Colorado State is back into March Madness.

The Rams will compete in the 2026 Women’s NCAA Tournament after winning the Mountain West title. It’s the seventh time in program history for CSU to make the Big Dance.

Here’s a look at each of CSU’s NCAA Tournament appearances:

1996

The Rams made the NCAA Tournament for the first time, coming in as a No. 8 seed with a 25-4 record before the Big Dance. CSU made an instant impact, beating No. 9 Nebraska in the first round with Teresa James scoring 22.

The Rams then lost 94-63 to host and No. 1 Stanford (who went to the Final Four that season) with freshman Katie Cronin scoring 16 points.

1998

Back again after a one-year absence, CSU came in as a No. 12 and toppled No. 5 Drake 81-75 in the first round. Cronin had 22 points and 11 rebounds while Becky Hammon poured in 33 points.

The Rams then lost 77-63 to No. 4 and host Purdue in the second round. Hammon scored 23 in that game.

1999

A dream season landed CSU the No. 2 seed with a 31-2 record ahead of the NCAA Tournament. It landed CSU a hosting spot and the Rams toppled No. 15 Cal State-Northridge 71-59 in the first round at Moby Arena.

It was then an 86-70 win at Moby over No. 7 Southwest Missouri State to make the Sweet 16 for the first time in program history.

CSU averaged 8,741 fans at Moby over the two NCAA Tournament games.

The Rams battled with the No. 3 Bruins there but lost 77-68. Cronin hit six 3-pointers in that game.

2001

After a one-year hiatus, the Rams made it back. They were a No. 9 seed and toppled No. 8 Maryland 86-69 in the first round. Jackie Campbell hit five of her six 3-point attempts in the game.

The Rams then ran into powerhouse and No. 1 seed UConn and the hosts ran away 89-44 in front of more than 10,000 fans.

2002

Another set of back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances. The Rams were a No. 7 seed set to play Tulane in a game at Stanford.

CSU went down by as many as 27 points, got it back to within three in the final minute but couldn’t complete the comeback as the Rams lost 73-69. Angie Gorton had 16 points and Ashley Augspurger had 10 points and seven rebounds.

2016

After a long time outside the NCAA Tournament, the Rams broke through and made it for the first time under coach Ryun Williams with a 31-1 record entering the Big Dance.

CSU was a No. 11 seed and faced No. 6 South Florida. The Rams jumped out to a 10-0 start to the game before South Florida came roaring back to take a 12-point second-half lead.

Throwback: Read how the 2016 game went down here.

The Rams got an open 3-pointer in the final seconds off an in-bounds play, but it missed and CSU lost 48-46. Jamie Patrick had 17 points and Ellen Nystrom had 12 to go with eight rebounds.

2026

The Rams are 27-7 overall and won the Mountain West tournament to secure a return spot in the NCAA Tournament.

CSU is a No. 12 seed and will play No. 5 Michigan State at 5:30 p.m. Mountain on March 20 in Norman, Oklahoma.

CSU’s NCAA Tournament numbers

• Number of NCAA Tournament appearances: 7
• NCAA Tournament record: 5-6
• Furthest advancement: Sweet 16
• Biggest upset win: CSU as a No. 12 over No. 5 Drake in 1998
• Best CSU seed: 2 (1999)
• Lowest CSU seed: 12 (1998, 2026)

Sports reporter Kevin Lytle can be found on social media on X, Instagram and Threads @Kevin_Lytle and on Bluesky.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: A look at Colorado State’s Women’s NCAA Tournament history