The Washington and Lee Generals are the athletic teams that represent

Washington and Lee University Washington and Lee University (Washington and Lee or W&L) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Lexington, Virginia, United States. Established in 1749 as Augusta Academy, it is among ...

, located in

Lexington, Virginia Lexington is an Independent city (United States)#Virginia, independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 7,320. It is the county seat of Rockbridge County, Virg ...

, in

NCAA Division III NCAA Division III (D-III) is the lowest division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States. D-III consists of athletic programs at colleges and universities that do not offer athletic scholarships to student- ...

intercollegiate sports. The Generals compete as members of the

Old Dominion Athletic Conference The Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) is an intercollegiate athletic conference that competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III. Of its 15 member schools, all but one are located in Virginia; the other ful ...

for all sports except wrestling, which competes in the

Centennial Conference The Centennial Conference is an intercollegiate athletic conference which competes in the NCAA's Division III. Chartered member teams are located in Maryland and Pennsylvania; associate members are also located in New York and Virginia. Ele ...

. All together, Washington and Lee sponsors 25 sports: 13 for men and 12 for women. Washington and Lee was one of the founding members of the Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Association in 1900, as well as the Division I

Southern Conference The Southern Conference (SoCon) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I. Southern Conference College football, football teams c ...

in 1921. The Generals remained members of the SoCon until 1958. During this time, they played alongside other Virginia universities like

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

Virginia Tech The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, commonly referred to as Virginia Tech (VT), is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States ...

, VMI (also located in Lexington), and William & Mary. Generals basketball won the

twice:

1934 Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake, Nepal–Bihar earthquake strik ...

and

1937 Events January * January 1 – Anastasio Somoza García becomes President of Nicaragua. * January 5 – Water levels begin to rise in the Ohio River in the United States, leading to the Ohio River flood of 1937, which continues into Feb ...

. The football team even made an appearance in the

1951 Gator Bowl The 1951 Gator Bowl was an American college football game played on January 1, 1951, at Gator Bowl Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. It was the sixth annual Gator Bowl. The game featured the Wyoming Cowboys, champions of the Skyline Conference ( ...

against

Wyoming Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...

. After leaving the Southern Conference, the Generals moved into Division III and joined the

College Athletic Conference In college athletics in the United States, institutions typically join in Athletic conference, conferences for regular play under different governing bodies. Varsity sports There are several national and regional associations governing the var ...

in 1962. This was followed by a move to the

in 1976, also as a founding member. Washington & Lee's men's lacrosse remained the school's only Division I program until 1987.

Varsity teams

Men's lacrosse

Washington and Lee's first lacrosse team was fielded in 1938 and started the Dixie Lacrosse League along with Virginia, Duke, and North Carolina. The Generals soon were successful winning the Dixie League Championship in 1939 and 1940. No team was fielded from 1943 through 1946. The team resumed play in 1947. After the school downgraded to

Division III In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Association football *Belgian Third ...

in 1958, the men's lacrosse team remained at the Division I level until 1987. Washington and Lee participated in seven

NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship The NCAA Division I men's lacrosse tournament is an annual tournament organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA to determine the national champion of men's college lacrosse, collegiate field lacrosse among its NCAA Division ...

tournaments:

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...

1973 Events January * January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...

1977 Events January * January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd ...

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

. The Generals reached the tournament's semifinals three times: 1973, 1974, and 1975. Since 1987, Washington and Lee have won thirteen Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Lacrosse Championships: 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2009, 2016, 2019, 2023, and 2025. Washington and Lee have participated in seventeen NCAA Division III Men's Lacrosse Championship tournaments: 1987, 1991, 1993, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2009, 2013, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024, & 2025. The Generals reached the quarterfinals five times: 1998, 1999, 2004, 2023, and 2024. The Generals reached the semifinals four times: 1987, 2000, 2002, and 2024. Washington and Lee Hall of Fame Coach

Jack Emmer John S. Emmer is a former American lacrosse coach. He retired in 2005 with 326 wins, making him the lacrosse coach with the most wins in NCAA history. This mark was surpassed in 2008 by Jim Berkman of Division III Salisbury University. Emmer is ...

is known for creating The Armadillo play where five players would surround a player with the ball, facing him and locking arms showing the defense only their backs. Any attempt by the defense to retrieve the ball would result in a penalty. Washington and Lee would then be able to run a man-up offense as a result of the penalty. Washington and Lee successfully used this play during the 1982 game against

UNC UNC is a three-letter abbreviation that may refer to: Education * University of North Carolina, a multi-campus public university system in the U.S. ** University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a public research university ** PBS North Carolin ...

