The State University of New York Athletic Conference and the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference are teaming up to bring an exciting joint conference championship to Buffalo in February.
The SUNYAC-AMCC Championship will be held at the Burt Flickinger Center on the downtown campus of SUNY Erie (formerly Erie Community College) Feb. 19-22 and will feature 10 institutions sponsoring 20 men’s and women’s programs all competing for a conference title, individual medals, and an opportunity to secure NCAA Division III National Championship Qualifying Times.
The conference offices jointly announced the annual partnership on Tuesday, May 14.
"The AMCC programs that sponsor swimming and diving are all public institutions that share that common kinship with the SUNYAC that will make this event special," Commissioner Donna Ledwin said. "The Flickinger Center is a first-class venue and will provide our student-athletes with a high-level championship experience. We are very excited about this new partnership."
The 10 participating programs are all public institutions. The SUNYAC will be represented by six universities (Cortland, Fredonia, New Paltz, Oneonta, Oswego and Potsdam), while Alfred State, Penn State Altoona, Penn State Behrend and Pitt-Bradford will represent the AMCC.
“We saw an opportunity to create something special for our student-athletes that would give them an exciting, high-caliber, unique championship experience,” SUNYAC Commissioner Tom DiCamillo said. “It felt right, and we capitalized on the opportunity to make this one of the premier Division III conference swimming & diving championships in the nation.”
The two conferences jointly reviewed each other’s operating codes and found that most of the information aligned. The few subtle differences were resolved with collegial discussions that resulted in the two conferences meshing the best of both leagues.
"This is a great move for the AMCC from a competitive standpoint and will allow our teams the opportunity to compete with one of the better athletic conferences in Division III athletics," Penn State Altoona coach Bradley Brooks said. "We look forward to enjoying the positive effects that this move will have on our student-athletes which is always our top priority."
Cortland coach Brian Tobin was equally enthusiastic.
“The SUNYAC championship meet has the level of excitement that every swimmer and diver wants at the end of the season,” Tobin, the head coach at Cortland and the past-chair of the SUNYAC Swimming & Diving Coaches Committee, explained. “Both conferences have strong, stable institutions that will make this a competitive meet for years to come. It is going to be bigger and better than ever. I look forward to this new partnership.”