NYU vs. Smith - DIII women's basketball championship highlights
The 2026 NCAA DIII women's basketball championship is just around the corner and here is everything you need to know about this year's tournament.
Forty-three teams will automatically qualify, leaving 21 at-large bids up for grabs with the full 64-team field being revealed on Monday, Mar. 2 at 2:30 p.m. ET on casinokrikya.com. The national semifinals and final will be held at the Cregger Center in Salem, Virginia Mar. 19-21
2026 DIII women's basketball championship bracket
2026 NCAA DIII women's basketball tournament schedule
*All times Eastern
- Selection Show: Monday, March 2 at 2:30 p.m.
- First Round: Friday, March 6
- Second Round: Saturday, March 7
- Sectionals: Friday-Saturday, March 13-14
- Semifinals: Thursday, March 19
- Final: Saturday, March 21
2026 NCAA DIII women's basketball championship history
NYU is coming off a back-to-back national titles, going 31-0 in both seasons, and will be looking for its fourth title in program history this March. Washington-St. Louis is the standard to meet with five total rings, winning four in a row between 1998-2001, with its last coming in 2010.
Here is the complete list of national champions dating back to 1982.
| Year | Champion (Record) | Coach | Score | Runner-Up | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | NYU (31-0) | Meg Barber | 77-49 | Smtih | Salem, Virginia |
| 2024 | NYU (31-0) | Meg Barber | 51-41 | Smith | Columbus, Ohio |
| 2023 | Transylvania (33-0) | Juli Fulks | 57-52 | Christopher Newport | Dallas, Texas |
| 2022 | Hope (32-1) | Brian Morehouse | 71-58 | Wisconsin-Whitewater | Pittsburgh, Pa. |
| 2021 | Canceled due to Covid-19 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 2020 | Canceled due to Covid-19 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 2019 | Thomas More (32-0) | Jeff Hans | 81-67 | Bowdoin | Salem, Va. |
| 2018 | Amherst (33-0) | GP Gromacki | 65-45 | Bowdoin | Rochester, Minn. |
| 2017 | Amherst (33-0) | GP Gromacki | 52-29 | Tufts | Grand Rapids, Mich. |
| 2016 | Thomas More (33-0) | Jeff Hans | 63-51 | Tufts | Indianapolis |
| 2015 | Thomas More (33-0)* | Jeff Hans | 83-63 | George Fox | Grand Rapids, Mich. |
| 2014 | FDU-Florham (33-0) | Marc Mitchell | 80-72 | Whitman | Stevens Point, Wis. |
| 2013 | DePauw (35-0) | Kris Huffman | 69-51 | Wisconsin-Whitewater | Holland, Mich. |
| 2012 | Illinois Wesleyan (28-5) | Mia Smith | 57-48 | George Fox | Holland, Mich. |
| 2011 | Amherst (32-1) | GP Gromacki | 64-55 | Washington-St. Louis | Bloomington, Ill. |
| 2010 | Washington-St. Louis (29-2) | Nancy Fahey | 65-59 | Hope | Bloomington, Ill. |
| 2009 | George Fox (32-0) | Scott Rueck | 60-53 | Washington-St. Louis | Holland, Mich. |
| 2008 | Howard Payne (33-0) | Chris Kielsmeier | 68-54 | Messiah | Holland, Mich. |
| 2007 | DePauw (31-3) | Kris Huffman | 55-52 | Washington-St. Louis | Springfield, Mass. |
| 2006 | Hope (33-1) | Brian Morehouse | 69-56 | Southern Maine | Springfield, Mass. |
| 2005 | Milikin (29-2) | Lori Kerans | 70-50 | Randolph-Macon | Norfolk, Va. |
| 2004 | Wilmington (Ohio) (27-6) | Jerry Scheve | 59-53 | Bowdoin | Norfolk, Va. |
| 2003 | Trinity (Texas) (28-5) | Becky Geyer | 60-58 | Eastern Connecticut State | Terre Haute, Ind. |
| 2002 | Wisconsin-Stevens Point | Shirley Egner | 67-65 | St. Lawrence | Terre Haute, Ind. |
| 2001 | Washington-St. Louis (28-2) | Nancy Fahey | 67-45 | Messiah | Danbury, Conn. |
| 2000 | Washington-St. Louis (30-0) | Nancy Fahey | 79-33 | Southern Maine | Danbury, Conn. |
| 1999 | Washington-St. Louis (30-0) | Nancy Fahey | 74-65 | St. Benedict | Danbury, Conn. |
| 1998 | Washington-St. Louis (28-2) | Nancy Fahey | 77-69 | Southern Maine | Gorham, Maine |
| 1997 | New York University (29-1) | Janice Quinn | 72-70 | Wisconsin-Eau Claire | New York City |
| 1996 | Wisconsin-Oshkosh (31-0) | Kathi Bennett | 66-50 | Mount Union | Oshkosh, Wis. |
| 1995 | Capital (33-0) | Dixie Jeffers | 59-55 | Wisconsin-Oshkosh | Columbus, Ohio |
| 1994 | Capital (30-1) | Dixie Jeffers | 82-63 | Washington-St. Louis | Eau Claire, Wis. |
| 1993 | Central (Iowa) (24-5) | Gary Boeyink | 71-63 | Capital | Pella, Iowa |
| 1992 | Alma (24-3) | Charlie Goffnet | 79-75 | Moravian | Bethlehem, Pa. |
| 1991 | St. Thomas (Minn.) (29-2) | Ted Riverso | 73-55 | Muskingum | St. Paul, Minn. |
| 1990 | Hope (24-2) | Sue Wise | 65-63 | St. John Fisher | Holland, Mich. |
| 1989 | Elizabethtown (29-2) | Yvonne Kauffman | 66-65 | Cal State Stanislaus | Danville, Ky. |
| 1988 | Concordia-Moorhead (29-2) | Duane Siverson | 65-57 | St. John Fisher | Moorhead, Minn. |
| 1987 | Wiscons-Stevens Point (27-2) | Linda Wunder | 81-74 | Concordia-Moorehead | Scranton, Pa. |
| 1986 | Salem State (29-1) | Tim Shea | 89-85 | Bishop | Salem, Mass. |
| 1985 | Scranton (31-1) | Mike Strong | 68-59 | New Rochelle | DePere, Wis. |
| 1984 | Rust (26-5) | A.J. Stovall | 51-49 | Elizabethtown | Scranton, Pa. |
| 1983 | North Central (Ill.) (26-6) | Wayne Morgan | 83-71 | Elizabethtown | Worcester, Mass. |
| 1982 | Elizabethtown (26-1) | Yvonne Kauffman | 67-66 (ot) | UNC Greensboro | Elizabethtown, Pa. |
