By Renee Wilson
North Andover, MA – In late 2023, Merrimack College Division I sports program accepted the invitation to join the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, more commonly known as the MAAC. For many years, Merrimack College previously competed in the Northern East Conference known as the NEC.
In this previous conference, Merrimack College competed against various other colleges in the New England region including Sacred Heart University, Le Moyne College, Saint Fraser University, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Long Island University, Wagner College, Central Connecticut State University, and Stonehill. The NEC geographic map stretched over five states including Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.
However, now transitioning into a different conference, Merrimack College is entering a new era. The MAAC consists of 13 member schools including Merrimack College and Sacred Heart University being newly added this 2023-2024 season. The geographic map of this new conference stays almost the same as NEC but with Pennsylvania replaced by Maryland.
Schools included in this conference include Canisius University, Fairfield University, Iona University, Manhattan University, Marist College, Mount St. Mary’s University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Sacred Heart University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.
While this transition into the new MAAC conference will elevate our school as a whole, it will bring many opportunities to Merrimack athletes allowing for better competition. The transition has also been difficult especially for the Track and Field Team.
Switching conferences has a negative impact on our track team as the Track and Field season usually starts off with 2 – 3 meets prior to winter break and the start of our spring season. This season we are known to only be competing once on December 7th. With our schedule still unknown, it is not hard to get a good idea of how much we will be competing this year.
For seniors and graduate students, the transition to the MAAC creates a sense of uncertainty and frustration. Many of these athletes have been participating on the team for 3-4 years in the NEC conference since 2019. For 5 years, athletes have developed familiarity with competition and scheduling.
Being in the MAAC now, our team will walk into waters of unknown competition giving everyone fewer track meets and resulting in the uncertainty of where we stand in the competition with others. Our team will face tougher opponents and create challenges for soon to be graduates to end off on a strong note. The Track and Field team is so familiar with the NEC competition having less opportunities to compete before spring season begins.
A teammate of mine, Jahida Gabriel, is a 5th year here at Merrimack College and she provides her input and experience throughout the 5 years she has been on the team.
“All four years I’ve been at Merrimack, I know what I’m going up against. Now being in the MAAC I do not know what I’m going against.” She continues to explain her frustrations. “We are all in the MAAC conference, but we’re not able to compete against any of them until championship. This makes me feel unprepared.”
The NEC offered a consistent framework where athletes knew what to expect each season and now it is a risk entering a new conference without competing against these schools until the end of May.
As the season unfolds, the Track and Field teams performance in the MAAC will not only shape the rest of our season but also sets the tone for Merrimack’s future in the new conference. The tough journey will hopefully lead to success at the end of the season.
