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The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC, ) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated in NCAA Division I, consisting of eleven schools coming from three states of the northeastern United States: Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York. The members are all relatively small private institutions, many of them Catholic or formerly Catholic, the only exceptions being three private but secular institutions: Rider University and the conference's two newest members, Monmouth and Quinnipiac Universities. The conference headquarters is located in Edison, New Jersey. The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference sponsors 22 sports and has many associate member institutions. Richard J. Ensor is the commissioner of the MAAC, a post he has held since 1988. ==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 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. In 1982, Saint Peter's was the first women's basketball team to represent the MAAC in the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament. The conference currently possesses 15 automatic bids to NCAA Championships.〔 In 2012–13, the MAAC became eligible for its 15th NCAA Championship when Women's Rowing fulfilled qualifying requirements.〔 The league added football in 1993, discontinuing 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 in 1997, Marist College and Rider University moved the majority of their intercollegiate athletic programs to the MAAC with the intent the MAAC would enhance media exposure and competition to their men's and women's Division I basketball programs.〔http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1957&dat=19950627&id=QHk1AAAAIBAJ&sjid=0-AFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4189,6306499〕 In September 2011, the conference announced the launch of MAAC.TV, the league's first broadband network. The MAAC is also in the midst of a three-year agreement to have their March men's and women's basketball conference tournaments held at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Massachusetts.〔http://www.maristcircle.com/mobile/news/maac-tournament-finds-neutral-court-in-mass-1.2800820〕 In March 2012, for the first time in 16 years, the MAAC had two teams advance to the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship, 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, which departed to join the Patriot League. Also in 2013 the MAAC announced that it would add field hockey as its 25th sport with league play beginning in the 2013-14 academic year. Over the conference's history MAAC teams have achieved national and international 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 Women's Division I Basketball Championship. 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, extended 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.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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