Wikipedia

Southern Virginia Knights

The Southern Virginia Knights are the athletic teams that represent Southern Virginia University, located in Buena Vista, Virginia, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the Division III level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the USA South Athletic Conference for most of its sports since the 2021–22 academic year; while its men's volleyball team competes in the Continental Volleyball Conference (CVC).

Southern Virginia Knights
Logo
UniversitySouthern Virginia University
ConferenceUSA South (primary)
CVC (men's volleyball)
ODAC (men’s wrestling)
NCAADivision III
Athletic directorDeidra Dryden
LocationBuena Vista, Virginia
Varsity teams31 (14 men's, 14 women's, 3 co-ed)[1]
Football stadiumKnight Stadium
Basketball arenaKnight Sports Arena
Baseball stadiumParry McCluer HS
Softball stadiumHarvey-Dryden Field
Soccer stadiumKnight Stadium
Other venuesStoddard Center
NicknameKnights
ColorsCrimson and White
   
Websiteknightathletics.com

History

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The school's athletics programs historically competed in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), and also competed in national tournaments of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA). Southern Virginia began its athletic program in the fall of 1997, one year after it became a four-year liberal arts college with an LDS environment. In 1998, the Knights joined the United States Collegiate Athletic Association. The 2012–13 school year was SVU's first year as a provisional NCAA Division III member; it joined the Capital Athletic Conference (now known as the Coast to Coast Athletic Conference) on July 1, 2013, and became eligible for conference championships in 2014–15.[2] Since the C2C never offered football under either of its names, Southern Virginia joined the New Jersey Athletic Conference for football effective July 2014. After four successful provisional years, the Knights became a full NCAA Division III member on September 1, 2016. On August 9, 2017 Southern Virginia University officially changed its school colors from green and white back to its original colors of crimson and white. Two months later, on October 16, 2017, Southern Virginia University announced its football program would switch to the Old Dominion Athletic Conference starting in the 2019–20 season. On February 20, 2018, the men's volleyball team became the first Southern Virginia program to be nationally ranked, ranking in at number eight in the AVCA and NCAA D-III poll.[3] On July 12, 2018, Southern Virginia announced women's field hockey as a varsity sport becoming the 23rd varsity sport offered at the school.[4] On April 4, 2019 Southern Virginia added men's rugby as a varsity sport to be offered.[5] One week after announcing the addition of men's rugby, on April 11, 2019, Southern Virginia announced the addition of men's and women's swimming and diving.[6] On December 11, 2019, Southern Virginia announced it would join the USA South Athletic Conference, effective beginning in the 2021–22 academic year.[7] Southern Virginia University officially joined the USA South Athletic Conference on July 1, 2021.[8] The newest sport added to Southern Virginia University was announced on August 16, 2022 with the addition of women’s wrestling.[9]

 
A Knights baseball player during a game in 2015, two years before the school's 2017 color change

Classifications

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Classifications
Year Division
1998–99 to 2012–13: NAIA and USCAA
2013–14 to present: NCAA Division III

Conference memberships

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Conference Memberships
Year Conference
1998–99 to 2012–13: NAIA Independent/USCAA Ind.
2013–14 to 2020–21: Capital Athletic Conference[a]
2021–22 to present USA South Athletic Conference
Notes
  1. ^ Currently known as the Coast to Coast Athletic Conference.

Sports sponsored

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Men's sports Women's sports
Baseball Basketball
Basketball Beach volleyball
Cross country Cross country
Football Field hockey
Golf Golf
Lacrosse Lacrosse
Rugby Soccer
Soccer Softball
Swimming & diving Swimming & diving
Tennis Tennis
Track & field† Track & field†
Volleyball Volleyball
Wrestling Wrestling
Co-ed sports
Cheer
Dance
Esports
† – Track and field includes both indoor and outdoor

A member of the USA South Athletic Conference, Southern Virginia University sponsors teams in fourteen men's, fourteen women's, and three co-ed varsity sports.

 
Two Knights men's lacrosse players take down a Baldwin Wallace Yellow Jackets player in 2023

Men’s basketball

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Main article: Southern Virginia Knights men's basketball

Women's basketball

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The Southern Virginia women’s basketball team won the 2021–22 USA South Athletic Conference tournament championship.[10] In their first ever appearance in the NCAA Division III women's basketball tournament the Knights advanced to the Round of 32, where they fell to the Transylvania Pioneers 55–77.

