# Old Dominion Monarchs women's basketball

The Old Dominion Monarchs women's basketball team (formerly the Lady Monarchs) represents Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. The team currently competes in the NCAA Division I as a member of the Sun Belt Conference.
The ODU Monarchs women's basketball team contributed to the initial rise in popularity of women's intercollegiate basketball in the United States in the 1970s. Women's college basketball was organized under the auspices of the AIAW in the early 1970s, at a time when competitive power was distributed among small colleges that had established a niche (such as Immaculata, Delta State, West Chester State, Wayland Baptist and Stephen F. Austin).
ODU won two AIAW national championships in 1979 and 1980 in dominating fashion with star players, Nancy Lieberman and Anne Donovan. Led by Medina Dixon and Tracy Claxton, ODU won the NCAA Division I championship in their 1984–85 season, defeating the University of Georgia 70–65.
Old Dominion, along with UCLA and Tennessee, led the rise to prominence of large schools with national reputations to the top intercollegiate level, before the NCAA began sponsoring sports for women.

## Postseason results
### NCAA Division I

| Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Result |
| 1982 | #1 | First round Sweet Sixteen | #8 St. Peter's #4 Kansas State | W 75–42 L 67–76 |
| 1983 | #2 | First round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four | #7 St. John's #3 Maryland #5 Penn State #1 Louisiana Tech | W 86–63 W 74–57 W 74–60 L 55–71 |
| 1984 | #1 | First round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | #8 Penn State #4 NC State #3 Cheyney State | W 87–65 W 73-71 (OT) L 71–80 |
| 1985 | #1 | First round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four Title Game | #8 Syracuse #4 NC State #2 Ohio State #2 NE Louisiana #2 Georgia | W 88–63 W 77–67 W 72–68 W 57–47 W 70–65 |
| 1987 | #5 | Second round Sweet Sixteen | #4 North Carolina #1 Auburn | W 76–58 L 61–77 |
| 1988 | #6 | Second round | #3 Rutgers | L 78–88 |
| 1989 | #6 | First round Second round | #11 Villanova #3 Ole Miss | W 66–41 L 58–74 |
| 1990 | #8 | First round Second round | #9 St. Joseph's #1 Tennessee | W 91–69 L 68–87 |
| 1992 | #10 | First round | #7 North Carolina | L 54–60 |
| 1993 | #7 | First round Second round | #10 Tennessee Tech #2 Iowa | W 77–60 L 56–82 |
| 1994 | #6 | First round Second round | #11 St. Joseph's #3 North Carolina | W 56–55 L 52–63 |
| 1995 | #8 | First round | #9 FIU | L 76–81 |
| 1996 | #2 | First round Second round Sweet Sixteen | #15 Holy Cross #10 Toledo #3 Virginia | W 83–56 W 72–66 L 60–72 |
| 1997 | #1 | First round Second round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four Title Game | #16 Liberty #8 Purdue #4 LSU #3 Florida #1 Stanford #3 Tennessee | W 102–52 W 69–65 W 62–49 W 53–51 W 83–82 L 59–68 |
| 1998 | #1 | First round Second round Sweet Sixteen | #16 St. Francis (PA) #9 Nebraska #4 NC State | W 92–39 W 75–60 L 54–55 |
| 1999 | #2 | First round Second round Sweet Sixteen | #15 Tennessee Tech #10 Maine #3 Duke | W 74–48 W 72–62 L 63–76 |
| 2000 | #4 | First round Second round Sweet Sixteen | #13 Green Bay #12 SMU #1 Louisiana Tech | W 94–85 W 96–76 L 74–86 |
| 2001 | #11 | First round | #6 Washington | L 65–67 |
| 2002 | #7 | First round Second round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight | #10 Georgia #2 Purdue #3 Kansas State #1 Connecticut | W 68–54 W 74-70 (OT) W 82–62 L 64–85 |
| 2003 | #12 | First round | #5 Boston College | L 72–73 |
| 2004 | #8 | First round | #9 Marquette | L 64–67 |
| 2005 | #11 | First round | #6 Virginia | L 57–79 |
| 2006 | #10 | First round | #7 George Washington | L 72–87 |
| 2007 | #7 | First round | #10 Florida State | L 75–85 |
| 2008 | #5 | First round Second round Sweet Sixteen | #12 Liberty #4 Virginia #1 Connecticut | W 82–62 W 88-85 (OT) L 63–78 |

