March 1991: The Women’s Final Four is televised on CBS for the first time. University of Tennessee Photo
March 1992: The Gender Equity Task Force is assembled in response to the first NCAA gender-equity study, which showed disparities in the treatment of male and female student-athletes. NCAA News
September 1993: The NCAA now sponsors 15 women’s sports, in which 97,978 women compete on 6,173 teams across all three divisions. Kenyon College Photo
January 1994: The NCAA Emerging Sports Program, designed to increase athletics opportunities for women, is formed. University of Washington Photo
July 1996: Women’s soccer and women’s softball, sponsored as NCAA Division I championships since 1982, become medal sports in the Olympics. Elise Amendola / AP Images
September 1996: Buffalo cross country runner Bridget Niland becomes the first college athlete, male or female, to chair the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. University of Buffalo Photo
June 1997: The inaugural WNBA season begins. Kevork Djansezian / AP Images
July 1999: The United States wins the Women’s World Cup in front of 90,000 fans at the Rose Bowl. Forty million Americans watched on TV. Mark J. Terrill / AP Images
2001: NCAA championships are first contested in women’s ice hockey, women’s water polo and Division III women’s lacrosse. Kohjiro Kinno / NCAA Photos
July 2001: The NCAA and ESPN agree to a $160 million deal for expanded coverage of the Division I women’s basketball tournament, beginning in 2003. Jamie Schwaberow / NCAA Photos
May 2002: The Florida Southern College women’s golf team wins the 2002 NCAA Division II Women’s Golf Championships by 74 strokes: the largest margin of victory in Division II golf championship history – men or women. Mike Farrell / NCAA Photos
May 2003: Former University of Arizona golfer Annika Sorenstam becomes the first woman since Babe Didrikson Zaharias in 1945 to play in a PGA Tour event. University of Arizona Photo
September 2003: Tonya Butler of the University of West Alabama becomes the first woman in NCAA football history to make a field goal. University of West Alabama Photo
September 2003: The NCAA now sponsors 19 women’s sports, in which 158,459 women compete on 8,831 teams across all three divisions. Stephen Nowland / NCAA Photos
November 2004: Wartburg College’s Missy Buttry becomes the first woman in any NCAA division to win three individual cross country titles. NCAA Photos
November 2008: Emileigh Mercer finishes her career at Bowdoin College with a 39-1 record, the best winning percentage for any goalie in any division in NCAA field hockey history. Bowdoin College Photo
December 2008: Pennsylvania State University women’s volleyball team wins an NCAA-record 111 consecutive sets en route to a 38-0 mark. Dave Weaver / AP Images
February 2009: Pat Summitt wins her 1,000th game, becoming the first Division I basketball coach (men’s or women’s) to reach the mark. Wade Payne / AP Images
February 2009: For 112 straight basketball games, the University of Oklahoma’s Courtney Paris produced double-figure points and rebounds. No men’s or women’s player has come close to her dominance in those categories. Sue Ogrocki / AP Images
March 2010: Texas Christian University becomes the first all-female team to claim the National Collegiate Men’s and Women’s Rifle Championships. Michael Clements / NCAA Photos
December 2010: With its 89th consecutive win, the University of Connecticut women’s basketball team passes the 1971-74 UCLA men’s program, which won 88 straight. The Huskies went on to win 90 consecutive games total between 2008 and 2010. University of Connecticut Photo
September 2013: The NCAA now sponsors 20 women’s sports, in which 200,953 women compete on 10,057 teams across all three divisions. Justin Taffy / NCAA Photos
May 2014: LIU Post’s Jackie Sileo finishes her collegiate career as the NCAA lacrosse all-time leader with 564 points and 369 assists. Bill Luster / NCAA Photos
April 2015: The NCAA Gender Equity Task Force reconvenes, pledging to work toward increasing opportunities for female student-athletes, coaches and athletics administrators. Rachel Stark / NCAA
July 2015: The United States wins its third Women’s World Cup. All 23 members of the squad perfected their craft at an NCAA member school. Michael Chow / USA TODAY