Trisha Shetty (Editor)

Longwood Lancers

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University
  
Longwood University

Athletic director
  
Troy Austin

Varsity teams
  
14

NCAA
  
Division I

Location
  
Farmville, Virginia

Conference
  
Big South Conference Mid-American Conference (field hockey)

The Longwood Lancers are the varsity athletic teams representing Longwood University (formerly Longwood College) in Farmville, Virginia in intercollegiate athletics. The university sponsors fourteen teams including men and women's basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, and tennis; women's-only field hockey, lacrosse, and softball; and men's-only baseball. The Lancers compete in NCAA Division I and became members of the Big South Conference in July 2012 after upgrading from NCAA Division II during the 2004–05 season. In women's field hockey, a sport not sponsored by the Big South, Longwood is an associate member of the Mid-American Conference as of the 2014–15 school year.

Contents

Conference affiliations

  • 1972 to 1982: Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women
  • 1976 to 1980: NCAA Division III Independent
  • 1980 to 1995: NCAA Division II Independent
  • 1995 to 2003: Carolinas–Virginia Athletic Conference
  • 2003 to 2004: NCAA Division II Independent
  • 2004 to 2012: NCAA Division I Independent
  • 2012 to present: Big South Conference

    • Individual teams

    Notes

    Longwood's football squad, while still using the Lancers name, plays at the club football level.

    Program notes

  • In 1980, Longwood's men's basketball team reached the NCAA Division III Final Four. Longwood has been home to two Division II NABC First Team All Americans: Jerome Kersey (1983, 1984) and Colin Ducharme (2001). Ducharme was also named the DII National Player of the Year by the NABC in 2001, while leading the Lancers to DII East Regional Finals. Longwood's women's basketball team is also steeped in tradition, competing in the NCAA Division II Tournament 4 times, most recently in 2003.
  • In 1991, Longwood's baseball team won the Division II South Atlantic Regional Championship and advanced to the DII College World Series in Montgomery, Alabama. The baseball team has had 29 winning seasons in its 33-year history.
  • Longwood's women's golf team has won 5 Division II National Golf Coaches Association National Championships (1987–88, 1990, 1993, 1995) and has finished second 4 times.
  • Prior to joining the Big South Conference in 2012, the men's soccer team was a member of the Atlantic Soccer Conference (ASC) and captured their first conference title in 2008 and repeated in 2011. Women's lacrosse played in the National Lacrosse Conference and took home conference titles in 2009 and 2010. In 2007 the men's golf team became the first to reach NCAA Division I postseason play.
  • From 2005 until 2009, the women's soccer team was a member of the United Soccer Conference.
  • In August 2011, the university unveiled its new mascot - a horse named Elwood.
  • On January 23, 2012, Longwood accepted an invitation to join the Big South Conference, becoming its twelfth member, and fourth in Virginia.
  • On August 19, 2012, Longwood released its new fight song, "Hail to Longwood U"
  • On May 12, 2013, Longwood won its first Big South Championship in softball. Brooke Short was named the Conference Player of the Year and the Big South Female Athlete of the Year.
  • On March 6, 2015, Longwood upset Big South regular season champion Charleston Southern in the conference men's basketball tournament, to advance to their first ever semifinals.
  • On May 10, 2015, Longwood won its second Big South tournament championship in softball, after securing their first Big South regular season championship in any sport. Pitcher Libby Morris was named tournament MVP, while catcher Megan Baltzell received attention as one of the top ten career home run hitters in Division I softball.
  • On May 16, 2015, Longwood won its first NCAA Division I Tournament victory in any sport, when the softball team beat Virginia Tech in the 2015 NCAA Division I Softball Tournament.
  • On May 14, 2016, Longwood won a second consecutive Big South Conference softball tournament. Pitcher Sydney Gay was named tournament MVP.

    • References

    Longwood Lancers Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA