NCAA Emerging Sports for Women are intercollegiate women's sports that are recognized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, but do not have sanctioned NCAA Championships.
History In 1994, the NCAA adopted the Gender Equity Task Force's recommendation to create a list of emerging sports for women so as to support athletic opportunities for collegiate women. Managed by the Committee on Women's Athletics, the Emerging Sports list started with nine sports, several of which have since attained NCAA Championship status; while other sports have been added or dropped from the list.
Process To be considered for Emerging Sport status, the sport must meet the following requirements: The sport meets the NCAA definition of a sport At least 20 varsity or competitive club teams exist at NCAA member schools At least 10 NCAA member schools sponsor or intend to sponsor the sport
The Committee on Access, Opportunity and Impact (formerly the Committee on Women's Athletics) can recommend an emerging sport to become an NCAA Championship sport once 40 NCAA member schools sponsor it. Once added to the Emerging Sports list, a sport has 10 years to achieve NCAA Championship status, after which it may be removed from the list.
Overview of sports added and dropped Sports that have graduated from the Emerging Sports program and have currently operating NCAA championships are in green. Sports that have graduated but have not yet started official NCAA championship competition are in purple. Sports that have been removed from the program are in red.
+Number of Schools Sponsoring (Page:196-197) Sport 1998–99 2022–23 Change PercentRowing 122 146 +24 +20%Ice hockey 40 113 +73 +150%Bowling 5 99 +94 +1880% Beach Volleyball — 91 +91 —— Water polo 37 66 +29 +78% Equestrian 41 48 +7 +17% Triathlon — 34 +34 —— Squash 27 31 +4 +15% Rugby — 29 +29 —— Synchronized Swimming 7 3 -4 -57% Stunt — 2 +2 —— Badminton 10 0 -10 -100% Archery 6 0 -6 -100% Team Handball 0 0 0 0%
+Number of Athletes (Page:215-218) Sport 1998–99 2022–23 Change Percent Rowing 5629 6707 +1078 +19% Ice hockey 901 2888 +1987 +220% Beach Volleyball — 1615 +1615 —— Equestrian 632 1443 +811 +128% Water polo 746 1337 +413 +79% Bowling 20 889 +869 +4345% Rugby — 845 +845 —— Squash 365 403 +38 +10% Triathlon — 249 +249 —— Synchronized Swimming 108 37 -71 -66% Stunt — 77 +77 —— Badminton 94 0 -94 -100% Archery 106 0 -106 -100% Team Handball 0 0 0 0%
NCAA Sports Sponsorship and Participation Rates Database
Sports Current emerging sports
Equestrian
As of the 2016–17 school year, 18 Division I (D-I), five Division II (D-II), and 21 Division III (D-III) schools participated in varsity competition. In 2017–18, 16 D-I, five D-II and one D-III schools participated in the NCEA. The total number of NCEA participants rose to 24 for 2018–19.
However, as of the 2023–24 school year, equestrianism is considered an Emerging Sport only in Divisions I and II; competition among Division III schools has remained independent of the NCAA. A total of 16 D-III members sponsored varsity equestrian teams in 2019–20. With that in mind, a group of 21 D-III members submitted a proposal to bring equestrianism in that division under the Emerging Sports umbrella; this proposal was approved by the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics in September 2019. From there, the proposal was reviewed by three other NCAA committees before a final vote by the entire Division III membership during the 2020 NCAA Convention in January of that year. If the proposal had passed, the number of NCAA equestrian programs would have increased to 40—the number required for an Emerging Sport to enter the process for consideration as an official NCAA championship. However, the Division III membership defeated the proposal to bring D-III equestrian under the NCAA umbrella; the vote was 195–174 against inclusion, with over 100 abstentions. Division III voted down a second attempt to bring equestrian under the NCAA umbrella in 2022.
The University of Georgia has won 8 titles, the most of the NCEA as of 2025.
In 2016 it was nearly removed from the list, but at the NCAA Convention, the college administrators voted for it to continue.
Flag football
On February 12, 2025, the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics recommended that all three divisions add flag football to the Emerging Sports program. All three divisions were expected to vote on the proposal no later than the January 2026 NCAA convention; if approved, official inclusion was intended to take place in 2026–27. When the committee made its recommendation, at least 65 NCAA members sponsored flag football at either the club or varsity level, with others slated to add the sport in the 2025–26 school year. The Division III Atlantic East Conference became the first NCAA conference to officially sponsor the sport in the spring 2025 season, and the Division II Conference Carolinas held its first flag football season in spring 2026. The first Division I conference to announce the addition of flag football was the Big South Conference, which will start sponsoring the sport in 2027–28. However, the first D-I conference to officially sponsor the sport is the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, which announced in June 2026 that it would hold its first conference championship in spring 2027.
At the January 2026 NCAA convention, all three divisions approved the addition of flag football to the Emerging Sports program, effective immediately. Schools sponsoring the sport in 2025–26 will count toward the threshold of 40 programs needed for eventual official championship status. That May, with more than 100 NCAA members planning to field teams in the spring 2027 season, the NCAA Committee on Access, Opportunity and Impact recommended that all three divisions sponsor legislation to add a National Collegiate championship. Should said legislation pass at the January 2027 NCAA convention, the first official championship could take place as early as spring 2028.
