MAAC Lacrosse Summit Recap
MAAC Sports
EDISON, NJ – On Wednesday, September 23, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) held its first lacrosse summit at the campus of Marist College. The summit included two breakout sessions, one session with the men’s lacrosse coaches and sport committee, and one breakout session with the women’s lacrosse coaches and sport committee. There were various topics discussed including; improving the marketing of the sport, the announcement of the new women’s lacrosse assignor, and new broadcast initiatives.
Canisius athletic director Bill Maher, who serves as the chair of the men’s lacrosse committee said, “The MAAC views the sport of lacrosse as a tremendous opportunity to further the mission of our respective institutions. The chance to have all of our head lacrosse coaches and many key administrators come together to identify how we can continue to grow and improve the sport of lacrosse in the MAAC was a great step toward reaching our collective goals.”
“I was impressed with the enthusiasm and effort that the coaches and administrators put into the first MAAC Lacrosse Summit,” noted MAAC Commissioner Rich Ensor. “The handoff from the work of the MAAC Strategic Planning Committee’s multi-year plan for men’s and women’s lacrosse to the coaches was appropriate as the league enters into the rollout of lacrosse as a sport of emphasis. The focus on scheduling, branding, broadcasting and championships operations was intense and demonstrates the high energy level the coaches are bringing to the launch.”
Lori Anctil, associate athletic director and senior women administrator at Siena College, serves as the chair of the women’s lacrosse committee.
Anctil added, “Lacrosse is the fastest growing NCAA sport. Our coaches, administrators and conference staff are passionate about strategically elevating MAAC lacrosse to be one of the premier conferences in the nation. We've seen tremendous success already with both men's and women's lacrosse in the MAAC and garnered both national attention with individual and team performances. We're confident that we can take our sport to an even higher level, and advance the scope and appeal of MAAC lacrosse through various initiatives. This summit confirmed that we are all in.”
In the men’s lacrosse coaches and committee meeting, the coaches expressed a desire for the MAAC to team up with another conference to host a regular season tournament at a neutral site, where each conference would bring its best two teams to play against each other. Another topic of discussion was the possible coordination with another league to schedule games against each other during bye weeks.
Marketing and broadcast coverage of MAAC lacrosse was a notable point of discussion during the day. It was expressed and agreed upon by all that broadcasting the championship game, and including men’s and women’s lacrosse contests in the new MAAC ESPN package is a point of emphasis.
During the women’s lacrosse coaches and committee meeting, Mara Wager was announced as the league’s first official’s assignor. The coaches also had discussions about the complications that could occur with the new possession arrow and possession clock rules that are coming into effect in 2016-2017. The coaches talked about strategies on how to raise the conference’s RPI, and the possibility of scheduling a MAAC showcase at the beginning of the conference season at a neutral or indoor site.