Ivy League softball tournament
| Ivy League softball tournament | |
|---|---|
| Conference softball championship | |
| Sport | College softball |
| Conference | Ivy League |
| Number of teams | 4 |
| Format | Double elimination |
| Current stadium | Regular season champion |
| Last contest | 2025 |
| Current champion | Brown (1) |
| Most championships | Harvard (6) |
| Official website | ivyleague.com/softball |
| Host stadiums | |
| Soldiers Field (2007, 2011-2012, 2016, 2019) Class of 1895 Field (2008, 2017) Niemand Robison Field (2009, 2010) Penn Park (2013) Dartmouth Softball Park (2014, 2015, 2018) Strubing Field (2022-2024) Cynthia Lynn Paul '94 Field (2025) | |
| Host locations | |
| Cambridge, MA (2007, 2011-2012, 2016, 2019) Princeton, NJ (2008, 2017, 2023-2025) Ithaca, NY (2009-2010) Philadelphia, PA (2013) Hanover, NH (2014, 2015, 2018) | |
The Ivy League softball tournament is the conference softball championship of the NCAA Division I Ivy League. The top four finishers from the round-robin regular season participate in a double elimination tournament held at the site of the regular season champion, with the winner earning the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I softball tournament.
Harvard won the inaugural Ivy League tournament in 2023.
From 2007 until 2017, the top team in the North and South Division would play in a best-of-three series at the end of the regular season, which was known as the Ivy League Championship Series. For 2018, 2019, and 2022, the league's top two teams would play in a best-of-three series at the end of the regular season. The Series was not held in 2020 and 2021 when the series was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic[1][2] In 2023, a baseball tournament was finally held. Brown is the most recent champion, having won their first championship in 2025.[3]
History
In 1980, the Ivy League instituted a regular season champion for softball play. Yale won the first Ivy title that year.
From 2007 to 2017, the teams were split into two divisions; the Mid-Atlantic members are in the Lou Gehrig Division, and the New England members are in the Red Rolfe Division. The winners of each division would meet in a best-of-three championship series to determine the Ivy League's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I softball tournament. The 2012 Series required a one-game playoff between Cornell and Penn, who each went 15-5. Penn won 4-0 on May 5, with Alexis Borden throwing a perfect game. Harvard then won the championship series (held on May 11 and May 12) in a two-game sweep.[4][5]
Starting in 2023, the Ivy League would replace the series format with a four-team double elimination tournament held at the site of the regular season champion. The winner of the tournament would receive an automatic berth to the NCAA tournament. Princeton, Harvard, Yale, and Columbia were the four seeds of the first tournament in 2023. Harvard won the first softball tournament over Princeton.[6][7] Princeton, Yale, Harvard, and Dartmouth were the field for 2024, and Princeton won the tournament.[8][9] Princeton, Harvard, Columbia, and Brown were the field for 2025, and Brown became the first 4 seed to win the Ivy tournament. [10]
Champions
By year
The following is a list of conference champions and sites by year.[11]
Championship Series
| Year | Champion | Runner-up | Games | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Harvard | Penn | 2 | Soldiers Field • Cambridge, MA |
| 2008 | Princeton | Harvard | 2 | Class of 1895 Field • Princeton, NJ |
| 2009 | Cornell | Dartmouth | 3 | Niemand Robison Field • Ithaca, NY |
| 2010 | Cornell | Dartmouth | 3 | Niemand Robison Field • Ithaca, NY |
| 2011 | Harvard | Cornell | 2 | Soldiers Field • Cambridge, MA |
| 2012 | Harvard | Penn | 2 | Soldiers Field • Cambridge, MA |
| 2013 | Penn | Dartmouth | 3 | Penn Park • Philadelphia, PA |
| 2014 | Dartmouth | Penn | 3 | Dartmouth Softball Park • Hanover, NH |
| 2015 | Dartmouth | Penn | 3 | Dartmouth Softball Park • Hanover, NH |
| 2016 | Princeton | Harvard | 3 | Soldiers Field • Cambridge, MA |
| 2017 | Princeton | Harvard | 2 | Class of 1895 Field • Princeton, N.J. |
| 2018 | Harvard | Dartmouth | 2 | Dartmouth Softball Park • Hanover, NH |
| 2019 | Harvard | Columbia | 2 | Soldiers Field • Cambridge, MA |
| 2020 | Canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic | |||
| 2021 | Canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic | |||
| 2022 | Princeton | Harvard | 3 | Strubing Field • Princeton, NJ |
Tournament
| Year | Champion | Runner-up | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Harvard | Princeton | Strubing Field • Princeton, NJ |
| 2024 | Princeton | Harvard | Strubing Field • Princeton, NJ |
| 2025 | Brown | Princeton | Cynthia Lynn Paul '94 Field • Princeton, NJ |
Championships by school
The following is a list of conference champions listed by school.
| Program | App. | Titles | Winning years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Princeton | 7 | 5 | 2008, 2016, 2017, 2022, 2024 |
| Columbia | 2 | 0 | |
| Harvard | 12 | 6 | 2007, 2011, 2012, 2018, 2019, 2024 |
| Yale | 2 | 0 | |
| Dartmouth | 7 | 2 | 2014, 2015 |
| Penn | 5 | 1 | 2013 |
| Brown | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Cornell | 3 | 2 | 2009, 2010 |
Notes
References
- ^ https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/1667439/2020/03/10/ivys-decision-to-cancel-tourney-because-of-coronavirus-devastates-teams/
- ^ https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/2021/02/18/ivy-league-cancels-spring-sports-season-because-covid-19/4493554001/
- ^ https://ivyleague.com/news/2025/5/11/softball-no-4-brown-wins-ivy-league-tournament-championship.aspx
- ^ https://ivyleague.com/sports/2017/7/28/championships-sball-2011-12-index.aspx?id=985&
- ^ https://www.thedp.com/article/2012/05/borden_perfecto_sends_penn_softball_to_ivy_championship
- ^ https://ivyleague.com/news/2023/5/9/inaugural-ivy-softball-tournament-heads-to-princeton-may-11-13.aspx
- ^ https://ivyleague.com/news/2023/5/13/no-2-harvard-captures-inaugural-ivy-league-softball-tournament-title.aspx
- ^ https://ivyleague.com/news/2024/5/4/field-set-for-2024-ivy-league-softball-tournament.aspx
- ^ https://ivyleague.com/news/2024/5/11/princeton-captures-2024-ivy-league-softball-tournament-title.aspx
- ^ https://ivyleague.com/news/2025/5/4/ivy-league-softball-tournament-tickets-on-sale-now.aspx
- ^ 23-24 Ivy League Records Book (PDF). Ivy League. p. 8. Retrieved October 19, 2025.