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Intercollegiate sports team champions

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The first tier of intercollegiate sports in the United States includes sports that are sanctioned by one of the collegiate sport governing bodies. The major sanctioning organization is the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Before mid-1981, women's top-tier intercollegiate sports were solely governed by the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW). The second tier consists of competition between student clubs from different colleges, not organized by and therefore not formally representing the institutions or their faculties. This tier is also considered to be "intercollegiate" sports. College sports originated as student activities.

Contents

NCAA Team Champions: see NCAA Championships

Pre-NCAA Team Champions: see Pre-NCAA intercollegiate championships

AIAW Team Champions: see AIAW and DGWS Championships

NAIA Team Champions: see NAIA Championships

Intercollegiate Team Champions of Non-NCAA and Non-AIAW Sports in the United States:

  • The championships below were bestowed by the governing bodies of specific collegiate sports in years when the sport lacked official varsity status in the NCAA (which many still lack) or in the AIAW (and the DGWS that preceded it).
  • Women's rugby and equestrian are currently on the NCAA list of "Emerging Sports."
  • Some sports (particularly women’s sports) championships that are currently sanctioned by the NCAA were previously administered by a single-sport governing body (e.g., rifle, women's ice hockey, women's water polo).
  • At some colleges, some of these sports operate at a club level outside of any athletic department. On the other hand, some teams have been accorded varsity status within their schools' athletic programs. Generally, there is no strict separation during competition, but there are exceptions (e.g., Varsity Equestrian since 2006, as it seeks official NCAA status).
  • This list is reserved for champions of sports in which the NCAA did not also recognize a champion in a given year. Thus, non-varsity and/or club-level champions are excluded for sports that had a contemporary NCAA champion (e.g., men's ice hockey, alpine skiing) or other collegiate varsity-level champion (e.g., IRA rowing).
  • Two exceptions are (1) women’s fencing (the NCAA has not offered a women-only team championship since 1989) and (2) women’s bowling (the long-established US Bowling Congress championship has co-eminence).
  • Adventure Racing

    United States Adventure Racing Association
    Mixed teams unless indicated otherwise.

    US Collegiate Archery

    (preceded by National Archery Association)

    The inaugural U.S. intercollegiate archery championships were held in November 1967 at Arizona State University with individual competition only. The second such event was in May 1969. Team titles were not bestowed, although team scores were kept.

    Outdoor Target

    Junior College and 2-Year College Division (discontinued before 1985)

    # News reports of USIAC results in 1983 and 1984 mention only four-year schools. In 1985, two- and four-year schools are combined in the reported USIAC standings.

    Recurve and Compound Bow

    † There being a lack of specific citations for this mixed team title, the result was calculated based on the raw FITA round scores. (It appears that by 1995 the competition format added bracketed elimination rounds after the initial FITA rounds to determine the men's and women's champions, but not the mixed team titles.)

    ‡ Based on a news account, it appears that James Madison Univ. was the only team eligible for the women's compound bow team title, a new discipline in the 1995 USIAC.

    This is believed to be the first time a tribal college team has won the top-level intercollegiate national championship event in any sport.

    Bow Hunter

    In 2012 the USIAC began team competition in bow hunting.

    Basic Bow

    National Archery Association

    Telegraphic or Mail Tournament (Women Recurve)

    National Archery Association (1930 - at least 1973)

    Women's championships administered by DGWS (1970-72) / AIAW (1973-82) are included for completeness.

    All others administered by American Badminton Association (later named U.S. Badminton Assn., now USA Badminton).

    Intercollegiate Badminton Association, a league founded in 2007, held a few competitions starting in 2008 and faded for lack of members.

    Billiards

    Association of College Unions International
    (ACUI) has conducted intercollegiate billiards tournaments since 1933. See the ACUI website for the list of men's and women's individual champions since 1937.

