The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) National Championship is inarguably the most popular among colleges in the United States and Canada with several top colleges from the two countries aiming for the gold trophy. The championship has been won by several teams in both the men’s and women’s categories but the question is, “Which team has won it the most?” Let’s see Which Team Has Won The Most NCAA Division 1 National Championship?
Overview
Stanford University sits at the top of the rank of teams with the most NCAA Division 1 National Championships with a total of 128 titles and is closely followed by the University of California (UCLA), having won the championship 119 for both men’s and female’s divisions. The University of Southern California comes next on the rank with a total of 107 gold trophies in all categories.
However, this does not mean that Stanford has the best team in the NCAA Division 1 Championship in all sports since the team can move down the rank in some sports. Therefore, let’s find out the top schools in the two most popular sports of the NCAA Division 1 National Championship.
Which team has won the most NCAA Division 1 Men’s National Championships
Determining the team with most Men’s National Championships involves considering the Championship under different sports, especially, soccer and basketball. We will first look into the teams with the most titles in these two sports separately and then, in combination.
Princeton: Princeton has the highest number of NCAA Men’s Soccer National Championships and has won it 28 times
Michigan: Michigan has the highest number of Men’s Basketball National Championships, winning a total of 11 titles.
It should be noted that Yale is termed the team with the most NCAA Men’s Soccer Division 1 Championship because 13 of the 28 titles won by Princeton are not acknowledged by the NCAA. Thus, Princeton is said to have won 15 championships in the soccer sport.
Both Michigan and UCLA share the position for the most championships in both sports with an overall of 12 titles to their names each; Michigan has 11 Basketball Championships and 1 Soccer Championship while UCLA did the direct opposite of this feat (11 Soccer Championships and 1 Basketball Championship).
How Many Teams Have Won Both the Men’s Soccer and Basketball National Championship Multiple Times?
A total of 10 colleges have gone home with a championship title in both soccer and basketball in the NCAA Division 1, out of which only two schools won the title in both sports many times. The table below shows the full list of schools that have won a title in both sports.
Name of Colleges Number of Titles won in Soccer Number of Titles won in Basketball Total Championships Won
| Name of Colleges | Number of Titles won in Soccer | Number of Titles won in Basketball | Total Championships Won |
| Michigan | 11 | 1 | 12 |
| UCLA (University of California) | 1 | 11 | 12 |
| Ohio State | 8 | 1 | 9 |
| Michigan State | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| Florida | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| California | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| Arkansas | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Maryland | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Stanford | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Syracuse | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Now, let’s take a look at the colleges with the most Women’s Division 1 Championship.
Colleges with the Most Women’s Division 1 Championship
The NCAA Women’s Championship began years later after the Men’s Division 1 Championship was introduced. However, it has witnessed intense competition among top colleges from the United States and Canada.
North Carolina:The North Carolina Female team has the highest number of Women Soccer Division 1 Championship with 21 titles
Connecticut: Connecticut Ladies has the highest number of titles for the Women Basketball National Division 1 Championship with 11 titles.
Stanford Female team has the highest championships from both tournaments, winning them thrice each to give a total of 6 championship titles. The table below shows the list of the top winners of both NCAA female Division 1 Soccer and Basketball since 1982;
Name of Team Number of Championships won in Soccer Number of Championships won in Basketball Total
| Name of Team | Number of Championships won in Soccer | Number of Championships won in Basketball | Total |
| North Carolina | 21 | 0 | 21 |
| Connecticut | 0 | 11 | 11 |
| Tennessee | 0 | 8 | 8 |
| Stanford | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| Notre Dame | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| USC | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Baylor | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Santa Clara | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Portland | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| South Carolina | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Louisiana Tech | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Apart from Soccer and Basketball, there are NCAA Women’s Division 1 Championship for other sports; for instance, hockey (exclusive) and volleyball. North Carolina and Old Dominion Lady Monarch of the Old Dominion University have the highest titles for field hockey, with each team winning the championship 9 times. Stanford Ladies has an equal number of titles (9) to have the most titles in the Female Volleyball sport.
How many teams contest in the NCAA Division 1 Championship?
The total number of teams that participate in the NCAA Division 1 Championship depends on the sport and gender of players with the Men’s Basketball Division 1 Championship having participating teams from 68 prestigious colleges. Here is a breakdown of the number of teams allowed to participate in the popular sport:
| Sports | Number of Men’s Teams | Number of Women’s Teams |
| Basketball | 68 | 64 |
| Soccer | 48 | 64 |
| Field Hockey | – | 64 |
| Volleyball | 7 (Combines with other divisions for National Championship) | 64 |
Conclusion
While Stanford holds the position for the most NCAA Championships won, it moved down the rank when the sports were considered. Therefore, the team with the most championships won also depends on the considered sport.
FAQs
Which college team has won the most national championships?
Stanford has the most national championships with 128 titles while Princeton and Michigan have the most in soccer and basketball respectively
Who has the most NCAA championships in all sports?
Stanford holds the record for the most NCAA championships in all sports with a total of 128 championships
