The Middle Atlantic Conferences announced Thursday that the conference will sponsor three new varsity sports beginning the 2017-18 season, including men’s and women’s hockey.
Conference bylaws require that at least five of the conference’s member institutions offer a particular sport before it may become a conference-sponsored sport.
“The MAC is committed to being a national leader in expanding student opportunities for sport participation,” said Dr. Kent C. Trachte, chair of MAC Executive Committee and president of Lycoming College, in a statement.
The Middle Atlantic Conferences is comprised of three conferences known as the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC), Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth (MAC Commonwealth) and Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom (MAC Freedom).
Men’s and women’s hockey will compete in the MAC for a conference title.
The five institutions set to sponsor men’s and women’s hockey for the 2017-18 inaugural season are King’s, Lebanon Valley, Manhattanville, Stevenson and Wilkes.
Manhattanville has sponsored men’s and women’s hockey since the 1999-2000 season, with the men competing in NCAA Division III since 1999 and the women joining during the NCAA Division III’s inaugural season of women’s hockey in 2001-02.
The Lebanon Valley men’s program also began in 1999-2000 competing in NCAA Division III until the 2009-10 season. The Dutchmen will move back into NCAA Division III during the 2016-17 season after competing as a club team in ACHA Division I from 2010 to 2016. Lebanon Valley’s women’s program opens its inaugural season in 2016-17.
Stevenson’s women’s program began competing in 2012-13 in NCAA Division III. The Mustangs’ men’s program begins its inaugural season in 2016-17.
King’s and Wilkes both officially announced the addition of men’s of women’s hockey during the 2016 calendar year, and will both play its first season in 2017-18.
