Washington and Lee Generals

The Washington and Lee Generals are the athletic teams that represent Washington and Lee University, located in Lexington, Virginia, in NCAA Division III intercollegiate sports. The Generals compete as members of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference for all sports except wrestling, which competes in the Centennial Conference. All together, Washington and Lee sponsors 25 sports: 13 for men and 12 for women.

Washington and Lee was one of the founding members of the Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Association in 1900, as well as the Division I Southern Conference in 1921. The Generals remained members of the SoCon until 1958. During this time, they played alongside other Virginia universities like Virginia, Virginia Tech, VMI (also located in Lexington), and William & Mary. Generals basketball won the Southern Conference twice: 1934 and 1937. The football team even made an appearance in the 1951 Gator Bowl against Wyoming.

After leaving the Southern Conference, the Generals moved into Division III and joined the College Athletic Conference in 1962. This was followed by a move to the Old Dominion Athletic Conference in 1976, also as a founding member. Washington & Lee's men's lacrosse remained the school's only Division I program until 1987.

List of teams
Men's sports
 * Baseball
 * Basketball
 * Cross Country
 * Football
 * Golf
 * Indoor Track & Field
 * Lacrosse
 * Outdoor Track & Field
 * Riding
 * Soccer
 * Swimming
 * Tennis
 * Wrestling

Women's sports
 * Basketball
 * Cross Country
 * Field Hockey
 * Golf
 * Indoor Track & Field
 * Lacrosse
 * Outdoor Track & Field
 * Riding
 * Soccer
 * Swimming
 * Tennis
 * Volleyball

National Championships
Washington and Lee holds two NCAA National Championship titles. In 1988, the men's tennis team won the NCAA Division III National Championship title. In 2007, the women's tennis team claimed the NCAA Division III National Championship title. In 2006, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, and 2021 the Generals football team won the Old Dominion Athletic Conference championship. In 2009, the Generals baseball team won the ODAC championship.

Men's lacrosse
Washington and Lee's first lacrosse team was fielded in 1938 and started the Dixie Lacrosse League along with Virginia, Duke, and North Carolina. The Generals soon were successful winning the Dixie League Championship in 1939 and 1940. No team was fielded from 1943 through 1946. The team resumed play in 1947.

After the school downgraded to Division III in 1958, the men's lacrosse team remained at the Division I level until 1987. Washington and Lee participated in seven NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship tournaments: 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980. The Generals reached the tournament's semifinals three times: 1973, 1974, and 1975.

Since 1987, Washington and Lee have won twelve Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Lacrosse Championships: 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2009, 2016, 2019, and 2023. Washington and Lee have participated in fifteen NCAA Division III Men's Lacrosse Championship tournaments: 1987, 1991, 1993, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2009, 2013, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2022, and 2023. The Generals reached the quarterfinals five times: 1998, 1999, 2004, 2023, and 2024. The Generals reached the semifinals four times: 1987, 2000, 2002, and 2024.

Washington and Lee Hall of Fame Coach Jack Emmer is known for creating The Armadillo play where five players would surround a player with the ball, facing him and locking arms showing the defense only their backs. Any attempt by the defense to retrieve the ball would result in a penalty. Washington and Lee would then be able to run a man-up offense as a result of the penalty. Washington and Lee successfully used this play during the 1982 game against UNC. Following the game, The Armadillo was outlawed by the NCAA rules committee.

Washington and Lee lacrosse is also known for being on the losing side of one of the greatest upsets in lacrosse history when unranked Morgan State defeated the number 1 ranked Generals in the first game of the season in 1975. W&L had a 28 game regular season winning streak and had not lost at home in three years at the time.

Washington and Lee plays VMI in the Lee-Jackson Lacrosse Classic every year. VMI is W&L's next door neighbor in Lexington, VA. The Classic is named after Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson. Lee served as W&L's president from 1865-1870 and Jackson was a professor at VMI from 1851-1861. The Classic was held every spring as part of the main lacrosse season until 2007 when it moved to the fall as an exhibition game. Since 2022, the game has been held as a scrimmage without the official "Lee-Jackson Lacrosse Classic" name. W&L holds a 31-4-1 lead in the all time series against VMI. The trophy is a plaque featuring crossed swords.

Washington and Lee competes against Christopher Newport every year for the Virginia LtN Cup and generates support for LtN. LtN or "Lacrosse the Nations" is an organization that uses lacrosse and other physical activities to teach important life skills and help improve education and health while creating opportunity and hope for children in need. W&L holds a 6-5 lead in the all time series against Christopher Newport.

