NCAA: Record Number Student-Athletes, Women Competed In 2021-22 Events

NYSJ Sports-Entertainment Business News Service

December 7, 2022: The number of student-athletes competing in NCAA championship sports in 2021-22 rose to 528,627, an all-time high, according to the just-released NCAA Sports Sponsorship and Participation Rates Report.

In 2021-22, there were 298,109 student-athletes on men’s teams, 230,518 on women’s teams.

During the 2021-22 academic year, student-athletes in NCAA women's championship sports made up 43% of the total participation.

In 1981-82, when the NCAA began tracking participation rates annually, women's sports participants accounted for 28% of the student-athlete population.

The NCAA said the participation data represents a one-year increase of nearly 30,000 student-athletes.

Div. III saw the largest growth, with 17,515 additional student-athletes, followed by Div. II (7,212) and Div. I (4,488).

The total number of championship teams sponsored across all divisions rose to 19,769 in 2021-22, nearly three-quarters of a percent more than the previous year, according to the NCAA Sports Sponsorship and Participation Rates Report.

The NCAA said the slight rise in 2021-22 “more than recouped the 2.5% drop in championship sports participation reported from the previous year.

“This drop was the result of a combination of factors, including programs being cut due to budget impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic and schools closing or leaving the NCAA.”

According to the NCAA, possible factors contributing to the latest increase include “athletics department budgets returning to pre-pandemic levels, as well as an additional season-of-competition eligibility being provided to student-athletes.”

Among sports with the most student-athletes in 2021-22, those with the largest increases from the previous year were: football (up 6,377, 9%), men's soccer (up 2,792, 11%), men's indoor track and field (up 2,136, 8%), women's soccer (up 2,030, 7%), women's indoor track and field (up 1,562, 6%), and women's volleyball (up 1,107, 6%).

Coed sport teams from the sports sponsorship database were added to both the men's and women's team data. Coed teams included equestrian, fencing, golf, rifle, sailing, skiing and outdoor track and field.

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