Big East Conference

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Big East Conference
AssociationNCAA
FoundedMay 31, 1979; 44 years ago (1979-05-31) (de facto)
July 1, 2013; 10 years ago (2013-07-01) (de jure)[note 1]
CommissionerVal Ackerman
Sports fielded
  • 22
    • men's: 10
    • women's: 12
DivisionDivision I (Non-Football)
No. of teams11 (All-Sports Members)
HeadquartersNew York City
RegionNortheastern United States
Midwestern United States
Official websitebigeast.com
Locations
Location of teams in {{{title}}}

The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference that competes in NCAA Division I in 10 men's sports and 12 women's sports. Headquartered in New York City, the 11 full-member schools are primarily located in Northeast and Midwest metropolitan areas. The conference was officially recognized as a Division I multi-sport conference on August 1, 2013,[1] and since then conference members have won NCAA national championships in men's basketball, women's cross country, field hockey, men's lacrosse, and men's soccer. Val Ackerman is the commissioner.[2]

The conference was formed after the "Catholic Seven" members of the original Big East Conference elected to split from the football-playing schools in order to start a new conference focused on basketball. These schools (DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, Seton Hall, St. John's, and Villanova) had announced their decision in December 2012.[3] In March 2013, the new conference purchased the Big East Conference name, logos, basketball records, and the rights to the men's basketball tournament at Madison Square Garden from the football-playing members of the old Big East, who formed the American Athletic Conference (AAC), which is the old conference's legal successor.[4] Both conferences share 1979 as their founding date, when the original conference was founded by Dave Gavitt, and the same history through 2013.[5][6]

Three more schools, Butler, Creighton, and Xavier, joined the conference on its July 1, 2013, launch date.[7] In June 2019, the Big East invited the University of Connecticut (UConn) to "re-join" the conference from the AAC, which they did on July 1, 2020.[8][9] Football is not a sponsored sport, and UConn is the only member with a varsity football team in the top-level Division I FBS. Butler, Georgetown, and Villanova do operate football programs in the second-level Division I FCS. The conference also has four associate members in field hockey, and one in men's and women's lacrosse.

History[edit]

The original Big East[edit]

The original Big East Conference was founded in 1979, when Providence College basketball coach Dave Gavitt spearheaded an effort to assemble an east coast basketball-centric collegiate athletic conference.[10] The core of the Big East formed when Providence, St. John's, Georgetown, and Syracuse invited Seton Hall, Connecticut (UConn), Holy Cross, Rutgers, and Boston College (BC). Holy Cross turned down the invitation, as did Rutgers initially, while BC, Seton Hall, and UConn accepted.[11][12][13] Gavitt became the Big East's first commissioner, and Villanova and Pittsburgh joined the conference shortly thereafter.[14][15][16] PR firm Duffy & Shanley is credited with the initial branding and naming work for the conference.[17] The "high point" of the original conference is widely considered to be the 1985 NCAA tournament, in which Georgetown, St. Johns, and Villanova all made the Final Four, and Villanova defeated Georgetown to win the national championship.

The conference remained largely unchanged until 1991, when it began to sponsor football, adding Miami as a full member, and Rutgers, Temple, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia as football-only members.[18] Rutgers and West Virginia upgraded to full Big East membership in 1995, while Virginia Tech did the same in 2000. Notre Dame also joined as a non-football member effective in 1995. Temple football was kicked out after the 2004 season due to what was deemed by the other football-playing members a failure to make a strong effort to field a competitive team, but rejoined in 2012 after seriously upgrading its football program and intended to become a full Big East member in 2013.

The unusual structure of the Big East, with the "football" and "non-football" schools, led to instability in the conference.[19] The Big East was one of the most severely impacted conferences during conference realignment of 2005 and the early 2010s. In all, 14 member schools announced their departure for other conferences, and 15 other schools announced plans to join the conference (eight as all-sports members, and four for football only). Three of the latter group later backed out of their plans to join (one for all sports, and the other two for football only). These waves of defection and replacement revealed tension between the football-sponsoring and non-football schools that eventually led to the split of the conference in 2013.[20]

Split and re-founding[edit]

A map of the eastern United States with red location markers for ten cities.
Locations of the current Big East Conference member institutions

On December 15, 2012, the Big East's seven non-FBS schools – DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, St. John's, Seton Hall, and Villanova – announced that they had voted unanimously to separate from the Big East football-playing schools.[21] The schools splitting away were referred to as the "Catholic 7" due to their common religious background, and were motivated in part by a desire to return to Gavitt's original vision of a strong, Northeast-based and basketball-focused conference,[6] and by prospects of a better television deal than they would have received by remaining with the football schools.[22] The move occurred during a limited window in which these non-FBS schools held a voting majority in the conference—after the defection of certain FBS schools to the ACC but before the effective inclusion of candidate FBS schools to replace them.[23]

Negotiations with the other member schools continued in early 2013, and in March, it was reported that the "Catholic 7" schools would leave the conference on June 30, 2013, but that they would retain the Big East Conference name, logos, $10 million from the old conference's treasury, and the right to hold their men's basketball tournament at Madison Square Garden.[24] At a March 20 news conference in New York City, Georgetown President John J. DeGioia, representing this new conference, announced that Butler University and Xavier University, both then members of the Atlantic 10 Conference, as well as Creighton University in the Missouri Valley Conference would also join the new league at its launch.[25][7][26] Additional announcements confirmed their headquarters in New York City,[27] and a 12-year, $500 million television contract with Fox Sports and its networks, and a 6-year television contract with CBS and its CBS Sports Network.[28][29][30] On June 26, 2013, the new conference hired Val Ackerman, former WNBA president, as the conference's first commissioner.[2]

Field hockey and lacrosse associate members[edit]

The remaining members of the old conference later announced they would continue as the American Athletic Conference (AAC). Several AAC and former Big East schools however continued playing lacrosse and field hockey with the new Big East Conference in 2013, including Rutgers and Louisville, before moving their programs to the Big Ten and Atlantic Coast Conferences respectively in 2014–15.[31] AAC members UConn and Temple also both joined the new Big East for women's lacrosse and field hockey, while Cincinnati joined the women's lacrosse league, Denver joined the men's lacrosse league,[32] and Old Dominion joined the field hockey league.[33]