### AIAW Division I

The Lady Monarchs made three appearances in the AIAW women's basketball tournament, with a combined record of 11–1.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
| 1979 | First round Quarterfinals Semifinals National Championship | Kansas State Maryland UCLA Louisiana Tech | W, 96–75 W, 69–51 W, 87–82 W, 75–65 |
| 1980 | First round Quarterfinals Semifinals National Championship | BYU Rutgers Louisiana Tech Tennessee | W, 88–66 W, 84–62 W, 73–59 W, 68–53 |
| 1981 | Second round Quarterfinals Semifinals Third-place game | Stephen F. Austin Long Beach State Tennessee USC | W, 60–54 W, 76–60 L, 65–68 W, 68–65 |

## Home venues

Old Dominion play their home games at Chartway Arena. In the past, the team played at the Old Dominion University Fieldhouse from 1970 to 2002.

## Notable players

* Lucienne Berthieu
* Medina Dixon
* Anne Donovan (November 1, 1961 – June 13, 2018),coach and player at 6'8"
* Adrienne Goodson
* T. J. Jordan
* Nancy Lieberman (born 1958), WNBA Hall of Fame basketball player, general manager, and coach, Olympic silver medal
* Clarisse Machanguana
* Hamchétou Maïga
* Inge Nissen
* Ticha Penicheiro
* Mery Andrade
* Nyree Roberts
* Rhonda Rompola
* Kim Aston
* Jackie Kenney
* TJ Jones
* Kelly Lyons
* Celeste Hill

## Coaches

* Mary Jackson (1969–1973)
* Debbie Wilson (1973–1974)
* Pam Parsons (1974–1977)
* Marianne Stanley (1977–1987)
* Wendy Larry (1987–2011)
* Karen Barefoot (2011–2017)
* Nikki McCray-Penson (2017–2020)
* DeLisha Milton-Jones (2020–present)

