The Chowan University athletic department continues to make waves in the college swimming community. After reporting the addition of women's swimming in May of 2015, the Hawks, along with Head Women's Swimming Coach Matt Hood are pleased to announce the team's acceptance into the Bluegrass Mountain Conference, a swimming-only conference. The inaugural season for the women's swim team is slated for the 2016-17 academic year.
The Bluegrass Mountain Conference, founded in 2002, is comprised of thirteen schools from six different states (Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia).
Vice President/Director of Athletics Ozzie McFarland stated, "This is an exciting day with us joining such a prestigious conference. We look forward to growing our program under Matt Hood's leadership within the umbrella of the Bluegrass Mountain Conference. We hope to form friendly rivalries for years to come".
Carson-Newman University, Catawba College, Converse College, Davis & Elkins College, Fairmont State University, Johns Hopkins University, Lenior-Rhyne University, Limestone College, Queens University of Charlotte, Savannah College of Art and Design, West Virginia Wesleyan College and Wingate University along with the newest member, Chowan University, contribute to the footprint of the Bluegrass Mountain Conference. The conference also features institutions competing at three different levels of competition: NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.
Hood commented, "Joining the Bluegrass Mountain Conference is a huge step for our swim team. I am excited to have such a high quality championship meet for our ladies to compete in. Having such fast competition will help inspire us to race at our maximum potential on both the individual level and competing as a team".
Jeff Dugdale, President of the Bluegrass Mountain Conference/Head Swim Coach and Aquatics Director at Queens University of Charlotte noted, "We are very excited to have [Chowan] join our conference. The Bluegrass Mountain Conference (BMC) is a coach-run conference made up of Division II, III and NAIA schools. The BMC has been recognized as one of the fastest and deepest conferences in the country. Johns Hopkins has been a title contender for years in the DIII setting and SCAD has been a contender in the NAIA setting…most recently Queens University of Charlotte is the reigning NCAA Division II National Champions for both the men's and women's [teams] while Wingate finished third. The BMC is rich in tradition and invests in champions both in the pool and in life. Our coaches are excited to share the deck with Coach Hood and his student-athletes".
