Penn State women’s intercollegiate athletics had a head start on most schools across the country with the first varsity competition taking place in 1964 and having nine intercollegiate teams by 1972. Momentum grew through the 1970s and 1980s as women’s teams won conference and national championships into the twenty-first century. Here is a list of the many team accomplishments, along with photos of many of the national championship teams.
Basketball
25 NCAA tournament appearances with a Final Four appearance in 2000
2 Atlantic 10 season titles and 6 tournament titles
6 Big Ten season titles and 2 tournament titles
1 WNIT title in 1998
Fencing
13 NCAA championships including 6 consecutive titles from 1995 to 2000
Field Hockey
2 Atlantic 10 season titles and 2 tournament titles
8 Big Ten season titles and 6 tournament titles
2 NCAA tournament runners-up
Gymnastics
7 AIAW tournament appearances
17 NCAA tournament appearances
Lacrosse
6 AIAW tournament appearances and 3 championships titles
25 NCAA tournament appearances
Rugby
21 Division I and Division I Elite appearances and 12 championship titles
Appeared in the final match 21 out of 23 years from 1995 to 2017
Soccer
26 NCAA tournament appearances, every year since they were elevated to varsity status
NCAA tournament runner-up in 2012, NCAA tournament title in 2015
20 Big Ten season titles including 15 consecutive titles from 1998 to 2012
8 Big Ten tournament titles
Softball
1 Atlantic 10 season title and 2 tournament titles
8 NCAA tournament appearances, including 6 in the 2000s
Volleyball
40 NCAA appearances, the only team to appear in all the tournaments up to 2021
7 NCAA championships including 4 consecutive titles from 2007 to 2010
10 NCAA Finals appearances
Here is the list and most of the photos of national championship teams through 2015:
Bowling, WIBC, 1979
Fencing, AIAW, 1980
Fencing, NCAA, 1981, 1983
Fencing, NCAA (men’s and women’s combined) 1990, 1991, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2014
Field Hockey, AIAW, 1980, 1981
Gymnastics, AIAW, 1978, 1980
Lacrosse, USWLA, 1978, 1979, 1980
Lacrosse, NCAA, 1987, 1989
Rugby, Division I & Division I Elite, 1997, 2000, 2004, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017
Soccer, NCAA, 2015
Volleyball, NCAA, 1999, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014
The links below are the collection guides to each sport, documenting the history from their beginnings in the 1960s and 1970s to the twenty-first century.
Athletics Photographic Vertical Files
Women’s Swimming and Diving records
Women’s Track and Field records