    (1936–38 telegraphic)

    Bowling

    United States Bowling Congress (American Bowling Congress 1975–1977, ABC/WIBC 1977–2005, USBC 2005–)

    United States Bowling Congress (Women's International Bowling Congress 1975–1977, ABC/WIBC 1977–2005, USBC 2005– )

    Starting in 2004, the NCAA has sponsored a women's team championship, apart from the USBC national championships.

    Boxing


    National Collegiate Boxing Association
    Preceded by NCAA championships, 1932–1960

    Men

    Women

    United States Intercollegiate Boxing Association

    Flatwater

    USA Canoe/Kayak

    Downriver

    American Canoe Association

    In 2007 all other competitors withdrew because of rough river conditions.

    Climbing

    USA Climbing

    Cricket

    Intercollegiate Cricket Association (1881–1924)

    Twenty20

    American College Cricket

    US Croquet Association

    College Curling USA

    US College Curling National Championship

    Prior to 2013, the championship was set up into "Experience" Divisions (Division I most experienced, Division V least experienced) with schools permitted entries in more than one division. Entry into the championship tournament was open to any team until the division bracket was full. Starting in 2013 there is a single national champion; entry is by invitation to the top sixteen schools in the country based on Merit Points earned in competition during the year. In all cases there is no gender breakdown; teams can consist of any combination of men and women players.

    USA Cycling

    Men and Women Combined Scoring

    Mountain Bike

    Disc Golf

    National Collegiate Disc Golf Union

    different names for same school

    Dodgeball

    National Collegiate Dodgeball Association

    American National Riding Commission

    The championship showcases the American Forward Riding System and the sporting horse. Judged on equitation as a three-phase competition, competitors complete a dressage sportif ride, an outdoor hunter trials course and a USEF Medal-type hunter seat equitation course. Riders ride the same horse throughout the competition, and jumps do not exceed 3 feet in height.

    Dressage

    Intercollegiate Dressage Association

    Western

    American Quarter Horse Association

    Multidisciplinary

    National Collegiate Equestrian Association

    A Varsity Equestrian championship is held each year among colleges and universities competing at the varsity level. Because equestrian has two unique disciplines, through 2013 this event crowned a national champion in each of three areas: Western, Hunter Seat and Overall.

    Fencing, Women-only

    National Intercollegiate Women's Fencing Association (NIWFA), (IWFA 1929-63)

    Team Foil

    NIWFA title competition was held in addition to the AIAW championship from 1980–82 and the NCAA women’s championship from 1982–89. Starting in 1990, the NCAA has sponsored a combined men's and women's team championship, declaring one overall combined champion. NIWFA membership in 2008 consisted of 23 schools. There were 41 schools with women’s varsity programs in all divisions of the NCAA, as of 9/1/09. Most, if not all, NIWFA member schools are members of the NCAA.

    * did not win NCAA women’s championship (held 1982-89)

    Team Épée, Team Sabre, Combined Weapon

    Foil and Épée only

    US Figure Skating

    Fishing

    Bass Fishing (two-person team)

    FLW Outdoors

    Saltwater Fishing

    An intercollegiate deep-sea fishing championship was held from 1956 through 1975 off of Wedgeport, Nova Scotia. Yale University won in 1956. Beginning in 1974, Coastal Carolina University has hosted an annual intercollegiate invitational fishing tournament.

    Flag Football

    American Collegiate Intramural Sports and Fitness

    National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association

    Flowboarding

    These competitions were part of the CBS Sports "Collegiate Nationals " and "Alt Games" presentations.