Men's cross country

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In 2021, the Southern Virginia men's cross country team won the USA South Athletic Conference Championship, beating runner up Berea College. Southern Virginia placed five runners in the top twenty individually. This was Southern Virginia's first ever conference championship as a member of the USA South Athletic Conference. Runner Dylan May won the individual conference championship for men and was named Runner of the Year, Rookie Runner of the Year, and First Team All-Conference. Head coach Kyle Chandler was named coach of the year. [11]

Once again in 2022, the Southern Virginia men's cross country team won the USA South Athletic Conference Championship and runner Dylan May won the individual conference championship with runner Quin Meyer also earning a First Team All-Conference spot. Kyle Chandler was once again named coach of the year. [12]

Women's cross country

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In 2021, the Southern Virginia women's cross country team also won the USA South Athletic Conference Championship.

Football

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Main article: Southern Virginia Knights football

Men's tennis

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In the 2020–21 season, the men's tennis team won their first ever conference championship as a member of the Coast to Coast Athletic Conference.[13] The men's tennis team then went on to advance to the NCAA Final 8 before being eliminated.[14]

Track and field

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The Southern Virginia University men's and women's track team both won the USA South Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships on April 21, 2022.

For the second year in a row, both the men's and women's track team won the 2023 USA South Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships. [15]

Men’s volleyball

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On March 30, 2019 the Southern Virginia Men's Volleyball team clinched the CVC regular season championship for the 2018–19 season. This was Southern Virginia's first ever conference championship as an NCAA Division III member.[16][17] On April 13, 2019, Southern Virginia's men's volleyball program captured the University's first conference tournament title and first NCAA DIII Tournament appearance after defeating Juniata College in five sets.[18]

On April 23, 2021, the Southern Virginia men's volleyball team lost in the NCAA Division III Final Four to Benedictine in five sets. This marks the longest a Southern Virginia team has lasted in the school's Division III era.[19]

On April 15, 2022, the Southern Virginia men’s volleyball team lost in the first round of the NCAA Division III men's volleyball tournament to Stevens Institute of Technology.

On April 22, 2023, the Southern Virginia men’s volleyball team lost in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division III men's volleyball tournament to Vassar College.

Women’s volleyball

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On November 6, 2021 the Southern Virginia Women's Volleyball team won the USA South Athletic Conference tournament championship for the 2021–22 season. This was Southern Virginia's first ever women’s volleyball conference championship.[20] In their first ever appearance in the NCAA Division III women's volleyball tournament, the Southern Virginia Women's Volleyball team lost 0–3 to Emory in the first round.

For the second year in a row the Southern Virginia Women's Volleyball team won the USA South Athletic Conference tournament championship for the 2022–23 season. They once again lost in the first round of the NCAA Division III women's volleyball tournament, this time too Carnegie Mellon.

Wrestling

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In 2017–18 Nico Ramirez became the first NCAA National Qualifier in Southern Virginia's school history and made it to the second round of the NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships.[21] Starting in the 2022–23 season, the wrestling program began competing in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference.

National Championships

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Team

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Team
Year Athletic Association Sport
1998 NSCAA Women's Soccer
1998 Women's Cross Country
1998 Men's Cross Country
1999 Softball
1999 Women's Soccer
1999 Women's Cross Country
2000 Men's Soccer
2000 Men's Basketball
2001 Women's Cross Country
2001 USCAA Men's Soccer
2002 Women's Cross Country
2002 Women's Volleyball
2002 Women's Track & Field
2002 Men's Track & Field
2002 Women's Basketball
2003 Women's Cross Country
2003 Women's Track & Field
2004 Women's Track & Field
2004 Women's Volleyball
2004 Women's Cross Country
2005 Women's Track & Field
2005 Women's Soccer
2005 Women's Cross Country
2006 Women's Basketball
2006 Women's Soccer
2006 Women's Cross Country
2007 Women's Cross Country
2008 Women's Soccer
2011 Men's Basketball
2011 Women's Cross Country
2012 Women's Cross Country

— (NCSAA) National Small College Athletic Association
— (USCAA) United States Collegiate Athletic Association

