The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women was founded in 1971 to govern collegiate women?s athletics and to administer national championships. During its existence, the AIAW and its predecessor, the Division for Girls' and Women's Sports (DGWS), recognized via these championships the teams and individuals who excelled at the highest level of women's collegiate competition.

After the 1981-82 academic year, the AIAW discontinued sponsorship of national championships and later was legally dissolved. At this time, the NCAA assumed sole sanctioning authority of its member schools' women's sports programs. Compilations of collegiate records by the NCAA, continuing into 2006, have ignored or segregated the contributions of AIAW athletes.^[1][2][3] Major college basketball's career women's scoring leader, Lynette Woodard of the University of Kansas, speaking on the exclusion of AIAW statistics, said, "Basketball doesn't just start with when the NCAA blessed it. And it's not about Jackie [Stiles, NCAA career scoring leader] and it's not about Lynette. It's about history. History is history."^[1]

Championships of the AIAW and affiliated/contemporary governing bodies of women's collegiate athletics through 1982

• The Division of Girls and Women's Sports (DGWS), a division of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education and Recreation (AAHPER), was the first nationally recognized collegiate organization for women?s athletics and the forerunner of the AIAW.
• The Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (CIAW) operated under the auspices of the DGWS. The CIAW governed from 1966-72 and conducted championships in seven sports.
• During the 1972-73 season, its first year of actual operation, the AIAW offered its first seven national championships in the same seven sports (badminton, basketball, golf, gymnastics, swimming & diving, track & field, and volleyball).
• In years when small-college championships (Division II or III) were not contested, and in sports without divisions, there was open competition among eligible teams.
• Except as noted, the NCAA sponsored its first women's championship in each sport in the 1981-82 academic year. Individual athletic programs and, in some cases, individual teams within a program were permitted to choose the organization in which they participated. The NCAA has never sponsored championship competition in badminton, synchronized swimming, or slow-pitch softball.

Badminton

AIAW championship from 1973-82. Previously administered by the Division of Girls' and Women's Sports (DGWS).

• 1970 Long Beach State (DGWS)
• 1971 Arizona State University (DGWS)
• 1972 Pasadena City College (DGWS)
• 1973 Pasadena City College
• 1974 Long Beach State
• 1975 Arizona State University
• 1976 Arizona State University
• 1977 UCLA
• 1978 Arizona State University
• 1979 Arizona State University
• 1980 Arizona State University
• 1981 Arizona State University
• 1982 Northern Illinois

After the last AIAW competition, collegiate badminton assumed the authority of its own national tournament committee in conjunction with the United States Badminton Association. The USBA continued the sponsorship of national collegiate championships from 1983 - ?. Arizona State won all ten titles from 1984 through 1993, when ASU dropped badminton.

Basketball

Division I

AIAW championship from 1973-82. Previously administered by the Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (CIAW).

• 1969 West Chester (Pennsylvania) def. Western Carolina 65-39 (CIAW, six player format)
• 1970 Cal State-Fullerton def. West Chester 50-46 (CIAW, six player format)
• 1971 Mississippi State College for Women def. West Chester 57-55 (CIAW)
• 1972 Immaculata (Pennsylvania) def. West Chester 52-48 (CIAW)
• 1973 Immaculata def. Queens (New York) 59-52
• 1974 Immaculata def. Mississippi State College for Women 68-53
• 1975 Delta State (Mississippi) def. Immaculata 90-81
• 1976 Delta State def. Immaculata 69-64
• 1977 Delta State def. LSU 68-55
• 1978 UCLA def. Maryland 90-74
• 1979 Old Dominion def. Louisiana Tech 75-65
• 1980 Old Dominion def. Tennessee 68-53
• 1981 Louisiana Tech def. Tennessee 79-59
• 1982 Rutgers def. Texas 83-77

