Welcome to the ODAC, Shenandoah!
Hornets Become 14th Full-Time Conference Member
FOREST, Va. --- Shenandoah University became
the newest full-time member of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference
on July 1, making the Hornets the conference's 14th all-sport
member. SU will kick-off its first full year under the ODAC
banner beginning with the 2012 fall campaigns.
Shenandoah’s welcome into the ODAC concludes a thorough
process undertaken by the league’s administration in
exploring the conference’s membership profile. The
addition of Shenandoah, which began competing in field hockey and
indoor and outdoor track & field in 2011-12, marks the first
change in ODAC membership since January 12, 1999, when Catholic
University was added as an associate member to compete in
football.
Previously a majority member of the USA South Athletic Conference,
Shenandoah had also competed in the Colonial States Athletic
Conference (men’s lacrosse) and the Middle Atlantic
Conference (field hockey and track & field) on an associate
basis. SU will compete in 20 of the 23 championship-sponsored
sports under the ODAC's umbrella. The Hornets do not compete
in equestrian, women's golf and women's swimming.
The Hornets bring with them a number of high-quality, competitive
athletic programs. Most recently, the SU baseball team has
seen considerable success with four straight trips to the NCAA
Division III National Championship Series in Appleton, Wisc.
Shenandoah appeared in the USA South title game in each of the past
four seasons, winning the championship in 2010. The Hornets
won NCAA Division III regional crowns in 2009 (at Salisbury) and
2010 (at Fayetteville), and again reached the regional title game
in 2011 before falling to Salisbury twice in Millington, Tenn.
Shenandoah has also won USA South championships (either tournament
or regular season) in men’s basketball, football,
women’s basketball, women’s lacrosse, women’s
soccer and softball.
Shenandoah is a four-year co-educational institution that offers
43 undergraduate and 25 graduate degrees. Affiliated with the
United Methodist Church, Shenandoah’s main campus is situated
on 100 acres of land in the northern Shenandoah Valley in
Winchester, Va. Approximated 3,300 students (both undergrad
and graduate) enjoy the fruits of the Shenandoah Valley’s
recreational and educational resources as well as the opportunities
afforded by the school’s 70-mile proximity to Washington,
D.C.
Celebrating its 37th year of operation in 2012-13, the
ODAC is one of the nation’s largest NCAA Division III
conferences. The 14-member ODAC, plus three associate members
in football (Catholic) and women's swimming (Greensboro and Notre
Dame of Maryland), sponsors championships in 23 sports (10 men, 13
women) and houses 11 co-educational schools and three single-gender
institutions. Headquartered in Forest, Va., the ODAC has
garnered national recognition in co-hosting 55 NCAA Division III
national championships with the city of Salem, Va., over the past
19 years.
For more information on Shenandoah University, visit either the
school's main website at www.su.edu or the Hornets' athletic website at www.suhornets.com.
