The MAC Commonwealth, in full Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth,[1] is an intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division III. It is one of the three conferences that operate under the umbrella of the Middle Atlantic Conferences; the others being the MAC Freedom and the Middle Atlantic Conference, a grouping used for some sports that consists of MAC Commonwealth and MAC Freedom schools. Member institutions are located in Pennsylvania and Maryland.
| Conference | NCAA |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1999 |
| Sports fielded |
|
| Division | Division III |
| No. of teams | 8 |
| Headquarters | Annville, Pennsylvania |
| Region | Mid-Atlantic |
| Official website | http://www.gomacsports.com |
Member schools
editThe conference has had two significant membership changes in the 2020s. First, the MAC announced in April 2019 that York College of Pennsylvania would join from the Capital Athletic Conference in 2020.[2] The following month, the MAC announced that upon York's arrival, the MAC Commonwealth and MAC Freedom would be realigned so that each would have 9 members. Eastern moved from the MAC Freedom to the MAC Commonwealth, while Arcadia and Lycoming moved in the opposite direction.[3] Then in 2023, Lycoming and Wilkes left both the MAC Freedom and the overall MAC, leading the MAC to move Lebanon Valley from MAC Commonwealth to MAC Freedom in order to balance the membership numbers.
Current members
editThe MAC Commonwealth currently has eight full members, all are private schools:
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined | Football? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albright College | Reading, Pennsylvania | 1856 | Methodist | 2,304 | Lions | 1945–46[a] | Yes |
| Alvernia University | Reading, Pennsylvania | 1958 | Catholic | 2,872 | Golden Wolves | 2009–10[b] | Yes |
| Eastern University | St. Davids, Pennsylvania | 1952 | Baptist | 3,420 | Eagles | 2020–21[c] | Yes |
| Hood College | Frederick, Maryland | 1893 | Reformed | 1,174 | Blazers | 2012–13 | No |
| Messiah University | Grantham, Pennsylvania | 1909 | Christian | 3,305 | Falcons | 1983–84[a] | No |
| Stevenson University | Stevenson, Maryland | 1947 | Nonsectarian | 3,621 | Mustangs | 2012–13 | Yes |
| Widener University | Chester, Pennsylvania | 1821 | Nonsectarian | 6,402 | Pride | 1946–47[a] | Yes |
| York College of Pennsylvania | York, Pennsylvania | 1787 | Nonsectarian | 5,564 | Spartans | 2020–21 | No |
- Notes
- ^ a b c Member school has been part of the MAC before the formation of the MAC Commonwealth, effective in the 1999–2000 school year.
- ^ Alvernia has been in the MAC since the 2008–09 school year, but competed in the MAC Freedom during that same season.
- ^ Eastern (Pa.) has been in the MAC since the 2008–09 school year, but competed in the MAC Freedom from 2008–09 to 2019–20.
Enrollment source: [4]
Former members
editThe MAC Commonwealth had six former full members, all were private schools:
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined | Left | Current conference |
Football? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arcadia University | Glenside, Pennsylvania | 1853 | Presbyterian | 2,473 | Knights | 2008–09[a] | 2019–20 | MAC Freedom | No |
| Elizabethtown College | Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania | 1899 | Church of the Brethren | 2,416 | Blue Jays | 1928–29[b] | 2013–14 | Landmark | No |
| Juniata College | Huntingdon, Pennsylvania | 1876 | Church of the Brethren | 1,449 | Eagles | 1938–39[b] | 2006–07 | Landmark | Yes |
| Lebanon Valley College | Annville, Pennsylvania | 1866 | Methodist | 1,712 | Flying Dutchmen | 1945–46[b] | 2022–23 | MAC Freedom | Yes |
| Lycoming College | Williamsport, Pennsylvania | 1812 | Methodist | 1,272 | Warriors | 2007–08[c] | 2019–20 | Landmark | Yes |
| Moravian College | Bethlehem, Pennsylvania | 1742 | Moravian | 1,792 | Greyhounds | 1945–46[b] | 2006–07 | Landmark | Yes |
| Susquehanna University | Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania | 1858 | Lutheran | 1,900 | Crusaders | 1922–23[b] | 2006–07 | Landmark | Yes |
- Notes
- ^ Arcadia has been in the MAC since the 2007–08 school year but competed in the MAC Freedom during that same season before returning back, effective in the 2020–21 school year.
- ^ a b c d e Member school has been part of the MAC before the formation of the MAC Commonwealth, effective in the 1999–2000 school year.
- ^ Lycoming was a part of the MAC since the 1952–53 school year but competed in the MAC Freedom from 1999–2000 to 2006–07 before returning back, effective in the 2020–21 school year.
Membership timeline
edit
Sports
editThe MAC Commonwealth sponsors intercollegiate athletic competition in men's baseball, men's and women's basketball, women's field hockey, men's golf, men's and women's soccer, women's softball, men's and women's tennis, and women's volleyball. In addition, members also compete in the Middle Atlantic Conference in men's and women's cross country, men's football, men's and women's ice hockey,[a] men's and women's lacrosse, men's and women's swimming, men's and women's indoor and outdoor track and field, men's volleyball, and men's wrestling.
Footnotes
edit- ^ While officially sponsoring ice hockey, the larger MAC does not conduct a conference tournament; all MAC ice hockey schools compete in the single-sport United Collegiate Hockey Conference for that league's automatic bids to the NCAA Division III men's and women's tournaments. The MAC uses regular-season results of UCHC games involving MAC members to extrapolate a conference champion. The relationship between the MAC and UCHC is similar to that in Division I between the Ivy League and ECAC Hockey.
References
edit- ^ "MAC Officially Welcomes York (Pa.), New Conference Structure" (Press release). Middle Atlantic Conferences. July 1, 2020. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
Located in Annville, Pa., the Middle Atlantic Conference 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).
- ^ "MAC to Add York (Pa.) as 18th Member Beginning in 2020-21" (Press release). Middle Atlantic Conferences. April 2, 2019. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^ "MAC Announces Realignment for 2020-21" (Press release). Middle Atlantic Conferences. May 7, 2019. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
- ^ "Best Colleges". U.S. News & World Report.