    National Intercollegiate Flying Association

  • Aircraft type certificated as Airplane-Single Engine Land only.
  • No more than four (4) place.
  • Maximum horsepower-250 bhp.
  • May not be equipped with an after-market short take-off and landing modification.
  • Contestants acting as pilot-in-command in flying events must possess at least a Private Pilot certificate with appropriate category and class ratings.
  • Contestants who hold or have ever held an Airline Transport Pilot certificate or have accumulated more than 1500 total flight hours are not eligible to compete.
  • Flying events:

  • Power Off Landing
  • Short Field Approach and Landing
  • Navigation
  • Message Drop
  • IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) Precision Flight
  • IFR Simulated Flight
  • CRM/LOFT (Crew Resource Management/Line Oriented Flight Training)
  • SAFECON Championship Trophy

    US Handball Association

    From 1967 to 1980 only a men's title was awarded. Women participated in a non-scoring method in 1980. From 1981 through 1986 women contributed to a combined team championship, the only title given. In 1987 two championships — a men's and a women's — were established. In 1988, the current men-women-combined championships were established.

    Hurling

    National Collegiate Gaelic Athletic Association

    Judo

    National Collegiate Judo Association

    "2009 marks the 44th year that San Jose State has won the collegiate championship."

    National Collegiate Karate Association

    † In 1999, 2000 and 2001, the kumite competition included brown belts in addition to black belts.
    Hurricane Katrina caused cancellation.
    2012 results do not mention team titles for kumite.
    Official results state that the championship title was for "Collegiate Team Kumite."

    ITF Karate

    Schools that follow the ITF standards typically use the Chang Hon forms.

    Orienteering

    US Orienteering Federation

    Beginning with the 2011 championship, the Division AA competition switched to the Race To-2 format. Division A format is X-Ball.

    National Collegiate Paintball Association

    US Parachute Association

    The USPA National Collegiate Parachute Championships consist of both individual and team events. Individual events are classic accuracy, sport accuracy and freefall style. The team events are classic accuracy and formation diving (and before 2007, 2-person freefly diving). Schools other than the service academies have been competitive only in sport accuracy and freefly diving. In the Team Accuracy and Formation Skydiving events, multiple yearly entrants from the service academies have dominated. For example, in 2008, 6 USMA and 4 USAFA teams placed in the top 10 in team accuracy.

    Pistol

    National Rifle Association

    US Polo Association

    Powerlifting

    Earlier national collegiate powerlifting championships are known to have been held during 1969 (at Florida State) and 1976 (at Ohio University).

    USA Powerlifting/American Drug Free Powerlifting Association

    World Association of Benchers and Deadlifters

    Racquetball

    US Racquetball Association
    Division I and II championship competitions were separated in 2005.

    Division II

    National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association

    During 1960, the NIRA split into two organizations: the American Collegiate Rodeo Association (ACRA) with 13 member schools and the parent NIRA. The two reunited in 1961.

    Men

    Women

    Roller Hockey, Inline

    National Collegiate Inline Hockey Association (1996–98)

    Collegiate Roller Hockey League (1999 through 7/31/2003)

    National Collegiate Roller Hockey Association (8/1/2003 - )

    Varsity Openweight Eights

    Men
    Rowing Association of American Colleges
    The RAAC was the first collegiate athletic organization in the United States.

    Intercollegiate Rowing Association

    * Not held in 1933 due to the Depression. However, the first college 2000-meter national championship ever held was conducted by local businessmen in Long Beach, California, as a substitute. Washington raced both Harvard and Yale for the first time at this event and defeated Yale by eight lengths to win the championship. Washington counts this victory among its string of Men’s National Varsity Eight Championships.

    Navy was disqualified from the IRA Regatta for use of an ineligible coxswain. Trophies won by Navy were forfeited and not awarded. Cornell finished second.

    Women
    (Results for 2V8 and Novice 8 are included for completeness due to the paucity of events conducted.)

    Varsity Lightweight Eights

    Intercollegiate Rowing Association
    Men

    Women

    Lightweight Fours/Pairs

    Intercollegiate Rowing Association
    Men's Varsity Lightweight Fours

    Overall Points

    Intercollegiate Rowing Association

    Men
    The IRA awards the Jim Ten Eyck Trophy, named in honor of Syracuse's rowing coach (1903–1938), to the heavyweight team that accumulates the most points during the IRA Championship Regatta. From 1952 through 1973, the title went to the school amassing the largest number of points in the varsity, junior varsity and freshman eights. Starting in 1974, all races counted in the scoring under a system adopted by the coaches of the Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges.

