American International Yellow Jackets

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American International College Yellow Jackets
Logo
UniversityAmerican International College
AssociationDivision II
ConferenceNortheast-10 Conference, Atlantic Hockey
Athletic director[1]
LocationSpringfield, Massachusetts
Varsity teams22
Football stadiumRonald J. Abdow Field[2]
Basketball arenaHenry A. Butova Gymnasium[3]
Baseball stadiumRichard F. Bedard Field[4]
Softball stadiumJudy Groff Field[5]
Other arenasMassMutual Center
MascotRex
NicknameYellow Jackets
Websitewww.aicyellowjackets.com

The American International Yellow Jackets is composed of 22 teams representing American International College in intercollegiate athletics, including men and women's basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, and track and field. Men's sports include baseball, football, ice hockey, volleyball, and wrestling. Women's sports include field hockey, rugby, softball, tennis, and volleyball. The Yellow Jackets compete in NCAA Division II and are members of the Northeast-10 Conference for all sports except ice hockey and women's rugby, which compete in NCAA Division I; wrestling, which is NCAA Division II Independent; and women's triathlon and men's volleyball, which compete as de facto Division I independents. The men's ice hockey team is a member of Atlantic Hockey Division I.[6]

History[]

The Yellow Jackets started competing in the 1933–1934 academic season in football, men's basketball and baseball. Men's soccer was added just one year later. The athletic department grew to five teams in the winter of 1948 when the Yellow Jackets started their ice hockey team.

Twenty years later, AIC introduced its first women's sport, softball. Judy Groff was introduced as the first softball coach, a position she held for 42 seasons. Volleyball, which was invented down the road in Holyoke, Massachusetts, started in the fall of 1974 with Groff also taking the reins.

In the 1977–1978 school year, AIC began competing in women's basketball and men's golf. It would be seven years before the athletic department grew again when they added women's soccer for the 1985 school year.

With the emergence of lacrosse in the Northeast, the Yellow Jackets added men's lacrosse in the spring of 1992. In 1996-97, field hockey and women's lacrosse were added to the department to bring the women's teams total to six.

Ten years later, the Yellow Jackets added six teams to their already extensive department in men's and women's cross country, men's and women's indoor track, and men's and women's outdoor track.

In 2018, the department added women's golf.

With the backing of USA Triathlon, American International College became the 24th team in the nation to introduce a women's varsity triathlon program to its athletic department, Director of Athletics Matthew Johnson announced on Tuesday, May 29 AIC expected competition to begin in the fall of 2019.[7]

During the fall of 2020, the department announced the addition of men's volleyball as the 26th sport sponsored by the department. The team will start play in spring 2022.

NCAA sports[]

Men's Women's
Baseball Basketball
Basketball Cross Country
Cross Country Field Hockey
Football Golf
Golf Lacrosse
Ice Hockey[a] Rugby[b]
Lacrosse Soccer
Soccer Softball
Track and Field Tennis
Wrestling Track and Field
Volleyball[c] Triathlon[b]
Volleyball
  1. ^ Competes in NCAA Division I.
  2. ^ a b Part of the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program. National championships are organized independently of the NCAA.
  3. ^ De facto NCAA Division I sport. The NCAA organizes a "National Collegiate" championship open to members of Divisions I and II. Scholarship limits are the same for members of both divisions.

NCAA appearances[]

  • Ice Hockey: 2019, 2021[8]
  • Baseball: 1991
  • Men's Basketball: 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1994, 2000, 2010, 2015
    • Elite Eight: 1968, 1969, 1970, 1985
  • Men's Cross Country: 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017
  • Football: 2008, 2013
  • Men's Golf: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015
  • Women's Basketball: 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2016
    • Elite Eight: 2002, 2006
    • National Finalist: 2006
  • Field Hockey: 2010, 2011
  • Women's Soccer: 1998, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2016
    • Final Four: 2013
  • Softball: 1985, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003
    • World Series: 1996, 1997
  • Volleyball: 2010, 2016, 2017, 2018
    • Elite Eight: 2016, 2018 [9]

Club sports[]

AIC also has a college rugby program that was founded in 2009 and began play in 2010.[10] The rugby program is part of the school's athletic department, has varsity status, with rugby scholarships available for students.[11] AIC plays in Division I in the D1A Conference.

Notable alumni[]

Facilities[]

Panorma of part of the athleic complex
Facilities panorama

References[]

  1. ^ "American International College Yellow Jackets - Matt Johnson - Staff Directory - American International College". aicyellowjackets.com. Retrieved August 12, 2018.
  2. ^ "Ronald J. Abdow Field". aicyellowjackets.com. Retrieved August 12, 2018.
  3. ^ "Henry A. Butova Gymnasium". aicyellowjackets.com. Retrieved August 12, 2018.
  4. ^ "Richard F. Bedard Field". aicyellowjackets.com. Retrieved August 12, 2018.
  5. ^ "Judy Groff Field". aicyellowjackets.com. Retrieved August 12, 2018.
  6. ^ "American International College Yellow Jackets". aicyellowjackets.com. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
  7. ^ "AIC to introduce varsity triathlon program with USA Triathlon grant".
  8. ^ https://www.ncaa.com/brackets/icehockey-men/d1/2019
  9. ^ "2021 Women's Volleyball Schedule".
  10. ^ AIC Rugby, Fast Facts, http://aicrugby.com/about-us/fast-facts/ Archived January 19, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ USA Rugby, American International College, http://usarugby.org/college-directory/item/american-international-college Archived June 5, 2014, at the Wayback Machine

External links[]

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