Rivalries
Washington and Lee and Roanoke College have been rivals since the 1870's. The rivalry is fueled by a long history of competition; conference affiliation, and geography also plays a role in this rivalry as both schools are charter members of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference and are located about 50 miles from each other along Interstate 81. Both schools historically have had nationally ranked men's lacrosse teams and have been ranked in the top twenty when meeting each other toward the end of the regular season. In addition to men's lacrosse, women's lacrosse games with Roanoke has drawn much interest as both schools have had highly successful programs and have competed against each other in the ODAC Championship game multiple times.

Conference Tournament Championships
ODAC Championships unless otherwise noted

Baseball (2): 1972 (CAC), 2009

Men's Basketball (10): 1934 (Southern), 1938 (Southern), 1967 (CAC), 1968 (CAC), 1970 (CAC), 1971 (CAC), 1976 (CAC), 1977, 1978, 1980

Women's Basketball (3): 2010, 2023, 2024

Men's Cross Country (15): 1972 (CAC), 1982, 1984, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019

Women's Cross Country (19): 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019

Field Hockey (4): 2005, 2017, 2021, 2022

Men's Golf (18): 1934 (Southern), 1955 (Southern), 1972, 1973, 1977, 1978, 1983, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2008, 2009, 2016, 2019

Women's Golf (6): 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023

Men's Lacrosse (14): 1939 (Dixie), 1940 (Dixie), 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2009, 2016, 2019, 2023

Women's Lacrosse (24): 1992, 1993, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024

Riding (3): 2006, 2014, 2022

Men's Soccer (7): 1986, 1989, 2000, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2022

Women's Soccer (4): 2002, 2003, 2009, 2016

Men's Swimming (17): 1935 (Southern), 1936 (Southern), 1937 (Southern), 1938 (Southern), 2004 (Bluegrass), 2005 (Bluegrass), 2006 (Bluegrass), 2007 (Bluegrass), 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024

Women's Swimming (33): 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024

Men's Tennis (48): 1967 (CAC), 1968 (CAC), 1969 (CAC), 1972 (CAC), 1973 (VCAA), 1976 (VCAA), 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024

Women's Tennis (33): 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024

Men's Indoor Track & Field (11): 1930 (Southern), 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020

Women's Indoor Track & Field : 2009

Men's Outdoor Track & Field (6): 1925 (State Champion), 1981, 1984, 1987, 1988, 2017

Women's Outdoor Track & Field : 1995

Volleyball (19): 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2023

Wrestling (14): 1932 (Southern), 1933 (Southern), 1934 (Southern), 1936 (Southern), 1941 (Southern), 1948 (Southern), 1949 (Southern), 1950 (Southern), 1977, 1978, 1979, 2020, 2022, 2023

Baseball
2009 Southeast Regional Salisbury, Maryland

Men's Basketball
1975

1977

1978

1980

Women's Basketball
2010

2022

2023

2024

Men's Cross Country
Appearances: 1975, 1995, 2016, 2023

Field Hockey
2005

2017

2021

2022

Men's Golf
Appearances: 1972, 1977, 1979, 1988, 1990, 1991, 2008, 2009, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024

Women's Golf
Appearances: 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023

Men's Lacrosse
1972

1973

1974

1975

1976

1977

1978

1980

1987

1991

1993

1998

1999

2000

2002

2004

2009

2013

2016

2018

2019

2022

2023

2024

Women's Lacrosse
1993

1998

2001

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2021

2022

2023

2024

Men's Soccer
2000

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2021

2022

2023

Women's Soccer
2002

2003

2002

2006

2009

2016

2022

2023

Men's Swimming
Appearances: 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013 2016, 2018, 2019, 2023, 2024

Women's Swimming
Appearances: 1989, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2009, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022

Men's Tennis
1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1991

1996

1997

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2021

2022

2023

2024

Women's Tennis
1991

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2021

2022

2023

2024

Men's Indoor Track & Field
Appearances: 2014, 2015

Women's Indoor Track & Field
Appearances: 2009, 2015, 2016, 2022

Men's Outdoor Track & Field
Appearances: 2014

Women's Outdoor Track & Field
Appearances: 2008, 2009, 2014

Volleyball
1999

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2010

2012

2013

2014

2018

2021

2023

Wrestling
Appearances: 1936, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1986, 1987, 1989, 2017, 2022, 2023