KANSAS CITY, Mo. –  [Bracket] The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has officially announced the 24-team field for the 40^th Annual NAIA Women's Tennis National Championship. The event will be held at the Mobile Tennis Center in Mobile, Ala., from May 18-22, for the 16th-consecutive year.

The field consists of 13 automatic berths, including one host berth, and 10 at-large selections. Automatic qualification is given to conference and unaffiliated grouping tournament champions. For the fourth consecutive year, at-large teams were determined by the NAIA Tennis National Selection Committee (NSC). The NSC consists of one representative from each geographic area, a representative from the National Administrative Council (NAC) Rules and Ratings Committee, the president of the Tennis Coaches Association and two at-large members. The committee evaluated teams throughout the year on various criteria. Mobile (Ala.) received the host berth.

Georgia Gwinnett is in pursuit of its fifth-consecutive national title in 2021. The Grizzlies are 23-1 all-time in the national tournament and lead all active NAIA programs in national championship titles with five. The Grizzlies are the only program in the 2021 field who not only have an undefeated record, but also to have a national championship in their history. Keiser has just one loss on the year and also has a national title to its credit.

The Wildcats of Indiana Wesleyan have the most tournament appearances of the field with 21. Keiser (Fla.) (15), Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) (16), Mobile (Ala.) (15), SCAD Savannah (Ga.) (16), and Xavier (La.) are the only other schools in the field with 10 or more appearances.

The Appalachian Athletic Conference lead with the most schools in the field with four. The Southern States Athletic Conference and the Mid-South Conference have the next highest total with three apiece.

Fourteen of the 24 teams in the field are returning from 2019. Tennessee Wesleyan is breaking the longest drought of the teams that have qualified previously. The Bulldogs’ last time making an appearance at the final site was 2010.

Five teams will be making their first appearance in the NAIA Women’s Tennis National Championship. Indiana Tech, IU East (Ind.), Montreat (N.C.), Reinhardt (Ga.), and Saint Katherine (Calif.) will all be newcomers to the NAIA Women’s Tennis National Championship.

For more information on the 2021 NAIA Women’s Tennis National Championship, click HERE!