Middle Atlantic Corporation
Encyclopedia
Founded in 1912, the Middle Atlantic Conferences (MAC) is an umbrella organization of three athletic conferences which competes in the NCAA
's Division III. The 16-member teams are located in the Mid-Atlantic United States
.
The organization is divided into two main conferences: the Commonwealth Conference and the Freedom Conference. A third conference — named the Middle Atlantic Conference — combines members from both conferences and is used for certain sports that only a smaller set of members participate in.
in May 1913. In 1922, it was reorganized as the Middle Atlantic States Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC or MAC). The original 13 members present at the formation meeting in 1922 were: Bucknell University
, Drexel University
, Franklin & Marshall College
, Gettysburg College
, Haverford College
, Muhlenberg College
, New York University
, Princeton University
, Rutgers University
, Stevens Institute of Technology
, Susquehanna University
, Swarthmore College
and University of Delaware
. In addition, another five members who were not present at the initial meeting but formally approved of the plan were: Columbia University
, Johns Hopkins University
, Lehigh University
, Ursinus College
and Widener University
.
Throughout its history, the organization has had at least 50 different members associated with it. The conference had as many as 37 members at one time in the late 1950s. A major reduction in the league occurred in 1974 after the NCAA
created Divisions I, II, and III. At that time, 11 members left to form the Division I East Coast Conference
and by 1976, the MAC became fully associated with Division III. An additional 11 members left in 1992 to form the Centennial Conference
; the football programs for eight of those schools had already left in 1981. In 1999, the current corporation formed with its three conferences: Commonwealth, Freedom and Middle Atlantic.
In May 2006, the organization offered membership to Arcadia University
and Manhattanville College
as part of the Freedom Conference. They replaced Juniata College
, Drew University
, Moravian College
, Susquehanna University, and the University of Scranton
, who left to join the new Landmark Conference
. To offset the change in numbers, it was also decided to switch Lycoming College
from the Freedom to the Commonwealth Conference.
In 2007, Alvernia University, Misericordia University, and Eastern University, all from the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference, accepted membership in the Freedom Conference and started participation in the 2008–09 school year. Starting in the 2009–10 school year, Alvernia switched from the Freedom to the Commonwealth Conference to balance both conferences with eight teams each. Stevenson University and Hood College
accepted invitations to join the MAC and Commonwealth starting in July 2012 expanding the conference to 18 members.
In 1983, the Centennial Football League was formed between 8 MAC members. Eventually, those 8 schools and two others broke apart from the MAC for all sports, founding the Centennial Conference
. Since the Centennial Conference break in 1991, all league members that sponsor football have competed in the MAC Football Conference.
* Conference records prior to 1946 are incomplete so years given are the earliest known that were officially recorded
* Conference records prior to 1946 are incomplete so years given are the earliest known that were officially recorded
† Associate member in track and field only
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
's Division III. The 16-member teams are located in the Mid-Atlantic United States
Mid-Atlantic States
The Mid-Atlantic states, also called middle Atlantic states or simply the mid Atlantic, form a region of the United States generally located between New England and the South...
.
The organization is divided into two main conferences: the Commonwealth Conference and the Freedom Conference. A third conference — named the Middle Atlantic Conference — combines members from both conferences and is used for certain sports that only a smaller set of members participate in.
History
In 1912, the Middle Atlantic States Collegiate Athletics Association (MASCAA) was founded primarily as a track association and had its first event, a track meeting, at Lafayette CollegeLafayette College
Lafayette College is a private coeducational liberal arts and engineering college located in Easton, Pennsylvania, USA. The school, founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter,son of General Andrew Porter of Norristown and citizens of Easton, first began holding classes in 1832...
in May 1913. In 1922, it was reorganized as the Middle Atlantic States Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC or MAC). The original 13 members present at the formation meeting in 1922 were: Bucknell University
Bucknell University
Bucknell University is a private liberal arts university located alongside the West Branch Susquehanna River in the rolling countryside of Central Pennsylvania in the town of Lewisburg, 30 miles southeast of Williamsport and 60 miles north of Harrisburg. The university consists of the College of...
