Atlantic 10 Conference

On March 2, 1975, the idea of what is now the Atlantic 10 Conference was conceived. What started as an eight-school, men’s basketball-only affiliation has grown into a 14-university, 21-sport league that is universally hailed as one of the best conferences in the country.

That growth and prominence is a direct result of the ideals and commitments of the member institutions of the Atlantic 10 - the University of Dayton, Duquesne University, Fordham University, The George Washington University, La Salle University, University of Massachusetts, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, University of Rhode Island, University of Richmond, St. Bonaventure University, Saint Joseph's University, Saint Louis University, Temple University, and Xavier University. 

The 14 member institutions of the A-10 are united and strengthened by their diversity.  Each is extraordinary in its educational mission, whether of a Catholic faith, a private university or a land grant institution.  The varied pursuits of each member prove that there are many threads that weave the fabric for a great conference.

The Atlantic 10 Conference, with a total population of nearly 74 million people within its geographic footprint of eight states and the District of Columbia, will crown champions in 21 sports this year: baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, field hockey, men's golf, women’s lacrosse, men's and women's indoor and outdoor track & field, women's rowing, men's and women's soccer, softball, men's and women's swimming & diving, men's and women's tennis, and women's volleyball.

The presidents and chancellors of Atlantic 10 institutions, in conjunction with Atlantic 10 Commissioner Bernadette V. McGlade, have made a strong commitment to making the academic and athletics equation a successful one. Over the years, the league membership has strived to better recognize the academic accomplishments of its student-athletes. The Commissioner's Honor Roll, which cites every Atlantic 10 student-athlete with a 3.5 grade point average or better, recognized 1,297 student-athletes in the Fall 2010, while 1,329 were named to the Spring 2011 Honor Roll. 

The league sponsors Academic All-Conference teams in each of its sports and honors one student-athlete per sport as the A-10 Student-Athlete of the Year.  Moreover, the Atlantic 10 provides four postgraduate scholarship grants to qualified student-athletes.  In 2009-10, nearly 200 student-athletes earned Academic All-Conference recognition, while Saint Louis' Hailee Elmore, Xavier's Thomas Kauffman, Dayton's Rebecca Novacek and Duquesne's Samantha Pollino received postgraduate scholarship grants.  

The Atlantic 10 has 56 of the 909 Division I sports teams being honored with public recognition awards for their latest multi-year Academic Progress Rate scores. Twelve A-10 institutions had at least one program recognized, while 11 of those 12 schools had multiple teams garner distinction. In addition, all 21 sports sponsored by the conference were represented by at least one A-10 program. Among the 31 Division I conferences, the Atlantic 10 ranked fifth behind the Ivy Group (135), the Patriot League (82), the Big East (77) and the ACC (61).

Among the 21 sports sponsored by the conference, women's tennis and men’s outdoor track and field had a league-high five A-10 teams honored, while men's cross country, men's indoor track and field and women's outdoor track and field each had four schools receive recognition. Overall, Fordham led the A-10 as 10 teams were recognized among the 21 league-sponsored sports followed by Xavier with seven and George Washington with six.

The Atlantic 10 also boasts 79 teams with a perfect graduation rate according to the NCAA Graduation Success Report on Division I student-athletes. The Atlantic 10 Conference matched last year's number of five schools garnering an overall GSR of 90 percent or higher with Dayton (94), Xavier (94) Richmond (93), George Washington (91) and La Salle (91) each achieving this feat. As a whole, the league posted an average GSR of 86.2 percent, 7.2 percent higher than the national average, which was listed at 79 percent. Dayton led the Conference with 11 teams receiving a 100 percent rating. Both Xavier and Dayton paced the A-10 with the highest GSR (94) to rank in a tie for 23rd nationally. George Washington was second among A-10 programs with 10 teams earning a perfect score, while Xavier recorded nine teams with a 100 percent rating. La Salle and St. Bonaventure each had seven teams to boast a perfect rating.

