Formerly | Virginia College Conference |
---|---|
Association | NCAA |
Founded | 1975 |
Commissioner | Brad Bankston |
Sports fielded |
|
Division | Division III |
No. of teams | 15 full, 2 associates (14 full, 3 associates in 2025) |
Headquarters | Forest, Virginia, U.S. |
Region | South Atlantic |
Official website | odaconline.com |
Locations | |
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 full member is in North Carolina. The conference also has two associate members: one in Virginia and one in North Carolina.
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 1980, Maryville College joined and became the first member outside of Virginia. In 1981, Catholic University joined the conference after leaving Division I's ECAC South Conference. In 1982–83, women's sports were added, and Hollins College (now university), Randolph–Macon Woman's College (now Randolph College), and Sweet Briar College all joined. Mary Baldwin College (now university) joined in 1984. In 1988, Maryville left and was replaced by Virginia Wesleyan College (now university). 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] They were replaced by Guilford College two years later. The next school to leave the conference was Mary Baldwin, which left in 1992.
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 eastern 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 kept 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 was 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 would 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 would leave the USA South and join its former USA South counterpart Ferrum College in the ODAC as a full member in 2022. [10]
The ODAC currently has 15 full members; all are private schools:
The ODAC currently has two associate members; both are private schools:
Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined | Primary conference | ODAC sport(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Greensboro College | Greensboro, North Carolina | 1838 | Private | 1,250 | Pride | 2011–12 | USA South | Women's Swimming & Diving |
2022–23 | Men's wrestling | |||||||
Southern Virginia University | Buena Vista, Virginia | 1867 | LDS Church | 1,106 | Knights | 2022–23 | USA South | Men's wrestling |
Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joining | Primary conference | ODAC sport(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gallaudet University | Washington, D.C. | 1864 | Quasigovernmental | 1,740 | Bison | 2025–26 | United East (UEC) | Football |
The ODAC has four former full members; all are private schools:
Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined | Left | Current conference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Catholic University of America | Washington, D.C. | 1887 | Catholic (Pontifical) | 3,469 | Cardinals | 1981 | 1989 [lower-alpha 1] | Landmark |
Emory & Henry College | Emory, Virginia | 1836 | United Methodist | 1,000 | Wasps | 1976 | 2021 | South Atlantic (SAC) [lower-alpha 2] |
Maryville College | Maryville, Tennessee | 1819 | Presbyterian | 1,176 | Scots | 1980 | 1988 | C.C. of the South (CCS) (SAA in 2026) |
Mary Baldwin College [lower-alpha 3] [lower-alpha 4] | Staunton, Virginia | 1842 | Presbyterian | 2,542 | Fighting Squirrels | 1984 | 1992 | USA South |
The ODAC had three former associate members; all are private schools:
Institution | Location | Founded | Affiliation | Enrollment | Nickname | Joined | Left | ODAC sport(s) | Current primary conference | Current conference in former ODAC sport(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Catholic University of America [lower-alpha 1] | Washington, D.C. | 1887 | Catholic (Pontifical) | 3,469 | Cardinals | 1999 | 2017 | football | Landmark | |
Notre Dame of Maryland University [lower-alpha 2] | Baltimore, Maryland | 1873 | Catholic (SSND) | 4,878 | Gators | 2011 | 2016 | women's swimming | United East (UEC) | (dropped sport) |
Southern Virginia University | Buena Vista, Virginia | 1867 | LDS Church | 1,106 | Knights | 2019 | 2021 | football | USA South |
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 (non-football).
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 | [lower-alpha 1] | |
Wrestling |
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