The launch of a women's lacrosse league in the Big Ten for the 2015 season caused the American Lacrosse Conference (ALC) to dissolve after the 2014 season; two Southeastern Conference teams that had been ALC members, Florida and Vanderbilt, joined the Big East as associate members in that sport.[34] The next changes to Big East associate membership came during the 2015–16 school year. First, on December 8, 2015, the conference announced that Liberty and Quinnipiac would become associate members in field hockey effective with the 2016 season.[35] Then, on May 3, 2016, the Big East announced that Denver, already an affiliate in men's lacrosse, would move its women's lacrosse team into the league in the 2016–17 school year (2017 season).[36] In addition to the new associate members, full member Butler announced on October 21, 2015, that it would elevate its club team in women's lacrosse to full varsity status in the 2017 season and immediately begin Big East competition.[37]

The American Athletic Conference began sponsoring women's lacrosse in the 2019 season (2018–19 school year), which led to the departure of all then-current Big East women's lacrosse associates except Denver.[38] On that same date, the Big East announced that field hockey member Old Dominion would also become a Big East women's lacrosse member in the 2019 season, maintaining Big East women's lacrosse membership at 6 teams and preserving its automatic berth to the NCAA women's tournament.[39]

Return of UConn[edit]

Big East Conference Member locations
– Full member
– Associate member, field hockey
– Associate member, men's soccer
Not shown: Associate member Denver (Men's and women's lacrosse)

In June 2019, various news outlets reported that UConn would soon leave the AAC for the Big East, pending a decision on the future of the school's football program. Many news stories described UConn as "rejoining" the Big East,[40][41] because UConn was a founding member of the original Big East,[42] but remained with the football-playing members when the conference reorganized as the AAC in 2013.[43] By 2018 however, UConn had seen a dramatic decline in athletic department revenues.[44] Mutual interest between UConn and the new Big East had been reported by several sources starting in 2016.[45][46][47]

On June 24, 2019, the Big East formally approved an invitation for UConn to join the conference.[48] The UConn Board of Trustees accepted the invitation two days later, thus reuniting UConn with several of the schools against whom it competed for 34 years in the old Big East.[49] UConn and the AAC reached a buyout agreement the following month, clearing the way for UConn to become a member of the Big East on July 1, 2020. At the time the buyout agreement was reported, UConn announced that its football team would become an FBS independent upon its arrival in the Big East, leaving Temple as the only AAC member in the northeast.[50] UConn's men's & women's hockey teams remain a member of the Hockey East Association.[51] In 2020, Old Dominion's women's lacrosse left the Big East for the AAC, essentially swapping places with UConn, so both conferences maintained the six members required for an automatic bid.[52]

Commissioners[edit]

The office of the commissioner of athletics was created in 1979

Name Years Notes
Dave Gavitt 1979–1990 Former Providence College Head Coach. Namesake of the Dave Gavitt Trophy, given to the winner of the Big East Men's Basketball Tournament.
Mike Tranghese 1990–2009 Retired in 2009
John Marinatto 2009–2012 Resigned May 7, 2012
Joseph Bailey 2012 Interim Commissioner Following Marinatto's Resignation
Michael Aresco 2012–2013 Current Commissioner of the American Athletic Conference, The Original Big East's successor
Val Ackerman 2013–present Former President of the WNBA. First Commissioner of the Newly Recognized Big East.


Academics[edit]

The following table shows National University rank by U.S. News & World Report as of 2023.[53]

Also indicated is membership in the Association of American Universities.[54]

Institution National University Rank AAU Member
Georgetown University 22 No
University of Connecticut 58 No
Villanova University 67 No
Marquette University 86 No
Providence College 120 No
Creighton University 124 No
Seton Hall University 151 No
DePaul University 151 No
Butler University 153 No
St. John's University (New York City) 163 No
Xavier University 201 No

Apparel[edit]

School Provider
Butler Nike
Connecticut Nike
Creighton Nike
DePaul Nike
Georgetown Nike
Marquette Nike
Providence Nike
St. John's Nike
Seton Hall Under Armour
Villanova Nike
Xavier Nike

Member schools[edit]

Full members[edit]

Nine of the eleven members of the Big East are private, Catholic institutions. The exceptions are Butler, which is nonsectarian (although it was founded by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)) and UConn, which is the only public institution.

Institution Location Founded Joined Type Enrollment Endowment Nickname Colors
Butler University Indianapolis, Indiana 1855 2013 Private/Non-sectarian 5,544 $212,000,000 Bulldogs    
University of Connecticut Storrs, Connecticut 1881 2020[a] Public 32,669 $602,693,000 Huskies    
Creighton University Omaha, Nebraska 1878 2013 Private/Catholic
(Society of Jesus)
8,770 $731,000,000 Bluejays      
DePaul University Chicago, Illinois 1898 2013[b] Private/Catholic
(Congregation of the Mission)
21,922 $825,464,000 Blue Demons    
Georgetown University Washington, D.C. 1789 2013[c] Private/Catholic
(Society of Jesus)
21,930 $3,298,969,000 Hoyas    
Marquette University Milwaukee, Wisconsin 1881 2013[b] Private/Catholic
(Society of Jesus)
11,550 $929,100,000 Golden Eagles    
Providence College Providence, Rhode Island 1917 2013[c] Private/Catholic
(Order of Preachers)
4,816 $321,000,000 Friars      
St. John's University Queens, New York 1870 2013[c] Private/Catholic
(Congregation of the Mission)
21,721 $719,700,000 Red Storm    
Seton Hall University South Orange, New Jersey 1856 2013[c] Private/Catholic
(Archdiocese of Newark)
9,815 $265,200,000 Pirates    
Villanova University Villanova, Pennsylvania 1842 2013[d] Private/Catholic
(Order of Saint Augustine)
10,942 $1,113,161,000 Wildcats    
Xavier University Cincinnati, Ohio 1831 2013 Private/Catholic
(Society of Jesus)
6,129 $225,400,000 Musketeers      
Notes
  1. ^ It was a charter member of the original Big East but when the conference split in 2013, UConn joined the American with other football-playing schools. UConn joined the new Big East in 2020.
  2. ^ a b It was a member of the original Big East between 2005 and 2013. It is one of the Catholic 7 schools that led the creation of the new Big East in 2013.
  3. ^ a b c d It was a charter member of the original Big East. It is one of the Catholic 7 schools that led the creation of the new Big East in 2013.
  4. ^ It was a member of the original Big East between 1980 and 2013. It is one of the Catholic 7 schools that led the creation of the new Big East in 2013.

