Old Dominion Monarchs and Lady Monarchs
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The Old Dominion Monarchs are composed of 18 intercollegiate athletic teams representing
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 ...
, located in
Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...
. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, football, golf, sailing, soccer, swimming, and tennis. Women's sports include basketball, field hockey, lacrosse, golf, sailing, soccer, swimming, tennis, rowing, and volleyball. The Monarchs compete in the
NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision The NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), formerly known as Division I-A, is the highest level of college football in the United States. The FBS consists of the largest schools in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). As ...
(FBS) and are members of the Sun Belt Conference (SBC); the university joined the conference on July 1, 2022. In 2017, the university announced it would add Women's Volleyball as a scholarship sport, slated to compete beginning in 2020. The university discontinued wrestling in April 2020 after a study on the athletic department's sport sponsorship, combined with added financial pressure from the
coronavirus pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identifie ...
.


Sports sponsored


Men's basketball

The Old Dominion University Monarchs men's basketball team have captured six
CAA CAA may refer to: Law * Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 of India ** Citizenship Amendment Act protests, Protests regarding the Citizenship (Amendment) Act * Copyright transfer agreement, Copyright assignment agreement, to transfer copyright to ...
championship titles (1992, 1995, 1997, 2005, 2010, and 2011) since their conference admission in 1992, which is the most among all CAA schools. The Monarchs received an at-large bid to the 2007 NCAA tournament when the team went 24–8 and finished 37th in RPI. That season included a notable 13-point win at eighth ranked Georgetown. They received an automatic bid to the
2010 NCAA tournament The 2010 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 65 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball as a culmination of the 2009–10 basketball seas ...
after capturing the 2010 CAA title. During the tournament, the 11th seeded Monarchs managed a 1-point first-round upset over the sixth seeded Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. In 2002, ODU opened the Ted Constant Convocation Center (now
Chartway Arena Chartway Arena at the Ted Constant Convocation Center is a , multi-purpose arena in Norfolk, Virginia, United States, on the campus of Old Dominion University. It is operated by Spectra Venue Management. Chartway Arena is part of the University Vi ...
) for the 2002–2003 basketball season. "The Ted" seats 8,639 for basketball games with 7,319 fully cushioned seats, 862 upper club seats, and 16 suites. In addition to home basketball games, the arena hosts family-oriented events, concerts, lectures, and commencement ceremonies.


Women's basketball

Old Dominion awarded the first athletic varsity scholarship to a female in the state of Virginia to
Nancy Lieberman Nancy Elizabeth Lieberman (born July 1, 1958), nicknamed "Lady Magic", is an American former professional basketball player and coach in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) who is currently a broadcaster for the Oklahoma City Thun ...
for Monarchs women's basketball. The Old Dominion Lady Monarchs basketball team has won three national championships. In 1979 and 1980, the Lady Monarchs were AIAW Champions. In 1985, they won the NCAA Division I National Championship after defeating the Georgia Lady Bulldogs 70–65. In addition, the Lady Monarchs won five Sun Belt conference championship titles (1983, 1984, 1985, 1987 and 1990) and 17 CAA championship titles (1992–2008).


Field hockey

The ODU Monarchs field hockey team is tied with the North Carolina Tar Heels for being the winningest NCAA college field hockey program with nine national titles. Overall, the team has won 17 regular season conference titles and 15 conference tournament titles with eight straight CAA regular season and tournament titles from 1996 to 2003. From 1990 to 1993, the Monarchs won 66 straight games including three national titles. As of 2013, 50 different Monarchs have been named All-Americans. * National Championships – 1982–1984, 1988, 1990–1992, 1998, 2000 * Conference tournament Championships – CAA: 1991–1994, 1996–2003, 2005, 2009–2011 * Conference Championships – CAA: 1991–1993, 1996–2003, 2005–2007, 2011, 2012; Big East: 2013 * NCAA Tournaments – 1981–2003, 2005–2007, 2010–2013


