| MAC Commonwealth | |
| Founded: | 1999 |
| Conference: | NCAA |
| Division: | Division III |
| Teams: | 8 |
| Sports: | 23 |
| Mens: | 11 |
| Womens: | 12 |
| Region: | Mid-Atlantic |
| Headquarters: | Annville, Pennsylvania |
| Website: | http://www.gomacsports.com |
The MAC Commonwealth, in full Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth,[1] is an intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division III. It is one of the three conferences that operate under the umbrella of the Middle Atlantic Conferences; the others being the MAC Freedom and the Middle Atlantic Conference, a grouping used for some sports that consists of MAC Commonwealth and MAC Freedom schools. Member institutions are located in Pennsylvania and Maryland.
The conference has had two significant membership changes in the 2020s. First, the MAC announced in April 2019 that York College of Pennsylvania would join from the Capital Athletic Conference in 2020.[2] The following month, the MAC announced that upon York's arrival, the MAC Commonwealth and MAC Freedom would be realigned so that each would have 9 members. Eastern moved from the MAC Freedom to the MAC Commonwealth, while Arcadia and Lycoming moved in the opposite direction.[3] Then in 2023, Lycoming and Wilkes left both the MAC Freedom and the overall MAC, leading the MAC to move Lebanon Valley from MAC Commonwealth to MAC Freedom in order to balance the membership numbers.
The MAC Commonwealth currently has eight full members, all are private schools:
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined | Football? | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albright College | Reading, Pennsylvania | 1856 | Methodist | 2,304 | Lions | 1945–46 | Yes | |
| Alvernia University | Reading, Pennsylvania | 1958 | Catholic | 2,872 | Golden Wolves | 2009–10 | Yes | |
| Eastern University | St. Davids, Pennsylvania | 1952 | Baptist | 3,420 | Eagles | 2020–21 | Yes | |
| Hood College | Frederick, Maryland | 1893 | Reformed | 1,174 | Blazers | 2012–13 | No | |
| Messiah University | Grantham, Pennsylvania | 1909 | Christian | 3,305 | Falcons | 1983–84 | No | |
| Stevenson University | Stevenson, Maryland | 1947 | Nonsectarian | 3,621 | Mustangs | 2012–13 | Yes | |
| Widener University | Chester, Pennsylvania | 1821 | Nonsectarian | 6,402 | Pride | 1946–47 | Yes | |
| York College of Pennsylvania | York, Pennsylvania | 1787 | Nonsectarian | 5,564 | Spartans | 2020–21 | No |
Enrollment source: [4]
The MAC Commonwealth had six former full members, all were private schools:
| Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined | Left | Current conference | Football? | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arcadia University | Glenside, Pennsylvania | 1853 | Presbyterian | 2,473 | Knights | 2008–09 | 2019–20 | MAC Freedom | No | |
| Elizabethtown College | Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania | 1899 | Church of the Brethren | 2,416 | Blue Jays | 1928–29 | 2013–14 | Landmark | No | |
| Juniata College | Huntingdon, Pennsylvania | 1876 | Church of the Brethren | 1,449 | Eagles | 1938–39 | 2006–07 | Landmark | Yes | |
| Lebanon Valley College | Annville, Pennsylvania | 1866 | Methodist | 1,712 | Flying Dutchmen | 1945–46 | 2022–23 | MAC Freedom | Yes | |
| Lycoming College | Williamsport, Pennsylvania | 1812 | Methodist | 1,272 | Warriors | 2007–08 | 2019–20 | Landmark | Yes | |
| Moravian College | Bethlehem, Pennsylvania | 1742 | Moravian | 1,792 | Greyhounds | 1945–46 | 2006–07 | Landmark | Yes | |
| Susquehanna University | Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania | 1858 | Lutheran | 1,900 | Crusaders | 1922–23 | 2006–07 | Landmark | Yes |
DateFormat = yyyy
ImageSize = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:20
Period = from:1999 till:2024
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal
PlotArea = right:20 left:0 bottom:50 top:5 #> to display a count on left side of graph, use "left:20" to suppress the count, use "left:20"<#
Colors =
id:barcolor value:rgb(0.99,0.7,0.7) id:line value:black id:bg value:white id:Full value:rgb(0.742,0.727,0.852) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports id:FullxF value:rgb(0.551,0.824,0.777) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports except for football id:AssocF value:rgb(0.98,0.5,0.445) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member for football only id:AssocOS value:rgb(0.5,0.691,0.824) # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in some sports, but not all (consider identifying in legend or a footnote) id:OtherC1 value:rgb(0.996,0.996,0.699) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved to another conference id:OtherC2 value:rgb(0.988,0.703,0.383) # Use this color to denote a team that has moved to another conference where OtherC1 has already been used, to distinguish the two
PlotData=
width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s
bar:1 color:Full from:1999 till:end text:Albright (1999–present)
bar:2 color:FullxF from:1999 till:2014 text:Elizabethtown (1999–2014)
bar:3 color:Full from:1999 till:2007 text:Juniata (1999–2007)
bar:4 color:Full from:1999 till:2023 text:Lebanon Valley (1999–2023)
bar:5 color:FullxF from:1999 till:end text:Messiah (1999–present)
bar:6 color:Full from:1999 till:2007 text:Moravian (1999–2007)
bar:7 color:Full from:1999 till:2007 text:Susquehanna (1999–2007)
bar:8 color:Full from:1999 till:end text:Widener (1999–present)
bar:9 color:Full from:2007 till:2020 text:Lycoming (2007–2020)
bar:10 color:FullxF from:2008 till:2020 text:Arcadia (2008–2020)
bar:11 color:FullxF from:2009 till:end text:Alvernia (2009–present)
bar:12 color:FullxF from:2012 till:end text:Hood (2012–present)
bar:13 color:Full from:2012 till:end text:Stevenson (2012–present)
bar:14 color:FullxF from:2020 till:2023 text:Eastern (2020–present) bar:14 color:Full from:2023 till:end text:
bar:15 color:FullxF from:2020 till:end text:York (2020–present)
ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:1 start:1999
TextData = fontsize:M textcolor:black pos:(300,30) # tabs:(0-center) text:"MAC Commonwealth membership history"
The MAC Commonwealth sponsors intercollegiate athletic competition in men's baseball, men's and women's basketball, women's field hockey, men's golf, men's and women’s soccer, women's softball, men's and women's tennis, and women's volleyball. In addition, members also compete in the Middle Atlantic Conference in men's and women's cross country, men's football, men's and women's ice hockey, men's and women's lacrosse, men's and women's swimming, men's and women's indoor and outdoor track and field, men's volleyball, and men's wrestling.