Old Dominion Athletic Conference
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (February 2014) |
| Old Dominion Athletic Conference | |
|---|---|
| ODAC | |
 | |
| Established | 1975 |
| Association | NCAA |
| Division | Division III |
| Members | 14 full (15 in 2022), 1 associate |
| Sports fielded |
|
| 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. Of its 14 member schools, all but one are located in Virginia; the other full member is in North Carolina. The conference also has two associate members in North Carolina and Virginia
History[]
current, 
departing, and 
future
The conference was founded in May 1975 as the Virginia College Conference.[1] 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 1981, Catholic University joined the conference after leaving Division I's Colonial Athletic Association. In 1988, Virginia Wesleyan was added as a member, and, in 1990, Guilford became the first member located outside D.C. and Virginia. Maryville College was an all-sports member in the 1980s. In 1989 Catholic left the conference to become a charter member of the Capital Athletic Conference, returning in 1999 as a football-only member.[2] The next school to leave the conference was 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 as a full-time member, with its first full year of involvement during the 2012–13 academic year.[3]
The league office moved its physical location from Salem, to Forest in Bedford County located just outside centrally located Lynchburg, Virginia. They also contracted Jim Ward Design for its new marks.[4]
On March 3, 2015, Sweet Briar College announced it was to close (cease operations) at the end of the 2015 summer session.[5] However, on June 20, 2015, the Virginia Attorney General announced a mediation agreement that will keep Sweet Briar College open for the 2015–16 academic year.[6] Sweet Briar reactivated its sports teams in the 2015–16 season and remained a full member of the ODAC.
On September 29, 2015, it was announced that Catholic University would withdraw in 2017 as associate member to join the new football league at the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference.[7]
In June 2017, it was announced that Ferrum College would become the 15th full-time member of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference after it moved from the USA South Conference.
Southern Virginia University, which joined the ODAC as a football only member in 2019, announced in December of that year that it will be leaving both the ODAC and Coast to Coast Athletic Conference to join the football-sponsoring USA South Athletic Conference as a full member.[8]
The conference has hosted Division III championships in football and men's basketball, both of which were held in Salem, Virginia. D-III softball has also used Salem as a championship host along with Division III women's lacrosse and volleyball on several occasions. Since 1993 - the conference and city have hosted over 80 Division III national championships.
It was announced on November 17, 2020, that Emory & Henry College will leave the ODAC and begin its transition to Division II in July 2021 and compete in the South Atlantic Conference in 2022.[9]
The most recent change in conference membership was announced on March 8, 2021, that Averett University will leave the USA South and join its former USA South counterpart Ferrum College in the ODAC as a full member in 2022.[10]
Member schools[]
Current members[]
- Notes
Future members[]
| Institution | Location | Nickname | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Joining |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Averett University | Danville, Virginia | Cougars | 1859 | Private/Non-sectarian | 2,719 | 2022 |
Associate members[]
| Institution | Location | Nickname | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Joined | Primary conference |
ODAC sport(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greensboro College | Greensboro, North Carolina | Pride | 1838 | Private | 1,250 | 2011-12 | USA South | 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 | 1981 | 1989 | Landmark |
| Emory & Henry College | Emory, Virginia | Wasps | 1836 | Private | 1,000 | 1976 | 2021 | D-II Independent in 2021–22 South Atlantic (DII) in 2022–23 |
| Maryville College | Maryville, Tennessee | Scots | 1819 | Private | 1,176 | 1980 | 1988 | USA South |
| Mary Baldwin College[a] | Staunton, Virginia | Fighting Squirrels | 1842 | Private | 2,542 | 1984 | 1992 | USA South |
- Notes
- ^ Mary Baldwin was formerly a women's college, therefore it did not offer men's sports during the school's tenure within the conference; but eventually became co-ed in the 2017–18 school year.
Former associate members[]
| Institution | Location | Nickname | Founded | Type | Enrollment | Joined | Left | ODAC sport(s) |
Current primary conference |
Current conference in former ODAC sport(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catholic University[a] | Washington, D.C. | Cardinals | 1887 | Private | 3,469 | 1999–2000 | 2016–17 | Football | Landmark | NEWMAC |
| Notre Dame of Maryland University | Baltimore, Maryland | Gators | 1873 | Private | 4,878 | 2011–12 | 2015–16 | Women's swimming | CSAC | None (Dropped swimming) |
| Southern Virginia University | Buena Vista, Virginia | Knights | 1867 | Private | 1,106 | 2019–20 | 2020–21 | Football | USA South | USA South |
- Notes
- ^ Catholic (D.C.) was a full member from 1981–82 to 1988–89.
Membership timeline[]
This timeline is expressed with color bars.
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:
| Sport | Men's | Women's |
|---|---|---|
| Baseball |  |
|
| Basketball | |
|
| Cross Country | |
|
| Equestrian |
| |
| Field Hockey |
| |
| Football | |
|
| Golf | |
|
| Lacrosse | |
|
| Soccer | |
|
| Softball |
| |
| Swimming | |
|
| Tennis | |
|
| Track and field (indoor) | |
|
| Track and field (outdoor) | |
|
| Volleyball |
|
References[]
- ^ "Virginia Colleges form Conference; 1976 Action Set". The Bee (Danville, Virginia). May 20, 1975. p. 8.
- ^ "D3 football Catholic returns to ODAC". D3Football.com. July 7, 1999. Retrieved February 17, 2012.
- ^ "Shenandoah University to Join the ODAC". ODAC. September 29, 2010. Retrieved November 15, 2010.
- ^ "ODAC Unveils New Set of Logos". ODAC. October 13, 2010. Retrieved November 15, 2010.
- ^ Nick Anderson and Susan Svrluga (March 3, 2015). "Sweet Briar College to close because of financial challenges". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
- ^ Karin Kapsidelis (June 20, 2015). "Agreement reached to keep Sweet Briar open - Richmond Times-Dispatch: Virginia News And Politics". Richmond.com. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
- ^ "NEWMAC Adds Eighth Football Member Catholic University". NEWMAC (published April 8, 2015). September 19, 2015. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
- ^ "Southern Virginia Set to Join USA South" (Press release). Southern Virginia University Athletics. December 11, 2019. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
- ^ "Emory & Henry College to Join South Atlantic Conference; Will Begin Competition in 2022-23" (Press release). South Atlantic Conference. November 17, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
- ^ "Averett University to Join the ODAC as a Full-Time Member". ODAC. March 8, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
External links[]
- Old Dominion Athletic Conference