In 2010-11, the Atlantic 10 also announced that the A-10 Council of Presidents adopted a five-year Strategic Initiative Plan, comprised of four emphasis areas, including: 1) Conference Membership; 2) Student-Athlete Experience; 3) Competitive Operating Standards; 4) Conference Brand, Equity, and Revenue Resources. With the adoption of the Strategic Initiative Plan serving as the foundation for the future, the Atlantic 10 Conference is committed to providing quality competition while further strengthening its academic and athletic integrity as a premier Division I conference in the nation.

2010-11 REVIEW

 BASEBALL

Top-seeded Charlotte defeated fifth-seeded Richmond, 9-4, to claim its third Atlantic 10 Conference Baseball title in five years at Campbell’s Field in Camden, N.J. With the win, the 49ers earned the A-10’s automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament. Charlotte was selected for the Tempe regional and opened the 2011 NCAA Baseball Championship against regional second-seed Arkansas. The 49ers, seeded third in Tempe, defeated the Razorbacks, 3-2 at Packard Stadium, earning the program’s third postseason victory.  Charlotte was ultimately ousted from the double-elimination event after dropping a 16-1 decision to host No. 10 Arizona State and an 11-3 loss to Arkansas.

 MEN’S BASKETBALL

Richmond capped off one of the finest season’s in school history with an A-10 Championship and a run to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament during the 2010-11 season.  The Spiders earned the A-10’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by claiming their first A-10 Championship after defeating Dayton 67-54 in the finals at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J. The magical season continued for the Spiders as Richmond advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the second time in school history and first as a member of the A-10.  Overall, the A-10 sent three teams to the NCAA Tournament including Temple (Third Round) and Xavier (Second Round), while a total of seven A-10 schools were selected to participate in postseason play during the 2010-11 season. Xavier won the league’s outright regular season championship in 2011 with a 15-1 league mark. The Musketeers have clinched at least a share of the A-10 regular season title five years in a row and in the process became just the third school in A-10 history to perform such a feat joining Massachusetts (1992-1996) and Saint Joseph’s (2001-2005). Both Xavier and Richmond finished the season ranked in the national polls.  The Musketeers were ranked No. 20 in the final AP Top-25, while the Spiders finished No. 21 in the last ESPN/USA Today Coaches Top-25 Poll. 

 WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

With its dramatic, 67-60, victory over Dayton in the Atlantic 10 Conference Championship, Xavier capped off its second consecutive perfect A-10 season with its second-straight Atlantic 10 Conference Championship title, earning its fourth trip in as many years to the NCAA Tournament. The nationally-ranked Musketeers triumph in the A-10 Championship helped the Conference garner three NCAA bids for the fifth year in a row and the sixth time in seven years, as Dayton and Temple also received bids to compete in the NCAA Tournament. In addition to the NCAA event, five league schools garnered berths in the WNIT, marking the third time in Conference history that eight of the A-10’s 14 institutions participated in a women’s basketball postseason tournament. Xavier, Temple and Dayton were joined by Charlotte, Duquesne, Richmond, St. Bonaventure and Saint Joseph’s in the postseason, tying a league record. The 2011 season marked only the third time in Conference history (2009, 2010) that the league received five WNIT bids. The five bids tied the Southeastern and Colonial Conferences. Xavier was ranked among the nation’s best teams throughout the entire 2010-11 season. The Musketeers finished the season listed fifth in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll and 11th in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Top 25 Poll.

 CROSS COUNTRY

The University of Richmond made a clean sweep at the 2010 Atlantic 10 Conference Cross Country Championship claiming both the men’s and women’s titles for the first time in school history. Richmond’s Steve Taylor and Lori Taylor were named the league’s Coaches of the Year after leading the Spiders to their respective team titles on the men’s and women’s side.  Richmond’s men’s title was the first in school history, as the Spiders tallied 51 points.

 FIELD HOCKEY

The University of Massachusetts defeated Lock Haven, 2-0, in the 2011 Atlantic 10 Field Hockey Championship to secure its 12th title overall, more than all other A-10 field hockey programs combined, and third in the four years under head coach Justine Sowry.  Sowry was named 2010 Dita/NFHCA Division I Northeast Region Coach of the Year by the NFHCA. After falling to Stanford, 2-1, in the NCAA play-in game, Massachusetts earned an at-large berth to the tournament but fell to No. 1 overall seed and eventual National Champion Maryland in the first round, 4-2.

