Division I notes

Conferences: The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference has dropped its ice hockey program, and the nine schools in the league only for that sport have withdrawn from the MAAC to form a new conference. The new league, known as Atlantic Hockey, has named Bob DeGregorio to serve as its commissioner. DeGregorio was the athletics director at Merrimack for 20 years, and spent four years (1993-96) as the commissioner of Hockey East. The nine Atlantic Hockey members are American International College, Bentley College, Canisius College, the University of Connecticut, the College of the Holy Cross, Mercyhurst College, Quinnipiac University, Sacred Heart University and the U.S. Military Academy. The MAAC sponsored ice hockey for five seasons beginning in 1998-99, and will have 25 sports for the 2003-04 academic year. "The nine members of the new Atlantic Hockey are extremely grateful for the leadership that MAAC Commissioner Rich Ensor and the MAAC have provided us during the first five years of Division I hockey," said Quinnipiac Athletics Director Jack McDonald. "We are all very excited about our new name, new governance and new commissioner." The MAAC Hockey League originally was composed of three core MAAC members -- Canisius, Iona College and Fairfield University. Iona and Fairfield each voted last season to eliminate their ice hockey programs, leaving Canisius alone. Under the governance of the MAAC, only core member schools can vote on legislation, which caused increasing problems for the hockey schools. "We wish them well," said Ken Taylor, director of championships for the MAAC who oversaw the MAAC Hockey League in its final four seasons. "It didn't make sense (for the nine remaining schools) with the governance structure. We could see their view. We couldn't change the way we do things because we're a 25-sport conference. We were happy to help them grow to this point and I believe they're going to continue to be a major part of college hockey." ... The Southern Conference has added Elon University as an official member, replacing Virginia Military Institute, which left the league July 1. The addition keeps the conference's membership at 12 institutions. Elon University sponsors 16 intercollegiate sports: seven for men and nine for women. The first official Southern Conference athletics event in which Elon will participate will be its season-opening football game at Furman August 30. In men's basketball, Elon will be a member of the Southern Conference's North Division along with Appalachian State University; University of Tennessee at Chattanooga; East Tennessee State University; University of North Carolina, Greensboro; and Western Carolina University. College of Charleston (South Carolina), The Citadel, Davidson College, Furman University, Georgia Southern University and Wofford College comprise the South Division. "We believe Elon will be a strong member of the Southern Conference," said Commissioner Danny Morrison. "Elon has been a very competitive member of every conference in which it has belonged. Over the last 23 years, Elon has won 53 conference championships and had over 500 student-athletes named to all-conference teams."

-- Compiled by Gary T. Brown