May marks Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, a time to recognize and celebrate the rich diversity and impact of AANHPI individuals across college sports.
From record growth in student-athlete participation to increased leadership representation, here's a look at the influence of AANHPI communities in NCAA sports — by the numbers.
1) A growing presence in college sports
- 13,739—Total AANHPI student-athletes competing across all NCAA divisions in 2023-24.
- 4%—Year-over-year increase from 2022-23 (484 student-athletes).
- 54%—Growth over the past decade (4,846 student-athletes).
2) Top sports for AANHPI student-athletes
The top five sports, by total number of AANHPI student-athletes in 2023-24, are the following:
Men
- Football— 1,302.
- Outdoor track and field— 785.
- Soccer— 706.
- Indoor track and field— 678.
- Baseball—647.
Women
- Soccer— 690.
- Tennis— 641.
- Swimming and diving— 636.
- Outdoor track and field— 624.
- Indoor track and field— 579.
While football and women's soccer account for the highest number of AANHPI student-athletes, respectively, other sports stand out by the percentage of AANHPI student-athletes. Below are the top five sports for men and women by that metric.
Men
- Fencing— 23%.
- Gymnastics— 11%.
- Tennis— 9%.
- Rifle— 7%.
- Swimming and diving— 6%.
Women
- Fencing— 30%.
- Golf— 10%.
- Tennis— 8%.
- Rugby— 8%.
- Gymnastics— 8%.
3) Sport growth in the AANHPI community
Recent data shows that AANHPI representation is expanding across a wide range of sports, with significant gains in both total participants and percentage growth.
Highest percentage growth in the past 10 years (minimum 100 student-athletes)
Men:
- Volleyball—122%.
- Lacrosse—110%.
- Soccer— 93%.
- Indoor track and field— 91%.
- Baseball— 78%.
Women:
- Lacrosse— 95%.
- Fencing— 87%.
- Golf—82%.
- Gymnastics— 78%.
- Field hockey— 73%.
Largest numerical growth in the past 10 years
Men:
- Football— 388.
- Soccer— 340.
- Indoor track and field— 323.
- Outdoor track and field— 315.
- Baseball— 284.
Women:
- Golf—258.
- Swimming and diving—222.
- Soccer—215.
- Indoor track and field—201.
- Outdoor track and field—181.
4) Leadership trends
AANHPI representation is growing in leadership roles, too.
- 49%— Increase in AANHPI head coaches across all NCAA divisions compared with a decade ago, going from 202 in 2014 to 301 in 2024. Division III accounted for 123 of the AANHPI head coaches in 2024.
- 53%— Increase in AANHPI presidents/chancellors since 2017, when data on presidents/chancellors was first collected by the NCAA. The total number increased from 19 to 29.
5) Academic excellence
Graduation data highlights how AANHPI student-athletes have increasingly succeeded in the classroom as well.
- Since 2002, Division I graduation rates for AANHPI student-athletes have increased from 72% to 93%. In Division I, AANHPI women student-athletes increased their graduation rates from 79% to 97% during that time, with AANHPI men going from 65% to 88%.
(This summary includes the latest data on Asian American and Pacific Islanderstudent-athletes and leadershipin the NCAA for the 2023-24 academic year. The figures reflect individuals categorized as "Asian" and "Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander" in theNCAA Demographics Database.)