From SMUMustangs.com/AAC:
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – American Athletic Conference Commissioner Mike Aresco has announced that Old Dominion University will join the Conference as an affiliate member for women’s rowing beginning on July 1, 2018. With the addition of the Monarchs in 2018-19, The American will be an eight-team women’s rowing league and also will include UCF, UConn, SMU, Temple and Tulsa and existing affiliate members Sacramento State and San Diego State.
“I take great pleasure in welcoming Old Dominion to the American Athletic Conference as an affiliate member in women’s rowing,” said 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.”
Women’s rowing began varsity competition at ODU in 2008. The Monarchs were most recently members of the Big 12 Conference (2014-18) and also competed in Conference USA (2012-14) and Colonial Athletic Association (2008-12). ODU is coached by Dan Garbutt, a former All-American at Princeton University and member of the United States National Team. He began his coaching career at the University of Washington and also spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Northeastern. Since 2009, the Monarchs’ rowing program has produced 11 all-conference selections.
In the spring of 2011, ODU opened a $2.3 million state-of-the-art, two-story and 13,000 square foot boathouse minutes from the Norfolk, Virginia campus. The rowing center represented a joint project between the city of Norfolk and the University.