A Tradition of Excellence

Stanford holds the distinction of being the nation’s all-time leader in NCAA team championships, with an unmatched 137 NCAA titles — 70 in men’s sports, 67 in women’s sports — and 173 national championships overall (77 men’s, 93 women’s, 3 coed).

The Cardinal has won at least one NCAA team title in each of the past 49 years, a streak that dates back to the 1976–77 season.

Seasonal & Historical Breakdown

• By season: 35 fall, 33 winter, and 69 spring NCAA titles
• Since 2000: 62 NCAA team championships
• Since 2010: 41 NCAA team championships

Recent Success

In 2024–25, Stanford secured six national championships, including NCAA titles in women’s water polo and women’s rowing. The sailing program added three more national titles, and artistic swimming captured another crown.

Back in 2018–19, the Cardinal matched a school record with six NCAA titles in a single academic year, including championships in:

• Women’s Volleyball
• Women’s Swimming
• Men’s Gymnastics
• Women’s Water Polo
• Women’s Tennis
• Men’s Golf

Learfield Directors' Cup Dominance

Stanford has claimed the Learfield Directors’ Cup — awarded to the top overall athletic department in the country — 26 times in the award’s 31-year history, including a 25-year streak from 1995 to 2019.

Capital One Cup Success

The Cardinal remains the only school to sweep both the men’s and women’s Capital One Cups in the same year, accomplishing the feat in 2017–18 and again in 2020–21.

• Men’s Program: 3-time winner
• Women’s Program: 7-time champion

Individual Excellence

Stanford athletes have captured:

• 658 individual national championships, including
• 565 NCAA individual titles

In 2024–25 alone, 13 individual national champions emerged from Stanford, led by four titles in women’s swimming and diving.

Olympic Impact

Stanford affiliates have earned a remarkable 335 Olympic medals (162 gold, 93 silver, 80 bronze) from 196 medalists.
At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Stanford athletes brought home a school-record 39 medals — the most ever by any university in a single Games.
Stanford has produced at least one Olympic medalist in every Games the U.S. has competed in since 1912.

Academic Distinction

• 189 NCAA Postgraduate Scholars — the most of any university
• 13 Rhodes Scholars among Stanford scholar-athletes

Updated July 21, 2025

Stanford’s NCAA team championship total has been adjusted from 138 to 137 to align with the NCAA’s updated count, effective July 2025.

During its annual recordkeeping verification process, which included the rollout of a new historical championship database, the NCAA was made aware through independent research that Stanford’s 1938 men’s golf team championship – previously recognized by both entities as an NCAA title – was instead conducted by the United States Golf Association (USGA). The first NCAA-sponsored championship in men’s golf was held in 1939.

Prior to July 2025, Stanford’s championship records (overall and individual sports) annually matched the NCAA’s publicized totals and were reflected as such in previous editions of the championship record books accessible on the NCAA’s website.

With the NCAA now recognizing the institution’s team championship total as 137, Stanford will maintain its standard practice of ensuring all statistical documentation and archiving procedures remains consistent with NCAA records.

Stanford is the nation’s all-time leader in NCAA team championships and enters its fall season having won at least one NCAA team title for 49 consecutive years, dating back to the 1976-77 campaign.