Division II

• 1975 Phillips University (Oklahoma)
• 1976 Berry College (Georgia)
• 1977 Southeastern Louisiana
• 1978 High Point (North Carolina)
• 1979 South Carolina State
• 1980 University of Dayton
• 1981 William Penn College (Iowa)
• 1982 Francis Marion College (South Carolina)

Division III

• 1980 Worcester State College (Massachusetts)
• 1981 Wisconsin-La Crosse
• 1982 Concordia College (New York)

Junior/Community College

• 1973 Mississippi Gulf Coast Junior College
• 1974 Anderson College (South Carolina)
• 1975 Anderson College
• 1976 Anderson College
• 1977 Anderson College

Bowling

Non-AIAW: National Collegiate Championships were administered from inception in 1975 by the ABC/Women?s International Bowling Congress (now the US Bowling Congress)

• 1975 Wichita State University
• 1976 San Jose State University
• 1977 Wichita State University
• 1978 Wichita State University
• 1979 Penn State
• 1980 Erie Community College (New York)
• 1981 Arizona State University
• 1982 Erie Community College (New York)

From 2004 through the present (2007) the NCAA has sponsored a women's team championship.

Crew

Only AIAW championship was in 1982. The National Women's Rowing Association (NWRA) sponsored an annual open eights national championship from 1971-1979, among college and non-college teams. (There were no eights prior to 1971.) During this period, only in 1973 and 1975 did a college team win the national eights championship outright. According to USRowing, contemporary news reports in 1976 and 1977 do not mention a national collegiate title. Beginning in 1980, the NWRA sponsored the Women's Collegiate National Championship in varsity eights.

NWRA Open Eights top college finishers, 1971-1979 (champion in parentheses):

• 1971 Washington (first place - Vesper Boat Club)
• 1972 Washington (first place - College Boat Club)
• 1973 Radcliffe College (NWRA open champion)
• 1974 Radcliffe College (first place - Vesper BC)
• 1975 Wisconsin (NWRA open champion)
• 1976 Wisconsin (first place - College BC)
• 1977 Wisconsin (first place - Vesper BC)
• 1978 Wisconsin (first place - Burnaby Boat Club)
• 1979 Yale (first place - Burnaby BC)

National Collegiate Varsity Eight Champions, 1980-1982:

• 1980 University of California
• 1981 Washington
• 1982 Washington (AIAW Champion)

1982 Varsity 8        Washington
1982 Varsity 4        Pennsylvania
1982 Lightweight 8    Harvard
1982 Lightweight 4    Minnesota
1982 Novice 8         Boston University
1982 Novice 4         Minnesota
1982 2nd Varsity 8    Washington

• A medalist in the 1975 NWRA regatta stated that the 1975 regatta was the 10th annual national women's rowing championship, as emblazoned on t-shirts from the event.
• One citation from 1996 states, "(The Cal Women's Crew) in 1979 finished second in the U.S. National Collegiate Championships. ... The 1980 Cal Women's Crew dominated the National Championships, ... They won the varsity eight, Cal's first ever varsity national championship in any women's sport."
• One citation from 1999 states, "1980. First Women?s Collegiate Rowing Championship held in Oak Ridge, TN."
• One citation from 2001 states, " Just seven years after its first race, the (Yale) women's team claimed its first national championship in 1979."
• After the last AIAW competition, the National Collegiate Rowing Championship was held from 1983 through 1996. Washington won the varsity eight in 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, and 1988. Wisconsin won in 1986. Cornell won in 1989. Cornell Novice 8 won in 1990. Princeton won in 1990, 1993, 1994 and 1995. Boston University won in 1991 and 1992. Brown won in 1996.
• From 1997 through the present (2007) the NCAA has sponsored the women's collegiate rowing championship.

