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Belmont to join Ohio Valley Conference

Belmont will become the 12th member of the Ohio Valley Conference on July 1, 2012, and begin competing in the conference in the 2012-13 season.

Belmont will be the second OVC school located in Nashville, joining Tennessee State.

Belmont competes in 17 sports (eight men’s and nine women’s sports), 16 of which will compete in the OVC (the exception being men’s soccer which is not sponsored by the OVC).

The Bruins have competed in the Atlantic Sun Conference since 2001-02 and will compete in its final year in that league in 2011-12 before joining the OVC.

The Ohio Valley Conference is expanding for only the third time in the last 15 years and for the first time since 2008 when it added Southern Illinois Edwardsville.

With the addition of Belmont, the OVC will include 12 schools from five states. The current members are Austin Peay, Eastern Illinois, Eastern Kentucky, Jacksonville State, Morehead State, Murray State, Southeast Missouri State, Southern Illinois Edwardsville, Tennessee State, Tennessee Tech and UT Martin.

The OVC currently sponsors championships in 18 sports: baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, football, men’s and women’s golf, rifle, women’s soccer, softball, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s indoor track and field, men’s and women’s outdoor track and field, and women’s volleyball.