Associate members[edit]

Institution Location Founded Joined Enrollment Nickname Colors Big East
sport(s)
Primary
conference
University of Akron Akron, Ohio 1870 2023–24[55] 12,521 Zips     Men's soccer MAC
University of Denver Denver, Colorado 1864 2013–14 (men)
2016–17 (women)
13,856 Pioneers     Men's lacrosse,
Women's lacrosse
Summit
Liberty University Lynchburg, Virginia 1971 2016–17 15,000[a] Lady Flames[b]       Field hockey C-USA
Old Dominion University Norfolk, Virginia 1930 2013–14 24,286 Monarchs       Field hockey Sun Belt
Quinnipiac University Hamden, Connecticut 1929 2016–17 9,746 Bobcats     Field hockey MAAC
Temple University Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1884 2013–14 37,365 Owls     Field hockey The American
Notes
  1. ^ Liberty claims +100,000 current students, but the vast majority are enrolled in its online degree programs. The table lists residential enrollment.
  2. ^ Liberty's men's teams are called the Flames; however, no men's teams are associate members of the Big East.

Former associate members[edit]

Because the American Athletic Conference did not sponsor lacrosse or field hockey immediately after the Big East split, several schools from The American joined the reconfigured Big East as associate members in those sports. UConn, Louisville, Rutgers, and Temple joined in both women's lacrosse and field hockey, with Rutgers also joining in men's lacrosse, while Cincinnati joined only in women's lacrosse. Among these schools, Louisville and Rutgers were associates only for one season, as both became full members of conferences that sponsored their remaining Big East sports in 2014—respectively the Atlantic Coast Conference and Big Ten Conference. The other named schools stayed in Big East women's lacrosse until The American began a women's lacrosse league in 2018–19.

Institution Location Founded Joined Left Enrollment Nickname Colors Big East
sport(s)
Primary
conference
New conference
in former
Big East sport(s)
University of Louisville Louisville, Kentucky 1798 2013–14 2013–14 23,246 Cardinals     Field hockey,
Women's lacrosse
ACC
Rutgers University New Brunswick, New Jersey 1766 2013–14 2013–14 50,411 Scarlet Knights   Field hockey,
Men's lacrosse,
Women's lacrosse
Big Ten
University of Cincinnati Cincinnati, Ohio 1819 2013–14 2017–18 46,798 Bearcats     Women's lacrosse Big 12 The American
University of Florida Gainesville, Florida 1853 2014–15 2017–18 57,841 Gators     Women's lacrosse SEC The American
Temple University Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1884 2013–14 2017–18 37,365 Owls     Women's lacrosse The American
Vanderbilt University Nashville, Tennessee 1873 2014–15 2017–18 13,537 Commodores     Women's lacrosse SEC The American
University of Connecticut[a] Storrs, Connecticut 1881 2013–14f.h.
2018–19w.lax.
2019–20f.h.
2019–20w.lax.
32,669 Huskies     Field hockey,
Women's lacrosse
Big East
Old Dominion University Norfolk, Virginia 1930 2018–19 2019–20 24,286 Monarchs       Women's lacrosse Sun Belt The American
Notes
  1. ^ UConn's women lacrosse team rejoined the Big East two years later as a full member in 2020. UConn's associate membership status in field hockey was replaced by full membership in 2020.

Membership timeline[edit]

Akron Zips men's soccerQuinnipiac BobcatsLiberty Flames and Lady FlamesVanderbilt CommodoresFlorida GatorsCincinnati BearcatsTemple OwlsDenver PioneersOld Dominion UniversityUConn HuskiesCreighton BluejaysButler BulldogsXavier MusketeersMarquette Golden EaglesDePaul Blue DemonsVillanova WildcatsSeton Hall PiratesSt. John's Red StormProvidence FriarsGeorgetown Hoyas

Full members (non-football) Assoc. member (Other sports) Other Conference

Men's sports[edit]

Men's sponsored sports by school
School Baseball Basketball Cross
Country
Golf Lacrosse Soccer Swimming
& Diving
Tennis Track
& Field
(Indoor)
Track
& Field
(Outdoor)
Total
Big East
Sports
Butler Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes No Yes Yes Yes 8
Creighton Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes No Yes No No 6
DePaul No Yes Yes Yes No Yes No Yes Yes Yes 7
Georgetown Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 10
Marquette No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes 8
Providence No Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes 7
St. John's Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes No Yes No No 6
Seton Hall Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes No No No 6
UConn Yes Yes No Yes No Yes No No Yes Yes 6
Villanova Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 10
Xavier Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 9
Totals 8 11 9 10 5+1[a] 11+1[b] 5 8 8 8 83+2
  1. ^ Associate member Denver.
  2. ^ Associate member Akron.
Men's varsity sports not sponsored by the Big East Conference which are played by Big East schools
School Fencing Football[a] Ice Hockey Rowing[b] Sailing[c]
Butler No Pioneer No No No
Georgetown No Patriot No EARC MAISA
Providence No No Hockey East No No
St. John's Independent No No No No
UConn No FBS Independent Hockey East No No
Villanova No CAA Football No No No
  1. ^ UConn competes at the FBS level, while Butler, Georgetown, and Villanova compete at the FCS level.
  2. ^ The only category of rowing governed by the NCAA is women's heavyweight rowing. All other U.S. college rowing is governed by the Intercollegiate Rowing Association.
  3. ^ Sailing is not an NCAA-sanctioned sport, instead being governed by the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association.