. Following the game, The Armadillo was outlawed by the NCAA rules committee. Washington and Lee lacrosse is also known for being on the losing side of one of the greatest upsets in lacrosse history when unranked Morgan State defeated the number 1 ranked Generals in the first game of the season in 1975. W&L had a 28 game regular season winning streak and had not lost at home in three years at the time. Washington and Lee has played VMI every year since 1986. VMI is W&L's next-door neighbor in Lexington, VA. From 1988 until 2019, the game was known as the “Lee-Jackson Lacrosse Classic”. The Classic was named after

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a general officers in the Confederate States Army, Confederate general during the American Civil War, who was appointed the General in Chief of the Armies of the Confederate ...

and

Stonewall Jackson Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson (January 21, 1824 – May 10, 1863) was a Confederate general and military officer who served during the American Civil War. He played a prominent role in nearly all military engagements in the eastern the ...

. Lee served as W&L's president from 1865-1870 and Jackson was a professor at VMI from 1851-1861. The Lee-Jackson trophy was a plaque featuring crossed swords. The Classic was held every spring as part of the main lacrosse season until 2007 when it moved to the fall as an exhibition game. Since 2022, the game has been held as a scrimmage and has been part of the HEADstrong Fall Events Series hosted by VMI. W&L holds a 33-5-1 lead in the all-time series against VMI. Washington and Lee competes against

Christopher Newport Christopher Newport ( – ) was an English seaman and privateer. During the war with Spain Newport was one of the most successful ' Elizabethan Sea Dogs' to venture to the Spanish Main, making large profits. Newport is best known as the c ...

every year for the Virginia LtN Cup and generates support for LtN. LtN or "Lacrosse the Nations" is an organization that uses lacrosse and other physical activities to teach important life skills and help improve education and health while creating opportunity and hope for children in need. W&L holds a 6-5 lead in the all time series against Christopher Newport.

Championships

National Championships

Washington and Lee holds two NCAA National Championship titles. In 1988, the men's tennis team won the NCAA Division III National Championship title. In 2007, the women's tennis team claimed the NCAA Division III National Championship title. In 2006, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, and 2021 the Generals football team won the Old Dominion Athletic Conference championship. In 2009, the Generals baseball team won the ODAC championship.

Conference tournament championships

Titles indicate

championships unless otherwise noted. ;Notes

NCAA Tournament Appearances

Baseball

2009
Southeast Regional

Salisbury, Maryland Salisbury ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Wicomico County, Maryland, United States. Salisbury is the largest city in Eastern Shore of Maryland, the state's Eastern Shore region, with a population of 33,050 at the 2020 United States census ...

Men's Basketball

1975 1977 1978 1980

Women's Basketball

2010 2022 2023 2024 2025

Men's Cross Country

Appearances: 1975, 1995, 2016, 2023

Field Hockey

2005 2017 2021 2022

Men's Golf

Appearances: 1972, 1977, 1979, 1988, 1990, 1991, 2008, 2009, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024

Women's Golf

Appearances: 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023

Men's Lacrosse

1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1980 1987 1991 1993 1998 1999 2000 2002 2004 2009 2013 2016 2018 2019 2022 2023 2024

Women's Lacrosse

1993 1998 2001 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024

Men's Soccer

2000 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024

Women's Soccer

2002 2003 2002 2006 2009 2016 2022 2023 2024

Men's Swimming

Appearances: 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013 2016, 2018, 2019, 2023, 2024

Women's Swimming

Appearances: 1989, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2009, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022

Men's Tennis

1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1991 1996 1997 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024

Women's Tennis

1991 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024

Men's Indoor Track & Field

Appearances: 2014, 2015

Women's Indoor Track & Field

Appearances: 2009, 2015, 2016, 2022

Men's Outdoor Track & Field

Appearances: 2014

Women's Outdoor Track & Field

Appearances: 2008, 2009, 2014

Volleyball

1999 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2010 2012 2013 2014 2018 2021 2023 2024

Wrestling

Appearances: 1936, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1986, 1987, 1989, 2017, 2022, 2023

Rivalries

Washington and Lee and

Roanoke College Roanoke College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Salem, Virginia. It has approximately 2,000 students who represent approximately 40 states and 30 countries. The college offers ...

have been rivals since the 1870's. The rivalry is fueled by a long history of competition; conference affiliation, and geography also plays a role in this rivalry as both schools are charter members of the

and are located about 50 miles from each other along

Interstate 81 Interstate 81 (I-81) is a north–south (physically northeast–southwest) Interstate Highway in the eastern part of the United States. Its southern terminus is at Interstate 40, I-40 in Dandridge, Tennessee, Dandridge, Tennessee; its nort ...

. Both schools historically have had nationally ranked men's lacrosse teams and have been ranked in the top twenty when meeting each other toward the end of the regular season. In addition to men's lacrosse, women's lacrosse games with Roanoke has drawn much interest as both schools have had highly successful programs and have competed against each other in the ODAC Championship game multiple times.

References

External links

* {{Old Dominion Athletic Conference navbox