the sports teams of the university are called the monarchs (men, plus most women's teams) and lady monarchs (historically used for women's teams, but today only for women's basketball). they have 18 varsity teams. most of which compete in the sun belt conference (sbc). four odu women's sports and one men's sport play in other conferences because the sbc does not have enough teams in those sports to run a league. women's field hockey plays in the big east conference, women's lacrosse and rowing in the american athletic conference, women's swimming &amp; diving in conference usa (which had been odu's full-time home from 2013 to 2022), and men's swimming &amp; diving in the coastal collegiate sports association.