Basketball[edit]

The 2013–14 season marked the inaugural season of the reconfigured Big East. Kicking off with media day at Chelsea Piers, the season started with much fanfare and excitement around the country's elite basketball-centric conference. Aided by the lucrative TV agreement with FS1, almost all Big East games were televised, helping to maintain and grow Big East basketball as a national brand. For 2014–15, the Big East had four schools ranked in the top 20 and six schools in the top 30 recruiting classes nationally according to ESPN, Scout and Rivals rankings. Villanova won the conference's first national championship since realignment in 2016. The conference holds the record for the highest percentage of members ever sent to one tournament from a single conference at 70%.

Big East Champions and tournament bids[edit]

Year Regular Season
Champion
Player of the Year Tournament
Champion
Tournament MVP NCAA Tournament Bids
2013–14 Villanova Doug McDermott (Creighton) Providence Bryce Cotton (Providence) Villanova No. 2 East, Creighton No. 3 West, Providence No. 11 East, Xavier No. 11 Midwest
2014–15 Villanova Ryan Arcidiacono (Villanova),
Kris Dunn (Providence)
Villanova Josh Hart (Villanova) Villanova No. 1 East, Georgetown No. 4 South, Providence No. 6 East, Butler No. 6 Midwest, Xavier No. 6 West, St. John's No. 9 South
2015–16 Villanova Kris Dunn (Providence) Seton Hall Isaiah Whitehead (Seton Hall) Villanova No. 2 South, Xavier No. 2 East, Seton Hall No. 6 Midwest, Providence No. 9 East, Butler No. 9 Midwest
2016–17 Villanova Josh Hart (Villanova) Villanova Josh Hart (Villanova) Villanova No. 1 East, Butler No. 4 South, Creighton No. 6 Midwest, Seton Hall No. 9 South, Marquette No. 10 East, Xavier No. 11 West, Providence No. 11 East (First Four)
2017–18 Xavier Jalen Brunson (Villanova) Villanova Mikal Bridges (Villanova) Villanova No. 1 East, Xavier No. 1 West, Seton Hall No. 8 Midwest, Creighton No. 8 South, Providence No. 10 West, Butler No. 10 East
2018–19 Villanova Markus Howard (Marquette) Villanova Phil Booth (Villanova) Marquette No. 5 West, Villanova No. 6 South, Seton Hall No. 10 Midwest, St. John's No. 11 West (First Four)
2019–20 Creighton, Seton Hall, Villanova Myles Powell (Seton Hall) Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2020–21 Villanova Collin Gillespie
(Villanova)
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl
(Villanova)
Sandro Mamukelashvili
(Seton Hall)
Georgetown Dante Harris (Georgetown) Villanova No. 5 South, Creighton No. 5 West, UConn No. 7 East, Georgetown No. 12 East
2021–22 Providence Collin Gillespie (Villanova) Villanova Collin Gillespie (Villanova) Villanova No. 2 South, Providence No. 4 Midwest, UConn No. 5 West, Seton Hall No. 8 South, Marquette No.9 East, Creighton No. 9 Midwest
2022–23 Marquette Tyler Kolek (Marquette) Marquette Tyler Kolek (Marquette) Marquette No. 2 East, Xavier No. 3 Midwest, UConn No. 4 West, Creighton No. 6 South, Providence No. 11 East

All-time wins and NCAA appearances[edit]

This list goes through the 2019–20 season.

Team Records Win Pct. NCAA
Tournament
NCAA
Sweet 16
NCAA
Elite 8
NCAA
Final Four
NCAA
Runner-up
NCAA
Champions
Butler 1,619–1,154 .584 16 6 2 2 2 0
Creighton 1,586–1,027 .607 21 3 2 0 0 0
DePaul 1,483–1,040 .588 22 10 3 2 0 0
Georgetown 1,687–1,070 .612 30 11 9 5 3 1
Marquette 1,651–1,019 .618 33 16 7 3 1 1
Providence 1,443–965 .599 18 5 4 2 0 0
St. John's 1,917–1,045 .647 30 9 6 2 1 0
Seton Hall 1,535–1,093 .584 14 4 2 1 1 0
UConn 1,733–987 .637 33 18 11 6 0 5
Villanova 1,803–942 .657 39 18 14 7 1 3
Xavier 1,595–1,068 .599 29 9 3 0 0 0

NCAA National Championships[edit]

School NCAA Champion Years NCAA Runner-up Years
UConn 5 1999, 2004, 2011, 2014, 2023 0
Villanova 3 1985, 2016, 2018 1 1971[a]
Georgetown 1 1984 3 1943, 1982, 1985
Marquette 1 1977 1 1974
Butler 0 2 2010, 2011
Seton Hall 0 1 1989
St. John's 0 1 1952
Total 10 9
  1. ^ Final Four appearance vacated due to NCAA rules violations.

Soccer[edit]

All full Big East member schools field men's soccer teams. Akron became an associate member in 2023.

Year Regular Season Tournament Runner-up NCAA Bids
2013 Georgetown Marquette Providence Creighton, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, St. John's
2014 Creighton Providence Xavier Creighton, Georgetown, Providence, Xavier
2015 Georgetown Georgetown Creighton Creighton, Georgetown
2016 Providence Butler Creighton Butler, Creighton, Providence, Villanova
2017 Butler Georgetown Xavier Butler, Georgetown
2018 Creighton Georgetown Marquette Georgetown
2019 Georgetown Georgetown Providence Butler, Georgetown, Providence, St. John's
2021 (spring) Georgetown Seton Hall Georgetown Georgetown, Marquette, Seton Hall
2021 (fall) Georgetown Georgetown Providence Creighton, Georgetown, Providence, St. John's, Villanova
2022 Georgetown Creighton Georgetown Creighton, Georgetown, Seton Hall
2023 Georgetown Xavier Georgetown Georgetown, Xavier

NCAA National Championships[edit]

School NCAA Champion Years NCAA Runner-up Years
UConn 2 1981, 2000 0 N/A
Georgetown 1 2019 1 2012
St. John's 1 1996 1 2003
Creighton 0 N/A 1 2000

Lacrosse[edit]

Big East men's lacrosse is made up of charter members Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, St. John's, and Villanova, as well as Denver. NCAA regulations state that there must be six teams for a league to receive an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, and since Butler, Creighton, DePaul, Seton Hall, and Xavier only field club teams, the Big East had to look elsewhere. Both Denver and Johns Hopkins were rumored as targets for potential invitation and Denver was ultimately invited to join the Big East as a lacrosse-only member. Denver joined the Big East as one of the hottest teams in the country; at the time of the relaunch of the Big East in July 2013, the Pioneers had made six NCAA Tournament appearances in the previous eight seasons and had appeared in two Final Fours in the previous three seasons. The University of Denver houses most of its other sports in The Summit League; most of that league's other teams are closer to that school's Denver campus than the bulk of the Big East. There is still uncertainty to whether or not Butler, Creighton, DePaul, Seton Hall, UConn, or Xavier will elevate their programs from the club level, or if any other programs will receive lacrosse-only invitations.

