Henrico Times

The Colonial Athletic Association celebrates Monmouth University’s entrance into the CAA, as the Hawks officially joined the conference on Friday.

 

Monmouth, a 6,700-student private university in West Long Branch, New Jersey, enters the CAA after winning seven Commissioner’s Cups in nine seasons in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (2013-21). The university’s athletic department sponsors 24 Division I programs with 23 – the most of any of the four members joining this summer – playing for CAA Championships.

Monmouth will compete for men’s CAA titles in baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, tennis, and indoor and outdoor track & field. On the women’s side, the Hawks join the CAA in basketball, cross country, field hockey, golf, lacrosse, rowing, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, and indoor and outdoor track & field. Monmouth also sponsors a bowling program that plays in the MEAC.

“The invitation to join the Colonial Athletic Association has presented our university with an opportunity to compete alongside some of the finest institutions in the nation,” said Monmouth President Dr. Patrick F. Leahy. “Those strong academic associations, coupled with the on-field national recognition of the CAA teams, will enhance the Monmouth brand and increase our exposure at the regional and national levels. I am very excited to give our student-athletes and coaching staffs the opportunity to elevate our programs to a new level. The MAAC, Big South, and America East Conferences have been very good to us over the past eight-plus years, and I am grateful to the leaders of those leagues and the member institutions for their collegiality and competitive spirit. I anticipate that this move to the CAA will energize the entire Monmouth University community and serve as a tremendous point of pride for our students, alumni, and friends.”

 

The Hawks’ men’s basketball team has won three regular-season titles in the MAAC and made two NIT appearances under head coach King Rice. Competing in the Big South Conference for football, Monmouth has earned three FCS playoff berths and won two league titles since 2017 under head coach Kevin Callahan. The Monmouth track & field programs have also had a run of success that includes 59 team conference championships and sweeps of the indoor and outdoor MAAC Championships in 2022. In women’s soccer, the Hawks have dominated the MAAC during their time in the league with eight regular season titles, six NCAA appearances and a conference record of 66-5-5 across nine seasons.

 

“I want to thank Commissioner D’Antonio and the Board of Directors in the Colonial Athletic Association for giving this tremendous opportunity to Monmouth University, its student-athletes, coaches, and staff,” said Monmouth University Director of Athletics Jeff Stapleton. “CAA teams regularly earn national rankings and recognition as they compete for national championships while promoting diverse academic communities that excel in the classroom and prepare their student-athletes for post-graduation success. We are excited to compete with these like-minded institutions beginning this fall and we believe that we will help to continue to elevate the already impressive trajectory of the CAA. I also want to thank the commissioners and the schools of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, the Big South Conference and the America East Conference; without the growth they afforded our university back in 2013 we would not be in this position today. It is always the goal of our administration to give our student-athletes and coaches the chance to compete among the nation’s elite and joining the CAA presents us with such an opportunity.”

Monmouth recently received a best-ever No. 18 ranking among Regional Universities in the North on U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges List. Three Monmouth programs – women’s soccer, women’s lacrosse, and men’s cross country – earned perfect multiyear Academic Progress Rate scores from the NCAA in the most recent numbers released this summer.

Original source can be found here.