The Atlantic Coast Conference awards championships in 26 sports—12 men's, 13 women's, and one coeducational (fencing, which was relaunched as an official conference sport in 2014–15 after having been absent since 1980). In all sports except football and volleyball, champions are determined by a post-season tournament or meet. In football, the teams with the best conference records from the Atlantic and Coastal Divisions play in the ACC Championship Game for the conference title. The volleyball title is awarded based on regular-season play.
Contents
Summary
Through August 2016
Baseball
The ACC Baseball champion was determined by regular season finish from 1954 until 1972 and in 1979. The ACC Tournament has determined the champion since 1973. All schools but Syracuse field a baseball team.
Fencing
Four schools—Boston College, Duke, North Carolina, and Notre Dame—relaunched ACC fencing in the 2014–15 school year after the sport had been absent from the conference since 1980. Fencing was a men's sport during the first era of ACC fencing from 1971 to 1980. Today, ACC fencing is a coeducational sport, with teams fielding separate men's and women's squads and all bouts involving a single sex. Although the NCAA Fencing Championships award only a single team title, the ACC Fencing Championships award separate men's and women's team titles.
Field hockey
Seven schools—Boston College, Duke, Louisville, North Carolina, Syracuse, Virginia, and Wake Forest—sponsor women's field hockey.
Football
The ACC football champion was determined based on regular season finish from 1953 until 2004. In 2005, the conference split into two divisions, and the division winners meet in the ACC Championship Game. Notre Dame is not an ACC member in football. They remain independent but have a yearly 5-game scheduling agreement with the ACC.
Women's
The ACC sponsored women's gymnastics for one season, 1984. Duke discontinued their program following the season, and the conference stopped sponsoring the sport. The conference initially planned to resume sponsoring gymnastics once Pittsburgh joined in 2013–14, but backed away from those plans once Maryland announced its 2014 departure for the Big Ten.
Rowing
Nine schools—Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Syracuse, and Virginia—sponsor women's rowing.
Softball
All schools except Clemson, Duke, Miami, and Wake Forest sponsor softball. Duke has announced it will add the sport beginning in the 2018 season (2017–18 school year).
Women's
All 15 ACC members sponsor women's volleyball. No member sponsors the sport for men.
The women's volleyball championship was determined through a tournament from 1980 until 2004. Since 2005, champions have been based on the regular season.
Wrestling
The championship was determined on dual meets in 1954 and 1955, with the tournament beginning in 1956. Six schools (Duke, North Carolina, NC State, Pittsburgh, Virginia, and Virginia Tech) currently compete in wrestling. The most recent changes to the ACC include the entry of Pitt in 2013 and departure of Maryland in 2014.