When the Harvard's women's hockey team defeated the University of New Hampshire at Minnesota's Mariucci Arena on March 27, 1999, it celebrated as National Champions.

Posting a miraculous 31-1 record that season, the Crimson was able to beat the defending champion Wildcats in a fantastic overtime victory to claim the first title in its 21-year history.

Harvard was the best collegiate women's ice hockey team in the land. And it had the trophy to prove it.

But the Crimson wasn't NCAA champs.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association, the most well-known organizing body that sponsors national championships in collegiate sports, did not yet hold a women's ice hockey championship. Beginning in the 2000-2001 season, the NCAA will sponsor a Collegiate Championship.

"Our feeling is that the sport was always welcome in the NCAA," said NCAA Assistant Director of Championships Troy Arthur, "It did not yet have the numbers to warrant NCAA sponsorship."

Sponsorship came from USA Hockey, which had received a grant from the United States Olympic Committee to start up a championship for the increasingly popular sport. USA Hockey made an agreement with the American Women's College Hockey Association (AWCHA), a coach's organization, and sponsored a national championship. Competitors for this new group came from the almost 40 collegiate teams nationwide.

"We're obviously very excited to be a part of the NCAA," Harvard Coach Katey Stone said. "But USA Hockey did a great job and supported the sport when no one else was there. We can't forget that."