Football

The history of football at ODU began with the Norfolk Division, which had a football team until 1941 known as the Norfolk Division Braves. The program dissolved due to a rule against freshman players and a $10,000 debt. On June 14, 2005, its
Board of Visitors In the United States, a board often governs institutions of higher education, including private universities, state universities, and community colleges. In each US state, such boards may govern either the state university system, individual ...
approved by a 14–0 vote the creation of an
NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...
team, which began play on September 5, 2009. On February 9, 2007, ODU's Athletic Director Jim Jarrett announced that
Bobby Wilder Robert S. Wilder (born August 1, 1964) is an American football coach who most recently served as the head coach of the Old Dominion Monarchs football team. He was only the second coach all-time in the program's history and the first since footba ...
, the associate head football coach at the
University of Maine The University of Maine (UMaine or UMO) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Orono, Maine. It was established in 1865 as the land-grant college of Maine and is the Flagship universities, flagshi ...
, would be the head football coach at Old Dominion University. The team signed its first class in 2008. As is the case with many new football programs, all players on the 2008 Monarchs football team were redshirted, and when added with the 2009 signing class and transfers from I-A schools, formed the nucleus of the school's first football team. Initially, ODU competed as an FCS program (formerly I-AA), and was independent for two years before joining the Colonial Athletic Association for the 2011 season. The final record for Old Dominion's 2009 football program was 9–2, at the time the best winning record ever for a first-year collegiate football program. This record is now held by
Mercer University Mercer University is a private research university with its main campus in Macon, Georgia. Founded in 1833 as Mercer Institute and gaining university status in 1837, it is the oldest private university in the state and enrolls more than 9,000 ...
who finished 10–2 in 2013. Old Dominion's football program had continued success in 2010 finishing 8–3. In the following years, Old Dominion's football program finished their 2011–2012 season with a 10–3 record, and an 11–2 record for their 2012–2013 season which gained national attention. As the school's football program began to grow along with the university itself, Old Dominion's potential was realized by several commissioners for college football, particularly by Conference USA. Old Dominion officially joined Conference USA (C-USA) on July 1, 2013, leaving behind their former conference affiliation with the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). They won their first C-USA game against
Rice Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima ''Oryza glaberrima'', commonly known as African rice, is one of the two domesticated rice species. It was first domesticated and grown i ...
on September 20, 2014. Foreman Field (now
S.B. Ballard Stadium S.B. Ballard Stadium, formerly Foreman Field, is a 21,944-seat multi-purpose stadium on the campus of Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. It opened in 1936 with a football game between the University of Virginia and the College of Willi ...
) was formerly the
field hockey Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting ci ...
and women's lacrosse teams' home venue before renovating to accommodate the new football program in 2009. Field Hockey and women's lacrosse teams were relocated to L.R. Hill Sports Complex. As of the 2015 season, Foreman Field at S.B. Ballard Stadium sold out 48 consecutive home games.


Rowing

The ODU Rowing Club (ODURC) has been under the Recreational Sports department since 1985. The club is fully student-run and is funded largely by the student members of the club. The men's rowing club won the ACRA national championship in May 2008. In 2008, rowing also became a varsity sport for female students, and a full-time coach was hired for the new women's team. Within their first year at varsity level, the women's team placed at a national competition. The decision to elevate only the women's team to varsity status was made to keep ODU compliant with
Title IX Title IX is the most commonly used name for the federal civil rights law in the United States that was enacted as part (Title IX) of the Education Amendments of 1972. It prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or any other educat ...
regulations, providing balance to the increased spending on men's athletics that a football program brought.


Conference affiliation


Post-CAA realignment history

The football team played their 2013 season as an independent as part of the transition to FBS. Following, ODU competed as a full football-playing member of
C-USA Conference USA (C-USA or CUSA) is an intercollegiate athletic conference whose current member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports. C-USA's offices are ...
from 2014 to 2021-22 school year before joining the Sun Belt Conference in 2022. Old Dominion's field hockey team competes 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 ...
. The field hockey program had previously announced that it would join the original Big East for the 2013–14 school year. However, following the split of the original Big East, the two successor conferences, the new Big East and the
American Athletic Conference The American Athletic Conference (The American or AAC) is an American collegiate athletic conference, featuring 11 member universities and five affiliate member universities that compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) ...
, agreed that The American would not sponsor field hockey and the new Big East would take in all of The American's programs in those sports as associate members. The women's lacrosse team spent their 2013–14 season as an independent before joining the
Atlantic Sun Conference The ASUN Conference, formerly the Atlantic Sun Conference, is a collegiate athletic conference operating mostly in the Southeastern United States. The league participates at the NCAA Division I level, and began sponsoring football at the Div ...
as an associate member effective July 1, 2014. Old Dominion women's lacrosse team joined the
American Athletic Conference The American Athletic Conference (The American or AAC) is an American collegiate athletic conference, featuring 11 member universities and five affiliate member universities that compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) ...
in 2020. In 2014, the women's rowing team became an associate member of the
Big 12 Conference The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its ...
, which effectively took over sponsorship of that sport from C-USA. Later, the university announced that the rowing team would change its conference affiliation and compete in the
American Athletic Conference The American Athletic Conference (The American or AAC) is an American collegiate athletic conference, featuring 11 member universities and five affiliate member universities that compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) ...
beginning in the 2018–19 school year. Following the move to Conference USA, the men's swimming and diving team competed for two years as an independent, as C-USA did not sponsor the sport. On July 16, 2015, the team announced it would join the Coastal Collegiate Swimming Association, later renamed the
Coastal Collegiate Sports Association The Coastal Collegiate Sports Association is an NCAA Division I college athletic conference. Established in 2008, the Coastal Collegiate Swimming Association (CCSA) was originally developed by four regional Division I conferences — the A ...
, beginning with the 2015–16 season.


