At the 2026 NCAA Convention in the Washington, D.C., stunt was voted to become an NCAA Championship, while flag football entered the Emerging Sports for Women program.

STUNT added to Championship status
Purdue Northwest STUNT competed in their inaugural season in Spring 2025 and saw their first season end with an 8-10 record and finish ranked #15 nationally in all of NCAA Division II STUNT. The Pride will begin their second season starting February 1.

Stunt's growth has been rapid across the NCAA, crossing the benchmark of 40 schools meeting minimum contest and participant requirements in its first year as an emerging sport in all three divisions. It joined the Emerging Sports for Women program in 2023 in Divisions I and II, while Division III added it in 2024.

Stunt transforms traditional cheerleading skills into a head-to-head, four-quarter format emphasizing athleticism and precision. Teams compete in partner stunts, pyramids, and jumps and tumbling, with points awarded based on execution. 

The first championship will be conducted in Spring 2027 and will be conducted through a double-elimination tournament structure.

Women's Flag Football earns NCAA emerging sport status
Flag football has been added to the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program, effective immediately, after representatives from all three divisions approved the recommendation while at the 2026 NCAA Convention in the Washington, D.C., area.

Flag football has been one of the fastest-growing sports in the country at the youth, high school and collegiate levels. The sport's momentum includes being added as a sport for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

The Emerging Sports for Women program is intended to help schools provide more athletics opportunities for women and more sport-sponsorship options for schools, while helping that sport achieve NCAA championship status.

The Purdue Northwest Women's Flag Football program will begin their inaugural season this spring beginning in early March.