, Drexel University
Drexel University
Drexel University is a private research university with the main campus located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. It was founded in 1891 by Anthony J. Drexel, a noted financier and philanthropist. Drexel offers 70 full-time undergraduate programs and accelerated degrees...
, Franklin & Marshall College
Franklin & Marshall College
Franklin & Marshall College is a four-year private co-educational residential national liberal arts college in the Northwest Corridor neighborhood of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, United States....
, Gettysburg College
Gettysburg College
Gettysburg College is a private four-year liberal arts college founded in 1832, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, United States, adjacent to the famous battlefield. Its athletic teams are nicknamed the Bullets. Gettysburg College has about 2,700 students, with roughly equal numbers of men and women...
, Haverford College
Haverford College
Haverford College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Haverford, Pennsylvania, United States, a suburb of Philadelphia...
, Muhlenberg College
Muhlenberg College
Muhlenberg College is a private liberal arts college located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1848, Muhlenberg is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and is named for Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, the patriarch of the Lutheran Church in America.- History...
, New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
, Stevens Institute of Technology
Stevens Institute of Technology
Stevens Institute of Technology is a technological university located on a campus in Hoboken, New Jersey, USA – founded in 1870 with an 1868 bequest from Edwin A. Stevens. It is known for its engineering, science, and technological management curricula.The institute has produced leading...
, Susquehanna University
Susquehanna University
Susquehanna University is a liberal arts college in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, United States, north of the state capital, Harrisburg.-Academics:...
, Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College is a private, independent, liberal arts college in the United States with an enrollment of about 1,500 students. The college is located in the borough of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, 11 miles southwest of Philadelphia....
and University of Delaware
University of Delaware
The university is organized into seven colleges:* College of Agriculture and Natural Resources* College of Arts and Sciences* Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics* College of Earth, Ocean and Environment* College of Education and Human Development...
. In addition, another five members who were not present at the initial meeting but formally approved of the plan were: Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
, Lehigh University
Lehigh University
Lehigh University is a private, co-educational university located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the United States. It was established in 1865 by Asa Packer as a four-year technical school, but has grown to include studies in a wide variety of disciplines...
, Ursinus College
Ursinus College
Ursinus College is a liberal arts college in Collegeville, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.-History:1867Members of the German Reformed Church begin plans to establish a college where "young men could be liberally educated under the benign influence of Christianity." These founders were hoping to...
and Widener University
Widener University
Widener University is a private, coeducational university located in Chester, Pennsylvania.Its main campus sits on 108 acres , just southwest of Philadelphia...
.
Throughout its history, the organization has had at least 50 different members associated with it. The conference had as many as 37 members at one time in the late 1950s. A major reduction in the league occurred in 1974 after the NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
created Divisions I, II, and III. At that time, 11 members left to form the Division I East Coast Conference
East Coast Conference (Division I)
The East Coast Conference was an NCAA Division I college athletic conference. It was founded as the university division of the Middle Atlantic Conference in 1958. The MAC consisted of over 30 teams at this time, making it impossible to organize a full conference schedule in sports like football,...
and by 1976, the MAC became fully associated with Division III. An additional 11 members left in 1992 to form the Centennial Conference
Centennial Conference
The Centennial Conference is an athletic conference which competes in the NCAA's Division III. Member teams are located in Maryland and Pennsylvania....
; the football programs for eight of those schools had already left in 1981. In 1999, the current corporation formed with its three conferences: Commonwealth, Freedom and Middle Atlantic.
In May 2006, the organization offered membership to Arcadia University
Arcadia University
Arcadia University is a private university located in Glenside, Pennsylvania, on the outskirts of Philadelphia. A master's university by Carnegie Classification, the university has a co-educational student population of more than 4,000. The university was ranked 25th in the master's universities in...
and Manhattanville College
Manhattanville College
Manhattanville College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college offering undergraduate and graduate degrees, located in Purchase, New York. Founded in 1841 it was known initially as Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart...
as part of the Freedom Conference. They replaced Juniata College
Juniata College
Juniata College is a private liberal arts college located in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. It is named after the Juniata River — one of the principal tributaries of the Susquehanna River. In 1876 it became the first college founded by the Church of the Brethren and has been co-educational since...
