A map of the members of the Ohio Valley Conference. This will mean reduced travel time for student-athletes, less time missed from class, lower travel expenses for the entire athletic department and more opportunities for alumni, donors and fans to attend road conference games. The move to the Ohio Valley Conference will bring about more regional rivalries and a better experience for the Trojan student-athletes as all but one member of the OVC is located less than 500 miles from Little Rock’s campus. The additions of Little Rock, Lindenwood and Southern Indiana mark just the 22nd, 23rd and 24th additions to the league over its 74-year history.
As the nation’s eighth-oldest NCAA Division I conference, the OVC is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. “In doing our research on the Ohio Valley Conference, the history and tradition of the league made it an enticing new conference home for our Trojan athletic programs as we look forward to adding our mark to the history of the OVC this year as the league celebrates a milestone anniversary and for years to come.”Little Rock becomes the league’s 10th institution, joining Eastern Illinois, Lindenwood, Morehead State, Southeast Missouri State, SIU Edwardsville, Southern Indiana, Tennessee State, Tennessee Tech and UT Martin. “I am very excited that the day is finally here, and we are now proud members of the Ohio Valley Conference,” said Director of Athletics George Lee. “In accepting the Ohio Valley Conference invitation, we begin a new and exciting chapter for UA Little Rock and Trojan Athletics that better aligns our sports portfolio with available conference resources and reaffirms our commitment to athletic and academic excellence,” said UA Little Rock Chancellor Christina Drale in that December press conference. Little Rock officially joined the league Friday alongside Lindenwood and Southern Indiana.
The new membership was officially announced last December in a press conference at the Jack Stephens Center. The move to the Ohio Valley Conference provides a new conference affiliation for 13 of Little Rock’s 15 intercollegiate athletic programs. The Little Rock Trojans and University of Arkansas at Little Rock have joined the Ohio Valley Conference, a transition that officially took place as the clock rolled over to midnight on July 1, 2022.
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