Individual

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Individual
Year Individual Athletic Association Sport
2000 Nate Casperson NCWA Wrestling (149lbs)
2001 Jessyca Barker USCAA Cross Country
2003 Kim Anderson Cross Country
2005 Kim Anderson Cross Country
2007 Grant Dean Golf
2008 Peter Rose NWCA Wrestling (157lbs)
2009
2010

Athletic facilities

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Current facilities

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  • Harvey-Dryden Field — Softball
  • Knight Stadium — Football, Men's and women's soccer, Men's and women's lacrosse, Field hockey
  • Knight Arena — Men's and women's basketball, Men's and women's volleyball, Wrestling
  • Tennis Complex — Men's and women's tennis
  • Vista Links Golf Course — Men's and women's golf

For baseball, Southern Virginia plays at local high school Parry McCluer High School. And for track and field and swimming Southern Virginia uses Washington and Lee University facilities.[22]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Athletics". Southern Virginia University. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  2. ^ "Capital Athletic Conference Adds Penn State-Harrisburg; The Lions Join CNU & SVU As New Full Members in 2013–14" (Press release). Capital Athletic Conference. July 26, 2012. Retrieved August 11, 2012.
  3. ^ "AVCA DIVISION III MEN'S WEEK #5 COACHES POLL: FEBRUARY 20, 2018" (Press release). American Volleyball Coaches Association. February 20, 2018. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  4. ^ "Southern Virginia Adds Field Hockey For 2018-19 Season" (Press release). Southern Virginia Athletics. July 12, 2018. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
  5. ^ "Lamb Announces Smyth as School's First Rugby Head Coach" (Press release). Southern Virginia Athletics. April 4, 2019. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
  6. ^ "Southern Virginia University to Add Men's and Women's Swim Teams" (Press release). Southern Virginia Athletics. April 11, 2019. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  7. ^ "Southern Virginia University Set to Join USA South" (Press release). USA South Athletic Conference. December 11, 2019. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  8. ^ "USA South Welcomes Southern Virginia" (Press release). USA South Athletic Conference. July 1, 2021. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  9. ^ "Southern Virginia University to Add Women's Wrestling for Winter 2023; Preparatory Practices to Begin this Winter 2022" (Press release). Southern Virginia Knights. August 16, 2022. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
  10. ^ "Southern Virginia Captures USA South Women's Basketball Crown" (Press release). USA SOUTH ATHLETIC CONFERENCE. March 4, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  11. ^ "Men's Cross Country Wins USA South Conference Championships; May and Chandler Earn Major Awards" (Press release). Southern Virginia Athletics. November 2, 2021. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  12. ^ "Southern Virginia Secures Second Consecutive Conference Championship; May and Chandler Earn Major Awards" (Press release). Southern Virginia Athletics. October 30, 2022. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
  13. ^ "Men's Tennis Earns Program's First-Ever Conference Championship" (Press release). Southern Virginia Athletics. May 8, 2021. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  14. ^ "Dias Advances to NCAA Final 8, Blonquist and Dias Make Final 8 in Doubles" (Press release). Southern Virginia Athletics. May 29, 2021. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  15. ^ "Knights Track and Field Secures Second Consecutive Conference Championship" (Press release). Southern Virginia Athletics. April 28, 2023. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  16. ^ "Knights Knock Off Kean For CVC Regular Season Title" (Press release). Continental Volleyball Conference. March 31, 2019. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  17. ^ "No.11 Knights Upset No. 3 Cougars in Five-Set Thriller" (Press release). Southern Virginia Athletics. March 31, 2019. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  18. ^ "Men's Volleyball Earns Program's First CVC Championship Over Juniata 3-2" (Press release). Southern Virginia Athletics. April 13, 2019. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  19. ^ "Knights' Historic Season Ends in National Semifinals with Nail-biting Loss to Benedictine" (Press release). Southern Virginia Athletics. April 23, 2021. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  20. ^ "Women's Volleyball Captures First Conference Championship In Program History" (Press release). Southern Virginia Athletics. November 6, 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  21. ^ "Nico Ramirez Wins in First Round, Falls in Second at National Tournament" (Press release). Southern Virginia Athletics. January 17, 2019. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  22. ^ "Facilities and Directions" (Press release). Southern Virginia Athletics. December 15, 2019. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
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