NORFOLK, Va. – The Old Dominion rowing team will be moving into the American Athletic Conference effective July 2, 2018. The Monarchs will be joining UCF, San Diego State, UConn, Sacramento State, SMU, Temple, and Tulsa in the AAC.
“I take great pleasure in welcoming Old Dominion to the American Athletic Conference as an affiliate member in women’s rowing,” said Mike Aresco. “The decision to add ODU will be mutually beneficial for the Monarchs and our conference, provide our student-athletes with increased competitive opportunities and enhance our brand and national exposure in the sport of women’s rowing. I want to thank ODU athletic director Wood Selig for his assistance in making this happen and I applaud his outstanding work at ODU. I look forward to the continued development and success of women’s rowing in our league.”
“We welcome the opportunity to join the American Athletic Conference for women’s rowing. We very much appreciate the invitation to compete against some of the best women’s rowing teams in the country as a member of the AAC,” said Selig. “We also thank the Big 12 for providing our student-athletes with an outstanding experience these last four years.”
The Monarchs have been in the Big 12 since 2014 as an affiliate member. While an affiliate with the Big 12, ODU was the only mid-major program in the conference, joining Alabama and Tennessee. The Monarchs best finish in the Big 12 came in 2016 with a sixth-place finish. The last two seasons, ODU finished in seventh, beating out West Virginia both years.
“I’m thrilled with the switch to this new conference. It’s great to have the chance to compete for a conference championship with a group of forward thinking programs,” said head coach Dan Garbutt. “I would like to thank the AAC as well as our administration for making this happen and I look forward to this new relationship.”
The Old Dominion rowing team started varsity competition in 2008. Garbutt has produced 11 all-conference selections since the ’09 season. The Monarchs have been members of the CAA, C-USA, and Big 12 for the last nine seasons.
To view the AAC release, click here.