The NAIA women's basketball tournament has been held annually by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics since 1981 to determine the national champion of women's college basketball among its members in the United States and Canada.
The tournament was created to crown a women's national title for smaller colleges and universities, debuting one year before the first NCAA women's basketball tournament in 1982.
From 1992 to 2020, the NAIA sponsored two championships, one for its Division I members and another for those in its Division II. Both tournaments moved venues several times during the existences, with the final locations ultimately being Billings, Montana for Division I and Sioux City, Iowa for Division II. During this time, the NAIA tournaments featured 32 teams with the entire events contested at a single arena over the course of one week. Following renewals, the 2018 and 2019 tournaments were held in those same cities, but the 2020 tournaments were called off due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
From 2021, the two tournaments were merged back into a single event, which initially featured 48 teams in 2021 before expanding to 64 teams in 2022. Since the expansion of the tournament to its current size, the format of the event has featured teams beginning play at one of sixteen regional sites with the winners of those regionals advancing to play in a final, four-round national tournament in Sioux City.
Marian (IN) are the defending champions, winning their first national title in 2026.
Results Single division (1981–1991) For the first eleven years that the NAIA sponsored women's basketball, it held a single national championship for all programs across its entire membership. The tournament field was initially set at eight before later expansions to 16 and 32 teams.
NAIA Women's Basketball ChampionshipYear ArenaLocationChampionshipThird-place gameChampionScoreRunner-up Third placeScoreFourth place 1981Details Kansas City, Missouri Venue Unknown Kentucky State 73–67 Texas Southern Northern State 74–65 Azusa Pacific 1982Details SW Oklahoma State 80–45 Missouri Southern State Saginaw Valley State 71–61 Berry 1983Details SW Oklahoma State (2) 80–68 Alabama–Huntsville UMKC 85–65 Portland 1984Details Cedar Rapids, Iowa UNC Asheville 72–70 (OT) Portland Dillard 70–66 Berry 1985Details SW Oklahoma State (3) 55–54 Saginaw Valley State Wayland Baptist 70–64 Midland Lutheran 1986Details Kansas City, Missouri Francis Marion 75–65 Wayland Baptist Louisiana College 85–78 Georgia Southwestern 1987Details SW Oklahoma State (4) 60–58 North Georgia Wisconsin–Green Bay 82–56 Arkansas Tech 1988Details Oklahoma City 113–95 Claflin Arkansas Tech 86–81(OT) Wingate 1989Details Southern Nazarene 98–96 Claflin Arkansas Tech & St. Ambrose 1990Details Jackson, Tennessee Oman Arena SW Oklahoma State (5) 82–75 Arkansas–Monticello Claflin & St. Ambrose 1991Details Fort Hays State 57–53 SW Oklahoma State Claflin & IUPUI
Division I (1992–2020)
The NAIA Women's Basketball National Championship Tournament was most recently held at the Rimrock Auto Arena at MetraPark in Billings, Montana, which hosted from 2017 until the return to a single division after the 2019–20 season.NAIA Women's DI History The NAIA was the only international intercollegiate athletic association in North America; the NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Championship was the first championship to feature a college from outside the United States in the championship game. Former member Simon Fraser University was the national DI runner-up in 1996 and 1997. Oklahoma City University has the most tournament championships with 9, and most championship game appearances with 11.
