Hood College - Athletics

Athletics

Hood College athletics began in 1898 with the first basketball team. In the early 1900s, field hockey, tennis, archery and swimming were among the sports added to the athletics program. The College was the second college in the U.S. to have a field hockey team. Competitions then were intramural and teams were constituted based on graduating class or dorms. Gambrill Gymnasium was constructed in 1949 and served as the main athletic facility for the campus until the dedication of the new Athletic Center in November of 2011. In 1984, Hood College became a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and joined the Division III Chesapeake Women's Athletic Conference. When the CWAC disbanded, Hood joined the Atlantic Women's Colleges Conference in 1990. In 2006, Hood joined the Capital Athletic Conference (CAC).

Hood presently offers intercollegiate varsity teams in men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross-country, women's field hockey, men's golf, men's and women's lacrosse, men's and women's soccer, women's softball, men's and women's swimming, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's track and field, and women's volleyball. The College also offers club level equestrian, cheer-leading, and women's golf programs. The men's teams began competition in the Capital Athletic Conference for the 2006-2007 academic year along with women's cross-country and track and field. All other women's sports remained in the AWCC for the 2006-2007 year and moved to the CAC in 2007-2008.

The nickname for Hood athletics is the Blazers. This dates back to the 1920s when the campus elected a rising senior as the "White Sweater" girl as someone who possessed the most sportsmanship and school spirit. In 1928, the sweater was changed to a blazer. Today, the nickname is represented by a thoroughbred horse with a "blaze" mark on its forehead.

Hood College student-athletes train in the new Fitness Center and Gymnasium which includes the BB&T arena.