    Navy was disqualified from the IRA Regatta for use of an ineligible coxswain. Trophies won by Navy were forfeited and not awarded.

    Women and Combined

    Smaller Colleges

    The Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta, which is held in Philadelphia and is sponsored by the Dad Vail Rowing Association, is a national championship caliber regatta for college teams unable to compete at the IRA regatta due to not being designated varsity teams by their respective institutions. It is the largest collegiate regatta in the nation.

    Men's Openweight Team (1982–96)

    The now defunct National Collegiate Rowing Championship was a quasi-official national championship (as nothing until that time could be called "official" rather than de facto) for men's collegiate rowing held in Cincinnati, Ohio between 1982 and 1996. During these years Harvard, Yale and Washington, three of the sport’s powers, did not participate in the IRAs. In 1982, a Harvard alumnus decided to remedy this perceived problem by establishing a heavyweight varsity National Collegiate Rowing Championship race in Cincinnati, Ohio. It paid for the winners of the Pac-10 Championship, the Eastern Sprints, the IRA and the Harvard-Yale race to attend. It was a finals-only event, and other crews could attend if they paid their own way and there was room in the field. After 1996 the race was discontinued.

    Women's Varsity Eights (1971–96)

    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 US Rowing Association, 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, including varsity eights. In 1986 the NWRA dissolved after recognizing US Rowing's assuming of responsibility as the national governing body for women’s rowing.

    NWRA Open National Championship
    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 Boat Club)
  • 1975 Wisconsin (NWRA open champion)
  • 1976 Wisconsin (first place - College Boat Club)
  • 1977 Wisconsin (first place - Vesper Boat Club)
  • 1978 Wisconsin (first place - Burnaby Boat Club)
  • 1979 Yale (first place - Burnaby BC)
  • NWRA / US Rowing Women's Collegiate National Championship, Varsity eights :

    * simultaneous AIAW championship, the only one conducted

    The above Women's Varsity 8 results are included for completeness, even though women's rowing is now an NCAA sport and has had annual NCAA women’s championships from 1997, in which women currently compete in a Varsity 8, a Second Varsity 8, and a Varsity Four.

    Other

    USRowing announced that an inaugural USRowing Collegiate National Championship regatta was to be held May 21–23, 2010, at Mercer Lake in West Windsor, N.J. The regatta was to be open to all athletes enrolled in a college or university. Events were to include both small and large boats, from single sculls to eights. The regatta was to be open to all collegiate programs, club or varsity, across all divisions and was to include both lightweight and open weight boat classes. USRowing stated that it hoped to provide a chance for varsity and club programs to compete head-to-head on a 2000-meter course and an opportunity for collegiate athletes to compete in small boats and sculling events.

    USA Rugby Sevens Collegiate National Championships

    In the first three years, strong teams that won bids declined to participate.

    American Collegiate Rugby Association (Women)

    National Intercollegiate Rugby Association (Women)

    Women, Division I

    USA Rugby

    Division II

    USA Rugby

    Small College Championship

    National Small College Rugby Organization

    From 2002 to 2006 for Men's Division III and from 2003 to 2006 for Women's Division III, event name was "East Coast Division III Collegiate Championship." In 2007, events were renamed to "National Men's Collegiate Division III Championship", "National Women's Collegiate Division III Championship" and "National Women's Collegiate Division IV Championship". Effective August 2012, Small College Championship nomenclature replaced Division III.

    Other

    American Collegiate Rugby Association (Women)

    National Intercollegiate Rugby Association (Women)

    The Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association (ICSA; Inter-Collegiate Yacht Racing Association prior to 2001) holds National Championships in six different events. Since intercollegiate sailing is a fall and spring sport, three of these championships are held in the fall and three are held in the spring.

