History
The first NCAA championship in which women competed was the national college rifle shooting meet, two years before national championships were established for women's sports.
Division I members voted in favor of the national championship at the 1979 NCAA convention, only to learn that there were rifle teams at fewer than 45 schools, which was supposed to be the minimum number to warrant a national championship.
Nevertheless, the meet was held as a "pilot" event April 4-5, 1980, at East Tennessee State University. It was considered a success, so it's been on the NCAA's annual schedule ever since.
Shooting has traditionally been a "coeducational" sport, with men and women competing as equals. Women have won eighteen of the forty-six individual titles since the championship was inaugurated and a woman, Marsha Beasley, has coached eight of West Virginia University's thirteen championship teams.