The Old Dominion Monarchs field hockey team represent

Old Dominion University Old Dominion University (Old Dominion or ODU) is a public research university in Norfolk, Virginia. It was established in 1930 as the Norfolk Division of the College of William & Mary and is now one of the largest universities in Virginia w ...

in the

Big East Conference The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference that competes in NCAA Division I in ten men's sports and twelve women's sports. Headquartered in New York City, the eleven full-member schools are primarily located in Northeast and ...

of NCAA Division I field hockey.

History

The Old Dominion field hockey program initiated as the Norfolk Division Braves of the

College of William & Mary The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William I ...

in 1930, competing with local high school clubs and trade schools prior to its independence. Once the independent Old Dominion College was established after governor Albertis Harrison dissolved the William & Mary college system in 1962, the field hockey program began competitions with other local, independent college clubs. Competitions expanded past the local level after the hiring of head coach Beth Anders in the early 1980s. Under her 30-season tenure as head coach, the Monarchs achieved nine NCAA tournament championship titles, producing six Honda Sports Award winners and 17 competitors in the

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a vari ...

. Anders helped the U.S. field hockey team win bronze in the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the sec ...

, won 12 CAA Coach of the Year awards, and was the winningest coach in NCAA history upon her retirement. The Monarchs hired former

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

forward Andrew Griffiths following Anders' departure. Griffiths remains as ODU's head coach as of the 2023 season. The Monarchs previously competed in the Colonial Athletic Association from 1991 to 2012 prior to Old Dominion's move to the FBS. While Conference USA served as ODU's primary conference starting in 2013, they did not sponsor field hockey as a sport. The field hockey program joined the new

as an associate member following its conference realignment.

Stadium

The Monarchs play their games at the Powhatan Sports Complex on ODU campus in Norfolk, Virginia, which permanently seats 1,500 and holds an AstroTurf playing surface. The venue has received national attention through its hosting of three NCAA field hockey championships. The Old Dominion field hockey program previously played at Foreman Field (now S.B. Ballard Stadium) prior to the establishment of the sports complex in 2008. Three previous NCAA tournament championships were played at Foreman Field, including the 2000 championship won by Old Dominion.

History

Stadium

All-time record

Individual honors

See also

References

External links