Washington and Lee University provides its students with a unique athletic program that allows them to pursue athletic excellence without sacrificing their educational experience.

W&L follows the NCAA Division III guidelines of awarding financial aid based only on family need and academic merit. The result is a strong, diverse program in which participants are motivated by their love of the game and their desire to excel.

Washington and Lee offers 24 varsity sports, 12 for men and 12 for women. All sports compete at the NCAA Division III level and most participate in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC).

Over the years, W&L teams and students have been impressive on and off the playing fields. Below is a list of their accomplishments:

• Since 1970, W&L has had 63 athletes earn CoSIDA Academic All-America honors and countless others have been named to CoSIDA Academic All-District teams.
• Since 1970, W&L has had 36 athletes earn prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships.
• The 1988 Men’s Tennis team and the 2007 Women's Tennis team each have won a NCAA Division III National title and several other teams have finished in the NCAA Top 10 in Division III.

During the 2012-13 school year, the Washington and Lee athletic program again saw many successes. Below is a brief sketch of the many accomplishments by W&L’s teams and athletes.

• W&L posted an overall winning percentage of better than 60 percent (190-124-4, .604)
• W&L claimed seven Conference Championships (Women's Cross Country, Football, Women's Lacrosse, Women's Swimming, Men's Tennis & Women's Tennis, Volleyball)
• W&L won the ODAC Commissioner’s Cup for overall athletic excellence and has won the award in 17 of the last 19 years
• W&L also claimed both the men's and women's Commissioner's Cups for the first time since 2008.  W&L has also won the women's cup for 10 straight years
• 12 different Washington and Lee athletes were named to Division III All-America teams
• Six teams participated in the NCAA Division III National Championships
• 12 individuals were selected to participate in NCAA Championship competition as individuals
• W&L athletes were named first team all-conference a total of 68 times
• Five athletes were named the conference athlete of the year in their sport
• A total of eight different athletes were named the scholar-athlete of the year in their respective sport
• Three different athletes were named the rookie of the year in their sport
• Five coaches were named the coach of the year in their sport
• A total of 227 athletes were named W&L Scholar-Athletes for having achieved a GPA of 3.5 or higher in either the fall or winter term
• Football player Brett Murray '13, swimmer Rick Sykes '13 and swimmer/track athlete Wayde Marsh '13 all received Capital One Academic All-America honors