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POUGHKEEPSIE, New York – In 1995, Marist College announced it was joining the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, officially joining in 1997. Swimming and Diving were the first teams to compete in the MAAC with the men's team taking home Marist's very first MAAC Championship in 1996.
Head Coach
Larry VanWagner was coming off an unbeaten season in 1995 which was highlighted by a Metropolitan Championship.
The men's team finished with 981 points, edging second place Rider who finished with 920.5 points. Chris O'Connor proved to be one of the best distance swimmers that week, winning the 1650 and 500 yard freestyle. Griffin McNeese picked up a win in the 400 yard IM while Craig Chatlos added a win in the 200 yard backstroke.
On the boards, Chris Blackwell had first place finishes in both the 1- and 3-meter dives. Based on his performance, Blackwell was named the MAAC Most Outstanding Diver of the meet, an honor he would earn again at the 1998 championships.
One of the members of the 1996 championship team was current assistant coach Kyle O'Neil. O'Neil was a senior that season and competed in the 100-, 200- and 500- freestyle events.
The men's team went on to dominate the MAAC Championships over the next decade. Over the following twelve seasons, the Red Foxes would win all but one MAAC Championship. Their championship in 2000 set a MAAC Men's Record for most points scored in a championship with 1221.
Week One:
2008 Men's Tennis | Week Two:
2014 Women's Swimming & Diving | Week Three:
2015 Men's Lacrosse | Week Four:
1998 Women's Cross Country | Week Five:
2004 Men's Soccer | Week Six:
2013 Women's Tennis | Week Seven:
2002 Men's Rowing | Week Eight:
2011 Women's Soccer | Week Nine:
2013 Football | Week 10:
2008 Women's Lacrosse | Week 11:
2002 Baseball | Week 12:
2008 Water Polo | Week 13:
1987 Men's Basketball | Week 14:
2016 Softball
