EDISON, NJ (Oct. 7, 2021) - Rider University Men and Fairfield University Women were selected by the league’s head coaches to finish first heading into the 2020-21 Swimming & Diving season. The Broncs men’s team took home their ninth-straight MAAC Swimming & Diving Championship in 2020, while the Stags won their third-consecutive MAAC title for the women. The MAAC did not host a MAAC Swimming and Diving Championship in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
In 2020, Rider collected its program’s 10^th championship MAAC Swimming & Diving Championship. Rider won 10 total events during the course of the four days of competition and finished with 725.5 points. The Broncs received 70 points in this year’s Coaches’ Preseason Poll and received seven of the nine first-place votes. Iona College placed second with 63 points and received one first-place vote. Marist College was one point behind the Gaels as the Red Foxes placed third with 62 points.
 
In fourth place was Fairfield University 58 points, while Monmouth placed fifth with 50.   Canisius (41) was sixth, while Niagara University and Manhattan College were seventh and eighth with 28 and 18 points respectively. Rounding out the poll was Saint Peter’s University with 15.
 
In the final race in the 2020 Swimming and Diving Championship Fairfield’s women’s 400 Freestyle Relay was able to pull out the win and earned their third MAAC Championship as they placed first with 581 points, just ahead of Iona who placed second with 557. The Stags were selected by the leagues’ 10 head coaches to finish first as they received 95 points and five first-place votes. Iona placed second with 86 points and received two first-place votes. Marist received 77 points, Canisius had 64, and Rider had 62 to finish third, fourth and fifth respectively and each school received one first-place vote. 
 
Monmouth (51 points) was picked sixth, ahead of Niagara (48) in seventh. Siena (31) came in eighth, Manhattan (21) was picked ninth, while Saint Peter’s was voted 10th with 15 points.
 
The 2022 MAAC Swimming and Diving Championships will once again be held at the Burt Flickinger Center at Erie County Community College (ECC) in Buffalo, NY co-hosted with Canisius College and Niagara University and will take place from Wednesday, February 9 – Saturday, February 12, 2022.
 
For the latest championship, schedule updates, and all other MAAC Swimming & Diving news follow @MAACSports, and visit MAACSports.com.
 
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 41st year of competition during the 2021-22 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.