The Old Dominion Monarchs are composed of 18 intercollegiate athletic teams representing Old Dominion University, located in Norfolk, Virginia. 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 (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.
Sports sponsored
Men's basketball
The Old Dominion University Monarchs men's basketball team have captured six CAA 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 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) 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 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 second to 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 approved by a 14–0 vote the creation of an NCAA Division I team, which began play on September 5, 2009.
On February 9, 2007, ODU's Athletic Director Jim Jarrett announced that Bobby Wilder, the associate head football coach at the University of Maine, 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.