Qualifiers for the 2024 NAIA Women's Basketball Championship Announced
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – [Video Announcement | 1st & 2nd Round Schedule Page | Bracket] The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has officially announced the teams and bracket for the 2024 NAIA Women’s Basketball Championship First Round presented by Ballogy. The 64-team bracket will begin with the first and second rounds at host sites nationwide on March 15-16. The 2024 NAIA second round winners will meet in Sioux City, Iowa, at the NAIA National Championship final site presented by Bomgaars and Sterling. The 43rd annual championship occurs at the Tyson Events Center from March 21-22.
This year’s first round field includes 37 automatic qualifiers and 27 at-large selections. Automatic berths were given to teams that either won their respective conference tournament title or regular season championship, finished runner-up at the conference tournament or were otherwise selected by the conference. The NAIA Women’s Basketball National Selection Committee determined the at-large bids. The selection committee consists of one representative from each geographical area and six at-large members consisting of coaches and administrators from around the country.
All first and second round games will be streamed by the host and may be produced on various platforms.
The NAIA Network – the association’s official video streaming home – will broadcast all Round of 16, quarterfinal and semifinal games live in Sioux City at the 2024 NAIA Women’s Basketball Championship final site. While the championship will be streamed exclusively on ESPN3. Single-day passes on the NAIA Network can be purchased for $9.95, while an all-championship tournament package is available at $34.95. For more information and to pre-register, CLICK HERE.
Qualifier Highlights
- Campbellsville (Ky.) and Wayland Baptist (Texas) enter the 2024 field with the most appearances, with 32 and 31, respectively.
- Ten teams have recorded between 20 and 29 appearances in the tournament: College of the Ozarks (Mo.) 28, Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) 27, Georgetown (Ky.) 27, Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) 26, Vanguard (Calif.) 25, Concordia (Neb.) 23, Xavier (Ill.) 23, Indiana Wesleyan 21, Columbia (Mo.) 20 and Northwestern (Iowa) 20.
- Six teams are qualifying for the first time: Embry-Riddle (Ariz.), Fisk (Tenn.), Florida National, Governors State (Ill.), Stephens (Mo.) and Williams Baptist (Ark.).
- Spring Arbor (Mich.) enters the tournament field with the longest drought since its last appearance in 1999.
- The Great Plains Athletic Conference leads all conferences with six qualifying teams. The Golden State Athletic Conference, Mid-South Conference, and Sooner Athletic Conference follow with five teams each.
- Forty teams in the tournament field also qualified for the 2023 championship.
- Seven teams in the tournament field have won at least one title, while three of those teams have won multiple titles: Vanguard (Calif.) 1, Concordia (Neb.) 1, Clarke (Iowa) 1, Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) 1, Indiana Wesleyan 2, Marian (Ind.) 2, Northwestern (Iowa) 5.
- Northwestern (Iowa) and Marian (Ind.) are the only teams in the tournament field that have won back-to-back titles. Northwestern (Iowa) in 2010, 2011 and 2012 and Marian (Ind.) in 2016, 2017.
- The defending national champions, Clarke (Iowa), returns to the tournament field.
- There are no undefeated teams in the tournament field.
- Marian (Ind.) enters the tournament field with the largest win streak this season, with 28 consecutive wins. LSU Shreveport (La.) follows with 27 consecutive wins.
INSTITUTION | QUALIFICATION METHOD | SEASON RECORD | LAST TIME | CHAMPIONSHIP APPEARANCES | TITLES |
Antelope Valley (Calif.) | California Pacific Conference Regular Season Champion | 20-10 | 2023 | 5 | |
Arizona Christian | At-Large | 18-12 | 2019 | 3 | |
Benedictine (Kan.) | At-Large | 20-11 | 2022 | 13 | |
Brewton-Parker (Ga.) | At-Large | 19-12 | 2023 | 6 | |
Briar Cliff (Iowa) | At-Large | 21-9 | 2023 | 16 | |
Bryan (Tenn.) | Appalachian Athletic Conference Regular Season Champion | 24-6 | 2023 | 13 | |
Campbellsville (Ky.) | Mid-South Conference Tournament Champion | 28-1 | 2023 | 32 | |
Carroll (Mont.) | At-Large | 24-5 | 2023 | 15 | |
Clarke (Iowa) | Heart of America Athletic Conference Regular Season Champion | 28-2 | 2023 | 8 | 1 (2023) |
College of the Ozarks (Mo.) | Continental Athletic Conference Tournament Champion | 25-6 | 2021 | 28 | |
Columbia (Mo.) | American Midwest Conference Regular Season & Tournament Champion | 27-4 | 2023 | 20 | |
