Celebrating progress: women’s representation in NCAA sports, leadership roles

As Women’s History Month is celebrated this March, the NCAA proudly acknowledges the remarkable contributions and advancements of women in college sports. With record-breaking participation numbers, increased leadership representation and rising graduation rates, women continue to shape the landscape of collegiate athletics.  

Here are key highlights from the 2023-24 academic year that showcase these positive trends. 

1. Record-high participation

The 2023-24 academic year saw an all-time high of 235,735 student-athletes competing in NCAA women’s sports across all NCAA divisions. This includes student-athletes competing in NCAA championship sports (230,077) and Emerging Sports for Women (5,658). How the numbers break down by division:

• Division I: 92,516 (12% growth over 10 years). 
• Division II: 58,306 (25% growth over 10 years). 
• Division III: 84,913 (9% growth over 10 years). 

2. Leading women’s sports

Several women’s sports continue to see strong participation, particularly:

• Women’s track and field: In 2023-24, there were 32,367 student-athletes in outdoor track and field, while indoor track and field accounted for 30,380 student-athletes. Both sports have seen more than 18% increases in participation in the past decade.  
• Women’s soccer: 29,939 student-athletes, which represents a 17% increase over the past 10 years.
• Softball: 21,755 student-athletes, a 17% increase over the past 10 years.
• Women’s volleyball: 18,817 student-athletes, a 16% increase over the past 10 years.

3. Sports on the rise

Several women’s sports have experienced significant growth recently and over the past 10 years. The common thread among them: They all started or are currently in the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program.

The Emerging Sports for Women program — overseen by the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics — was established in 1994 based on a recommendation from the NCAA Gender Equity Task Force. Since then, six sports have become championship sports (beach volleyball, rowing, ice hockey, water polo, bowling and women’s wrestling).

In 2023-24, emerging sports accounted for over 5,000 participation opportunities, an increase of over 30% from 2022-23, based on NCAA Sports Sponsorship and Participation Rates data. Below are a few highlights from those sports.

One-year increases:

• Wrestling: Up 52% since 2023, going from 769 to 1,171 participants.
• Acrobatics and tumbling: Up 21% over the past year, going from 967 to 1,173 participants. 
• Triathlon: Up 22% over the past year, going from 249 to 305 participants.

10-year increases:

• Beach volleyball: Up 194% over the past 10 years, with participation growing from 611 to 1,799. 
• Ice hockey: Up 39% over 10 years, with participation growing from 2,121 to 2,947. 
• Rugby: Up 316% over 10 years, with participation growing from 204 to 848. 
• Bowling: Up 57% over 10 years, with participation growing from 575 to 905. 

4. Graduation Success Rates

Women’s sports participants continue to excel academically, with graduation rates reaching historic highs:

• Division I: Graduation Success Rate data came in at 95% in 2024 for women’s sports, an increase of 10 percentage points since 2002. 
• Division II: Academic Success Rates for Division II women’s sports has increased from 79% to 88% since 2006. 
• Division III: Academic Success Rates for Division III women’s sports came in at 94% in 2024. (Note: The 2024 reporting cycle was only the fifth year the federal graduation rate and Academic Success Rate data submission was required for all Division III schools.)  

5. Growth in leadership

Representation among women in administrative and coaching roles has also reached new milestones:

• Athletics directors: In 2023-24 data, there were 276 female athletics directors, marking a 23% increase over the past decade. 
  • Division I: 57 female athletics directors, a 58% increase over 10 years.
  • Division II: 74 female athletics directors, a 32% increase over 10 years. 
  • Division III: 145 female athletics directors, a 9% increase over 10 years.
• Head coaches: The number of female head coaches has grown by 16% in the past decade, with 5,147 now serving across all divisions. 
  • Division I: 1,805 female head coaches, up 18% over 10 years. 
  • Division II: 1,141 female head coaches, up 21% over 10 years. 
  • Division III: 2,201 female head coaches, up 11% over 10 years. 
• Presidents/chancellors: Female presidents and chancellors across the NCAA now total 388. This represents a 30% increase since 2017, when presidents and chancellors data was first collected by the NCAA. 
  • Division I: 106 female presidents and chancellors, a 54% increase since 2017.
  • Division II: 103 female presidents and chancellors, a 32% increase since 2017.
  • Division III: 179 female presidents and chancellors, a 19% increase since 2017.