ESPN Announces Monmouth-Canisius Men’s Lacrosse Contest to Air on ESPNU; Friday, April 27
EDISON, NJ – ESPN has announced that the MAAC men’s lacrosse matchup between Monmouth University and Canisius College on Friday, April 27, is set to air on ESPNU at 4 p.m. Canisius hosts the 2017 MAAC Men’s Lacrosse Champions, Monmouth at the Demske Sports Complex in Buffalo, NY.
“It’s indicative of the interest in growth of MAAC men’s lacrosse, that ESPN has invested in the league and provided ESPNU as a platform to air the matchup,” notes MAAC Commissioner Rich Ensor. “Congratulations to both Monmouth and Canisius.”
The Golden Griffins finished the 2017 season (6-9, 4-2 MAAC) and earned the No. 2 seed in the conference championship. Canisius welcomes first-year head coach Mark Miyashita to the helm. Miyashita, a member of the Canisius College Hall of Fame, was a men’s lacrosse student-athlete from 2000-03.
The Griffs return 2017 MAAC Co-Offensive Player of the Year, senior attacker Connor Kearnan. In his junior campaign, Kearnan led the MAAC in points (59), points per game (3.93), was tied for the league-lead in goals (35), and ranked second in assists (24).
“The growth of MAAC lacrosse has been a strategic priority for our conference and exposure on the national ESPNU platform is another piece of that plan,” Canisius Director of Athletics Bill Maher said. “We are excited to host the defending conference tournament champions Monmouth University in one of the 2018 MAAC Wild Card Friday games. We look forward to showcasing MAAC lacrosse, Canisius and the city of Buffalo on ESPNU.”
The reigning MAAC Men’s Lacrosse Champions, Monmouth finished the 2017 campaign (14-4, 6-0 MAAC) and earned the No. 1 overall seed in the championship. The Hawks claimed their first MAAC men’s lacrosse title in program history, as well as their first MAAC regular season championship.
Hawks’ head coach Brian Fisher was named the 2017 BSN Sports MAAC Coach of the Year after leading his team to its first conference title. Monmouth led the league in goals (175), ground balls (475), points (261), caused turnovers per game (9.00), goals against average (7.32), and registered the fewest turnovers per game (10.78).
“We are always appreciative of the opportunity to showcase our teams on a national stage,” Monmouth Vice President and Director of Athletics Dr. Marilyn McNeil said. “Coach Fisher has done a tremendous job elevating our men’s lacrosse program to the top of the league, and we’re excited to show the country what Monmouth Lacrosse is all about.”
As of January 30, 2018, the MAAC and its membership are set to produce a total of 292 events on the ESPN family of networks. A total of 13 men’s and 20 women’s lacrosse games are slated to air on the ESPN family of networks in 2018.
The MAAC is set to announce its men’s lacrosse Preseason Coaches’ Poll, Preseason All-MAAC Team, and Preseason Player of the Year on Wednesday, January 31, via social media beginning at 10 a.m. Follow
@maacsports on Twitter for all the latest announcements.
The 2018 MAAC Men’s Lacrosse Championship is hosted by Monmouth University at Kessler Stadium in West Long Branch, NJ. The top four teams from the regular season qualify for the MAAC Men’s Lacrosse Championship. Semifinal games take place on Thursday, May 3, on ESPN3 and the championship game is slated for Saturday, May 5, on ESPNU at 10 a.m. For more information on the 2018 MAAC Men’s Lacrosse Championship, visit
maacsports.com/mlax.
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 37
th year of competition during the 2017-18 academic year. Current Conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter's University, and Siena College.