Alvernia Stays in MAC Commonwealth, will add York and Eastern as conference opponents
Annville, Pa. (May 7, 2019) – The Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) has announced its plan to realign the MAC Commonwealth and MAC Freedom beginning in the 2020-21 academic year with the addition of both Stevens Institute of Technology and York College of Pennsylvania. The MAC will move to a nine-and-nine conference structure.
“We are so proud to welcome Stevens and York to the MAC,” said Dr. Thomas Botzman, MAC Executive Committee Chair and Misericordia University President. “We are also very excited to see that the conference will be able to preserve many of its historic rivalries with our new alignment.”
With the addition of both Stevens and York (Pa.), the MAC increases its membership to 18 institutions beginning in the 2020-21 academic year. The new realignment will place nine institutions in both the MAC Commonwealth and the MAC Freedom. Three institutions will be making a new home in the realignment, including Arcadia University, Eastern University and Lycoming College.
Alvernia University joined the MAC as a member of the Freedom Conference for the 2008-09 seasons then moved over to the MAC Commonwealth starting in 2009-10. Hood College and Stevenson University were added to the MAC Commonwealth in 2012-13 bringing the league to 10 members and increasing the number of conference postseason qualifiers from four to five in the sports where all nine schools sponsored the sport–while the MAC Freedom remained at eight members and four postseason spots across the board.
Elizabethtown College left the MAC Commonwealth following the 2013-14 seasons to join the newly formed Landmark Conference and the league was down to nine schools where it remains today.
With recent announcements of Stevens Institute of Technology and York College of Pennsylvania joining the MAC in the next two years and Manhattanville College departing for the Skyline Conference this summer, the MAC will be at 18 totals schools and addressed realignment with today’s presidential vote.
“We are happy about the nine-and-nine split,” said Alvernia Athletic Director Bill Stiles. “It provides equitable and increased access to championships, renews our rivalry with Eastern, a former PAC foe, and decreases our overall travel. That said, I certainly hope we continue our very collegial and spirited relationships with Lycoming and Arcadia through non-conference scheduling.”
Eastern and Alvernia were charter members of the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference–now the Colonial States Athletic Conference.
The new conference structure for 2020-2021:
| MAC COMMONWEALTH | MAC FREEDOM |
| Albright College | Arcadia University |
| Alvernia University | Delaware Valley University |
| Eastern University | DeSales University |
| Hood College | Fairleigh Dickinson University – Florham Campus |
| Lebanon Valley College | King’s College |
| Messiah College | Lycoming College |
| Stevenson University | Misericordia University |
| Widener University | Stevens Institute of Technology |
| York College | Wilkes University |
“The nine-and-nine structure allows another team to qualify for conference postseason play in our [NCAA] automatic qualifier sports,” said Ken Andrews, MAC Executive Director. “Also with this new alignment, we prioritized missed class time by decreasing overall travel time for our membership as a whole.”
The new alignment will affect 13 of the 27 sports that are split into two conferences, including baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, field hockey, men’s golf, men’s and women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s soccer, softball, men’s and women’s tennis and women’s volleyball.
About the Middle Atlantic Conferences
Located in Annville, Pa., the Middle Atlantic Conferences is an NCAA Division III conference comprised of the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC), Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth (MAC Commonwealth) and Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom (MAC Freedom).
Its 17 member institutions, located across four states, are: Albright College (Reading, Pa.), Alvernia University (Reading, Pa.), Arcadia University (Glenside, Pa.), Delaware Valley University (Doylestown, Pa.), DeSales University (Center Valley, Pa.), Eastern University (St. Davids, Pa.), Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham Campus (Madison, N.J.), Hood College (Frederick, Md.), King’s College (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.), Lebanon Valley College (Annville, Pa.), Lycoming College (Williamsport, Pa.), Manhattanville College (Purchase, N.Y.), Messiah College (Mechanicsburg, Pa.), Misericordia University (Dallas, Pa.), Stevenson University (Owings Mills, Md.), Widener University (Chester, Pa.) and Wilkes University (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.).
Manhattanville College will depart the MAC and MAC Freedom for the Skyline Conference after the conclusion of the 2018-19 academic year. Stevens Institute of Technology (Hoboken, N.J.) will join the MAC and MAC Freedom beginning July 1, 2019, and York College of Pennsylvania (York, Pa.) will join the MAC and MAC Commonwealth beginning July 1, 2020.
The MAC currently sponsors 27 intercollegiate sports that compete in the NCAA Division III. More than 7,700 student-athletes participate in baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, field hockey, football, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s ice hockey, men’s and women’s indoor track & field, men’s and women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s outdoor track & field, softball, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s swimming, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s volleyball and wrestling.
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