Non-varsity sports


Cheerleading (co-ed)

Led by head coach Carmen Harris, the Old Dominion University cheer squad performs at all football home games and men and women's basketball home games. The ODU cheer team began competing at the NCA College Nationals in Daytona, FL in 2016. They placed first in the Division 1A Intermediate All-Girl Division in 2017.


Discontinued sports


Wrestling

Old Dominion Monarchs wrestling was established in 1957. The school's departure from the CAA forced the
wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...
team to become an associate member of the
Mid-American Conference The Mid-American Conference (MAC) is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region (North America), Great L ...
, as Conference USA does not sponsor wrestling. It also was a catalyst that caused the CAA to stop sponsoring the sport. Practices took place at the Wrestling Facility and dual meets and tournaments were held at the
Chartway Arena Chartway Arena at the Ted Constant Convocation Center is a , multi-purpose arena in Norfolk, Virginia, United States, on the campus of Old Dominion University. It is operated by Spectra Venue Management. Chartway Arena is part of the University Vi ...
located on campus. Old Dominion's most recent head wrestling coach was Steve Martin, who served for ten seasons with the program. Former Monarch wrestlers who went on to compete in
mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...
include Brandon Vera (formerly
UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...
) and
Shanon Slack Shanon Slack (born April 23, 1983) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in Bellator's featherweight division. Background Slack lived his early life in Chicago, but his family moved to Richmond, Virginia when he was in the 6th grade. ...
( Bellator). On April 2, 2020, Old Dominion Athletics Director Camden Wood Selig announced that the wrestling program would be cut "immediately" based on the conclusion of a six-month study by outside consultant Richard Sander, staff member of East Tennessee State Athletics Department. According to the study, discontinuing varsity wrestling at Old Dominion would save the department $1 million and help offset recent budget cutbacks due to declining enrollment at the university.


Accomplishments

*1994
ACC ACC most often refers to: * Atlantic Coast Conference, an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic conference located in the US *American College of Cardiology, A US-based nonprofit medical association that bestows credentials upon cardiovascular spec ...
Champion *3 Individual NCAA Championship Titles: Carl Ragland (152 lbs) in 1969, Wayne Bright (142 1bs) in 1970, Terry Perdew (118 lbs) in 1974 *21 NCAA All-Americans *Coaches Association National Academic 1st team selections: James Nicholson 2009,10 & 11, Kyle Hutter 2009 & 2011, Ryan Williams 2008 & 2009, and Tristan Warner 2012.


Rivalries


James Madison

On October 26, the Old Dominion Monarchs and in-state rival
James Madison Dukes The James Madison Dukes are the intercollegiate athletics teams that represent James Madison University (JMU), in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The name "Dukes" is derived from Samuel Page Duke, the university's second president. The Dukes play as m ...
announced the official beginning of the "Royal Rivalry". As the Virginia-based schools within the Sun Belt Conference, they will compete for an all-sports trophy that contains a football component and draws its name from the royal inspiration of both schools' mascots.


Norfolk State

Along with the Monarchs, the
Norfolk State Spartans The Norfolk State Spartans refer to the 14 intercollegiate sports teams representing Norfolk State University in Norfolk, Virginia, in intercollegiate athletics, including men and women's basketball, cross country, tennis and track and field; w ...
are the only
NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...
intercollegiate sports teams that are based in
Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...
.


VCU

The
VCU Rams The VCU Rams are the athletic teams of Virginia Commonwealth University of Richmond, Virginia, United States. The Rams compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association as members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. The most succe ...
are primarily ODU's rival in men's and women's basketball as both schools competed in the
CAA CAA may refer to: Law * Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 of India ** Citizenship Amendment Act protests, Protests regarding the Citizenship (Amendment) Act * Copyright transfer agreement, Copyright assignment agreement, to transfer copyright to ...
and were once part 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 III ...
.


William & Mary

Old Dominion played as a division of the
William & Mary Tribe The William & Mary Tribe is a moniker for the College of William & Mary's athletic teams and the university's community more broadly. William & Mary has won two team national championships (both in men's tennis), the AIAW championships in w ...
before gaining independence in 1962. Following, both schools competed in the CAA.


The Old Dominion Athletic Foundation

The Old Dominion Athletic Foundation (ODAF) is the official booster club for Old Dominion Athletics. the Old Dominion Athletic Foundation was previously known as the Big Blue Club, or The Old Dominion University Intercollegiate Foundation. The change from those to ODAF occurred March 1, 2011. The Old Dominion Athletic Foundation has a 501-C-3 designation as a non-profit organization.


References


External links

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