| Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) | |
| Established | 1975 |
|---|---|
| Association | NCAA |
| Division | Division III |
| Members | 14 (3 associate members) |
| Sports fielded | 22 (men's: 10; women's: 12) |
| Region | South Atlantic |
| Former names | Virginia College Conference |
| Headquarters | Forest, Virginia |
| Commissioner | Brad Bankston |
| Website | odaconline.com |
| Locations | |
The Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) is an NCAA Division III athletic conference. Its 14 member schools are located primarily in Virginia, with other members in North Carolina and Washington, D.C. Along with the American Southwest Conference (ASC) and Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC), it is the largest all-sports conference in Division III. The only larger D-III conferences are two single-sport groups—the cross-country league operated by the Middle Atlantic Conferences,[1] with 17 members (for both men and women), and the New England Football Conference (NEFC), with 16. The NEFC will drop to eight members after the 2012 football season.
History[]
ODAC logo from 1976 to 2010
The conference was founded in 1975 as the Virginia College Conference. On January 1, 1976, the name was changed to the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. The 1976–77 season was the first in which championships were offered. In 1982–83, women's sports were added. In 1988, Virginia Wesleyan was added as a member, and, in 1990, Guilford became the first member located outside Virginia. Catholic University was a full-sport member in the 1980s along with Maryville College. Both resigned their memberships in the mid-to-late 1980s. In 1999, Catholic returned as a football-only member.[2] The only other school that has left the conference is Mary Baldwin College, which left in 1999 to join the Atlantic Women's Colleges Conference.
In 2010 the ODAC announced the addition of Shenandoah University to its full-time membership, with its first full year of involvement during the 2012-13 academic year.[3]
The league office moved its physical location from Salem, Virginia, to Forest, Virginia, just outside of centrally located Lynchburg, and contracted with Jim Ward Design for its new marks.[4]
The conference hosts the Division III championships in football and men's basketball, both of which are held in Salem, Virginia. DIII softball has called Salem home along with Division III women's lacrosse and volleyball. Since 1993 - the conference and city have hosted over 50 Division III National Championships.
Member schools[]
Current members[]
| Institution | Location | Nickname | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Football? | Joined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bridgewater College | Bridgewater, Virginia | Eagles | 1880 | Private | 1,690 | Yes | 1976 |
| Eastern Mennonite University | Harrisonburg, Virginia | Royals | 1917 | Private | 998 | No | 1976 |
| Emory & Henry College | Emory, Virginia | Wasps | 1836 | Private | 1,000 | Yes | 1976 |
| Guilford College | Greensboro, North Carolina | Quakers | 1837 | Private | 2,682 | Yes | 1991 |
| Hampden–Sydney College^ | Hampden Sydney, Virginia | Tigers | 1775 | Private | 1,120 | Yes | 1976 |
| Hollins University† | Roanoke, Virginia | *None* | 1842 | Private | 816 | No | 1982 |
| Lynchburg College | Lynchburg, Virginia | Fighting Hornets | 1903 | Private | 2,500 | No | 1976 |
| Randolph College* | Lynchburg, Virginia | WildCats | 1891 | Private | 522 | No | 1982 |
| Randolph–Macon College | Ashland, Virginia | Yellow Jackets | 1830 | Private | 1,146 | Yes | 1976 |
| Roanoke College | Salem, Virginia | Maroons | 1842 | Private | 2,100 | No | 1976 |
| Shenandoah University | Winchester, Virginia | Hornets | 1875 | Private | 724 | Yes | 2012 |
| Sweet Briar College† | Sweet Briar, Virginia | Vixens | 1901 | Private | 1,767 | No | 1982 |
| Virginia Wesleyan College | Virginia Beach, Virginia | Marlins | 1961 | Private | 1,446 | No | 1989 |
| Washington and Lee University | Lexington, Virginia | Generals | 1749 | Private | 2,200 | Yes | 1976 |
- Notes
† - Women's college, therefore not competing in men's sports
^ - Men's college, therefore not competing in women's sports
* - Formerly Randolph-Macon Woman's College, now co-educational (Randolph since 2007-08)
Associate members[]
| Institution | Location | Nickname | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Joined | Primary Conference | ODAC Sport |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catholic University | Washington, D.C. | Cardinals | 1887 | Private | 3,469 | 1999-2000 | Landmark | football |
| Greensboro College | Greensboro, North Carolina | Pride | 1838 | Private | 1,250 | 2011-12 | USA South | women's swimming |
| Notre Dame of Maryland University | Baltimore, Maryland | Gators | 1873 | Private | 4,878 | 2011-12 | CSAC | women's swimming |
Former members[]
| Institution | Location | Nickname | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Joined | Left | Current Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catholic University | Washington, D.C. | Cardinals | 1887 | Private | 3,469 | 1982 | 1984 | Landmark |
| Maryville College | Maryville, Tennessee | Scots | 1819 | Private/Presbyterian | 1,176 | 1980 | 1988 | USA South |
| Mary Baldwin College | Staunton, Virginia | Fighting Squirrels | 1842 | Private | 2,542 | 1984 | 1992 | USA South |
Membership timeline[]
Purple denotes football playing member.
Green denotes non-football playing member.
Red denotes associate member (football-only).
Blue denotes associate member (swimming only).
Sports[]
The conference sponsors championships in the following sports:
References[]
- ↑ The Middle Atlantic Conferences have a total of 18 members. However, the MAC operates as three separate groups under one administrative structure—the Commonwealth Conference, Freedom Conference, and the Middle Atlantic Conference. The last of these is generally used to form a single conference in sports that have only a few MAC members participating; the only sport operated by this group with more than 11 participating schools is cross-country for both men and women, in which 17 of the 18 total members participate.
- ↑ D3 football Catholic returns to ODAC July 7, 1999
- ↑ Lynchburg College Sports Information Office September 29, 2010
- ↑ ODAC news oct 13, 2010
External links[]
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