Mount up to the MAAC

Mount St. Mary’s Joins the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference

By Donna Klinger

MEN’S LACROSSE HEAD COACH TOM GRAVANTE has a leg up on his Mount coaching colleagues for the 2022-23 athletic season, which will be the university’s first year as a member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). The men’s lacrosse team, which Gravante has led since 1995, played as an affiliate member of the MAAC from 1997 to 2010.

During that time, the team went 91-28 and captured the MAAC Championship in 2003 and 2010. Gravante was named MAAC Coach of the Year in 1997, 1999, 2003 and 2010. Josh Warfield, C’03, who was the 2001 MAAC Tournament Most Valuable Player and was named to the First Team All-MAAC in 2002 and 2003, is in the Mount’s Athletic Hall of Fame, as is Matt Warner, C’06, who was First-Team All-MAAC in 2005 and 2006 and was named to the MAAC All-Tournament Team in 2003 and 2005. Andrew Scalley, C’13, was MAAC Tournament MVP in 2010.

“My staff and I are excited about returning to the MAAC as a full member and a new beginning to compete for a conference championship and trip to the NCAA tournament," Gravante exclaims. “The MAAC teams are very similar in university size, athletic support, and Catholic Identity, which helps our recruiting efforts. We are also very excited about our MAAC relationship with ESPN, that will carry our game coverage and help market our university and program. The future is bright!"

Effective July 1, 2022, the Mount will compete in the MAAC for men's and women's soccer, cross country, golf, tennis, swimming & diving, basketball, track & field, and lacrosse, as well as softball, baseball and woman's water polo. Men's water polo (Mid-Atlantic Water Polo) and women's rugby (NIRA) retain their current membership in their conferences. Bowling is not sponsored by the MAAC, and an announcement on a conference realignment for that sport is forthcoming.

“In joining the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, the Mount gains the opportunity to compete with some of the finest Catholic colleges in the Northeast, elevating the university's brand as well as the level of competition for our nearly 600 student-athletes and coaches," says President Timothy E. Trainor, Ph.D. “I expect basketball games on the Jim Phelan Court to draw even larger crowds and be louder than ever as we face off against excellent competition."

“The MAAC membership has sought to maintain a brand that stresses excellence in academics and athletics and Mount St. Mary's fully meets those criteria," says MAAC Commissioner Rich Ensor. “I want to thank Dr. Timothy Trainor, president of Mount St. Mary's, and Director of Athletics Lynne Robinson, for their interest in the MAAC and hard work throughout the process. I also want to welcome the Mountaineers coaches, student-athletes and staff to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference."

“I'm especially happy that the move to the MAAC puts us with universities that are aligned with our mission, values, and academic standing," shares Mount St. Mary's Board Chair Gracelyn McDermott, C'92. “The MAAC, like Mount St. Mary's, is bound by the principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics."

“We are honored to join this group of outstanding universities who all have strong traditions and proven commitment to academic excellence and student-athlete success," says Director of Athletics Lynne Robinson, C’79, MBA’83. “Joining the MAAC will no doubt energize the entire Mount community and enhance the experience of our student athletes. We are eager to build upon our strong foundation of academic and athletic success, as we begin this new chapter for Mount Athletics."

The transition also marks the conclusion of a successful run for the Mount as members of the Northeast Conference. Along the journey of a 33-year partnership with the NEC were 50 championship teams, including seven from women's tennis, six from men's cross country and men's basketball, five from women's basketball and women's outdoor track & field, and four from women’s lacrosse.

“As a proud member of the Northeast Conference for many years, we are grateful for the growth the NEC helped facilitate in our athletic programs," President Trainor remarks. “We thank Commissioner Noreen Morris and the NEC board for their leadership."

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 officially began the next year, in the sports of men's cross country and men's soccer.

Schools encompassing the MAAC hail from three states— New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Teams reside in and around the New York, Philadelphia and Buffalo metro areas with a pair of teams in the Hudson River Valley. There are a host of associate members as well, mostly for women's water polo, men's lacrosse and rowing.

As of July 1, conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Mount St. Mary's University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter's University, and Siena College.