Cross Country

Division I

• 1975 Iowa State
• 1976 Iowa State
• 1977 Iowa State
• 1978 Iowa State
• 1979 North Carolina State
• 1980 North Carolina State
• 1981 Iowa State

Division II

• 1979 Air Force (Colorado)
• 1980 South Dakota State
• 1981 University of Utah

Division III

• 1979 Cal State-Hayward
• 1980 Cal State-Hayward
• 1981 College of St. Thomas (Minnesota)

Fencing

AIAW championship from 1980-82. Previously administered by the National Intercollegiate Women's Fencing Association. The IWFA became the National IWFA in 1964 and called for a National Championship.

• 1964 Paterson State College (New Jersey)
• 1965 Paterson State College
• 1966 Paterson State College
• 1967 Cornell University
• 1968 Cornell University
• 1969 Cornell University
• 1970 Hunter College (New York)
• 1971 New York University
• 1972 Cornell University
• 1973 Cornell University
• 1974 Cal State-Fullerton
• 1975 San Jose State
• 1976 San Jose State
• 1977 San Jose State
• 1978 San Jose State
• 1979 San Jose State

AIAW, 1980-1982:

• 1980 Penn State
• 1981 Penn State
• 1982 Yale

The NIWFA has continued to sponsor national collegiate championships from 1983 through the present (2007). From 1990 through the present (2007) the NCAA has sponsored a combined men's and women's team championship.

Field Hockey

Division I

Co-sponsored from 1975-78 by the United States Field Hockey Association (USFHA).

• 1975 West Chester (Pennsylvania) def. Ursinus (Pennsylvania) 2-1
• 1976 West Chester def. Ursinus 2-0
• 1977 West Chester def. Ursinus 1-0
• 1978 West Chester def. University of Delaware 2-1
• 1979 Long Beach State def. Penn State 2-0
• 1980 Penn State def. California-Berkeley 2-1
• 1981 Penn State def. Temple (Pennsylvania) 5-1

Division II

• 1979 Southwest Missouri State def. Colgate (New York) 2-0
• 1980 LaSalle (Pennsylvania) def. Southwest Missouri State 3-2
• 1981 Lock Haven (Pennsylvania) def. Syracuse 2-0

Division III

• 1979 Shippensburg (Pennsylvania) def. Franklin & Marshall (Pennsylvania) 1-0
• 1980 Gettysburg (Pennsylvania) def. Hartwick (New York) 1-0
• 1981 Bloomsburg (Pennsylvania) def. Lynchburg (Virginia) 3-2

Golf

Division I

Team

• 1970 University of Miami (DGWS)
• 1971 UCLA (DGWS)
• 1972 University of Miami (DGWS)
• 1973 North Carolina-Greensboro (two player teams)
• 1974 Rollins College (Florida)
• 1975 Arizona State University
• 1976 Furman University (South Carolina)
• 1977 University of Miami
• 1978 University of Miami
• 1979 Southern Methodist University (Texas)
• 1980 University of Tulsa
• 1981 Florida State
• 1982 University of Tulsa

Individual

Prior to the era of the CIAW/AIAW, the DGWS also crowned an individual collegiate golf national champion from 1941-1965.

• 1966 Joyce Kazmierski, Michigan State University (DGWS)
• 1967 Martha Wilkinson, Cal State-Fullerton (DGWS)
• 1968 Gail Sykes, Odessa College (Texas) (DGWS)
• 1969 Jane Bastanchury, Arizona State University (DGWS)
• 1970 Cathy Vaughan, Arizona State University (DGWS)
• 1971 Shelly Hamlin, Stanford University (DGWS)
• 1972 Ann Laughlin, University of Miami (DGWS)
• 1973 Bonnie Lauer, Michigan State University
• 1974 Mary Budke, Oregon State University
• 1975 Barbara Barrow, San Diego State University and Deborah Simocerian, Wheaton College (Massachusetts)
• 1976 Nancy Lopez, University of Tulsa
• 1977 Cathy Morse, University of Miami
• 1978 Debbie Petrizzi, University of Texas
• 1979 Kyle O'Brien, Southern Methodist University
• 1980 Patty Sheehan, San Jose State
• 1981 Terri Moody, University of Georgia
• 1982 Kathy Baker, University of Tulsa

