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.
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 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 (badminton, basketball, golf, gymnastics, softball, 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 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 (or both in a few instances). 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 [Stiles, NCAA career scoring leader] 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 (DGWS).
1970 Long Beach State (DGWS) 1971 Arizona State (DGWS) 1972 Pasadena City College (DGWS) 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
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. Wisconsin won in 1983. Arizona State won all ten titles from 1984 through 1993, when ASU dropped badminton.
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 (CIAW).
1969 West Chester (Pennsylvania) def. Western Carolina 65-39 (CIAW invitational tournament, six player format) 1970 Cal State-Fullerton def. West Chester 50-46 (CIAW invitational tournament, six player format) 1971 Mississippi State College for Women def. West Chester 57-55 (CIAW qualification tournament) 1972 Immaculata (Pennsylvania) def. West Chester 52-48 1973 Immaculata def. Queens (New York) 59-52 1974 Immaculata def. Mississippi College 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 (Small College 1974–1979)