, Drew University
Drew University
Drew University is a private university located in Madison, New Jersey.Originally established as the Drew Theological Seminary in 1867, the university later expanded to include an undergraduate liberal arts college in 1928 and commenced a program of graduate studies in 1955...
, Moravian College
Moravian College
Moravian College a private liberal arts college, and the associated Moravian Theological Seminary are located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States, in the Lehigh Valley region.-History:...
, Susquehanna University, and the University of Scranton
University of Scranton
The University of Scranton is a private, co-educational Catholic and Jesuit university, located in Scranton, Pennsylvania, in the northeast region of the state. The school was founded in 1888 by Most Rev. William O'Hara, the first Bishop of Scranton, as St. Thomas College. It was elevated to a...
, who left to join the new Landmark Conference
Landmark Conference
The Landmark Conference is an intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division III. Member institutions are located in the eastern United States in the States of Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Washington, D.C....
. To offset the change in numbers, it was also decided to switch Lycoming College
Lycoming College
Founded in 1812, Lycoming College is located in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. One of the 50 oldest colleges in America, Lycoming enrolls 1400 undergraduate students from over 28 states and 12 foreign countries. Eighty percent of the college's students live on campus...
from the Freedom to the Commonwealth Conference.
In 2007, Alvernia University, Misericordia University, and Eastern University, all from the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference, accepted membership in the Freedom Conference and started participation in the 2008–09 school year. Starting in the 2009–10 school year, Alvernia switched from the Freedom to the Commonwealth Conference to balance both conferences with eight teams each. Stevenson University and Hood College
Hood College
Hood College is a co-educational liberal arts college located in Frederick, Maryland. The college serves approximately 1,050 graduate students and more than 1,400 undergraduate students.-Early History :...
accepted invitations to join the MAC and Commonwealth starting in July 2012 expanding the conference to 18 members.
MAC Football
In 1958, the MAC began sponsoring football. The football conference essentially operated as two separate conferences with the larger schools (Delaware, Temple, Lafayette, Lehigh, Bucknell, Gettysburg, and Rutgers) playing a round robin schedule, and the smaller schools (Juniata, Lycoming, Wilkes, Widener, Juniata, and Albright) playing a separate round robin schedule. Although the upper division of the conference (which also included Muhlenberg, Drexel, La Salle, and St. Joe's) competed at the Division I (then known as the University Division) level in other sports, only Rutgers was considered a University Division football school. Following the 1969 season, the upper level of MAC football was disbanded as Temple dropped out to upgrade their football schedule. Rutgers had previously dropped out of the MAC for all sports and a five team football league was not desirable. The lower division continued as MAC football, but Delaware, Lafayette, Lehigh, and Bucknell operated as independents for the rest of their tenure with the league, while Gettysburg dropped football as a varsity sport. Numerous other MAC schools competed in other football leagues throughout most of the league's history.In 1983, the Centennial Football League was formed between 8 MAC members. Eventually, those 8 schools and two others broke apart from the MAC for all sports, founding the Centennial Conference
Centennial Conference
The Centennial Conference is an athletic conference which competes in the NCAA's Division III. Member teams are located in Maryland and Pennsylvania....
. Since the Centennial Conference break in 1991, all league members that sponsor football have competed in the MAC Football Conference.