Year Regular Season Tournament Runner-up NCAA Bids
2012 Notre Dame Syracuse St. John's Notre Dame (final Four), Syracuse (first round)
2013 Syracuse Syracuse Villanova Notre Dame (quarterfinals), Syracuse (finalist)
2014 Denver Denver Villanova Denver (final Four)
2015 Denver Denver Georgetown Denver (National Champion)
2016 Denver Marquette Denver Denver (first round), Marquette (first round)
2017 Denver Marquette Providence Denver (final Four), Marquette (first round)
2018 Denver Georgetown Denver Denver (quarterfinals), Georgetown (first round), Villanova (first round)
2019 Denver Georgetown Denver Georgetown (first round)
2020 Season canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2021 Denver Georgetown Denver Denver (first round), Georgetown (quarterfinals)
2022 Georgetown Georgetown Villanova Georgetown (quarterfinals)
2023 Georgetown Georgetown Denver Georgetown (quarterfinals)

NCAA National Championships[edit]

School NCAA Champion Years NCAA Runner-up Years
Denver 1 2015 0 N/A

Baseball[edit]

Big East full member schools Butler, Creighton, Georgetown, Seton Hall, St. John's, UConn, Villanova and Xavier all field men's baseball teams. DePaul and Marquette have never fielded Big East baseball teams, while Providence fielded one until 1999 when it was dropped and later replaced with lacrosse.

Year Regular Season Tournament NCAA Bids
2014 Creighton Xavier Xavier
2015 St. John's St. John's St. John's
2016 Xavier Xavier Xavier
2017 Creighton Xavier Xavier, St. John's
2018 St. John's St. John's St. John's
2019 Creighton Creighton Creighton
2020 Season canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2021 UConn UConn UConn
2022 UConn UConn UConn
2023 UConn Xavier Xavier, UConn

Swimming and Diving[edit]

Big East men's swimming & diving is made up entirely of charter conference members, with UConn being a charter member of the 1979 incarnation, Xavier a charter member of the 2013 incarnation, and Georgetown, Providence, Seton Hall, and Villanova being charter members of both versions. However, UConn announced shortly before rejoining the Big East that it would cut men's swimming & diving along with men's cross country, men's tennis, and women's rowing effective in July 2021. Butler cut men's swimming & diving in 2007, when they also cut lacrosse. St. John's cut men's swimming & diving in 2003 due to Title IX, when they also cut women's swimming & diving, football, men's cross country, men's indoor track & field, and men's outdoor track & field and added men's lacrosse. The Big East Conference originally started sponsoring men's swimming & diving in 1979.

The Big East Conference Men's Swimming & Diving Championships have been held at some of the most prestigious pools in the United States. These pools include: Indiana University Natatorium, which has hosted multiple NCAA Division I Men's Swimming & Diving Championships and multiple United States Olympic Swimming Trials and United States Olympic Diving Trials; Nassau County Aquatic Center, which has hosted NCAA Division I Men's Swimming & Diving Championships and the International Goodwill Games; and University of Pittsburgh's Trees Pool, which hosted a total of 17 Big East Conference Men's Swimming & Diving Championships.

Out of the current members, Xavier has won a total of six Big East Conference Men's Swimming & Diving Championships, Georgetown has won three, while Seton Hall and Villanova have each won two.

Year Tournament Champion Tournament Runner-up
2014 Xavier Georgetown
2015 Xavier Georgetown
2016 Xavier Georgetown
2017 Seton Hall Georgetown
2018 Seton Hall Villanova
2019 Xavier Georgetown
2020 Xavier Georgetown
2021 Xavier Villanova
2022 Georgetown Xavier
2023 Georgetown Xavier
2024 Georgetown Xavier

Cross Country[edit]

Villanova men's cross country team won three straight NCAA National Championships in 1966, 1967 and 1968, as well as a fourth in 1970. They also finished 2nd in 1962 and 1969. Providence men's cross country team have also finished in second in 1981 and 1982.

Year Big East Champion NCAA Championship Team Entries
2013 Villanova Providence, Villanova
2014 Villanova Georgetown, Providence, Villanova
2015 Georgetown Georgetown
2016 Georgetown Georgetown, Providence
2017 Georgetown None
2018 Georgetown Villanova
2019 Villanova None
2021 (spring) Butler None
2021 (fall) Butler Butler, Villanova
2022 Butler Butler, Georgetown
2023 Butler Butler, Georgetown, Villanova

NCAA National Championships[edit]

School NCAA Champion Years NCAA Runner-up Years
Villanova 4 1966, 1967, 1968, 1970 2 1962, 1969
Providence 0 N/A 2 1981, 1982

Women's sports[edit]

Women's sponsored sports by school
School Basketball Cross
Country
Field
Hockey
Golf Lacrosse Soccer Softball Swimming
& Diving
Tennis Track
& Field
(Indoor)
Track
& Field
(Outdoor)
Volleyball Total
Big East
Sports
Butler Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 11
Creighton Yes Yes No Yes No Yes Yes No Yes No No Yes 7
DePaul Yes Yes No No No Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes 8
Georgetown Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 12
Marquette Yes Yes No No Yes Yes No No Yes Yes Yes Yes 8
Providence Yes Yes Yes No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 10
St. John's Yes Yes No Yes No Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes 9
Seton Hall Yes Yes No Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Yes 8
UConn Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 11
Villanova Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 11
Xavier Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 10
Totals 11 11 4+4[a] 6 6+1[b] 11 9 7 11 9 9 11 105+5
  1. ^ Associates Liberty, Old Dominion, Quinnipiac, and Temple.
  2. ^ Associate member Denver.
Women's varsity sports not sponsored by the Big East Conference which are played by Big East schools
School Fencing Ice Hockey Rowing Sailing[a] Water polo
Creighton No No WCC No No
Georgetown No No EAWRC & Patriot MAISA No
Providence No Hockey East No No No
St. John's Independent No No No No
UConn No Hockey East CAA[b] No No
Villanova No No CAA No MAAC
  1. ^ Sailing is not an NCAA-sanctioned sport, instead being governed by the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association.
  2. ^ UConn has reinstated its women's rowing program through July 2023 and plans to assess costs associated with a program upgrade and potential long-term reinstatement.

