NEWTOWN, Pa. (Conference news) - Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Executive Director Megan Morrison has announced that MAC men's and women's ice hockey will become an NCAA automatic qualifier (AQ) sport beginning in the 2024-25 season.
The MAC has sponsored men’s and women’s ice hockey as a championship sport since 2017-18, but the MAC was not eligible for an NCAA championship automatic berth with fewer than six institutions sponsoring the sports. In 2024-25, with the addition of Misericordia men’s ice hockey and Hood women’s ice hockey, under NCAA legislation, the MAC will be immediately eligible for automatic berths in the NCAA Division III Men's and Women's Ice Hockey Championships.
With six institutions sponsoring men’s and women’s ice hockey in 2024-25, the MAC will develop a regular season conference schedule. institute a championship and award an NCAA AQ. MAC schools sponsoring ice hockey will separate from the United College Hockey Conference (UCHC)
“This is the next logical step in the growth of ice hockey in the Middle Atlantic region,” said Morrison. The UCHC has been a good home for MAC institutions sponsoring ice hockey and we hope to continue that partnership through mutual scheduling arrangements to support the growth of the sport even further.”
Men’s ice hockey will include Alvernia, Arcadia, King’s, Lebanon Valley, Misericordia, and Stevenson while Alvernia, Arcadia, Hood, King’s, Lebanon Valley, and Stevenson will compete in women’s hockey.
ABOUT THE MIDDLE ATLANTIC CONFERENCE
Located in Newtown, 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).
Its 16 member institutions, located across three 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.), Messiah University (Mechanicsburg, Pa.), Misericordia University (Dallas, Pa.), Stevens Institute of Technology (Hoboken, N.J.), Stevenson University (Owings Mills, Md.), Widener University (Chester, Pa.), and York College of Pennsylvania (York, Pa.).
The MAC currently sponsors 27 intercollegiate sports that compete in the NCAA Division III. More than 7,000 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.