Courtesy: Clark MishlerSince its inception in 1980, the University of Alaska Anchorage's Northern Lights Invitational was in search of a home – a permanent one.
Despite prospering into the premier in-season women's college basketball tournament in the nation – featuring such talents as Cheryl Miller of USC, Chamique Holdsclaw of Tennessee and Annette Smith of Texas – the NLI struggled with an identity crisis. It was played at different venues, under various formats and on different dates.
But Sept. 3, 1998, marked the beginning of a new era for UAA flagship event when it was announced that the nationally acclaimed Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout would encompass a four-team women's tourney as well. With the merger, the women's Shootout coincides with the men's eight-team format held at the 8,700-capacity Sullivan Arena in Midtown Anchorage, providing more visibility for the women's program.
In November 1999, the women's Shootout made its debut at Sullivan, with underdog UAA taking Louisville and Northern Arizona to the wire before falling, and Kansas capturing the championship. Since then, the Seawolf women have made more history as the tourney’s lone Division II team has claimed titles in 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009.
Begun as a four-team event in 1980, the NLI grew to eight teams from 1981 through 1992. The 1993 and 1994 tourneys followed a four-team, round-robin format, but the NLI reverted back to an eight-team field for the 1994-95 campaign and continued that way for the next four years, until budget constraints forced the suspension of the 1998 tournament.
The NLI was once traditionally played in late February or early March. But with the rise of popularity of women's basketball, scheduling became more difficult and in the mid-90s the event was moved to the week before Christmas.
The 1,250-seat on-campus Wells Fargo Sports Complex served as the home of the NLI for all but three installments, when the tourney was held at Sullivan from 1983-85.
Continually striving to showcase NCAA Division I women's basketball at its best, the NLI reached greater heights as the ESPN cable network televised the 1996 and 1997 championship games live to a nationwide audience.
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Women's All-Time Champions / Runners-Up / MOPs
Year Champion Runner-up Score Most Outstanding Player
1980 Iowa Alaska Anchorage 73-52 Cindy Haugejordge (Iowa)
1981 San Diego State Houston 50-41 Diena Pels (SDSU)
1982 Minnesota Indiana 70-66 Laura Coenen (Minnesota)
1983 Old Dominion Wichita State 76-53 Lorri Bauman (Drake)
1984 Texas UNLV 82-60 Annette Smith (Texas)
1985 Louisiana Tech Penn State 88-69 Dawn Royster (N. Carolina)
1986 Northeast Louisiana Southern Cal 70-68 Lisa Ingram (NE La.)
1987 New Orleans Memphis State 84-61 Kunshinge Sorrell (Miss. State)
1988 South Carolina UNLV 98-97 OT Martha Parker (USC)
1989 Stephen F. Austin Old Dominion 96-81 Connie Cole (SFA)
1990 Alaska Anchorage South Alabama 88-87 Diane Dobrich (UAA)
1991 Northern Illinois Louisville 63-60 Lisa Foss (NIU)
1992 Penn State Mo.-Kansas City 83-62 Susan Robinson (PSU)
1993 Hawaii SMU RR** Valerie Agee (Hawaii)
1994* Rhode Island NE Louisiana RR** Dayna Smith (URI)
1994* Clemson UCLA 79-62 Tara Saunooke (Clemson)
1995 South Carolina Arizona State 83-71 Shannon Johnson (USC)
1996 Georgia Oregon 72-55 Tracy Henderson (UGa)
1997 Tennessee Wisconsin 87-66 Chamique Holdsclaw (UT)
1998 No Tournament
1999 Kansas Louisville 78-68 Lynn Pride (Kansas)
2000 Ohio State Rhode Island 95-60 Jamie Lewis (OSU)
2001 Iowa Gonzaga 90-73 Lindsey Meder (Iowa)
2002 Nevada Indiana 68-56 Laura Ingham (Nevada)
2003 Alaska Anchorage Clemson 61-58 Kamie Jo Massey (UAA)
2004 Stanford La.-Lafayette 67-47 Candice Wiggins (Stanford)
2005 Cent. Connecticut St. Arizona 69-65 OT Gabriella Guegbelet, (CCSU)
2006 Alaska Anchorage UC Riverside 72-67 Rebecca Kielpinski (UAA)
2007 Alaska Anchorage Santa Clara 52-50 Rebecca Kielpinski (UAA)
2008 Alaska Anchorage Syracuse 58-57 Rebecca Kielpinski (UAA)
2009 Alaska Anchorage Cincinnati 49-48 Nicci Miller (UAA)
2010 Kent State Alaska Anchorage 53-47 Jamilah Humes (Kent State)
2011 Miami, Fla. South Florida 92-72 Shenise Johnson (Miami)
2012 Utah State Alaska Anchorage 67-57 Devyn Christiansen (Utah State)
