Field size increases for NCAA Div. I Women’s Championships starting in 2023
More women’s college golf teams will have a shot at a national title in 2023.
On Monday, the NCAA Div. I Women’s Golf Committee announced the NCAA Championship field will increase from 24 to 27 starting with the 2023 championship at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona, May 19-24.
“There is extreme importance in providing as many participation opportunities as possible for our student-athletes,” said Bradford Hurlbut, chair of the Div. I Women’s Golf Committee and director of athletics at Fairleigh Dickinson. “With an additional three teams qualifying for the finals site, up to an additional 18 deserving women’s golf student-athletes will have an opportunity to compete in the national championship finals, which is an important step for the sport of women’s golf and the championship.”
While 30 teams advance to the men’s NCAA Championship, the NCAA said the move was “made to provide an equitable championship access ratio across both Div. I men’s and women’s golf, with ten percent of both men’s and women’s teams now advancing from regionals to the finals site.”
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According to a release, the championship committee will implement a strength-of-field metric to even out the competition across the six regional qualifying sites. To reach the odd number of 27 teams, four will advance from three regional sites, while five teams will advance from the remaining three regional sites, which have yet to be determined.
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