The 1996 NCAA Division I softball tournament was the fifteenth annual tournament to determine the national champion of

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

women's collegiate softball. Held during May 1996, thirty-two Division I college softball teams contested the championship. The tournament featured eight regionals of four teams, each in a double elimination format. The 1996 Women's College World Series was held in

Columbus, Georgia Columbus is a consolidated city-county located on the west-central border of the U.S. state of Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee County, with which it ...

from May 23 through May 27 and marked the conclusion of the

1996 NCAA Division I softball season The 1996 NCAA Division I softball season, play of college softball in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level, began in February 1996. The season progressed through the regular ...

. This marked the last time that the Women's College World Series was held in a city other than

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, and ...

, and previewed Golden Park's hosting of softball events for the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

won their fourth NCAA championship by defeating 6–4 in the final game. Arizona second baseman

Jenny Dalton Jenny Dalton-Hill (born March 5, 1974) is an American former collegiate All-American softball player and current sports commentator. She played for the Arizona Wildcats softball, Arizona Wildcats from 1993 to 1996 where she won three Women's Col ...

was named

Women's College World Series Most Outstanding Player The Women's College World Series Most Outstanding Player is an award for the best individual performance during the Women's College World Series, the college softball national championship event in the United States. The recipient of the award is ...

Qualifying

Regionals

Regional No. 1

Arizona qualifies for WCWS.

Regional No. 2

Michigan qualifies for WCWS.

Regional No. 3

Iowa qualifies for WCWS.

Regional No. 4

Southwestern Louisiana qualifies for WCWS.

Regional No. 5

California qualifies for WCWS.

Regional No. 6

Princeton qualifies for WCWS.

Regional No. 7

UCLA qualifies for WCWS.

Regional No. 8

Washington qualifies for WCWS.

Women's College World Series

Participants

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Bracket

Championship Game

All-Tournament Team

The following players were named to the All-Tournament Team

References

{{1995–96 NCAA Division I championships navbox 1996 NCAA Division I softball season NCAA Division I softball tournament Women's sports in Georgia (U.S. state)