EVENT HISTORY
The Preseason WNIT began in its modern form in 1994. It is organized and produced by Triple Crown Sports, a national sports event company based in Fort Collins, Colo. The 16-team Preseason WNIT was originally a single-elimination exempt event, and moved to the current three-game guarantee format in 2007. Throughout the years, more than 200 of the nation's Division I teams have played in the event, representing all 32 conferences. Here is a year-by-year overview:
  • 1994 - The Preseason WNIT began in 1994 and involved three former NCAA Final Four participants (Missouri State, Texas Tech and Vanderbilt). The University of Washington defeated Texas Tech, the 1993 NCAA National Champions, for the championship.
  • 1995 - University of Colorado defeated Arkansas in the championship game. More than 7,000 spectators watched the championship game at Arkansas.
  • 1996 - Six Sweet 16 teams from the 1996 NCAA Championship competed in the event. Perennial power Louisiana Tech defeated Tennessee, the 1996 NCAA National Champions, for the WNIT title.
  • 1997 - The University of Connecticut won the 1997 event drawing a WNIT record 36,475 fans for the semifinal and championship games.
  • 1998 - Colorado State, on its way to a 31-4 season, had to defeat three national powers in succession: Oregon, Rutgers and Florida, to win the event.
  • 1999 - SEC perennial power Georgia took the title after victories over Virginia Tech, Boston College and University of California Santa Barbara.
  • 2000 - Louisiana Tech defeated Purdue in West Lafayette, Indiana. Purdue went on to capture the Big Ten regular season crown and reach the NCAA Championship game. Texas defeated Virginia in the consolation game.
  • 2001 - No. 1 ranked Connecticut defeated No. 3 ranked Vanderbilt for the championship in front of a capacity crowd of 10,027 fans at Storrs, CT. This kicked off UConn's undefeated season and NCAA National Championship season.
  • 2002 - Kansas State, ranked No. 4 in the country, topped No. 14 Penn State before 6,052 vocal fans at Bramlage Coliseum at Manhattan, Kansas.
  • 2003 - Texas Tech dropped Rutgers 73-45 in Lubbock, Texas in front of 10,854 spectators. Texas Tech drew 41,576 fans in four home games for an average of 10,394 fans per game.
  • 2004 - Notre Dame defeated two Top 10 ranked teams (Duke, Ohio State) in four days to win the Preseason WNIT title. The Fighting Irish scored the final 12 points in the championship to edge Ohio State 66-62.
  • 2005 - Connecticut made it a perfect trio of trophies as the Huskies earned their third Preseason WNIT title in three tries (1997, 2001, 2005). UConn defeated Oklahoma for the championship in front of 9,722 fans.
  • 2006 - Purdue ended Baylor's 20-game home winning streak against nonconference opponents as the Boilermakers captured their first WNIT title, 69-55, in Waco, Texas.
  • 2007 - Maryland defeats LSU in a battle of top-5 teams, in the first Preseason WNIT to feature a three-game guarantee. Maryland, ranked third in the nation, went on to a 33-4 year, while No. 4 LSU advanced to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament, won the SEC conference title, and finished 31-6.
  • 2008 - Top 10 teams Oklahoma and North Carolina are joined by Arizona State, Indiana, MTSU, and Xavier in one of the most elite fields assembled in a preseason tournament. North Carolina edges No. 2 host Oklahoma 80-79 for the title.
  • 2009 - Ohio State set a WNIT record for points scored in the tournament, averaging 91.8 points a game (367 total) in four games as they rolled to their first Preseason WNIT title in school history. The Buckeyes, ranked No. 3 in the country, defeated Oklahoma State 93-72. Ohio State went on to set a school record with 31 wins (31-5) and become the first Big Ten team to win six straight conference titles.
  • 2010 - Purdue battles DePaul for a 67-58 victory and captures its second Preseason WNIT title in school history.
