There are numerous men's and women's college lacrosse teams at schools that are members of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), which is an alternate varsity athletic organization to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
The WolverineâÂÂHoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) was the first NAIA lacrosse conference to offer a championship for both men and women.
During the summer of 2015, the NAIA approved men's and women's lacrosse to move from emerging sport status to national invitational. This move allows NAIA varsity teams to compete within the NAIA rather than an outside organization. The first NAIA National Invitational Tournament (NIT) was held in May 2016 in Greenville, South Carolina. Lacrosse is required to remain an invitational sport for a minimum of two years before applying for full championship status. Women's lacrosse moved to championship status beginning in the 2020âÂÂ21 season. The inaugural NAIA women's lacrosse championship was held in Savannah, Georgia, in May 2021. Men's lacrosse was also elevated to championship status in 2024âÂÂ25.