Basketball[edit]

Year Regular Season Champion Player of the Year Tournament Champion Tournament MVP NCAA Tournament Bids
2013–14 DePaul Marissa Janning (Creighton) DePaul Jasmine Penny (DePaul) DePaul
2014–15 DePaul, Seton Hall Brittany Hrynko (DePaul) DePaul Megan Podkowa (DePaul) DePaul, Seton Hall
2015–16 DePaul Chanise Jenkins (DePaul) St. John's Aliyyah Handford (St. John's) DePaul, St. John's, Seton Hall
2016–17 Creighton, DePaul Brooke Schulte (DePaul) Marquette Amani Wilborn (Marquette) Creighton, DePaul, Marquette
2017–18 DePaul, Marquette Allazia Blockton (Marquette) DePaul Amarah Coleman (DePaul) DePaul (#5 Spokane), Marquette (#8 Lexington), Villanova (#9 Spokane), Creighton (#11 Kansas City)
2018–19 Marquette Natisha Hiedeman (Marquette) DePaul Chante Stonewall (DePaul) Marquette (#5 Chicago), DePaul (#6 Chicago)
2019–20 DePaul Jaylyn Agnew (Creighton) DePaul Lexi Held (DePaul) NCAA Tournament canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2020–21 UConn Paige Bueckers (UConn) UConn Paige Bueckers (UConn) UConn (#1 River Walk), Marquette (#10 River Walk)
2021–22 UConn Maddy Siegrist (Villanova) UConn Christyn Williams (UConn) UConn (#2 Bridgeport), Creighton (#10 Greensboro), Villanova (#11 Wichita), DePaul (#11, First Four)
2022–23 UConn Maddy Siegrist (Villanova) UConn Aaliyah Edwards (UConn) UConn (#2 Seattle 3), Villanova (#4 Greenville 2), Creighton (#6 Greenville 1), Marquette (#9 Greenville 1), St. John's (#11 Seattle 3, First Four)

Field Hockey[edit]

The Big East began sponsoring field hockey in 1989, but conference records only indicate that a postseason tournament was held; the first recorded season of full league play was 1993, with Boston College, UConn, Georgetown, Providence, Syracuse, and Villanova participating. Georgetown left Big East field hockey after the 1994 season, and was replaced by incoming Big East member Rutgers. The next change in field hockey membership came in 2005, when BC left for the ACC and was replaced by Louisville. Georgetown returned its field hockey program to the Big East the next year, after which the conference's field hockey membership remained unchanged until the 2013 conference split. Shortly before the split, Old Dominion was set to join the original Big East as a field hockey associate.[56]

The conference split left both successor leagues—the reconfigured Big East and The American—with too few field hockey members to qualify for an automatic NCAA tournament berth. As a result, both leagues agreed that only the "new" Big East would sponsor the sport, and that all American members with field hockey programs would become associates. Accordingly, the Big East field hockey conference would now be made up of Big East full members Georgetown, Providence, and Villanova; American members UConn, Louisville, Rutgers, and Temple; and Old Dominion, otherwise a member of Conference USA. Following the 2014 departure of Louisville and Rutgers for all-sports membership in conferences that sponsored field hockey (respectively the ACC and Big Ten), Big East field hockey operated with six members until Liberty and Quinnipiac joined as associate members in 2016.

Year Regular Season Champion Tournament Champion NCAA Tournament Bids
2013 UConn UConn UConn, Old Dominion
2014 UConn UConn UConn
2015 UConn UConn UConn
2016 UConn UConn UConn
2017 UConn UConn UConn
2018 UConn UConn UConn
2019 UConn UConn UConn
2021 (spring) UConn UConn UConn
2021 (fall) Liberty Liberty Liberty
2022 Liberty Liberty Liberty
2023 Liberty Old Dominion Liberty, Old Dominion

NCAA National Championships[edit]

The only honors listed here are those earned by Big East field hockey members while playing the sport in the conference. In addition to these:

  • UConn had two national titles and two runner-up finishes as a member of the original Big East, but before the conference established a field hockey league.
  • Old Dominion had nine national titles and three runner-up finishes before joining Big East field hockey.
School NCAA Champion Years NCAA Runner-up Years
UConn 3 2013, 2014, 2017 0 N/A
Liberty 0 N/A 1 2021

Soccer[edit]

Year Regular Season Champion Tournament Champion NCAA Tournament Bids
2013 Marquette Marquette DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, St. John's
2014 DePaul DePaul DePaul, Georgetown
2015 St. John's Butler Butler, Georgetown, St. John's
2016 Marquette, DePaul Georgetown Georgetown, Marquette
2017 Georgetown Georgetown Butler, Georgetown
2018 Georgetown Georgetown Georgetown
2019 Xavier Xavier Georgetown, Xavier
2021 (spring) Georgetown (East & overall)
Butler (Midwest)
Georgetown Georgetown
2021 (fall) Xavier Georgetown Georgetown, St. John's, Xavier, Butler
2022 Georgetown Georgetown Georgetown, Xavier
2023 Georgetown, Xavier Georgetown Georgetown, Providence, Xavier

Softball[edit]

Nine Big East members sponsor softball, with Marquette and Xavier as the exceptions. The original Big East first sponsored the sport in the 1990 season.

