The Metro Conference, formerly known as the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) from 1980 to 2026, is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division I. Its current 13 full members are located in five Northeastern states: Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York.

Members are all relatively small private institutions, a majority Catholic or formerly Catholic, with the only exceptions being two secular institutions: Rider University and Quinnipiac University.

The Metro 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 Metro 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 the Atlantic Hockey Association (now Atlantic Hockey America after its 2024 merger with College Hockey America). 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 2011, the conference launched 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. Field hockey was added for 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.

In 2022, Monmouth left the MAAC to join the Colonial Athletic Association, now known as the Coastal 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 eventual national runner-up No. 8 North Carolina. Mount St. Mary's would be confirmed as Monmouth's replacement on May 2.

Also in 2022, four schools that were already MAAC affiliates added men's lacrosse to their MAAC memberships. All were full members of conferences that dropped the sport following the addition of men's lacrosse by the Atlantic 10 Conference. LIU, Sacred Heart, and Wagner are members of the Northeast Conference (now officially NEC), and VMI is a member of the Southern Conference. LIU is the only one of the four that had not previously housed men's lacrosse in the MAAC.

Merrimack College and Sacred Heart University joined the conference for the 2024-25 season.

Athletic and academic success 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. During the 2022 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, the Saint Peter's Peacocks became the first 15 seed to reach the Elite Eight. With an overall record of 22–12, Saint Peter's had the best NCAA postseason run with the most wins in a single NCAA Tournament by any MAAC program (men or women) in the conference's 41-year history. 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.

2023–present: New leadership; rebranding to the Metro On August 17, 2022, MAAC commissioner Rich Ensor announced his intent to retire after the 2022–23 season after serving in the role since 1988. On February 7, 2023, the MAAC announced that Travis Tellitocci, previously with the Ohio Valley Conference as its assistant commissioner for football, basketball and officiating, would replace Ensor as just the fourth commissioner in MAAC history.

On May 28, 2026, the MAAC announced its intention to rebrand to The Metro Conference, effective July 1, 2026, in an effort to eliminate confusion with the Mid-American Conference's acronym.

Member institutions Current Current full members The Metro currently has thirteen full member institutions; all are private schools. Of these, all but Quinnipiac, Rider, and Marist are Catholic, though Marist is formerly Catholic.

Institution Location Founded Type Enrollment Endowment Nickname Joined Colors Canisius University Buffalo, New York 1870 Catholic 3,244 $133.9 Golden Griffins 1989 Fairfield University Fairfield, Connecticut 1942 Catholic 5,273 $502.7 Stags 1981 Iona University New Rochelle, New York 1940 Catholic 3,926 $143.7 Gaels 1981 Manhattan University Riverdale, New York 1853 Catholic 4,132 $100.6 Jaspers &Lady Jaspers 1981 Marist University Poughkeepsie, New York 1929 Nonsectarian 6,624 $408.0 Red Foxes 1997 Merrimack College North Andover, Massachusetts 1947 Catholic 5,700 $97.4 Warriors 2024 Mount St. Mary's University Emmitsburg, Maryland 1808 Catholic 1,889 $47.605 Mountaineers 2022 Niagara University Lewiston, New York 1856 Catholic 3,765 $102.4 Purple Eagles 1989 Quinnipiac University Hamden, Connecticut 1929 Nonsectarian 10,207 $753.872 Bobcats 2013 Rider University Lawrenceville, New Jersey 1865 Nonsectarian 4,825 $64.3 Broncs 1997 Sacred Heart University Fairfield, Connecticut 1963 Catholic 5,974 $246.0 Pioneers 2024 Saint Peter's University Jersey City, New Jersey 1872 Catholic 3,452 $43.6 Peacocks 1981 Siena University Loudonville, New York 1937 Catholic 3,224 $135.3 Saints 1989

Notes

Current associate members Of the Metro's ten current affiliate members, only two are Catholic. Drake, Jacksonville, LIU, Robert Morris, and Stetson are nonsectarian and Wagner College is Lutheran. There are also two public institutions, the University at Albany and the Virginia Military Institute.

Institution Location Founded Type Enrollment Nickname Joined Metrosport(s) Primaryconference Albany, New York 1844 Public 17,944 Great Danes 2009 America East (AmEast) Drake University Des Moines, Iowa 1881 Nonsectarian 4,869 Bulldogs 2009 Missouri Valley (MVC) Jacksonville University Jacksonville, Florida 1934 Nonsectarian 4,213 Dolphins 2011 Atlantic Sun (ASUN) La Salle University Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1863 Catholic 5,191 Explorers 2016 Atlantic 10 (A10) Long Island University Brooklyn & Brookville, New York 1926 Nonsectarian 15,197 Sharks 2019 Northeast (NEC) 2022 Robert Morris University Moon Township, Pennsylvania 1921 Nonsectarian 4,895 Colonials 2010 Horizon Stetson University DeLand, Florida 1883 Nonsectarian 4,341 Hatters 2013 Atlantic Sun (ASUN) Villanova University Villanova, Pennsylvania 1842 Catholic 11,023 Wildcats 2003 Big East Virginia Military Institute Lexington, Virginia 1839 S.M.C. 1,685 Keydets 2011 Southern (SoCon) Wagner College Staten Island, New York 1883 Lutheran ELCA 2,211 Seahawks 2003 Northeast (NEC)

Notes

Former Former full members Institution Location Founded Type Nickname Joined Left Colors Currentconference West Point, New York 1802 Federal Black Knights 1981 1990 Patriot Fordham University Bronx, New York 1841 Catholic Rams 1981 1990 Atlantic 10 (A10) Worcester, Massachusetts 1843 Catholic Crusaders 1983 1990 Patriot La Salle University Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1863 Catholic Explorers 1983 1992 Atlantic 10 (A10) Loyola University Maryland Baltimore, Maryland 1852 Catholic Greyhounds 1989 2013 Patriot Monmouth University West Long Branch, New Jersey 1933 Nonsectarian Hawks 2013 2022 Coastal (CAA)

Notes

Former associate members