The NCAA Division III women's basketball championship is the annual tournament organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association to determine the national champions of women's collegiate basketball among its Division III members in the United States. It has been held every year since 1982 (when the NCAA began to sponsor women's sports at all three levels), except for 2020 or 2021 due to COVID-19.
Washington St. Louis has been the most successful program, with five national titles.
The most recent champions are Denison, who won their first national title in 2026.
History
1982 Final Four
Held in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, the 1982 Women's Final Four Basketball Tournament was the first sponsored by the NCAA. Featuring host Elizabethtown College, Clark University (Massachusetts), Pomona College and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, the tournament was played in a classic field house over a three-day period. In the first game of the National Semi-Final Elizabethtown took control right from the tip-off against Clark and easily cruised to a 71–51 victory. In the second game of the Final Four Pomona took the lead early in the game, but UNC Greensboro battled back to tie the game at 56 with six minutes to play. UNC Greensboro then went on a run and pulled away for a 77–66 win. Elizabethtown and UNC Greensboro turned the championship game into an epic battle of lead changes and shifts in momentum. Last second heroics by UNC Greensboro sent the game into overtime, but Elizabethtown came up with the final stop in overtime to win 67–66 in overtime. Television coverage was provided by a fledgling ESPN while exclusive radio coverage was provided by KSPC Radio - Pomona College's tiny KSPC sports broadcasting group with Geoff Willis (Pomona '83) and James Timmerman (Pomona '82) providing the play by play and color. ESPN was so embryonic that the game was broadcast multiple times during the following two weeks and ESPN hired the KSPC Radio staff to help with background and color research about the players and the teams.
Results
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:100%; text-align: center;"
|-
! style= colspan=11|NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship
|-
! rowspan="2" |Year
! rowspan="2" |Finals Site
! rowspan="2" |Arena
! rowspan="47"|
! colspan=3|Championship Game
! rowspan="40"|
! rowspan="2" |Semifinalists
|-
!Winner
!Score
!Runner-up
|-
|1982<br>Details
| Elizabethtown, PA
| Thompson Gymnasium
| Elizabethtown
| 67–66<br><small>(OT)</small>
| UNC Greensboro
| Pomona-Pitzer, Clark
|-
|1983<br>Details
| Worcester, MA
| Kneller Athletics Center
| North Central (IL)
| 83–71
| Elizabethtown
| Knoxville, Clark
|-
|1984<br>Details
| Scranton, PA
| John Long Center
| Rust
| 51–49
| Elizabethtown
| Salem St, North Central
|-
|1985<br>Details
| De Pere, WI
| Schuldes Sports Center
| Scranton
| 68–59
| New Rochelle
| Millikin, St. Norbert
|-
|1986<br>Details
| Salem, MA
| Twohig Gymnasium
| Salem State
| 89–85
| Bishop (TX)
| Capital, Rust
|-
|1987<br>Details
| Scranton, PA
| John Long Center
| UW–Stevens Point
| 81–74
| Concordia–Moorhead
| Scranton, Kean
|-
|1988<br>Details
| Moorhead, MN
| Memorial Auditorium
| Concordia–Moorhead
| 65–57
| St. John Fisher
| UNC-Greensboro, Southern Maine
|-