Year Regular Season Champion Tournament Champion NCAA Tournament Bids
2014 DePaul DePaul DePaul
2015 St. John's St. John's St. John's
2016 DePaul Butler Butler
2017 St. John's DePaul DePaul
2018 DePaul DePaul DePaul
2019 St. John's DePaul DePaul
2020 Season canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2021 DePaul Villanova Villanova
2022 UConn Villanova Villanova
2023 UConn Seton Hall Seton Hall

Swimming and Diving[edit]

Big East women's swimming & diving is made up of charter members Butler, Georgetown, Providence, Seton Hall, UConn, Villanova and Xavier (UConn was a charter member of the original Big East, but not of its 2013 version). St. John's cut women's swimming & diving in 2003 due to Title IX, when they also cut men's swimming & diving, football, men's cross country, men's indoor track & field, and men's outdoor track & field and added men's lacrosse. The Big East Conference originally started sponsoring women's swimming & diving in 1981–82, the same season in which the NCAA began sponsoring women's sports.

The Big East Conference Women's Swimming & Diving Championships have been held at some of the most prestigious pools in the United States. These pools include: Indiana University Natatorium, which has hosted multiple NCAA Division I Women's Swimming & Diving Championships and multiple United States Olympic Swimming Trials and United States Olympic Diving Trials; Nassau County Aquatic Center, which has hosted NCAA Division I Women's Swimming & Diving Championships and the International Goodwill Games; and University of Pittsburgh's Trees Pool, which hosted a total of 17 Big East Conference Women's Swimming & Diving Championships.

Out of the current members, Villanova has won a total of 16 Big East Conference Women's Swimming & Diving Championships.

Year Tournament Champion Tournament Runner-up
2014 Villanova Georgetown
2015 Villanova Georgetown
2016 Villanova Georgetown
2017 Villanova Georgetown
2018 Villanova Georgetown
2019 Villanova Xavier
2020 Villanova Georgetown
2021 Villanova UConn
2022 Villanova UConn
2023 Villanova UConn
2024 Villanova UConn

Volleyball[edit]

All full members of the Big East sponsor women's volleyball. However, during the first season of the reconfigured Big East in 2013, Providence was an affiliate member of the America East Conference. The Friars joined Big East volleyball in 2014 after completing their contractual obligation to the America East.

Year Regular Season Tournament Runner-up NCAA Bids
2013 Marquette Marquette Creighton Creighton, Marquette
2014 Creighton Creighton Seton Hall Creighton, Marquette, Seton Hall
2015 Creighton Creighton Villanova Creighton, Marquette, Villanova
2016 Creighton Creighton Xavier Creighton, Marquette
2017 Creighton Creighton Marquette Creighton, Marquette
2018 Creighton Creighton Marquette Creighton, Marquette
2019 Creighton St. John's Marquette Creighton, Marquette, St. John's
2021 (spring) Creighton (Midwest & overall)
St. John's (East)
Creighton Marquette Creighton
2021 (fall) Creighton, Marquette Creighton Marquette Creighton, Marquette
2022 Creighton, Marquette Creighton Marquette Creighton, Marquette
2023 Creighton, Marquette TBD TBD TBD

Cross Country[edit]

The Providence women's cross country team have been crowned NCAA National Champions in 1995 and 2013, as well as finishing 2nd in 1990 and 2012. The Villanova women's cross country team won two straight NCAA National Championships in 2009 and 2010 and six straight NCAA National Championships in 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, and 1994. Villanova runners also won an individual NCAA National Championship in 1998, as well as placing 3rd in 1995, 2nd in 1996 and 3rd in 2011. The Georgetown women's cross country team were NCAA National Champions in 2011.

Year Big East Champion NCAA Championship Team Entries
2013 Providence Butler, Georgetown, Providence, Villanova
2014 Georgetown Georgetown, Providence
2015 Providence Georgetown, Providence, Villanova
2016 Providence Providence, Villanova
2017 Villanova Providence, Villanova
2018 Villanova None
2019 Butler None
2021 (spring) Georgetown None
2021 (fall) Georgetown Butler, Georgetown, Providence, Villanova
2022 Georgetown Butler, Georgetown, Providence, Villanova
2023 Georgetown Georgetown, Providence

NCAA National Championships[edit]

School NCAA Champion Years NCAA Runner-up Years
Villanova 9 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1998, 2009, 2010 1 1996
Providence 2 1995, 2013 2 1990, 2012
Georgetown 1 2011 0 N/A

Lacrosse[edit]

The Big East began sponsoring women's lacrosse in the 2001 season with Boston College, UConn, Georgetown, Notre Dame, Rutgers, Syracuse, and Virginia Tech. The original lineup stayed in place until Virginia Tech and BC left for the ACC, respectively in 2004 and 2005. The conference replaced BC with Loyola (Maryland) for the 2006 season, and the Greyhounds remained an associate member until the school joined the Patriot League, which already sponsored women's lacrosse, in 2013. Originally, the conference championship was decided solely by league play; a postseason tournament was added starting in the 2007 season with the top four teams qualifying, a format that exists to this day. The next changes in women's lacrosse membership came in the 2009 season, when Cincinnati and Louisville (both of which had only added varsity lacrosse for the 2008 season)[57][58] brought their teams into the Big East. Villanova followed in the 2010 season.[59]

As in the case of field hockey, the 2013 conference split left the Big East and The American with too few lacrosse teams for an automatic NCAA bid. Also in a parallel with field hockey, the two conferences agreed that only the reconfigured Big East would sponsor the sport, with all women's lacrosse teams from The American becoming associate members. The first season of women's lacrosse in the reconfigured league in 2014 would thus include Cincinnati, UConn, Georgetown, Louisville, new varsity team Marquette, Rutgers, Temple, and Villanova. The Big East would lose Louisville and Rutgers after that season, respectively to the ACC and Big Ten, replacing them with Florida and Vanderbilt (the only two SEC schools sponsoring the sport) after the demise of the American Lacrosse Conference.[59]

For the 2017 season, Butler added varsity women's lacrosse and Denver brought its women's lacrosse team into the league, giving the Big East 10 members in the sport. However, after the 2018 season, the Big East lost all of its women's lacrosse associate members except Denver to the new women's lacrosse conference of The American. The Big East retained its automatic NCAA tournament bid for the 2019 season and beyond by adding Old Dominion, already an associate member in field hockey.

