NCAA Announces Update on Emerging Sports for Women Program
FROSTBURG, Md. - The NCAA has announced some encouraging numbers on its Emerging Sports for Women program following research completed from the 2023-24 academic year.
Per the reports, in 2023-24, emerging sports accounted for over 5,000 participation opportunities for women, an increase of over 30% from 2022-23. 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.
Frostburg State currently sponsors three of the six sports within the program: Acrobatics & Tumbling, Women's Rugby, and Women's Wrestling.
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.
Women's rugby continues to see growth, as 27 schools reported sponsoring the sport, spread out fairly evenly among the three divisions (Division I: 10 schools, Division II: 9, Division III: 8).
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.
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