|1989<br>Details
| Danville, KY
| Alumni Gymnasium
| Elizabethtown
| 66–65
| Cal State Stanislaus
| Centre, Clarkson
|-
|1990<br>Details
| Holland, MI
| Holland Civic Center
| Hope
| 65–63
| St. John Fisher
| Heidelberg, Centre
|-
|1991<br>Details
| St. Paul, MN
| Schoenecker Arena
| St. Thomas (MN)
| 73–55
| Muskingum
| Eastern Connecticut, Washington St. Louis
|-
|1992<br>Details
| Bethlehem, PA
| Johnston Hall
| Alma
| 79–75
| Moravian
| Luther, Eastern Connecticut St
|-
|1993<br>Details
| Pella, IA
| Kuyper Gymnasium
| Central (IA)
| 71–63
| Capital
| Scranton, St. Benedict
|-
|1994<br>Details
| Eau Claire, WI
| W.L. Zorn Arena
| Capital
| 82–63
| Washington St. Louis
| UW-Eau Claire, Wheaton (MA)
|-
|1995<br>Details
| Columbus, OH
| Alumni Gymnasium
| Capital
| 59–55
| UW–Oshkosh
| St. Thomas, Salem State
|-
|1996<br>Details
| Oshkosh, WI
| Kolf Sports Center
| UW–Oshkosh
| 66–50
| Mount Union
| St. Thomas, New York University
|-
|1997<br>Details
| New York City, NY
| Coles Sports Center
| NYU
| 72–70
| UW–Eau Claire
| Capital, Scranton
|-
|1998<br>Details
| Gorham, ME
| Warren Hill Gymnasium
| Washington St. Louis
| 77–69
| Southern Maine
| Mount Union, Rowan
|-
|1999<br>Details
|rowspan="3"| Danbury, CT
|rowspan="3"| O'Neill Center
| Washington St. Louis
| 74–65
| St. Benedict
| Salem State, Scranton
|-
|2000<br>Details
| Washington St. Louis
| 79–33
| Southern Maine
| St. Thomas, Scranton
|-
|2001<br>Details
| Washington St. Louis
| 67–45
| Messiah
| Ohio Wesleyan, Emmanuel
|-
|2002<br>Details
|rowspan="2"| Terre Haute, IN
|rowspan="2"| Hulbert Arena
| UW–Stevens Point
| 67–65
| St. Lawrence
| DePauw, Marymount
|-
|2003<br>Details
| Trinity (TX)
| 60–58
| Eastern Connecticut State
| UW-Eau Claire, Rochester
|-
|2004<br>Details
|rowspan="2"| Virginia Beach, VA
|rowspan="2"| Jane P. Batten Student Center
| Wilmington (OH)
| 59–53
| Bowdoin
| Rochester, UW–Stevens Point
|-
|2005<br>Details
| Millikin
| 70–50
| Randolph–Macon
| Southern Maine, Scranton
|-
|2006<br>Details
|rowspan="2"| Springfield, MA
|rowspan="2"| Springfield Civic Center
| Hope
| 69–56
| Southern Maine
| Scranton, Hardin–Simmons
|-
|2007<br>Details
| DePauw
| 55–52
| Washington St. Louis
| Mary Washington, NYU
|-
|2008<br>Details
|rowspan="2"| Holland, MI
|rowspan="2"| DeVos Fieldhouse
| Howard Payne
| 68–54
| Messiah
| UW–Whitewater, Oglethorpe
|-
|2009<br>Details
| George Fox
| 60–53
| Washington St. Louis
| TCNJ, Amherst
|-
|2010<br>Details
|rowspan="2"| Bloomington, IL
|rowspan="2"| Shirk Center
| Washington St. Louis
| 65–59
| Hope
| Amherst, Rochester
|-
|2011<br>Details
| Amherst
| 64–55
| Washington St. Louis
| Christopher Newport, Illinois Wesleyan
|-
|2012<br>Details
|rowspan="2"| Holland, MI
|rowspan="2"| DeVos Fieldhouse
| Illinois Wesleyan
| 57–48
| George Fox
| St. Thomas, Amherst
|-
|2013<br>Details
| DePauw
| 69–51
| UW–Whitewater
| Williams, Amherst
|-
|2014<br>Details
| Stevens Point, WI
| Bennett Court at Quandt Fieldhouse
| FDU–Florham
| 80–72
| 83–63
| George Fox
| Montclair State, Tufts
|-
|2016<br>Details
| Indianapolis, IN
| Bankers Life Fieldhouse
|Thomas More
|63–51
|Tufts
| Amherst, Wartburg
|-
|2017<br>Details
| Grand Rapids, MI
| Van Noord Arena
| Amherst
| 52–29
| Tufts
| Christopher Newport, St Thomas
|-
|2018<br>Details
| Rochester, MN
| Mayo Civic Center
| Amherst
