Mount St. Mary’s to leave NEC and join MAAC, replacing Monmouth

Shown here after winning NEC championship in 2021, Mount St. Mary’s will now join MAAC as league replaces Monmouth. (Photo by Mount St. Mary’s Athletics)

In 2013, after Loyola University left the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference for the Patriot League, MAAC commissioner Rich Ensor was proactive in finding a replacement, extending invitations to Quinnipiac and Monmouth to leave the Northeast Conference.

Nine years later, as Monmouth is on the verge of leaving the MAAC to join the Colonial Athletic Association, Ensor has again reached into the NEC to find a successor, tabbing Mount St. Mary’s as the newest MAAC member. The Mountaineers will officially begin their tenure as the MAAC’s 11th institution on July 1, with a press conference to be held on campus Tuesday morning.

“On behalf of the MAAC Council of Presidents and the Committee on Athletic Administration, I am pleased to announce that Mount St. Mary’s University has been offered and has accepted membership in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, effective July 1, 2022,” Ensor said in a joint release issued by both the university and the MAAC. “The MAAC membership has sought to maintain a brand that stresses excellence in academics and athletics, and Mount St. Mary’s fully meets those criteria.”

“Today is a great day in the history of Mount St. Mary’s University,” Mount St. Mary’s president Dr. Timothy Trainor echoed. “In joining the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, The Mount gains the opportunity to compete with some of the finest Catholic colleges in the Northeast, elevating the university’s brand as well as the level of competition for our nearly 600 student-athletes and coaches.”

Since joining the NEC in 1989 upon its transition to Division I, Mount St. Mary’s established itself as one of the more successful men’s basketball programs in the conference, appearing in six NCAA Tournaments after claiming conference tournament crowns. Under the direction of the late great Jim Phelan, The Mount first tasted postseason glory in 1995 before winning the NEC again four years later. The Mountaineers would return to the NCAA Tournament in 2008 under Milan Brown, twice behind Jamion Christian in 2014 and 2017, and most recently, in 2021 with current head coach Dan Engelstad at the helm.

Mount St. Mary’s women’s basketball program also adds gravitas to the MAAC footprint, which returns to Maryland for the first time since 2013. On the women’s side, The Mount has nine NCAA Tournament appearances, the most recent of which having come in 2021 in tandem with the men’s program. Overall, Mount St. Mary’s captured 49 championships during its tenure in the NEC, and looks to raise its profile while maintaining its high expectations in the MAAC.

“What an exciting time for Mount St. Mary’s University,” athletic director Lynne Robinson reiterated. “I want to thank the MAAC Council of Presidents, the Committee on Athletic Administration, and commissioner Rich Ensor for giving us this tremendous opportunity to become a member of the MAAC.”

“We are honored to join this group of outstanding universities who all have strong traditions and proven commitment to academic excellence and student-athlete success. Joining the MAAC will no doubt energize the entire Mount community and enhance the experience of our student-athletes. We are eager to build upon our strong foundation of academic and athletic success as we begin this new chapter for Mount Athletics.”