| Formerly | CIAW Tournament |
|---|---|
| Sport | Basketball |
| Founded | 1972 |
| Ceased | 1982 |
| Replaced by | NCAA tournament |
| No. of teams | 16 / 24 |
| Country |  United States |
| Most titles | Immaculata,Delta State (3 each) |
| Broadcaster | NBC (championship game) |
TheAIAW women's basketball tournament was a national tournament for women's collegiatebasketball teams in the United States, held annually from 1972 to 1982.[1][2] The winners of the AIAW tournaments from 1972 to 1981 are recognized as the national champions for those years.[3][4][5][6]
The AIAW tournament was preceded by a tournament sponsored by the Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (CIAW), which was held from 1969 to 1971.[1]
Sixteen teams were invited to the AIAW tournament following qualifying rounds played on college campuses (except 24 teams were invited for the 1980 and 1981 tournaments). Ten of the sixteen teams were the winners of regional tournaments. The country had nine regions, but the Eastern regional was subdivided in a Region 1A and a Region 1B. The winners of those regional championships automatically proceeded to the national tournament, then a selection committee chose additional teams based upon considerations for individual team performance and geographical balance.[7] Beginning in 1975, the AIAW divided its teams into divisions, and held separate tournaments for Division II and Division III teams.
The AIAW tournament was discontinued after theNCAA began sponsoring awomen's collegiate basketball tournament in1982. (In 1982, both the AIAW and NCAA sponsored competing tournaments.)
Pre-NCAA statistics, based on AIAW Archives, Special Collections, University of Maryland Libraries.[8]
The code in each cell represents the furthest the team made it in the respective tournament:
| Year | Winner | Score | Opponent | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Worcester State | 76–73 | Wisconsin–La Crosse | Spokane, Washington |
| 1981 | Wisconsin–La Crosse | 79–71 | Mount Mercy | Dayton, Ohio |
| 1982 | Concordia–Moorhead | 73–72 | Mount Mercy | Cedar Rapids, Iowa |
| Team | Apps. | 80 | 81 | 82 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adrian | 1 | R16 | ||
| Aquinas | 1 | T8 | ||
| Bethany | 1 | R16 | ||
| Biola | 1 | QF | ||
| Bridgewater (VA) | 1 | R24 | ||
| UC Davis | 1 | QF | ||
| Christopher Newport | 1 | R24 | ||
| Columbia (SC) | 2 | R24 | R16 | |
| Concordia–Moorhead | 1 | CH | ||
| Concordia (OR) | 1 | R16 | ||
| Eastern Connecticut State | 1 | R16 | ||
| Elizabethtown | 2 | R24 | QF | |
| Juniata | 1 | QF | ||
| Knoxville | 2 | QF | QF | |
| Lee (TN) | 1 | QF | ||
| Linfield | 1 | R24 | ||
| Malone | 1 | QF | ||
| McMurry | 1 | R16 | ||
| Millersville State | 1 | 4th | ||
| Minnesota–Morris | 1 | R16 | ||
| Mount Mercy | 3 | 4th | RU | RU |
| Notre Dame de Namur | 1 | R16 | ||
| Pacific Lutheran | 1 | R24 | ||
| Pitt Johnstown | 2 | R16 | 4th | |
| Rhode Island College | 1 | R16 | ||
| Roanoke | 1 | R16 | ||
| San Francisco State | 2 | QF | QF | |
| Scranton | 1 | 3rd | ||
| Spring Arbor | 2 | R24 | R16 | |
| Tarleton State | 2 | R16 | R16 | |
| Western Oregon | 1 | R16 | ||
| Willamette | 1 | R24 | ||
| Wisconsin–La Crosse | 2 | RU | CH | |
| Wisconsin–Whitewater | 2 | R16 | 3rd | |
| Worcester State | 2 | CH | 3rd |