  • 2011 - The 2011 Preseason WNIT set the stage for No. 1 Baylor and No. 2 Notre Dame to battle in an early test of what would forecast that season's NCAA Tournament Championship game. Baylor defeated Notre Dame 94-81 and went on to capture college basketball's first and only 40-win season.
  • 2012 - An athletic North Carolina team jumped out early and went on to defeat Iowa 77-64 and earn its second Preseason WNIT title. The Tar Heels are 10-1 all-time in Preseason WNIT games.
  • 2013 - No. 5 Louisville came back from 15 points down to defeat No. 11 Oklahoma 97-92 in overtime in front of 7,358 energetic fans at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla.
  • 2014 - A second-half rally from a nine-point deficit saw host Mississippi State glide to the finish, with the Bulldogs claiming an 88-77 victory against Western Kentucky in Starkville, Miss.
  • 2015 - With its trademark defense leading the way, No. 4 Baylor kept No. 19 DePaul at arm's length throughout Sunday's contest, shooting an impressive 63 percent from the field as well to post an 86-72 victory against the Blue Demons and win the 2015 Preseason WNIT championship.
  • 2016 - No. 1-ranked Notre Dame sprinted to an early lead in the championship game and cruised to a 71-60 victory against 17th-ranked Washington. The Fighting Irish are the sixth program (with Baylor, Connecticut, Louisiana Tech, North Carolina, Purdue) to win the Preseason WNIT twice.
  • 2017 - Asia Durr scored 26 points and No. 5 Louisville dominated early with defense, beating No. 10 Oregon 74-61 in the Preseason Women's NIT final. This was the fifth game in a span of 10 days for Louisville; in that span, the Cardinals knocked off three top 25 teams - including two top 10 squads - as well as another team that made the NCAA Tournament last season.
  • 2018 - Iowa State used a 7-0 run right before halftme to build a 10-point lead, then sealed the deal with a strong defensive effort in the last 20 minutes to take down No. 24 Miami, 75-52, to claim the 2018 Preseason WNIT championship in its first time playing in the event. The Cyclones (4-0) got 15 points and seven rebounds from Bridget Carleton, who was voted the tournament MVP. Ines Nezerwa added 15 points and six rebounds; Kristin Scott chipped in with 11 points and eight rebounds as the Cyclones held the Hurricanes (4-1) to 31 percent shooting, including just 2-of-20 from 3-point range.
  • 2019 – No. 7 Oregon State pushed hard in the fourth quarter to come back and defeat Missouri State 80-69 in a back-and-forth battle. The tournament showing started a 12-0 nonconference run for the Beavers, who were led in the WNIT championship by Mikayla Pivec (18 points, 7 assists) and Destiny Slocum (17 points in the second half). Missouri State went on to log a 10-2 record in the nonconference schedule.
  • 2020 – The tournament was not played due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 
  • 2021 - No. 5 NC State and Kansas State both went 3-0 in their four-team pods. In the battle of the unbeatens, NC State knocked off Kansas State, 90-69.
  • 2022 - The 2022 Preseason WNIT consisted of four teams, Colorado, Jackson State, Louisiana and Texas Tech. Colorado's Quay Miller was named the tournament MVP, guiding the Buffs to a perfect 2-0 record.
  • 2023 - In the highly-anticipated Preseason WNIT battle between No. 21 Baylor and No.4 Utah, the host Baylor came out victorious with an 84-77 win over the Utes. 
Past Champions
2020 - Not played due to COVID-19
2019 - Oregon State
2018 - Iowa State
2017 - Louisville
2016 - Notre Dame
2015 - Baylor
2014 - Mississippi State
2013 - Louisville
2012 - North Carolina
2011 - Baylor
2010 - Purdue
2009 - Ohio State
2008 - North Carolina
2007 - Maryland
2006 - Purdue
2005 - Connecticut
2004 - Notre Dame
2003 - Texas Tech
2002 - Kansas State
2001 - Connecticut
2000 - Louisiana Tech
1999 - Georgia
1998 - Colorado State
1997 - Connecticut
1996 - Louisiana Tech
1995 - Colorado
1994 - Washington