    The Fall Championships are for single-handed men and women and sloops. The Sloop Championships take place in mid-November using small keelboats supplied by the venue. Each sloop team sails with a crew of three. In the fall of 2010, the sloop championship was converted to a match racing format.

    The ICSA National Championship Regatta is held once each year in May and is actually composed of three different regattas: a Team Racing Championship, a Women's Championship and a Coed Dinghy Championship. The most prestigious of these events is the Coed Dinghy Championship.

    The title for best overall performance (Leonard M. Fowle Trophy winner) includes the six National Championships: Men's Singlehanded, Women's Singlehanded, Match Racing Championship (previously Sloop), Women's Dinghy, Team Race, and Coed Dinghy.

    Collegiate Offshore Large Boats Championship

    Kennedy Cup, boat class: Navy 44

    Collegiate Match Racing Championship

    Douglas Cup

    United States Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association

    In 2009, events included Giant Slalom, Slalom, Cross-Country Sprints, Cross-Country Relays, Cross-Country Distance, Halfpipe, Slopestyle, SkierCross, and Snowboard Cross. NCAA championship alpine events likewise include slalom and GS. However, the NCAA Nordic program is limited to 2 events. Because the USCSA Nordic competition occurs in 4 or more events each for men and women, the Nordic winners are included here.

    Softball (Slowpitch), Women

    The year after the last AIAW competition in 1982, a college championship was held. It is not clear whether there were any more after 1983. It appears that most of the college women's slow-pitch teams at that time were from Florida and North Carolina.

    Squash

    College Squash Association

    National nine-player team champions: From 1942 to 1988, the title was based on dual-match records, with the team with the best record becoming the national champion. Since 1989, the title has been based on performance in the National Team Championships, with the team winning the “A” division becoming the national champion.

    Between 1956 and 1988, the National Intercollegiate Squash Racquets Association awarded an additional team trophy based on players’ performances in the national individual tournament. From 1956 to 1968, teams competed with four players, and from 1969 to 1988, they competed with six players.

    Surfing

    National Scholastic Surfing Association (1978 - )

    Several archived articles at the NSSA website state that UCSB had won eight national championships before 2002 and won their ninth in 2002. The NSSA Facebook site states that UCSB won its fourth in 1991. Therefore, the titles for two previous years attributed to UCSB from 1985 to 1988 are incorrect.

    Synchronized Skating

    US Figure Skating

    Synchronized Swimming

    United States Synchronized Swimming

    Preceded by AIAW tournament 1977-82

    Table Tennis

    National Collegiate Table Tennis Association

    Taekwondo

    National Collegiate Taekwondo Association

    1984 was the final year of separate men's and women's team competitions.

    Beginning in 1997, the black belt competition has been conducted in a "championship division." Separate team awards were added for other belt colors and novices.

    USA Team Handball

    Team Tennis, Co-ed (WTT format)

    United States Tennis Association, club-level only

    Tennis, Indoor

    Intercollegiate Tennis Association (1973–present)

    Association of College Unions International annually sponsors the National Intercollegiate Trap and Skeet Championships. The championships are the only national tournament in which shooters may compete in five different clay target games in the same program: American Trap, International Trap, American Skeet, International Skeet and Sporting Clays. The 2011 championship event is "the 43rd of the championship's history."

    1983–1995: ?

    Division II
    2015: Texas A&M

    USA Triathlon

    * 2006 event was a duathlon (water temperature too cold for swim), with 5K run, 40K bike and 10K run segments.

    Tug-of-War

    Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America

    Conducted at the annual track and field championship meet.

    Ultimate

    Ultimate Players Association

    Wakeboarding

    American Wakeboard Association (2001-2004), USA Wakeboard (2005–present), College Wake (2010–present)

    Cable Wakeboarding

    National Collegiate Water Ski Association

    Barefoot Waterskiing

    USA Weightlifting

    References

    Intercollegiate sports team champions Wikipedia