About VWU Athletics

The athletic department of Virginia Wesleyan University, becoming Batten University on July 1, 2026, operates within the guidelines established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC), Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) and National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE).

The University sponsors 26 intercollegiate sports along with a large, club-level Esports program that competes within the NACE organization. The University has held Division III membership in the NCAA since the 1974-75 season and also competes in the ECAC for athletics and Esports. The NCAA administers 28 national championship sports for its 400+ DIII member institutions. Each championship is run by a committee of coaches and administrators from NCAA member schools who are experts in their sport. More than 195,000 men and women student-athletes compete annually in these events, designed to determine national champions.

All rules, policies, procedures, directions, and goals of the NCAA are determined by the colleges and universities working and voting together in a common body.
VWU has been a member of the ODAC since 1989 and competes with Averett University, Bridgewater College, Eastern Mennonite University, Guilford College, Hampden-Sydney College, Hollins University, University of Lynchburg, Randolph College, Randolph-Macon College, Roanoke College, Shenandoah University, Sweet Briar College, and Washington & Lee University. 
Sports sponsored by VWU include men's and women's soccer, men's and women's cross country, field hockey, men's and women's volleyball, men's and women's indoor track and field, men's and women's swimming, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's track and field, baseball, softball, men's and women's lacrosse, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's golf, esports, and cheer.

History of Marlins Athletics
The University’s athletic department started in 1968-69 by Athletic Director Donald M. Forsyth, with a men's basketball team that was coached by Howard Mast in its inaugural season. In 1969, the school added a men's soccer team that was coached by Donald M. Forsyth, and later in 1974 the school added baseball with Steve Stocks as the coach. 

Other programs quickly followed, and the Marlins grew in athletic offerings as well as reputation. The institution boasts five national championships – Men’s Basketball (2006), Men’s Golf-Individual (2016), and Softball (2017, 2018, 2021) – and countless ODAC championships in various sports.  Men’s Basketball also won the institution’s first ECAC national championship in 2025. 

History of the Marlin
Established as Virginia Wesleyan College in 1961, the very first Board of Trustees adopted the marlin as the school's mascot in 1963. In 2003, the mascot character of “Bob Marlin” was created thanks to a class project assigned by longtime Sport and Recreation Professions professor Doug Kennedy. During the project, the class unanimously agreed that the mascot should be named after the perennial student favorite, Bob Marley. 

On August 20, 2025, the Board of Trustees announced that Virginia Wesleyan University would become Batten University in July 2026. The Batten University campus community and athletic teams will still be known as the Marlins, and the mascot will still be Bob Marlin.

Just like the institution, "Bob Marlin" has evolved throughout the years, but his fighting spirit inspires Marlins’ opponents in all sports to "Fear the Fish."

                                        

VWU Department of Athletics

Mailing Address:
5817 Wesleyan Drive
Virginia Beach, VA 23455

Shipping Address:
Attn: Name/Department
5817 Wesleyan Drive
Virginia Beach, VA 23455