 GOLF

Charlotte captured its league-record sixth straight Atlantic 10 Men’s Golf Championship winning by five strokes over second-place Xavier at the Mission Inn Resort & Club in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla.  All five Charlotte golfers finished in the top 12 and were led by sophomore Andy Sajevic, who placed third after shooting even-par, 216 over the three day event. As a team, the 49ers finished 17-over par for the 54-hole competition and have now won every men’s golf championship since joining the league during the 2005-06 season. Xavier’s Herbert Day and Richmond’s Nick Austin shot two-under par for the Championship, finishing in a tie for the event’s top spot. Day outlasted Austin in a two-hole, sudden-victory playoff to claim the A-10 individual title and earn Most Outstanding Performer honors. Rhode Island’s Thomas Drennan was named Coach of the Year, closing out his Hall of Fame career after 22 seasons at the helm of the Rams men’s golf squad.

 LACROSSE

Massachusetts put together an unblemished record in the A-10, finishing the regular season undefeated and capturing the league championship.  The Minutewomen won the regular season title for the second time in the last three years and captured its third straight Atlantic 10 Lacrosse Championship with a 16-12 victory over Richmond. Massachusetts defeated Canisius, 16-8, in the NCAA Play-in game to earn the right to compete in the 2011 NCAA Tournament.  The Minutewomen then fell to Loyola, Md., in the First Round to bring their season to a close.  UMass finished the year at 17-3 and ranked in the top 20 in both the InsideLacrosse Media Poll and IWLCA Poll.  

 ROWING

Strong winds, the rain and cold weather made for some tough conditions on the Cooper River, but it could not dampen the spirits of the Saint Joseph’s Hawks, who were crowned the 2011 Atlantic 10 Rowing champions for the first time in school history.  Three schools finished in a three-way tie for first place as Massachusetts and Rhode Island joined Saint Joseph’s with 45 points. The Hawks owned the tiebreaker between the tied teams which reverted back to the overall finish in the Varsity 8 competition.  Overall, the Hawks posted top three finishes in the Varsity 8, Second Varsity 8 and Varsity 4 competitions to become just the third school in A-10 history to win the league rowing title. 

 MEN’S SOCCER

Winner of just five games in the previous two seasons and picked to finish 13th out of 14 teams in the 2010 Atlantic 10 predicted order of finish, Xavier did nothing to change the opinions of conference coaches when it opened with one goal in its first six games. But the Musketeers, under rookie head coach Andy Fleming, turned their season around, qualifying for the NCAA Tournament for the first time with their A-10 championship title. Xavier captured the A-10 crown with three shutouts in a row at the A-10 Tournament, including a shootout win over regular-season champion Charlotte, the host, in the semifinals and a 2-0 win over La Salle in the final. The Musketeers became the first team in conference history to advance and win the tournament as a No. 6 seed. In its NCAA Tournament debut, XU’s miracle run came to an end in the first round, as West Virginia rallied to win 4-2.

 WOMEN’S SOCCER

The University of Dayton captured the 2010 Atlantic 10 Women’s Soccer Championship defeating Charlotte in a thrilling 4-3, double overtime victory at the URI Complex in Kingston, R.I.  The Flyers’ Alexis Garcia scored the game-winning goal in the championship final with just over five minutes to play in the second overtime to lead UD to its second straight league title and seventh all-time. Garcia, who was responsible for both golden goals in Dayton’s two overtime victories in the A-10 Tournament, was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Atlantic 10 Championship. The Flyers advanced to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament for the second year in row defeating Virginia Tech before falling to Ohio State in a penalty kick shootout.   Charlotte and Dayton shared the A-10 regular season title after finishing the year at 8-1-0 in league play.

 SOFTBALL

Fordham won its first A-10 title in program history, earning the conference’s automatic berth to the NCAA tournament, as it defeated Saint Joseph’s 4-0 in the championship matchup. Pitcher Jen Mineau, the A-10 Student-Athlete of the Year, was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player after going 3-0 with a 0.00 ERA. She gave up six hits and no runs in 24.0 innings and finished the tournament with 27 strikeouts. The Rams went on to compete in the NCAA Regionals, picking up their second-ever NCAA Regional win against Penn State before being knocked out by Oregon, 2-0, and Penn State, 5-2 (16).