On April 16, 2020, Old Dominion announced its women's lacrosse would join the American Athletic Conference in the 2021 season (2020–21 school year), essentially swapping places with incoming full member UConn. Both conferences thus maintained the six members required for an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.[52]

Xavier added women's lacrosse in the 2023 season, playing as an independent for its first season before starting full Big East play in 2024.[60]

Year Regular Season Tournament Runner-up NCAA Bids
2014 Louisville Louisville Georgetown Louisville, Georgetown (both Second Round)
2015 Florida, Georgetown Florida UConn Florida (second round)
2016 Florida Florida Temple Florida (second round)
2017 Florida Florida Denver Florida (second round)
2018 Florida Florida Denver Florida (quarter-finals), Denver (second round), Georgetown (first round)
2019 Denver Georgetown Denver Georgetown (second round), Denver (quarterfinals)
2020 Season canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2021 Denver Denver UConn UConn (first round), Denver (second round)
2022 Denver Denver Georgetown UConn (first round), Denver (second round)
2023 Denver Denver UConn Denver (semifinals), Marquette (first round), UConn (first round)

NCAA Team Championships[edit]

This list includes NCAA championships won by members of the Big East. Excluded from this list are all national championships earned outside the scope of NCAA competition, including ICSA sailing championships (14 by Georgetown), women's AIAW championships (2 by Old Dominion), equestrian titles (0), and retroactive Helms Athletic Foundation titles (1 by St. John's). Associate members, indicated in italics, are listed with NCAA championships won in their Big East sports while competing in the conference.

School Nickname Total Men Women Co-ed
UConn Huskies 23 7 16 0
Villanova Wildcats 20 11 9 0
Georgetown Hoyas 3 2 1 0
Providence Friars 3 1 2 0
St. John's Red Storm 2 1 0 1
Denver Pioneers 1 1 0 0
Marquette Golden Eagles 1 1 0 0
Butler Bulldogs 0 0 0 0
Creighton Bluejays 0 0 0 0
DePaul Blue Demons 0 0 0 0
Seton Hall Pirates 0 0 0 0
Xavier Musketeers 0 0 0 0

Facilities[edit]

Future members in gray.

School Basketball arena(s) Capacity Soccer stadium Capacity Baseball park Capacity Softball park Capacity Lacrosse stadium Capacity
Butler Hinkle Fieldhouse 9,100 Sellick Bowl 7,500[a] Bulldog Park 500 Butler Softball Field 500 Varsity Field N/A
Creighton M: CHI Health Center Omaha
W: D. J. Sokol Arena
18,320
2,950
Morrison Stadium 6,000 TD Ameritrade Park Omaha 24,505 Creighton Sports Complex 1,000 Non-lacrosse school
DePaul M&W: Wintrust Arena
W: McGrath–Phillips Arena
10,387
3,000
Wish Field 1,000 Non-baseball school Cacciatore Stadium 1,000 Non-lacrosse school
Georgetown M: Capital One Arena
W: McDonough Gymnasium
20,035
2,500
Shaw Field 1,625 Shirley Povich Field 1,500 Nats Academy 200 Cooper Field 3,750
Marquette M: Fiserv Forum
W: Al McGuire Center
18,850
4,000
Valley Fields 1,600 Non-baseball school Non-softball school Time Warner Cable Stadium
Hart Park Stadium
Valley Fields
7,000
5,500
1600
Providence M: Amica Mutual Pavilion
W: Alumni Hall
12,400
1,854
Chapey Field at Anderson Stadium 3,000 Non-baseball school Glay Field 500 Chapey Field at Anderson Stadium 3,000
Seton Hall M: Prudential Center
W: Walsh Gymnasium
18,711
1,316
Owen T. Carroll Field 261 Owen T. Carroll Field 261 Essex County
Mike Shepard, Sr. Field
300 Non-lacrosse school
St. John's M: Madison Square Garden
M&W: Carnesecca Arena [b]
19,979
5,602
Belson Stadium 2,168 Jack Kaiser Stadium 3,500 Red Storm Field 250 DaSilva Memorial Field 1,200
UConn Harry A. Gampel Pavilion
XL Center
10,167
15,564
Joseph J. Morrone Stadium 5,100 Elliot Ballpark 1,500 Connecticut Softball Stadium 518 George J. Sherman Family-Sports Complex 2,000
Villanova M&W: Wells Fargo Center
M&W: Finneran Pavilion [c]
20,328
6,500
Villanova Soccer Complex 1,500 Villanova Ballpark at Plymouth 300[61] Villanova Softball Complex 250 Villanova Stadium 12,500
Xavier Cintas Center 10,250 Xavier University Soccer Complex 1,000 J. Page Hayden Field 500 Non-softball school Non-lacrosse school
Associate Members
Akron Member only for men's soccer FirstEnergy Stadium 4,000 Member only for men's soccer
Denver Member only for men's and women's lacrosse Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium 2,000

Notes:

  1. ^ Approximate total capacity including grass seating; seated capacity is 5,647.
  2. ^ St. John's men generally play their Big East home schedule in Madison Square Garden and their non-conference home schedule on campus at Carnesecca Arena.
  3. ^ For certain high-profile home games, Villanova uses the Wells Fargo Center, and previously used the Spectrum. In 2005–06, Villanova played three home games at the Wells Fargo Center and the rest on campus at The Pavilion. In 2006, the Wells Fargo Center was also a first-round site for the NCAA tournament. Under NCAA rules, a venue is not considered a home court unless a school plays four or more regular-season games there; this enabled Villanova to play its first two tournament games at the Wells Fargo Center (but Villanova was not considered the host school for that sub-region – the Atlantic 10 Conference was). This situation occurred again in 2009, with Villanova playing (and winning) its first two tournament games at Wells Fargo Center.

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ The American is the legal all-sports successor to the Big East Conference (1979–2013). The Big East was rebranded and reorganized as the American Athletic Conference on July 1, 2013.

References[edit]

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External links[edit]