vmi fields 14 teams on the ncaa division i level (fcs, formerly i-aa, for football). varsity sports include baseball, basketball, men's and women's cross country, football, lacrosse, men's and women's rifle, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's swimming & diving, men's and women's track & field, and wrestling. vmi is a member of the southern conference (socon) for almost all sports, the maac for women's water polo, and the america east conference for men's and women's swimming & diving. vmi formerly was a member of the mid-atlantic rifle conference for rifle, but began the 2016–2017 season as part of the southern conference. the vmi team name is the keydets, a southern style slang for the word "cadets".