Commonwealth Conference
| Institution | Joined |
|---|---|
| Albright College Albright College Albright College is a private, co-ed, liberal arts college affiliated with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1856 and is located in Reading, Pennsylvania, United States.-Overview:... |
1945* |
| Alvernia University | 2008 |
| Arcadia University Arcadia University Arcadia University is a private university located in Glenside, Pennsylvania, on the outskirts of Philadelphia. A master's university by Carnegie Classification, the university has a co-educational student population of more than 4,000. The university was ranked 25th in the master's universities in... |
2007 |
| Elizabethtown College Elizabethtown College Elizabethtown College is a small comprehensive college located in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania in Lancaster County. The school was founded in 1899 by members of the Church of the Brethren... |
1950 |
| Hood College Hood College Hood College is a co-educational liberal arts college located in Frederick, Maryland. The college serves approximately 1,050 graduate students and more than 1,400 undergraduate students.-Early History :... |
2012 |
| Lebanon Valley College Lebanon Valley College Lebanon Valley College is a small, liberal arts higher education institution situated in the heart of Annville in Lebanon County, east of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.-History:... |
1945* |
| Lycoming College Lycoming College Founded in 1812, Lycoming College is located in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. One of the 50 oldest colleges in America, Lycoming enrolls 1400 undergraduate students from over 28 states and 12 foreign countries. Eighty percent of the college's students live on campus... |
1952 |
| Messiah College Messiah College Messiah College is a private Christian college of the liberal arts and applied arts and sciences located in Grantham, Pennsylvania, near the capital city of Harrisburg... |
1983 |
| Stevenson University | 2012 |
| Widener University Widener University Widener University is a private, coeducational university located in Chester, Pennsylvania.Its main campus sits on 108 acres , just southwest of Philadelphia... |
1946* |
Freedom Conference
| Institution | Joined |
|---|---|
| DeSales University DeSales University DeSales University is a private Catholic university for men and women, located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Before 2001, it was known as Allentown College of St. Francis de Sales.- History :... |
1997 |
| Delaware Valley College Delaware Valley College Delaware Valley College is an independent, comprehensive, four-year residential institution in Doylestown, Pa. It enrolls 1,700 full-time undergraduates studying 25 majors. The campus sits on 574 lush acres of rolling green hills... |
1965 |
| Eastern University | 2008 |
| FDU-Florham Fairleigh Dickinson University Fairleigh Dickinson University is a private university founded as a junior college in 1942. It now has several campuses located in New Jersey, Canada, and the United Kingdom.-Description:... |
1977 |
| King's College King's College, Pennsylvania King's College is a liberal arts college located in Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. Accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, King's has been ranked among the best colleges in the nation by U.S. News and World Report for 16 straight years... |
1977 |
| Manhattanville College Manhattanville College Manhattanville College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college offering undergraduate and graduate degrees, located in Purchase, New York. Founded in 1841 it was known initially as Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart... |
2007 |
| Misericordia University | 2008 |
| Wilkes University Wilkes University Wilkes University is a private, non-denominational American university located in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. It has over 2,200 undergraduates and over 2,200 graduate students... |
1946* |
Middle Atlantic Conference
The Middle Atlantic Conference combines schools from both the Commonwealth and Freedom conferences and is used for cross country, football, indoor and outdoor track and field, lacrosse and swimming.| Cross Country (M,W) | Football | Track & Field (M,W) | Lacrosse (M) | Lacrosse (W) | Swimming (M,W) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albright College | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| Alvernia University | x | x | x | |||
| Arcadia University | x | x | ||||
| DeSales University | x | x | x | |||
| Delaware Valley College | x | x | x | |||
| Eastern University | x | x | x | |||
| Elizabethtown College | x | x | x | x | x | |
| FDU-Florham | x | x | x | x | x | |
| King's College | x | x | x | x | x | |
| Lebanon Valley College | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| Lycoming College | x | x | x | x | x | |
| Manhattanville College | x | x | x | x | ||
| Messiah College | x | x | x | x | x | |
| Misericordia University | x | x | x | x | x | |
| Shenandoah University Shenandoah University Shenandoah University is a comprehensive private university located in Winchester, Virginia in the United States. It has an enrollment of approximately 3,800 students across more than ninety programs in six schools: College of Arts & Sciences, Harry F. Byrd, Jr. School of Business, Shenandoah... † |
x | |||||
| Widener University | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| Wilkes University | x | x |
† Associate member in track and field only
Sports
Member teams compete in 23 sports, 11 men's and 12 women's.- Men's sports: baseballBaseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, basketballBasketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, cross countryCross country runningCross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
, footballAmerican footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, golfGolfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, indoor track and field, lacrosseLacrosseLacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
, soccer, swimmingSwimming (sport)Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
, outdoor track and field and tennisTennisTennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all... - Women's sports: basketball, cross country, field hockeyField hockeyField Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
, golf, indoor track and field, lacrosse, soccer, softballSoftballSoftball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
, swimming, outdoor track and field, tennis and volleyballVolleyballVolleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
.