Division II

Team

• 1981 William and Mary (Virginia)
• 1982 Weber State (Utah)

Individual

• 1981 Susan Fox, Colorado State
• 1982 Heidi Walden, Weber State

Division III

Team

• 1981 Cal State-Sacramento
• 1982 North Carolina-Wilmington

Individual

• 1981 Kris Elton, Concordia College (New York)
• 1982 Luann Johnson, Meredith College (North Carolina)

Gymnastics

Division I

• 1969 Springfield College (Massachusetts) (DGWS)
• 1970 Southern Illinois University (DGWS)
• 1971 Springfield College (DGWS)
• 1972 Springfield College (DGWS)
• 1973 Massachusetts
• 1974 Southern Illinois University
• 1975 Southern Illinois University
• 1976 Clarion State (Pennsylvania)
• 1977 Clarion State
• 1978 Penn State
• 1979 Cal State-Fullerton
• 1980 Penn State
• 1981 University of Utah
• 1982 Florida

Division II

• 1978 Centenary (Louisiana)
• 1979 Centenary
• 1980 Centenary
• 1981 Centenary
• 1982 Denver

Division III

• 1980 Wisconsin-Oshkosh
• 1981 California-Davis
• 1982 Gustavus Adolphus College (Minnesota)

Lacrosse

Division I

AIAW championship from 1981-82. Administered from 1978-80 by the United States Women's Lacrosse Association (USWLA)

• 1978 Penn State
• 1979 Penn State
• 1980 Penn State
• 1981 Maryland
• 1982 Temple (Pennsylvania)

Division II

• 1981 Delaware
• 1982 Delaware

Division III

• 1981 Trenton State (New Jersey)
• 1982 Millersville State (Pennsylvania)

Skiing

• 1977 Dartmouth (New Hampshire)
• 1978 University of Utah
• 1979 Middlebury College (Vermont)
• 1980 Middlebury College
• 1981 Vermont
• 1982 Colorado

From 1983 through the present (2007) the NCAA has sponsored a combined men's and women's team championship.

Soccer

• 1981 North Carolina def. Central Florida 1-0

From Fall 1982 through the present the NCAA has sponsored a women's championship.

Fastpitch Softball

Division I

AIAW championship from 1974-82. Previously administered by the Amateur Softball Association (?) from ? - 1973. Co-sponsored by the AIAW and ASA through 1979.

• 1971
• 1972 Arizona State University (ASA?)
• 1973 Arizona State University (ASA?)
• 1974 Southwest Missouri State University
• 1975 Omaha University
• 1976 Michigan State University
• 1977 Northern Iowa
• 1978 UCLA
• 1979 Texas Woman's University
• 1980 Utah State
• 1981 Utah State
• 1982 Texas A&M University

Division II

• 1980 Emporia State (Kansas)
• 1981 Cal State-Sacramento
• 1982 Northern Iowa

Division III

• 1980 Cal State-Chico
• 1981 Eastern Connecticut State
• 1982 Bloomsburg State (Pennsylvania)

Junior/Community College

• 1976 Golden West (California)
• 1977 Golden West

Slowpitch Softball

• 1981 Florida State University
• 1982 Florida State University

After the last AIAW competition, a collegiate national championship in slow-pitch softball was held in 1983 (sponsor?). The University of South Florida won. It appears that most of the college women's slow-pitch teams at that time were from Florida and North Carolina.

