• OVC Member Institutions
With the calendar turning to July 1, the OVC is proud to officially welcome three new members institutions to the Conference. As of today Lindenwood, Little Rock and Southern Indiana have each become official members of the Conference.
The addition of the trio marks only the 22nd, 23rd and 24th full-time members in the 75-year history of the Ohio Valley Conference.
“July 1 is particularly important because of the significance of the 2022-23 academic year,” said OVC Commissioner Beth DeBauche. “This year we are going to acknowledge the accomplishments of our past, celebrate our exciting present and make plans for the future.
"In addition to kicking off our 75th anniversary, we are delighted to welcome three new members in Lindenwood, Little Rock and Southern Indiana. With their addition, we have new friends, new rivalries and new markets, and we have the shared commitments and values that have made us strong over the years.
"Together the 10 institutions that make up the OVC have a bright and exciting future. A league like ours cannot sustain for 75 years with being afford of change. We stand ready to embrace the change that is ahead and embrace the needs of the student-athlete.”
ABOUT THE OVC
The Ohio Valley Conference, which celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2022-23, was founded in 1948, making it the eighth-oldest Division I athletic conference. Over the years OVC teams have garnered national championships in football along with national team or individual titles in the sports of rifle, cross country, track and golf. In the 1950s the OVC became a pioneer when Morehead State became one of the first non-traditionally Black mid-southern institutions to accept an African American student. Soon after the passing of Title IX legislation, the OVC began formulating plans for women's athletics, which began in 1977. The OVC has long been a national leader in sportsmanship and in 1995 implemented a first-of-its-kind Sportsmanship Statement, a policy that promotes principles of fair play, ethical conduct and respect for one's opponent. The OVC has a multi-year media rights agreement with ESPN as well as a sponsorship agreement with LEARFIELD.
The Ohio Valley Conference sponsors 18 championship sports. The league consists of 10 member institutions in six states, including include Eastern Illinois University, Lindenwood University, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Morehead State University (charter member), Southeast Missouri State University, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, University of Southern Indiana, Tennessee State University, Tennessee Technological University and the University of Tennessee at Martin.
ABOUT LINDENWOOD
• Website:
LindenwoodLions.com
• Twitter:
@LU_Lions
Located in St. Charles, Missouri,
Lindenwood was announced as the newest OVC member on February 23. LU sponsors 18 of the OVC's championship sports and begins its reclassificiation process to Division I. The Lions will be immediatly eligible to win OVC Championships, but not eligible to earn automatic bids to NCAA Championships until 2026-27.
Since joining the NCAA, Lindenwood has won four National Championships and in 2017, ranked sixth in the NCAA Directors’ Cup, which included five team conference titles. In the NCAA era, Lindenwood has claimed three regional championships, 31 conference titles (including football titles in 2019 and 2021), and eight conference tournament championships. Lindenwood has garnered 13 individual national champions at the NCAA level. In addition to the individual achievement, six student-athlete have earned the NCAA Elite 90 Award for academic and athletic success throughout the season. Lindenwood’s NCAA sport programs have combined for a 3.0 GPA or higher since the start of the 2013-14 school year.
ABOUT LITTLE ROCK
• Website
: LRTrojans.com
• Twitter
: @LRTrojans
Located in Little Rock, Arkansas,
Little Rock was announced as an OVC member on December 9. The Trojans sponsor 13 of the OVC's Championship sports and are immediately eligible for OVC Championships and NCAA Championship appearances. Since making the jump to Division I, Little Rock's athletic programs have combined for 51 conference championships, including a combined 21 for men's and women's basketball, with 42 NCAA postseason appearances by Trojan athletic programs. In the last seven seasons, Little Rock athletic teams have combined to make 12 NCAA postseason appearances, most recently being represented by men's golf and men's track and field in 2022.
Throughout its history, Little Rock has two team national championships, 11 individual national championships and has had 12 Trojans honored as Academic All-Americans. Additionally, Little Rock's athletic programs have excelled in the classroom with the department boasting a cumulative GPA of 3.358 through the spring 2022 semester. The Trojans have produced 12 Academic All-Americans since 2000 with seven Trojan athletic programs receiving academic recognition by their respective governing organizations since 2020-21.
ABOUT SOUTHERN INDIANA
• Website
: GoUSIEagles.com
• Twitter
: @USIAthletics
Located in Evansville, Indiana (site of the OVC Basketball Championships),
Southern Indiana was announced as an OVC member on February 9. USI sponsors 16 of the OVC's Championship sports and begins its reclassificiation process to Division I. The Screaming Eagles will be immediatly eligible to win OVC Championships, but not eligible to earn automatic bids to NCAA Championships until 2026-27.
USI’s athletic programs have combined for 188 NCAA Tournament appearances, including winning National Championships in baseball (2010, 2014), men’s basketball (1995) and softball (2018). Additionally they have won 10 Individual National Championships in the sports of cross country and track and field. In 2019, USI opened the state-of-the-art Screaming Eagles Arena, a 4,800-seat on-campus venue that serves as home to all USI's athletic programs, including men's and women's basketball and volleyball, which play in the facility.
USI boasts a strong academic record as well with 228 Academic All-Conference athletes in 2021-22 and 35 all-time Academic All-America honors. USI student athletes hold an average GPA of 3.29 and a high record of academic retention.