## Seasons

| Year | Coach | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason |
| Independent (1969–1982) ||||||
| 1969–70 | Mary Jackson | 16–2 | | | |
| 1970–71 | Mary Jackson | 8–7 | | | |
| 1971–72 | Mary Jackson | 12–7 | | | |
| 1972–73 | Mary Jackson | 7–9 | | | |
| 1973–74 | Debbie Wilson | 7–7 | | | |
| 1974–75 | Pam Parsons | 13–9 | | | |
| 1975–76 | Pam Parsons | 15–11 | | | |
| 1976–77 | Pam Parsons | 23–9 | | | NWIT Semifinals |
| 1977–78 | Marianne Stanley | 30–4 | | | NWIT Champions |
| 1978–79 | Marianne Stanley | 35–1 | | | AIAW Champions |
| 1979–80 | Marianne Stanley | 37–1 | | | AIAW Champions |
| 1980–81 | Marianne Stanley | 28–7 | | | AIAW 3rd Place |
| 1981–82 | Marianne Stanley | 22–6 | | | NCAA Sweet 16 |
| Sun Belt Conference (1982–1991) ||||||
| 1982–83 | Marianne Stanley | 29–6 | | 1st | NCAA Final Four |
| 1983–84 | Marianne Stanley | 24–5 | | 1st | NCAA Elite Eight |
| 1984–85 | Marianne Stanley | 31–3 | 6–0 | 1st | NCAA Champions |
| 1985–86 | Marianne Stanley | 15–13 | 5–1 | 2nd | |
| 1986–87 | Marianne Stanley | 18–13 | 5–1 | 2nd | NCAA Sweet 16 |
| 1987–88 | Wendy Larry | 17–12 | 6–0 | 1st | NCAA 2nd Round |
| 1988–89 | Wendy Larry | 23–9 | 5–1 | 1st | NCAA 2nd Round |
| 1989–90 | Wendy Larry | 21–10 | 4–2 | 2nd | NCAA 2nd Round |
| 1990–91 | Wendy Larry | 5–21 | 2–4 | 5th | |
| Colonial Athletic Association (1991–2013) ||||||
| 1991–92 | Wendy Larry | 20–11 | 9–5 | 3rd | NCAA 1st Round |
| 1992–93 | Wendy Larry | 22–8 | 14–0 | 1st | NCAA 2nd Round |
| 1993–94 | Wendy Larry | 25–6 | 14–0 | 1st | NCAA 2nd Round |
| 1994–95 | Wendy Larry | 27–6 | 13–1 | T-1st | NCAA 1st Round |
| 1995–96 | Wendy Larry | 29–3 | 16–0 | 1st | NCAA Sweet 16 |
| 1996–97 | Wendy Larry | 34–2 | 16–0 | 1st | NCAA Runner-up |
| 1997–98 | Wendy Larry | 29–3 | 16–0 | 1st | NCAA Sweet 16 |
| 1998–99 | Wendy Larry | 28–4 | 16–0 | 1st | NCAA Sweet 16 |
| 1999–00 | Wendy Larry | 29–5 | 16–0 | 1st | NCAA Sweet 16 |
| 2000–01 | Wendy Larry | 21–9 | 15–1 | 1st | NCAA 1st Round |
| 2001–02 | Wendy Larry | 28–6 | 18–0 | 1st | NCAA Elite Eight |
| 2002–03 | Wendy Larry | 21–11 | 15–3 | T-1st | NCAA 1st Round |
| 2003–04 | Wendy Larry | 25–7 | 17–1 | 1st | NCAA 1st Round |
| 2004–05 | Wendy Larry | 22–9 | 15–3 | 2nd | NCAA 1st Round |
| 2005–06 | Wendy Larry | 22–9 | 17–1 | 1st | NCAA 1st Round |
| 2006–07 | Wendy Larry | 24–9 | 17–1 | 1st | NCAA 1st Round |
| 2007–08 | Wendy Larry | 31–5 | 17–1 | 1st | NCAA Sweet 16 |
| 2008–09 | Wendy Larry | 17–13 | 11–7 | 4th | |
| 2009–10 | Wendy Larry | 19–14 | 14–4 | 1st | WNIT 2nd Round |
| 2010–11 | Wendy Larry | 20–11 | 14–4 | T-2nd | WNIT 1st Round |
| 2011–12 | Karen Barefoot | 11–21 | 7–11 | T-8th | |
| 2012–13 | Karen Barefoot | 19–12 | 10–8 | T-4th | WNIT 1st Round |
| Conference USA (2013–2022) ||||||
| 2013–14 | Karen Barefoot | 18–16 | 9–7 | T-6th | WNIT 2nd Round |
| 2014–15 | Karen Barefoot | 21–13 | 11–7 | T-4th | WNIT 2nd Round |
| 2015–16 | Karen Barefoot | 17–17 | 10–8 | 5th | |
| 2016–17 | Karen Barefoot | 17–14 | 11–7 | 6th | |
| 2017–18 | Nikki McCray-Penson | 8–23 | 6–10 | T-10th | |
| 2018–19 | Nikki McCray-Penson | 21–11 | 10–6 | T-5th | WNIT 1st Round |
| 2019–20 | Nikki McCray-Penson | 24–6 | 14–4 | T-2nd | |
| 2020–21 | DeLisha Milton-Jones | 13–11 | 7–9 | 6th East | |
| 2021–22 | DeLisha Milton-Jones | 24–10 | 12–6 | 3rd East | WNIT 2nd Round |
| Sun Belt Conference (2022–present) ||||||
| 2022–23 | DeLisha Milton-Jones | 22–12 | 12–6 | T-4th | |
| 2023–24 | DeLisha Milton-Jones | 22–10 | 12–6 | 4th | WNIT 2nd Round |
| Total: | Total: | 1166–502 (.699) | | | |
| National champion   Postseason invitational champion   Conference regular season champion   Conference regular season and conference tournament champion  Division regular season champion  Division regular season and conference tournament champion  Conference tournament champion ||||||
* Source: Old Dominion Athletics, Sun Belt Conference, Colonial Athletic Association