* = 1994 tourneys played in Jan. & Dec., respectively
RR** = 4-team round robin format
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Women's All-Time Participants
School Record Year(s)
Air Force 1-1 2006
Akron 1-2 1997
Alabama Birmingham 1-2 1987
Alaska Anchorage 33-51 ALL
Alaska Fairbanks 1-2 1981
Appalachian State 2-1 1991
Arizona 1-1 2005
Arizona State 4-2 1982, 95
Arkansas 2-1 1982
Arkansas State 1-2 1988
Army 0-3 1994
Baylor 2-4 1988, 92
Boise State 1-2 1990
Boston College 1-2 1996
Bradley 0-2 2007
Brigham Young 2-3 1996, 03
Butler 0-2 2006
Cal State Northridge 0-2 2008
Central Connecticut State 2-0 2005
Central Michigan 1-1 2011
Cincinnati 1-1 2009
Clemson 4-1 1994, 03
Cleveland State 1-1 2007
Coastal Carolina 1-1 2009
Drake 2-1 1983
Eastern Kentucky 0-2 2002
Eastern Washington 1-1 2004
Florida State 1-2 1984
Fordham 0-3 1988
Furman 1-1 2005
Georgia 3-0 1996
Georgia State 2-4 1984, 91
Georgia Tech 5-4 1983, 90, 94
Gonzaga 2-3 1987, 01
Hawaii 7-2 1981, 85, 93
Holy Cross 1-2 1995
Houston 2-1 1981
Idaho 2-1 1984
Indiana 3-2 1982, 02
Iona 2-1 1986
Iowa 4-0 1980, 01
Jackson State 1-1 2008
Kansas 2-0 1999
Kent State 2-0 2010
Louisiana Lafayette 1-1 2004
Louisiana Tech 3-0 1985
Louisville 4-4 1985, 91, 99
Loyola Marymount 1-5 1985, 95
Manhattan 2-1 1997
Marist 0-3 1995
Marquette 2-3 1992, 01
Memphis State 2-1 1987
Mercer 1-2 1996
Miami, Fla. 5-3 1984, 87, 2011
Minnesota 3-0 1982
Mississippi 2-1 1997
Mississippi State 2-1 1987
Missouri-Kansas City 2-1 1992
Monmouth 0-3 1989
Montana State 1-2 1994
Mount St. Mary’s 0-2 2003
Nevada 2-2 1980, 02
Nevada-Las Vegas 4-2 1984, 88
New Mexico 1-2 1981
New Mexico State 1-2 1991
New Orleans 5-1 1987, 92
North Carolina 2-1 1985
North Carolina-Greensboro 1-2 1994
North Dakota State 1-1 2012
Northeast Louisiana 5-1 1986, 94
Northeastern Illinois 0-3 1993
Northern Arizona 1-4 1991, 99
Northern Illinois 3-0 1991
Notre Dame 1-2 1981
Ohio State 2-0 2000
Old Dominion 5-1 1983, 89
Oregon 2-1 1996
Penn State 5-1 1985, 92
Pennsylvania 1-2 1983
Pepperdine 1-5 1984, 97
Portland State 1-2 1989
Prairie View A&M 0-2 2012
Providence 3-3 1989, 94
Purdue 2-1 1981
Radford 0-3 1987
Rhode Island 4-1 1994, 00
Sacramento State 2-1 1992
San Diego 1-2 1986
San Diego State 5-1 1981, 89
San Francisco 0-3 1982
San Jose State 0-2 2010
Santa Clara 1-1 2007
South Alabama 2-1 1990
South Carolina 6-0 1988, 95
South Florida 1-4 1983, 2011
Southeastern Louisiana 0-3 1992
Southern California 2-1 1986
Southern Methodist 4-5 1986, 90, 93
Southern Utah 0-3 1990
Stanford 3-2 1983, 04
Stephen F. Austin 3-0 1989
Syracuse 1-1 2008
Temple 2-1 1990
Tennessee 3-0 1997
Texas 3-0 1984
Texas A&M 1-2 1997
Texas-El Paso 2-1 1989
Texas-San Antonio 1-2 1991
Toledo 2-1 1996
Tulane 2-1 1995
UC Riverside 1-1 2006
UCLA 2-1 1994
U.S. International 1-2 1988
Utah State 3-5 1982, 86, 2012
Valparaiso 1-1 2000
Wake Forest 1-2 1990
Washington 2-3 1982, 2010
Weber State 2-1 1986
Western Carolina 0-2 2009
Western Kentucky 4-2 1986, 88
Wichita State 2-1 1983
William & Mary 2-1 1994
Wisconsin 2-1 1997
Wyoming 1-1 1980
Xavier 2-1 1995
Yale 0-3 1985
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Women's Shootout Teams Qualifying for that Year's NCAA Tournament
1980 & 1981: No NCAA Women's Tournament
1982 (1): Arizona State
1983 (1): Old Dominion**
1984 (2): Nevada-Las Vegas, Texas*
1985 (3): Louisiana Tech*, North Carolina, Penn State
1986 (3): Alaska Anchorage, Southern Cal***, Western Kentucky**
1987 (2): Memphis State, New Orleans
1988 (3): Alaska Anchorage, South Carolina, Western Kentucky
1989 (4): Alaska Anchorage, Old Dominion, Providence, Stephen F. Austin
1990 (0)
1991 (2): Appalachian State, Northern Illinois
1992 (2): Alaska Anchorage, Penn State
1993 (0)
1994 (1): Alaska Anchorage
1994-95 (0)
1995-96 (2): Holy Cross, Tulane
1996-97 (3): Georgia*, Oregon, Toledo
1997-98 (2): Tennessee****, Wisconsin
1999-00 (2): Alaska Anchorage, Kansas
2000-01 (0)
2001-02 (1): Iowa
2002-03 (0)
2003-04 (0)
2004-05 (1): Stanford*
2005-06 (0)
2006-07 (2): Alaska Anchorage, UC Riverside
2007-08 (2): Alaska Anchorage**, Cleveland State
2008-09 (1): Alaska Anchorage**
2009-10 (1): Alaska Anchorage
2010-11 (1): Alaska Anchorage
2011-12 (2): Alaska Anchorage*, Miami (Fla.)
2012-13 (0)
*Elite 8 Qualifier
**Final 4 Qualifier
***NCAA Runner-Up
****NCAA Champion