Concordia (Neb.) | Great Plains Athletic Conference Tournament Runner-Up | 25-6 | 2023 | 23 | 1 (2019) |
Cumberlands (Ky.) | At-Large | 22-9 | 2023 | 18 | |
Dakota State (S.D.) | At-Large | 25-6 | 2023 | 10 | |
Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) | At-Large | 20-10 | 2023 | 11 | 1 (2018) |
Dordt (Iowa) | Great Plains Athletic Conference Regular Season & Tournament Champion | 29-2 | 2023 | 5 | |
Eastern Oregon | At-Large | 21-7 | 2023 | 15 | |
Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) | California Pacific Conference Tournament Champion | 19-12 | NA | 1 | |
Fisk (Tenn.) | Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament Runner-Up | 20-9 | NA | 1 | |
Florida National | Continental Athletic Conference Tournament Runner-Up | 15-11 | NA | 1 | |
Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) | At-Large | 19-10 | 2023 | 27 | |
Georgetown (Ky.) | At-Large | 24-6 | 2023 | 27 | |
Governors State (Ill.) | Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Regular Season Runner-Up | 23-6 | NA | 1 | |
Grand View (Iowa) | Heart of America Athletic Conference Tournament Champion | 27-4 | 2023 | 11 | |
Indiana Tech | Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Regular Season and Tournament Champion | 28-3 | 2023 | 13 | |
Indiana Wesleyan | Crossroads League Tournament Runner-Up | 27-4 | 2023 | 21 | 2 (2007, 2013) |
IU South Bend (Ind.) | Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Regular Season & Tournament Champion | 30-1 | 2023 | 8 | |
Jamestown (N.D.) | At-Large | 17-12 | 2023 | 13 | |
Jessup (Calif.) | At-Large | 21-7 | 2021 | 3 | |
John Brown (Ark.) | Sooner Athletic Conference Regular Season & Tournament Champion | 28-3 | 2023 | 7 | |
Langston (Okla.) | Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament Runner-Up | 24-7 | 2021 | 15 | |
Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) | Cascade Collegiate Conference Tournament Runner-Up | 25-5 | 2023 | 26 | |
Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) | At-Large | 19-11 | 2022 | 18 | |
Loyola (La.) | Southern States Athletic Conference Regular Season & Tournament Champion | 24-4 | 2023 | 16 | |
LSU Shreveport (La.) | Red River Athletic Conference Regular Season & Tournament Champion | 29-2 | 2023 | 12 | |
Marian (Ind.) | Crossroads League Regular Season & Tournament Champion | 30-1 | 2023 | 11 | 2 (2016, 2017) |
Mayville State (N.D.) | North Star Athletic Association Tournament Champion | 24-3 | 2023 | 5 | |
Menlo (Calif.) | At-Large | 18-8 | 2023 | 12 | |
Mid-America Christian (Okla.) | At-Large | 22-8 | 2023 | 4 | |
Milligan (Tenn.) | At-Large | 23-7 | 2019 | 9 | |
Mobile (Ala.) | Southern States Athletic Conference Tournament Runner-Up | 26-6 | 2017 | 9 | |
Northwestern (Iowa) | At-Large | 18-11 | 2023 | 20 | 5 (2001, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012) |
Oakland City (Ind.) | River States Conference Tournament Runner-Up | 23-7 | 2023 | 2 | |
Oregon Tech | At-Large | 26-4 | 2019 | 7 | |
Pikeville (Ky.) | Appalachian Athletic Conference Tournament Champion | 24-7 | 2023 | 9 | |
Providence (Mont.) | Frontier Conference Tournament Champion | 22-8 | 2022 | 8 | |
Reinhardt (Ga.) | At-Large | 26-3 | 2022 | 7 | |
Rio Grande (Ohio) | River States Conference Tournament Champion | 26-5 | 2023 | 11 | |
Rust (Miss.) | Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Regular Season & Tournament Champion | 28-3 | 2023 | 4 | |
Saint Mary (Kan.) | Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament No. 2 Seed | 25-6 | 2023 | 2 | |
Science & Arts (Okla.) | At-Large | 19-10 | 2023 | 7 | |
Siena Heights (Mich.) | Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Tournament Runner-Up | 27-4 | 2023 | 7 | |
Southeastern (Fla.) | The Sun Conference Tournament Champion | 22-7 | 2022 | 9 | |
Southern Oregon | Cascade Collegiate Conference Regular Season & Tournament Champion | 27-4 | 2023 | 14 | |
Spring Arbor (Mich.) | At-Large | 23-7 | 1999 | 5 | |
St. Thomas (Fla.) | At-Large | 22-8 | 2019 | 7 | |
Stephens (Mo.) | At-Large | 22-7 | NA | 1 | |
Tabor (Kan.) | Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Regular Season & Tournament Champion | 27-4 | 2022 | 12 | |
The Master's (Calif.) | Golden State Athletic Conference Tournament Champion | 25-6 | 2022 | 17 | |
Vanguard (Calif.) | At-Large | 20-5 | 2023 | 25 | 1 (2008) |
Wayland Baptist (Texas) | At-Large | 22-8 | 2023 | 31 | |
William Carey (Miss.) | At-Large | 21-4 | 2006 | 4 | |
Williams Baptist (Ark.) | American Midwest Conference Tournament Runner-Up | 24-6 | NA | 1 | |
Xavier (La.) | Red River Athletic Conference Highest Rated Team in Southwest ARC | 25-6 | 2022 | 23 |