The NCAA Division I field hockey tournament is an American intercollegiate field hockey tournament conducted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and determines the Division I national champion. The tournament has been held annually since 1981.

Quick Facts Founded, Number of teams ...

NCAA Division I field hockey tournament

Founded	1981
Number of teams	18
Current champions	North Carolina
Most successful club(s)	North Carolina (11)
Television broadcasters	ESPNU
Website	NCAA.com
2023 NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championship

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The championship is contested exclusively by women's teams and there is no equivalent NCAA men's field hockey championship.

The most successful team is the North Carolina Tar Heels, who have eleven titles. In addition, North Carolina has finished national runner-up an NCAA record eleven times. The most recent championship, in 2023, was also won by North Carolina.

Field hockey was one of 12 women's sports added to the NCAA championship program for the 1981–82 school year, as the NCAA engaged in battle with the AIAW for sole governance of women's collegiate sports.^[1] The AIAW continued to conduct its established championship program in the same 12 (and other) sports; however, after a year of dual women's championships, the NCAA overcame the AIAW and usurped its authority and membership. The first NCAA women's national championship events were staged November 21–22, 1981, in cross country and field hockey.

The tournament originally began with six teams but has since expanded to 19; at different times a third-place game has been played as well. Under the tournament's current format, 19 teams qualify for the tournament with three play-in games. The play-in games and first two rounds are played at the home turf of the higher seeds in each matchup. The final four teams then move on to the championship rounds at a predetermined site.

• Most Goals, Game: 10
  • Old Dominion (1984; Old Dominion–10 vs. Virginia–0)
• Most Goals, Both Teams: 13
  • Maryland (2008; Maryland–8 vs. Duke–5)
• Goals Per Game, Tournament: 5.67
  • Old Dominion (1984)
• Fewest Goals Allowed Per Game, Tournament: 0.00
  • Old Dominion (1990, three games)
  • Old Dominion (1992, three games)
  • Wake Forest (2002, four games)
• Penalty Corners, Game: 31
  • Old Dominion (1984; vs. Virginia)

59 teams have appeared in the NCAA Tournament in at least one year starting with 1981 (the initial year that the post-season tournament was under the auspices of the NCAA). The results for all years are shown in this table below.^[4]

The code in each cell represents the furthest the team made it in the respective tournament:

•  CH  National Champion
•  RU  National Runner-up
•  SF  Semifinals
•  QF  Quarterfinals (Two teams in 1981, four teams thereafter)
•  12 ,  16  Round of 16 (Only 12 teams, 1982-1998)
•  •  Play-In Round (Starting 2013)

Source:^[5]

as of end of 2022 championship

• school indicates schools belong to Division II.
• school indicates schools that no longer sponsor field hockey.
• School indicates they have win at least one championship.
• Other bold indicates most in respective column.

• NCAA Division II field hockey tournament
• NCAA Division III field hockey tournament
• AIAW field hockey tournament
• USA Field Hockey Hall of Fame