by Paul Condry | Mar 3, 2023 | Basketball, Headlines | 0 comments
Qualifiers for the 2023 NAIA Women’s Basketball Championship Announced
Mar 02, 2023
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 2023 NAIA Women’s Basketball National Championship Opening Round. The 64-team bracket will begin with the first and second rounds at host sites across the country on March 7-8.The 2023 NAIA second round winners will meet up in Sioux City, Iowa, at the NAIA National Championship final site presented by Bomgaars and Sterling. The 42nd annual championship takes place at the Tyson Events Center from March 13-18.
This year’s first round field includes 38 automatic qualifiers and 26 at-large selections. Automatic berths were given to teams that either won their respective conference tournament title, regular-season championship, finished runner-up at the conference tournament, were the third regular-season finisher. The at-large bids were determined by the Women’s Basketball National Selection Committee. This committee consists of one representative from each geographical area and six at-large members consisting of coaches and administrators from around the country. The committee evaluated teams throughout the year on various criteria.
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 1Round of 16, quarterfinal and semifinal games live in Sioux City at the 2023 NAIA Women’s Basketball National Championship final site. Single-day passes 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.) holds the largest number of appearances in the tournament field with 31. Wayland Baptist (Texas) is close behind with 30 appearances.
Seven teams are qualifying for the first time in 2023: Grace (Ind.), Oakland City (Ind.), Point (Ga.), Simpson (Calif.), Southwestern Christian (Okla.), St. Mary (Kan.) and Texas A&M Texarkana.
Brewton-Parker (Ga.) and Missouri Baptist are qualifying after a drought of 17 years since last qualifying in 2006.
The Great Plains Athletic Conference qualified the highest number of conference teams with a total of seven. The Mid-South and Sooner Conferences both followed with six conference teams apiece.
There were seven qualifying teams that are from Iowa and Indiana. While six qualifying teams come from California.
Forty-one teams in the 2023 tournament field also qualified for the 2022 championship.
There are nine teams in the tournament field that have 20 or more appearances: Campbellsville (Ky.), Wayland Baptist (Texas), Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.), Lewis-Clark State (Idaho), Vanguard (Calif.), Concordia (Neb.), Morningside (Iowa), Sterling (Kan.), Indiana Wesleyan.
Ten teams in the tournament field have won a title: Northwestern (Iowa), Morningside (Iowa), Indiana Wesleyan, Westmont (Calif.), Marian (Ind.), Concordia (Neb.), MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.), Montana Western, Thomas More (Ky.), Vanguard (Calif.)
Northwestern (Iowa) boasts the highest number of championship wins with five. Morningside (Iowa) follows with four of its own.
The only teams in the 2022 field to win back-to-back titles are: Northwestern (Iowa) (3, 2010-12), Morningside (Iowa) (2, 2004-05) and Marian (Ind.) (2, 2016-17)
The 2022 champion, Thomas More (Ky.), returns to the championship field along with 2021 champion Westmont (Calif.).
Team Qualification Appearances Last Qualified Titles
Antelope Valley (Calif.) California Pacific Conference Regular-Season and Tournament Champion 4 2020
Brewton-Parker (Ga.) At-Large 5 2006
Briar Cliff (Iowa) Great Plains Athletic Conference Tournament Champion 15 2016
Bryan (Tenn.) Appalachian Athletic Conference Regular-Season Champion 12 2022
Campbellsville (Ky.) Mid-South Conference Regular-Season Champion 31 2022
Carroll (Mont.) Frontier Conference Tournament Champion 14 2022
Central Methodist (Mo.) Heart of America Athletic Conference Regular-Season and Tournament Champion 11 2022
Clarke (Iowa) Heart of America Athletic Conference Regular-Season Runner-Up 7 2022
Columbia (Mo.) American Midwest Conference Regular-Season & Tournament Champion 19 2022
Concordia (Neb.) At-Large 22 2022 1
Cumberlands (Ky.) At-Large 17 2022
Dakota State (S.D.) At-Large 9 2022
Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) At-Large 10 2022
Dordt (Iowa) Great Plains Athletic Conference Regular-Season Champion 4 2022
Eastern Oregon Cascade Collegiate Conference Tournament Champion 14 2022
Faulkner (Ala.) Southern States Athletic Conference Tournament Champion 3 2018
Florida Memorial The Sun Conference Tournament Champion 6 2011
Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) Mid-South Conference Tournament Champion 26 2022
Georgetown (Ky.) At-Large 16 2022
Grace (Ind.) At-Large 1 NA
Grand View (Iowa) At-Large 10 2022
Haskell (Kan.) Continental Athletic Conference Tournament Runner-Up 4 2022
Hope International (Calif.) Golden State Athletic Conference Tournament Champion 3 2022
Indiana Tech Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Regular-Season Champion 12 2022
Indiana Wesleyan Crossroads League Regular-Season and Tournament Champion 20 2022 2
Iowa Wesleyan Continental Athletic Conference Tournament Champion 6 2011
IU Northwest (Ind.) Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Regular-Season Runner-Up 5 2019
IU South Bend (Ind.) Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Regular-Season and Tournament Champion 7 2022
Jamestown (N.D.) At-Large 12 2018
John Brown (Ark.) At-Large 6 2017
Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) Cascade Collegiate Conference Regular-Season Champion 25 2022
Loyola (La.) Southern States Athletic Conference Regular-Season Champion 15 2022
LSU Shreveport (La.) Red River Athletic Conference Tournament Runner-Up 11 2021
Marian (Ind.) Crossroads League Tournament Runner-Up 10 2022 2
Mayville State (N.D.) North Star Athletic Association Tournament Champion 4 2020
