MAAC Statement on Winter Sports Competition
MAAC Statement on Winter Sports Competition
EDISON, N.J. (Dec. 1, 2020) – The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) announced today the postponement of the 2021 Swimming and Diving Championships and the cancellation of the 2021 Indoor Track and Field Championships. The decision comes following today’s Council of Presidents meeting, with the driving force behind these choices being the health, safety and well-being of the conference’s student-athletes.
“The MAAC membership looked at various options for indoor track and regrettably saw no viable option under the current circumstances presented by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said MAAC Commissioner Rich Ensor. “The conference plans to conduct its rescheduled Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Championships in March and, combined with the outdoor track season, there seemed adequate competition options for the impacted student-athletes.”
“The postponement of the Swimming and Diving Championships provides the coaches and student-athletes the opportunity to properly train for their events. MAAC administrators and the sport committee will study competition models for April dates while awaiting further guidance on venue restrictions that arise from the pandemic and state and local health regulations.”
The MAAC and its member institutions will shift focus and work to reschedule the 2021 MAAC Swimming and Diving Championships for this spring. The decision to postpone the championships stems from health and safety measures put in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic that the conference is unable to logistically overcome while also providing student-athletes with top-level championships they have come to know and deserve.
In lieu of the 2020-21 indoor track and field season, the conference will also shift focus to supplying student-athletes with a rescheduled 2020 Cross Country Championship and a 2021 Outdoor Track and Field Championship, both conducted in safe environments that follow strict state and local regulations. The 2020 Cross Country Championships were previously postponed this summer in the MAAC’s
Statement on Fall Sports Competition.
It is the goal of the MAAC to ensure it recognizes a conference champion in each sport while also providing a first-class experience for its student-athletes and fans. As previously stated this summer, the MAAC Council of Presidents has pledged full advocacy on behalf of its student-athletes to work with the NCAA in the pursuit of any waivers that preserve lost opportunities because of COVID-19 disruptions.
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Council of Presidents
Rev. James J. Maher, C.M., Niagara University (MAAC President)
Patrick F. Leahy, Ed.D., Monmouth University (MAAC Vice President)
John J. Hurley, J.D. Canisius College
Mark R. Nemec, Ph.D., Fairfield University
Seamus Carey, Ph.D., Iona College
Brennan O’Donnell, Ph.D., Manhattan College
Dennis J. Murray, Ph.D., Marist College
Judy D. Olian, Ph.D., Quinnipiac University
Gregory G. Dell’Omo, Ph.D., Rider University
Eugene J. Cornacchia, Ph.D., Saint Peter’s University
Christopher P. Gibson ‘86, Ph.D., Siena College
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
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) celebrates its 40
th year of competition during the 2020-21 academic year. 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.