Swimming and Diving

Division I

• 1970 Arizona State University (DGWS)
• 1971 Arizona State University (DGWS)
• 1972 West Chester State (Pennsylvania) (DGWS)
• 1973 Arizona State University
• 1974 Arizona State University
• 1975 University of Miami
• 1976 University of Miami
• 1977 Arizona State University
• 1978 Arizona State University
• 1979 University of Florida
• 1980 Stanford
• 1981 University of Texas
• 1982 University of Texas

Division II

• 1977 Clarion State (Pennsylvania)
• 1978 Clarion State
• 1979 Nevada-Reno
• 1980 Clarion State
• 1981 Clarion State
• 1982 Clarion State

Division III

• 1980 Hamline University (Minnesota)
• 1981 Hamline University
• 1982 Hamline University

Synchronized Swimming

• 1977 Ohio State
• 1978 Ohio State
• 1979 Ohio State
• 1980 Ohio State, Arizona (tie)
• 1981 Arizona
• 1982 Ohio State

United States Synchronized Swimming has continued to sponsor national collegiate championships from 1983 through the present (2008). From 1983 through 2004, Ohio State won 19 of the 22 titles. Arizona won in 1984. Stanford won in 1998, 1999, 2005, 2006 and 2007. Ohio State won in 2008.

Tennis

Division I

AIAW championship from 1977-82. Administered from 1968-76 by the United States Tennis Association (USTA)

• 1968 Trinity University (San Antonio)
• 1969 Trinity University (San Antonio)
• 1970 Odessa College (Texas)
• 1971 Arizona State
• 1972 Arizona State
• 1973 Trinity University (San Antonio)
• 1974 Arizona State
• 1975 Trinity University (San Antonio)
• 1976 Trinity University (San Antonio)
• 1977 USC
• 1978 Stanford
• 1979 USC
• 1980 USC
• 1981 UCLA
• 1982 Indiana

Division II

• 1977 Tennessee-Chattanooga
• 1978 Tennessee-Chattanooga
• 1979 Tennessee-Chattanooga
• 1980 Cal Poly-Pomona
• 1981 Cal Poly-Pomona
• 1982 Richmond

Division III

• 1980 California-Davis
• 1981 California-Davis
• 1982 Mary Washington College (Virginia)

Indoor Track and Field

• 1980 Texas-El Paso
• 1981 Virginia
• 1982 Nebraska

From 1983 through the present (2007) the NCAA has sponsored a women's team championship.

Outdoor Track and Field

Division I

AIAW championship from 1973-82. The first National Intercollegiate Track and Field Championship was sponsored by DGWS in the spring of 1969.

• 1969 Texas Woman's University (DGWS)
• 1970 Illinois (DGWS)
• 1971 Texas Woman's University (DGWS)
• 1972 Cal State-Hayward (DGWS)
• 1973 Texas Woman's University
• 1974 Prairie View A & M (Texas)
• 1975 UCLA
• 1976 Prairie View A & M
• 1977 UCLA
• 1978 Cal State-Northridge
• 1979 Cal State-Northridge
• 1980 Cal State-Northridge
• 1981 Tennessee
• 1982 Texas

Division II

• 1981 Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo
• 1982 South Carolina State

Division III

• 1981 Cal State-Hayward
• 1982 Wisconsin-La Crosse

Volleyball

Division I

AIAW championship from 1973-82. Previously administered by the Division of Girls' and Women's Sports (DGWS).

• 1969-70 Sul Ross State (Texas) def. UCLA (DGWS)
• 1970-71 Sul Ross State (Texas) def. Long Beach State (DGWS)
• 1971-72 UCLA def. Long Beach State (DGWS)
• 1972-73 Long Beach State def. Brigham Young (Utah)
• 1973 Long Beach State def. Texas Woman's University
• 1974 UCLA def. Hawaii
• 1975 UCLA def. Hawaii
• 1976 USC def. UCLA
• 1977 USC def. Hawaii
• 1978 Utah State def. UCLA
• 1979 Hawaii def. Utah State
• 1980 USC def. Pacific (California)
• 1981 Texas def. Portland State (Oregon)