 SWIMMING & DIVING

The Richmond women’s team garnered 755 points to regain its championship crown after Fordham ended its eight-year championship win streak in 2010. The Spiders’ Lauren Hines, Mali Kobelja, and Matt Barany were named Most Outstanding Performer, Most Outstanding Rookie and Coach of the Year, respectively.

The Massachusetts men’s squad won its fifth straight championship and the 10th in the last 11 years, the most of any school in league history. The Minutemen finished with a total of 764.5 points followed by  St. Bonaventure with 621 points in second and La Salle in third, earning a total of 452 points.

 TENNIS

The top-seeded Richmond women captured their third-straight Atlantic 10 Women’s Tennis Championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament with a 4-1 victory over third-seeded Saint Louis at the Boar’s Head Sports Club in Charlottesville, Va., while the George Washington men rolled to a 4-0 victory over second-seeded Xavier in the finals of the 2011 Atlantic 10 Conference Men’s Tennis Championship at the Dwight Davis Tennis Center in St. Louis, Mo. GW, which seized the program’s second title and first since 1979, upended the three time defending champion Musketeers to earn the league’s automatic berth to the NCAA Men’s Tennis Championship.

 INDOOR TRACK & FIELD

The Rhode Island men claimed the A-10 Championship crown for the first time since 2007. The Rams trailed until a first and third-place finish in the heptathlon gave Rhode Island an edge over defending-champion Charlotte. Rhode Island’s Jacob Keeling and John Copeland were voted the Most Outstanding Field Performer and Men’s Coach of the Year, respectively. Charlotte’s Darius Law, the Most Outstanding Track Performer, earned three of the 49ers’ five gold medals, winning the 200-meter dash, the 400-meter dash and the 4x400-meter relay.

The Dayton women swept the A-10 Tournament awards after earning its second A-10 Indoor Track & Field Championship in as many years. Mallory Barnes was tabbed the Most Outstanding Field Performer after setting a new A-10 record in the weight throw and coming in second in the shot put. Teammate Maureen Bulgrin earned two individual firsts in the 3000-meter run (9:42.87) and the 5000-meter run (16:52.44) en route to being named the Most Outstanding Track Performer. Flyers’ Head Coach Adam Steinwachs was named Women’s Coach of the Year and Dayton’s Ashley Cattran went on to be named Student-Athlete of the Year.

 OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD

The Charlotte women’s track and field team held on to its day-one lead and tallied 169.5 points to take the 2011 Women’s Atlantic 10 Outdoor Track & Field Championship crown. Richmond’s Amy Van Alstine and Temple’s Victoria Gocht each set new Championship records in the 1,500-meter run with a time of 4:19.38 and the 800-meter run with a time of 2:08.34, respectively. Six Atlantic 10 female student-athletes competed at the 2011 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championship with representation from three schools: Charlotte, Dayton and Richmond.

The University of Rhode Island men’s track and field team finished the 2011 Atlantic 10 Championship with 179 points, squeaking out a 2.5 point victory over runner-up Charlotte with 176.5 points. Three men’s teams—Charlotte, Richmond and Dayton—had representation at the 2011 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championship with two student-athletes competing in individual events from each. Leading the field was Temple’s Travis Mahoney who qualified for the finals of the men’s 3k Steeplechase and finished 11th with a time of 8:52.54

 VOLLEYBALL

Top-seeded Dayton successfully defended its Atlantic 10 Conference Volleyball title, sweeping #2 Xavier, 3-0 (21-25, 12-25, 15-25), at the Cintas Center in Cincinnati. The Championship crown is UD’s sixth in eight years. With the win, the Flyers earned the A-10’s automatic berth to compete in the NCAA Tournament. The Flyers, who claimed their eighth regular season title earlier this season, defeated Butler in three sets to advance to the Second Round of the NCAA Championship for the fourth time in program history, before dropping a  heartbreaking five-set decision to No. 13 Ohio State. Dayton volleyball became the first team of any sport in UD history to be nationally ranked for the entire season with a No. 15 ranking the final American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Top-25 Poll.