NCAA Women's Division I Cross Country Championship
Current season, competition or edition: 2016 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships | |
 | |
| Sport | Cross country |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1981 |
| Most recent champion(s) |
Team: Oregon Individual: Karissa Schweizer, Missouri |
| TV partner(s) | Flotrack |
| Official website | NCAA.com |
The NCAA Women's Division I Cross Country Championship is the cross country championship held by the National Collegiate Athletic Association each autumn for individual runners and cross country teams from universities in Division I. Teams and individual runners qualify for the championship at regional competitions approximately a week before the national championships. The championship has been held annually since 1981. The reigning national champions are the Oregon Ducks.
Qualifying
Teams compete in one of nine regional championships to qualify, where the top two teams automatically advance and thirteen additional teams are chosen as at-large selections. In addition to the 31 teams, 38 individual runners qualify for the national championship.[1]
History
The Division I national championship race included 13 teams in 1981, 16 teams from 1982 to 1988 and 22 teams from 1989 to 1997. Beginning in 1998, the national championship race has included 31 teams.
The race distance from 1981 to 1999 was 5,000 meters (3.1 miles). Since 2000 the race distance has been 6,000 meters (3.7 miles).[2]
Cross country was one of twelve women's sports added to the NCAA championship program for the 1981–82 school year, as the NCAA engaged in battle with the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women for sole governance of women's collegiate sports. The AIAW continued to conduct its established championship program in the same twelve (and other) sports; however, after a year of dual women's championships, the NCAA conquered the AIAW and usurped its authority and membership.
Villanova has won more NCAA Division I women's titles (9) than any other school, followed by Stanford with 5. BYU and North Carolina State have competed in the most NCAA Division I women's championships (25). Villanova has had the most individual NCAA Division I women's cross country champions (9).[2]
Past champions
- The race distance was 5,000 meters from 1981 to 2000 and 6,000 meters from 2001 to the present.
- A time highlighted in ██ indicates a NCAA championship event record time for that distance at the time.
- A † indicates the all-time NCAA championship event record for that distance.
Titles
Team titles
- List updated through the 2016 Championships.
| Team | Titles | Year Won |
|---|---|---|
| Villanova | 9 | 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1998, 2009, 2010 |
| Stanford | 5 | 1996, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007 |
| BYU | 4 | 1997, 1999, 2001, 2002 |
| Oregon | 4 | 1983, 1987, 2012, 2016 |
| Colorado | 2 | 2000, 2004 |
| Providence | 2 | 1995, 2013 |
| Virginia | 2 | 1981, 1982 |
| Wisconsin | 2 | 1984, 1985 |
| Georgetown | 1 | 2011 |
| Kentucky | 1 | 1988 |
| Michigan State | 1 | 2014 |
| New Mexico | 1 | 2015 |
| Texas | 1 | 1986 |
| Washington | 1 | 2008 |
Individual titles
- List updated through the 2016 Championships.
| Team | Titles | Year won |
|---|---|---|
| Villanova | 9 | 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1997, 2010, 2011 |
| NC State | 3 | 1981, 1983, 1985 |
| Texas Tech | 3 | 2006, 2007, 2008 |
| Wisconsin | 3 | 1984, 1995, 1999 |
| Arizona | 2 | 1996, 2001 |
| Indiana | 2 | 1987, 1988 |
| North Carolina | 2 | 2002, 2003 |
| Northern Arizona | 2 | 1986, 2005 |
| Colorado | 1 | 2000 |
| Dartmouth | 1 | 2013 |
| Illinois | 1 | 2009 |
| Iona | 1 | 2014 |
| Iowa State | 1 | 2012 |
| Michigan | 1 | 1998 |
| Missouri | 1 | 2016 |
| Notre Dame | 1 | 2015 |
| Providence | 1 | 2004 |
| Virginia | 1 | 1982 |
Appearances
- List updated through the 2014 Championships.
Most team appearances
| Rank | Team | Appearances |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | NC State | 28 |
| 2 | Arkansas BYU Stanford | 27 |
| 3 | Georgetown Michigan Oregon Villanova Wisconsin | 26 |
| 4 | Providence | 25 |
| 5 | Colorado | 24 |
| 6 | Washington | 21 |
| 7 | Boston College Minnesota Penn State | 18 |
| 8 | Arizona Michigan State | 16 |
| 9 | Baylor Northern Arizona North Carolina | 15 |
| 10 | Nebraska Virginia | 14 |
Records
- Best Team Score: 35
- Virginia (1981; Eileen O'Connor–3, Lesley Welch–4, Lisa Welch–6, Jill Haworth–8, Marisa Schmitt–15)
- Most Individual Titles: 3 (tie)
Sally Kipyego, Texas Tech (2006, 2007, and 2008)
- Best Individual Time, 5,000 meters: 15:59.86
- Vicky Huber, Villanova (1989)
- Best Individual Time, 6,000 meters: 19:27.9
- Betsy Saina, Iowa State (2012)
See also
- Pre-NCAA Cross Country Champions
- AIAW Intercollegiate Women's Cross Country Champions
- NCAA Women's Division II Cross Country Championship (from 1981)
- NCAA Women's Division III Cross Country Championship (from 1981)
- NCAA Men's Division I Cross Country Championship (from 1938)
- NCAA Men's Division II Cross Country Championship (from 1958)
- NCAA Men's Division III Cross Country Championship (from 1973)
References
- ↑ "NCAA Championship Qualifying Criteria". U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. Retrieved November 22, 2014.
- 1 2 Division I All Time Championship Records and Results. NCAA. Retrieved February 27, 2011.
External links
| NCAA | | |
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| Division I sports and championships | ||
| Division II | ||
| Division III | ||
| Single-division sports and championships | ||
Events listed in italics have been discontinued. | ||
Cross country running in the United States | ||
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| Championships |
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| Meetings |
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| World events | ||