| 65–45
| Bowdoin
| Thomas More, Wartburg
|-
|2019
Details
|Salem, VA
|Cregger Center
|Thomas More
|81–67
|Bowdoin
|Scranton, St. Thomas (MN)
|-
| 2020<br>Details
| Columbus, OH
| Capital University Performance Arena
| colspan=5 rowspan=2 align=center | Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
|-
| 2021<br>Details
| Salem, VA
| Cregger Center
|-
| 2022<br />Details
| Pittsburgh, PA
| UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse
| Hope
| 71–58
| UW–Whitewater
! rowspan="5"|
| Amherst, Trine
|-
| 2023<br />Details
| Dallas, TX
| American Airlines Center
| Transylvania
| 57–52
| Christopher Newport
| Smith, Rhode Island College
|-
| 2024<br>Details
| Columbus, OH
| Capital University Performance Arena
| NYU (2)
| 51–41
| Smith
| Transylvania, Wartburg
|-
| 2025<br>Details
| rowspan=2 | Salem, VA
| rowspan=2 | Cregger Center
| NYU (3)
| 77–49
| Smith
| UW–Oshkosh, UW–Stout
|-
| 2026<br/ >Details
| Denison (1)
| 55–41
| Scranton
| NYU, UW–Oshkosh
|}
Championships
Active programs
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Team !! Titles !! Years
|-
| style=|
| 5 ||align=left| 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2010
|-
| style=|
| 3 ||align=left| 2011, 2017, 2018
|-
| style=|
| 3 ||align=left|1990, 2006, 2022
|-
| style=|
| 3 ||align=left|1997, 2024, 2025
|-
| style=|
| 2 ||align=left|2007, 2013
|-
| style=|
| 2 ||align=left|1987, 2002
|-
| style=|
| 2 ||align=left|1994, 1995
|-
| style=|
| 2 ||align=left|1982, 1989
|-
| style=|
| 1 ||align=left|2026
|-
| style=|
| 1 ||align=left|2023
|-
| style=|
| 1 ||align=left|2014
|-
| style=|
| 1 ||align=left|2012
|-
| style=|
| 1 ||align=left|2009
|-
| style=|
| 1 ||align=left|2008
|-
| style=|
| 1 ||align=left|2005
|-
| style=|
| 1 ||align=left|2004
|-
| style=|
| 1 ||align=left|2003
|-
| style=|
| 1 ||align=left|1996
|-
| style=|
| 1 ||align=left|1993
|-
| style=|
| 1 ||align=left|1992
|-
| style=|
| 1 ||align=left|1988
|-
| style=|
| 1 ||align=left|1986
|-
| style=|
| 1 ||align=left|1985
|-
| style=|
| 1 ||align=left|1983
|}
Former programs
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Team !! Titles !! Years
|-
| style=| '
| 2 ||align=left|, 2016, 2019
|-
| style=| '
| 1 ||align=left|1991
|-
| style=| '
| 1 ||align=left|1984
|}
Final Fours
Schools in italics no longer compete in NCAA Division III.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Appearances
!School
|-
|10
|Washington St. Louis
|-
|8
|Amherst, Scranton
|-
|6
| St. Thomas (MN)
|-
|5
|Capital, Southern Maine, NYU
|-
|4
|Elizabethtown, Salem State, Thomas More, Tufts, UW–Oshkosh, UW-Whitewater
|-
|3
|Christopher Newport, DePauw, Eastern Connecticut, George Fox, Hope, Rochester, UW–Eau Claire, UW–Stevens Point
|-
|2
|Bowdoin, Centre, Clark, Concordia–Moorhead, Illinois Wesleyan, Messiah, Millikin, Mount Union, North Central (IL), Rust, Saint Benedict, St. John Fisher, Smith, UNC Greensboro, Wartburg
|}
See also
- NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament
- NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament
- NCAA Division II women's basketball tournament
- NAIA women's basketball championship
Footnotes
References
External links
- D3 Hoops.com Women's Tourney History
- Attendance history (Archived)
- Division III Women's Basketball Championships Records Books (Through 2021) (Archived)