Division II

• 1975 Texas Lutheran
• 1976 Texas Lutheran
• 1977 California-Riverside
• 1978 Florida Tech
• 1979 Hawaii-Hilo
• 1980 Cal State-Northridge
• 1981 Hawaii-Hilo

Division III

• 1979 Azusa Pacific (California)
• 1980 Cal State-Sacramento
• 1981 La Verne (California)

Junior/Community College

• 1974 Eastern Arizona College
• 1975 Ricks College (Idaho)
• 1976 Mesa Community College (Arizona)
• 1977 Santa Ana College (California)

Footnotes

Sources

• Archives of the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women, Special Collections, University of Maryland Libraries
• Virginia Hunt, "Governance of Women's Intercollegiate Athletics: an Historical Perspective," (Doctoral Dissertation, University of North Carolina - Greensboro, 1976), Ann Arbor, Michigan: University Microfilms (1977), 1-319
• Suzanne Willey, "The Governance of Women's Intercollegiate Athletics: Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW), 1976-1982," (Thesis (P.E.D.), Indiana University, 1996), Eugene, Oregon: Microform Publications (1997), 1-351
• USA Field Hockey
• Women's Basketball Timeline 1890?s-Present (pdf)
• Women's College Basketball Championship History Page
• USBC, Intercollegiate Team Championships
• NIFWA Team Champions
• Intercollegiate Tennis Association - The Milestones in Women's Collegiate Tennis
• The History of UCLA Women's Volleyball
• UW Women's Sports History, 1974-2004 (pdf-large)
• Trinity University Campus Spotlight, "Former Sports Standouts to be Inducted Into Trinity?s Athletic Hall of Fame"
• Long Beach Press-Telegram,"It All Started in Long Beach," 12/15/2004
• Bio: Marilyn Nolen: Women's Volleyball
• Cougar Volleyball 99 (pdf-large)
• McPherson College Hall of Fame 2004, Kathy Rogers Yoder
• BRO Forums, "UCLA: 97 NCAA titles and counting...." (Caution: before referencing, confirm a second source)
• TWU Athletics Hall Of Fame Committee Seeks Nominations For 2006 Induction
• Texas Woman's University Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2002
• "The Institutionalization of a Gender Biased Sport Value System," Everhart & Pemberton, Winter, 2001
• Northern Illinois University Athletics Hall of Fame
• History of Synchronized Swimming in the U.S.
• Buckeye Champions
• SMS softball recognizes 1974 national championship team 30th anniversary
• 2005 Sacramento State Hornets Softball Media Guide (pdf-large)
• ?10 Most Memorable Moments in UNO Sports History?
• USTA supporting women?s collegiate tennis for nearly half a century
• Alabama Women's Golf 2003-04, page 7 (pdf-large)
• "Nearly 150 years old, Yale crew embodies spirit of Eli sports," May 17, 2001
• California Golden Bears Women's Crew
• ?A rowing legend moves on,? April 15, 1998
• "Proposal To Add Women?s Rowing As A Varsity Sport, University Of Colorado, Boulder"
• UCLA Bruins Traditions
• Rowing (From Alexander Leitch, A Princeton Companion, copyright Princeton University Press (1978))
• Private email from USRowing Communications Director, January 10, 2006, Indianapolis, Indiana
• Men's & Women's Skiing Past Individual Champions
• Men's & Women's Fencing Past Champions
• "Stanford?s Inferno Too Hot for Bucks"
• Women's Bowling Past Champions
• Women's Soccer Past Champions
• Men's & Women's Track & Field Indoor Champions
• Seminole Softball 2004 Media Guide, p 66 (pdf-large)
• National Fastpitch Coaches Association
• Wisconsin Women's Rowing 2005-2006 Media Guide - History and Results (pdf)
• Princeton Women's Rowing Record Book (pdf)
• The History of ASU Badminton (pdf)
• Sun Devil Swimming & Diving Program History
• Cornell Big Red - On Campus in the Nineties

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