History of Michigan Women's Intercollegiate Athletics
6/3/2009 12:00:00 AM | General, Athletic News
Michigan women's intercollegiate athletics have come a long way since the University's founding in 1817. Basketball and tennis were the first sports for women organized at the U; today, there are almost 300 student-athletes competing in 14 sports (basketball, cross country, field hockey, golf, gymnastics, lacrosse, rowing, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, volleyball and water polo). The achievements of these early pioneers helped set the tone for today's modern athlete to compete for the Maize and Blue.
The field hockey team claimed the first women's NCAA team title in school history in 2001, defeating Maryland in the NCAA championship game in Kent, Ohio. In 2005, softball became the second women's team sport to claim the national title by beating two-time defending champion UCLA in the title game. With the win over UCLA, U-M softball became the first school east of the Mississippi to win the Women's College World Series.
Punctuated by scintillating performances from its final three balance beam competitors, the women's gymnastics team won its first NCAA title (and third for a Michigan women's team) in a dramatic finish at the 2021 NCAA Championships in Fort Worth, Texas. Head coach Bev Plocki's squad posted the best team score in program history, 198.250, to edge out Oklahoma (198.1625) for the crown.
For additional information on the history of women's athletics at Michigan, visit A Sporting Chance: Women's Athletics at the University of Michigan (from the Bentley Historical Library).
Field Hockey - 2001 National Champions
Softball - 2005 National Champions
Gymnastics - 2021 National Champions