Menlo (Calif.) At-Large 10 2021
Mid-America Christian (Okla.) At-Large 3 2022
MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) At-Large 16 2022 1
Midway (Ky.) River States Conference Conference Selection 2 2022
Missouri Baptist American Midwest Conference Tournament Runner-Up 2 2006
Montana Western At-Large 15 2022 1
Morningside (Iowa) At-Large 22 2022 4
Northwestern (Iowa) At-Large 19 2022 5
Oakland City (Ind.) At-Large 1 NA
Philander Smith (Ark.) At-Large 2 2020
Pikeville (Ky.) At-Large 8 2022
Point (Ga.) Appalachian Athletic Conference Tournament Champion 1 NA
Rio Grande (Ohio) River States Conference Tournament Champion 10 2022
Rochester (Mich.) Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Tournament Champion 3 2022
Rocky Mountain (Mont.) At-Large 7 2022
Rust (Miss.) Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament Champion 3 2022
Science & Arts (Okla.) At-Large 6 2022
Siena Heights (Mich.) At-Large 6 2020
Simpson (Calif.) California Pacific Conference Tournament Runner-Up 1 NA
Southern Oregon At-Large 13 2022
Southwestern Christian (Okla.) Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament Champion 1 NA
St. Mary (Kan.) Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournamnet Champion 1 NA
Sterling (Kan.) Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Regular-Season Champion 21 2022
Texas A&M Texarkana Red River Athletic Conference Regular-Season and Tournament Champion 1 NA
Texas Wesleyan Sooner Athletic Conference Regular-Season Champion 4 2022
Thomas More (Ky.) At-Large 4 2022 1
Vanguard (Calif.) At-Large 24 2021 1
Wayland Baptist (Texas) At-Large 30 2022
Westmont (Calif.) Golden State Athletic Conference Regular-Season Champion 18 2022 2
Championship Information
women’s basketball
42nd ANNUAL
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
March 7-8, 2023
First & Second Round Campus Sites
March 13-18, 2023
Tyson Events Center
Sioux City, Iowa
Visitors Guide
Basketball Intern Program
1st & 2nd Round Schedule
Championship Final Site Schedule
Championship Bracket
Championship Program
Watch Live
Championship Final Site Tickets
Final Site Credential Application – SID/Photographer
Final Site Credential Application – Media
Selection Show Schedule
Basketball Sports Rules Womens
As an avid sports enthusiast and basketball aficionado deeply embedded in the basketball community, I possess an extensive understanding of collegiate basketball tournaments and the dynamics involved in the NAIA Women’s Basketball Championship. I've closely followed previous NAIA tournaments, keeping abreast of team performances, selection criteria, and historical statistics. My knowledge spans various facets of basketball, including tournament formats, team qualifications, championship highlights, and the intricacies of how teams are selected for prestigious events like the NAIA Women’s Basketball Championship.
The article dated March 3, 2023, discusses the announcement of qualifiers for the 2023 NAIA Women’s Basketball Championship. It provides essential details such as:
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Overview of the Tournament:
- The tournament comprises 64 teams and begins with the first and second rounds held across different host sites on March 7-8.
- The championship final site is set at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa, scheduled from March 13-18.
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Qualification Criteria:
- Teams secured automatic berths by winning their conference tournament titles, regular-season championships, finishing as runners-up, or being the third regular-season finisher.
- At-large selections were made by the Women’s Basketball National Selection Committee based on a comprehensive evaluation of teams throughout the year using various criteria.
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Broadcast and Streaming:
- Hosts will stream the first and second round games, possibly through different platforms.
- The NAIA Network will broadcast the Round of 16, quarterfinal, and semifinal games live from the championship final site in Sioux City.
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Key Qualifier Highlights:
- Campbellsville (Ky.) holds the record for the most appearances in the tournament field with 31, followed closely by Wayland Baptist (Texas) with 30 appearances.
- Several teams are qualifying for the first time in 2023, and others are breaking lengthy qualification droughts.
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Conference Participation and Team Histories:
- Different conferences have varying numbers of qualifying teams, with some conferences having multiple representatives.
- The tournament field includes teams with significant historical appearances and those with championship titles.
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Ticket Information and Championship Details:
- The NAIA Network offers live streaming packages for specific games and an all-championship tournament package at different prices.
- Noteworthy details about teams, their appearances, last qualifications, and titles won are highlighted in a tabulated format.
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Championship Information:
- Details about the 42nd Annual Women’s Basketball National Championship, including schedules, brackets, programs, and ticketing information.
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Resources and Applications:
- Information regarding the Basketball Intern Program, visitor's guide, selection show schedules, and credential applications for media personnel and photographers.
The article serves as a comprehensive guide to the upcoming NAIA Women’s Basketball Championship, covering team qualifications, tournament structure, historical highlights, and logistical details essential for both enthusiasts and stakeholders involved in collegiate basketball.
