manhattan enjoyed in the 1995 NCAA tournament could not be matched by Iona. In the 2012 NCAAs, the Gaels unexpectedly relinquished a 25-point, first-half lead to the BYU Cougars, falling 78–72 in Dayton, Ohio. Further, Iona's offense, the highest-scoring (per game) in the nation, managed just 17 points in the second half of that upset. It was the largest comeback in NCAA tournament history , besting the 22-point hole the Duke Blue Devils rallied from to defeat the Maryland Terrapins in the Final Four of the 2001 NCAA Tournament. Soccer. Men's. ^ Tournament delayed until April 2021 due to Covid Women's. ^ Tournament delayed until April 2021 due to Covid Football. The MAAC Football League was formed before the 1993 season, but it was discontinued following the 2007 season. At its peak in 1997, it consisted of 10 teams: Notable sports figures. Some of the notable sport figures who played collegiately and/or graduated from a MAAC school, include: Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference