MCAC Basketball Begins Cross Border Competition Next Season

The Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference (MCAC) has announced that Red River College (RRC) and Providence University College (PUC) Men's and Women's Basketball teams will join the Northern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (NIAC) for the 2017-18 season. Canadian Mennonite University (CMU), another MCAC member, started competing in NIAC last season.

“This is an exciting time for our conference” remarked Dan Hovestol, NIAC President. “This is our conference’s largest expansion since its inception in 1983 and I’m quite certain adding these colleges will only enhance the competitive level of play on the court.”

Shane Ray, MCAC President stated “Student athletes in Manitoba will have a unique opportunity to be able to showcase their skills in three states and one province.  Competing for both a Manitoba and NIAC Championship will add motivation for our teams as they strive for excellence. We look forward to the upcoming season.”

These MCAC schools will play a full schedule in North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota.  The MCAC Championship will be hosted on February 10th 2018 at CMU followed by the NIAC Championship February 15th – 17th, 2018 at Cankdeska Cikana Community College.

NIAC is a 10 team athletic conference that includes the following schools:

• Association Free Lutheran Bible School (Plymouth, Minnesota)
• Cankdeska Cikana Community College (Fort Totten, North Dakota)
• Leech Lake Tribal College (Cass Lake, Minnesota)
• Oak Hills Christian College (Bemidji, Minnesota)
• Trinity Bible College (Ellendale, North Dakota)
• Turtle Mountain Community College (Belcourt, North Dakota)
• Sisseton Wahpeton College(Agency Village, South Dakota)
• Canadian Mennonite University (Winnipeg, Manitoba)
• Red River College (Winnipeg, Manitoba)
• Providence University College (Otterburne, Manitoba)

This cross border competition is unique for post-secondary schools in Canada and the partnership will definitely enhance the quality of basketball in the MCAC. The 2017-18 NIAC schedule will be released soon listing the complete home schedules for the MCAC schools.

About NIAC
NIAC is a 10 team independent athletic conference that competes in men’s and women’s basketball.

About the MCAC
The Manitoba Colleges Athletic Association (MCAC) is the governing body for intercollegiate athletics in Manitoba.  The MCAC consists of the six post secondary institutions in Manitoba: Assiniboine Community College, Brandon University, Canadian Mennonite University, Providence University College, Red River College, Université de Saint Boniface. These seven institutions compete in basketball, futsal, soccer, and volleyball.

Source: http://www.mcacathletics.ca