NAIA Division I Women's Basketball ChampionshipYear ArenaLocationChampionshipSemifinalistsChampionScoreRunner-up 1992Details Oman Arena Jackson, Tennessee Arkansas Tech 84–68 Wayland Baptist St. Edward's (TX) & SW Oklahoma State 1993Details Arkansas Tech (2) 76–75 Union (TN) Southern Nazarene & SW Oklahoma State 1994Details Southern Nazarene (2) 97–74 David Lipscomb Auburn Montgomery & Montevallo 1995Details Southern Nazarene (3) 78–77 SE Oklahoma State Lipscomb & SW Oklahoma State 1996Details Southern Nazarene (4) 80–79 SE Oklahoma State Lipscomb & Union (TN) 1997Details Southern Nazarene (5) 78–73 Union (TN) Arkansas Tech & SW Oklahoma State 1998Details Union (TN) 73–70 Southern Nazarene Findlay & Simon Fraser 1999Details Oklahoma City (2) 72–55 Simon Fraser Freed-Hardeman & Southern Nazarene 2000Details Oklahoma City (3) 64–55 Simon Fraser (B.C.) Findlay & Southern Nazarene 2001Details Oklahoma City (4) 69–52 Auburn Montgomery Lewis–Clark State & Southern Nazarene 2002Details Oklahoma City (5) 82–73 Southern Nazarene Central State (OH) & Union (TN) 2003Details Southern Nazarene (6) 71–70 Oklahoma City USAO & Vanguard 2004Details Southern Nazarene (7) 77–61 Oklahoma City Brescia & Houston Baptist 2005Details Union (TN) (2) 67–63 Oklahoma City Houston Baptist & Point Loma Nazarene 2006Details Union (TN) (3) 79–62 Lubbock Christian The Master's & Vanguard 2007Details Lambuth 63–50 Cumberland Union (TN) & Vanguard 2008Details Vanguard 72–59 Trevecca Nazarene Freed-Hardeman & Union (TN) 2009Details Union (TN) (4) 73–63 Lambuth Oklahoma Baptist & Oklahoma City 2010Details Union (TN) (5) 73–65 Azusa Pacific Lee (TN) & Oklahoma City 2011Details Azusa Pacific 65–59 Union (TN) Freed-Hardeman & Shawnee State 2012Details Frankfort Convention Center Frankfort, Kentucky Oklahoma City (6) 69–48 Union (TN) Georgetown (KY) & Lubbock Christian 2013Details Westmont 71–65 Lee (TN) Cumberland & Freed-Hardeman 2014Details Oklahoma City (7) 80–76 Freed-Hardeman John Brown & Wiley 2015DetailsIndependence Events Center Independence, Missouri Oklahoma City (8) 80–63 Campbellsville Freed-Hardeman & Westmont 2016Details MidAmerica Nazarene 49–35 Baker Benedictine (KS) & Pikeville 2017Details Rimrock Auto Arena Billings, Montana Oklahoma City (9) 73–66 Lewis-Clark State Campbellsville & Vanguard 2018Details Freed-Hardeman 76–64 Westmont Montana Western & Wayland Baptist 2019Details Montana Western 75–59 Oklahoma City Our Lady of the Lake & Freed-Hardeman 2020DetailsNo tournament due to COVID-19.
Single division (2021–present) In 2018, the NAIA announced a new format for the 2021 tournament after the merger of Divisions I and II.
NAIA Women's Basketball ChampionshipYear ArenaLocationChampionshipSemifinalistsChampionScoreRunner-up 2021Details Tyson Events Center Sioux City, Iowa Westmont (2) 72–61 Thomas More Indiana Wesleyan & Morningside 2022Details Thomas More 77–65 Dordt Central Methodist & Southeastern (FL) 2023Details Clarke 63–52 Thomas More Central Methodist & Dakota State 2024Details Dordt 57–53 Providence (MT) Carroll & Cumberlands 2025Details Dordt (2) 82–73 Indiana Wesleyan Bethel (TN) & Briar Cliff (IA) 2026Details Marian (IN) 73–61 Dordt Dakota State & Dakota Wesleyan
Champions Division II titles are not included in this list. Schools in italics are no longer in the NAIA.
Active NAIA programs Team Titles Years 9 1988, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017 2 2024, 2025 1 2016 1 2018 1 2019 1 2023 1 2026
Former NAIA programs Team Titles Years 7 1989, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2003, 2004 5 1982, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1990 5 1998, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010 2 2013, 2021 2 1992, 1993 1 1981 1 1984 1 1986 1 1991 1 2007 1 2008 1 2011 1 2022
See also NAIA Division II women's basketball championship AIAW women's basketball tournament NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament NCAA Division II women's basketball tournament NCAA Division III women's basketball tournament NAIA men's basketball championship NAIA Division II men's basketball championship
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