Three NCAA Emerging Women’s Sports Trending Toward Championship Consideration

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA (November 6, 2024) – Three sports in the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program — acrobatics and tumbling, triathlon and stunt — are trending toward NCAA championship consideration, based on the latest sports sponsorship data released in October. 

In 2023-24, emerging sports accounted for over 5,000 participation opportunities for women, an increase of over 30% from 2022-23. 

“I’m inspired by the rising sponsorship in emerging sports, which brings crucial support and visibility to women’s athletics,” said Ragean Hill, executive associate athletics director and senior woman administrator at Charlotte who chairs the Committee on Women’s Athletics. “The increase in sport sponsorship plays a pivotal role in creating equitable opportunities for female athletes and in amplifying the success of programs that drive inclusivity and representation across all levels of competition. It’s an exciting time for sports, and we are proud to see this growth reflecting a collective commitment to empowering the next generation of female athletes.”

Women’s flag football has applied to the program to become an emerging sport. The Committee on Women’s Athletics — an Association-wide committee that oversees the program — reviewed the sport’s application at its fall meeting and anticipates making a formal recommendation to the divisions in February when it meets again.  

Once in the program, a sport must have more than 40 schools sponsor it at the varsity level and meet minimum contest and participant requirements to receive a recommendation from the committee to become an NCAA championship sport. If legislation is adopted in each division, the NCAA establishes a championship. That process can take two years or longer to work through logistics such as budgeting, site selection and other championship details.

Three of the six sports currently in the program are nearing those requirements, while women’s wrestling is in the final stages of becoming the NCAA’s 91st championship. 

Acrobatics and tumbling saw 43 schools sponsor it at the varsity level in 2023-24, but not enough schools met the sport’s minimum competition and participant requirements to receive a recommendation at the committee’s fall meeting. Of note, 48 schools reported that they plan to sponsor the sport in 2024-25. 

In triathlon, 37 schools reported sponsoring it in 2023-24 and 40 indicated they would for 2024-25. Triathlon became an emerging sport in 2014-15. 

Stunt has quickly grown its sponsorship levels to near the threshold, with 26 schools sponsoring it in 2023-24 and 40 indicating they would in 2024-25. It became an emerging sport in Divisions I and II on Aug. 1, 2023, and was added in Division III this August. 

Women’s wrestling is the latest sport to receive a recommendation from the Committee on Women’s Athletics to become an NCAA championship sport. All three divisions will vote on legislation at the NCAA 2025 Convention in January. If approved, it will become the sixth sport to reach NCAA championship status through the Emerging Sports for Women program, joining rowing (1996), ice hockey (2000), water polo (2000), bowling (2003) and beach volleyball (2015). Women’s wrestling continues to see fast growth, with 93 schools indicating their intent to sponsor the sport in 2024-25.

Additionally, equestrian and rugby continue to see high student-athlete participation numbers for their respective programs. 

Below is a summary of the six sports currently in the program, including the 2023-24 sports sponsorship numbers schools reported to the NCAA.

Acrobatics and tumbling – 43 schools reported sponsoring acrobatics and tumbling, six more than in 2022-23. The 2023-24 data includes 28 schools in Division II, nine schools in Division III and six schools in Division I.

Equestrian (Divisions I and II) – 22 schools reported sponsoring equestrian, the same number as in 2022-23.

Rugby – 27 schools reported sponsoring rugby, spread out fairly evenly among the three divisions (Division I: 10 schools, Division II: 9, Division III: 8).

Stunt – 26 schools self-reported sponsoring stunt in 2023-24, and 40 schools indicated they would sponsor it in 2024-25.

Triathlon – 37 schools reported sponsoring triathlon, three more than in 2022-23. This includes 14 in Division II, 11 in Division III and 12 in Division I.

Women’s wrestling – 76 teams reported sponsoring women’s wrestling, a 25-school uptick from 2022-23. Division III accounted for 46 schools in the 2023-24 sponsorship data, followed by 27 in Division II and three in Division I. 

(Note: The number of schools that report sponsoring a sport does not always equal the number of schools that meet that sport’s contest and participation minimum requirements to be counted toward the 40-school threshold. Additionally, these numbers are derived from data submitted by NCAA member schools each year and are only as accurate as the information provided. The data are refreshed each fall and will remain static until the next annual release.)