Rugby
Penn State University is the women's college team with the most titles (with 16 titles overall including 14 during the period when NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program has been in effect).
As of the 2016–17 school year, there were seven D-I, three D-II, and four D-III schools participating in varsity competition. Three schools added the sport in 2018–19, and two more did so in 2019–20. Additionally, the National Intercollegiate Rugby Association, which currently administers the college championship, began actively working with more than 20 additional schools during the 2018–19 school year, with the goal of either establishing new women's rugby programs or elevating existing club teams to NCAA status.
Triathlon
Before the 2020 addition of acrobatics & tumbling and wrestling to the program, triathlon had been the newest emerging sport, having received that status in January 2014.
As of the 2017–18 school year, four D-I, eight D-II, and seven D-III schools participated in varsity competition. Nine NCAA schools added the sport in 2018–19, with Hampton becoming the first historically black school to sponsor the sport. By 2025–26, sponsorship had increased to 41 schools (17 D-I, 12 each in D-II and D-III). To access current sponsorship numbers, select the desired sport from the "Sport" menu and the desired division from the "Division" menu.
Conference Carolinas will become the first NCAA conference to officially sponsor the sport, with three full members and four affiliates starting conference competition in 2026–27.
Added NCAA sports Former emerging sports that have since achieved NCAA Championship status:
Rowing
Rowing was the first former emerging sport to become NCAA-sanctioned, in 1997. It was the sport that achieved NCAA status the fastest, obtaining full recognition in two years.
Before rowing became an emerging sport, the University of Washington won nine national titles during the sport's emerging status. Only Princeton University and Brown University won a title after rowing became an NCAA sport. Brown has the most D-I titles, with seven.
As of the 2016–17 school year, there were 89 D-I, 16 D-II, and 41 D-III schools participating in varsity competition. By 2025–26, sponsorship levels were 94 D-I, 14 D-II, and 40 D-III. During the 2026 NCAA convention in January, D-II members voted to exempt women's rowing from division rules that require a minimum number of sponsoring schools (currently 35) to maintain a separate championship. Had this exemption not been approved, the D-II championship would have been discontinued after the 2026–27 school year, with no NCAA championship available for D-II rowing schools.
Ice hockey
In 2001, women's ice hockey became an official NCAA sport.
The University of Wisconsin–Madison has the most National Collegiate championships, with nine. The Wisconsin program has produced many Olympians for the United States, Canada, and other countries.
As of the most recent 2025–26 season, 123 schools participate in varsity women's ice hockey—45 in the National Collegiate division (40 D-I, five D-II) and 78 in D-III.
Water polo
In 2001, women's water polo become an NCAA sport.
UC San Diego was the best team. Before Water Polo became an emerging sport, they had won five titles. During and after the emerging period, UCLA became the dominant university, with 4 Emerging and 7 NCAA titles.
As of the 2016–17 school year, there are 34 D-I, 10 D-II, and 17 D-III schools participating in varsity competition. By 2025–26, sponsorship had slightly increased to 37 D-I, 9 D-II, and 18 D-III.
Bowling
In 2004, bowling become an official NCAA sport.
The University of Nebraska–Lincoln has the most NCAA titles among bowling programs. The Cornhuskers have won five NCAA championships and qualified for all 22 tournaments to date.
As of the 2019–20 school year, 34 D-I, 34 D-II, and 19 D-III schools participated in varsity competition. By 2025–26, participation had modestly increased to 39 in D-I, 36 in D-II, and 20 D-III. Division II will have its own bowling championship starting in 2027–28.
Beach volleyball
Before women's wrestling became an official NCAA sport in January 2025, beach volleyball was the most recent emerging sport to become an NCAA sport, doing so in 2016. It only took three years to reach this status.
The first eight championships were won by universities located in Los Angeles—six by USC and two by UCLA. The first championship by a school outside that city was TCU's 2025 title.
In the 2022–23 school year, 67 D-I and 17 D-II schools participated in varsity competition. By 2025–26, sponsorship had increased to 68 D-I and 23 D-II.
Wrestling
Wrestling was added to the Emerging Sports program alongside acrobatics & tumbling in 2020–21. At the time of the 2019 announcement, the Wrestle Like a Girl organization, along with the sport's national governing body of USA Wrestling, noted that 23 NCAA member institutions sponsored varsity women's wrestling. The number of NCAA women's wrestling schools expanded further to 35 by the time that sport was formally added to the program.
By the 2023–24 academic year, more than 70 NCAA members sponsored varsity women's wrestling, and the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics recommended on February 7, 2024, that all three divisions sponsor legislation to establish an official NCAA championship. Following approval by all three divisions at the 2025 NCAA annual convention, the first official championship, which uses the National Collegiate format, was held in winter 2026. Wrestling was officially removed from the Emerging Sports program once its championship status was confirmed.