Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women championships
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, 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.
Governing bodies of women's collegiate athletics through 1982
The Division of Girls and Women's Sports, a division of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education and Recreation, was the first nationally recognized collegiate organization for women's athletics and the forerunner of the AIAW. The Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics for Women operated under the auspices of the DGWS. The CIAW governed from 1966 until February, 1972, and conducted championships in eight sports.During the 1972–73 season, the first full academic year of its operation, the AIAW offered its first eight national championships in the same eight sports.
In years when small-college championships were not contested, and in sports without divisions, there was open competition among eligible teams.
Except as noted below, 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 to participate in either the AIAW or NCAA competitions. The NCAA has never sponsored championship competition in badminton, synchronized swimming, or slow-pitch softball.
In the sports of fencing, lacrosse, rowing and tennis, for completeness, the champions listed below include those bestowed by each sport's governing body prior to the beginning of AIAW championships in those sports.
Compilations of collegiate records by the NCAA, continuing into 2006, have ignored or segregated the contributions of AIAW athletes. 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 and it's not about Lynette. It's about history. History is history."
Sports with AIAW/DGWS team championships by year
[Badminton]
AIAW championship 1973–82. Previously administered by the Division of Girls' and Women's Sports.- 1970 Long Beach State '
- 1971 Arizona State '
- 1972 Pasadena City College '
- 1973 Pasadena City College
- 1974 Long Beach State
- 1975 Arizona State
- 1976 Arizona State
- 1977 UCLA
- 1978 Arizona State
- 1979 Arizona State
- 1980 Arizona State
- 1981 Arizona State
- 1982''' Northern Illinois
[Basketball]
Pre-NCAA statistics, based on AIAW Archives, Special Collections, University of Maryland Libraries.Division I (no division 1968–1974, Large College 1974–1979)
AIAW championship 1972–82. Previously administered by the Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics for Women.- 1969 West Chester def. Western Carolina 65-39 '
- 1970 Cal State-Fullerton def. West Chester 50-46 '
- 1971 Mississippi State College for Women def. West Chester 57-55 '
- 1972 Immaculata def. West Chester 52-48
- 1973 Immaculata def. Queens 59-52
- 1974 Immaculata def. Mississippi College 68-53
- 1975 Delta State 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 (Small College 1974–1979)
- 1975 Phillips University
- 1976 Berry College
- 1977 Southeastern Louisiana
- 1978 High Point
- 1979 South Carolina State
- 1980 University of Dayton
- 1981 William Penn College
- 1982 Francis Marion College
Division III
- 1980 Worcester State College
- 1981 Wisconsin–La Crosse
- 1982 Concordia College
Junior/Community College
- 1973 Mississippi Gulf Coast Junior College
- 1974 Anderson College
- 1975 Anderson College
- 1976 Anderson College
- 1977 Anderson College
Cross country">Cross country running">Cross country
Division I (no division 1975–1979)
- 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
- 1980 South Dakota State
- 1981 Utah
Division III
- 1979 Cal State-Hayward
- 1980 Cal State-Hayward
- 1981 College of St. Thomas
Fencing">Fencing (sport)">Fencing
- 1964 Paterson State
- 1965 Paterson State
- 1966 Paterson State
- 1967 Cornell
- 1968 Cornell
- 1969 Cornell
- 1970 Hunter College
- 1971 NYU
- 1972 Cornell
- 1973 Cornell
- 1974 Cal State Fullerton
- 1975 San Jose State
- 1976 San Jose State
- 1977 San Jose State
- 1978 San Jose State
- 1979 San Jose State
- 1980 Penn State
- 1981 Penn State
- 1982 Yale
[Field Hockey]
Division I (no division 1975–1979)
Co-sponsored 1975–78 by the United States Field Hockey Association.- 1975 West Chester def. Ursinus 2-1
- 1976 West Chester def. Ursinus 2-0
- 1977 West Chester def. Ursinus 1-0
- 1978 West Chester def. Delaware 3-2
- 1979 Long Beach State def. Penn State 2-0
- 1980 Penn State def. California 2-1
- 1981 Penn State def. Temple 5-1
Division II
- 1979 Southwest Missouri State def. Colgate 2-0
- 1980 La Salle def. Southwest Missouri State 3-2
- 1981 Lock Haven def. Syracuse 2-0
Division III
- 1979 Shippensburg def. Franklin & Marshall 1-0
- 1980 Gettysburg def. Hartwick 1-0
- 1981 Bloomsburg def. Lynchburg 3-2
[Golf]
Division I (no division 1970–1980)
Team
- 1970 Miami '
- 1971 UCLA '
- 1972 Miami
- 1973 UNC Greensboro
- 1974 Rollins
- 1975 Arizona State
- 1976 Furman
- 1977 Miami
- 1978 Miami
- 1979 SMU
- 1980 Tulsa
- 1981 Florida State
- 1982 Tulsa
Individual
| Year | Winner | School | Venue host |
| 1941 | Eleanor Dudley | Alabama | Ohio State |
| 1946 | Phyllis Otto | Northwestern | Ohio State |
| 1947 | Shirley Spork | Michigan State Normal College | Ohio State |
| 1948 | Grace Lenczyk | Stetson | Ohio State |
| 1949 | Marilynn Smith | Kansas | Ohio State |
| 1950 | Betty Rowland | Rollins College | Ohio State |
| 1951 | Barbara Bruning | Wellesley College | Ohio State |
| 1952 | Mary Ann Villega | Ohio State | Ohio State |
| 1953 | Patricia Lesser | Seattle | North Carolina |
| 1954 | Nancy Reed | George Peabody College | North Carolina |
| 1955 | Jackie Yates | Redlands | Lake Forest College |
| 1956 | Marlene Stewart | Rollins College | Purdue |
| 1957 | Meriam Bailey | Northwestern | Illinois |
| 1958 | Carole Pushing | Carleton College | Iowa State |
| 1959 | Judy Eller | Miami | North Carolina |
| 1960 | JoAnne Gunderson | Arizona State | Stanford |
| 1961 | Judy Hoetmer | Washington | Michigan |
| 1962 | Carol Sorenson | Arizona State | New Mexico |
| 1963 | Claudia Lindor | Western Washington | Penn State |
| 1964 | Patti Shook | Valparaiso | Michigan State |
| 1965 | Roberta Albers | Miami | Florida |
| 1966 | Joyce Kazmierski | Michigan State | Ohio State |
| 1967 | Martha Wilkinson | Cal State Fullerton | Washington |
| 1968 | Gail Sykes | Odessa College | Duke |
| 1969 | Jane Bastanchury | Arizona State | Penn State |
| 1970 | Cathy Gaughan | Arizona State | San Diego State |
| 1971 | Shelley Hamlin | Stanford | Georgia |
| 1972 | Ann Laughlin | Miami | New Mexico State |
| 1973 | Bonnie Lauer | Michigan State | Mt. Holyoke College |
| 1974 | Mary Budke | Oregon State | San Diego State |
| 1975 | Barbara Barrow | San Diego State | Arizona |
| 1976 | Nancy Lopez | Tulsa | Michigan State |
| 1977 | Cathy Morse | Miami | Hawaiʻi |
| 1978 | Deborah Petrizzi | Texas | Florida |
| 1979 | Kyle O'Brien | Southern Methodist | Oklahoma State |
| 1980 | Patty Sheehan | San Jose State | New Mexico |
| 1981 | Terri Moody | Georgia | Georgia |
| 1982 | Amy Benz | Southern Methodist | Ohio State |