[3] In the knockout round, Illinois would defeat North Carolina 4–3 in the quarterfinals then would beat Michigan 1–0 in overtime to reach their first finals.
Then, in a rematch of the previous year's semifinals where BYU's 4-title run and 28-game national championship win streak was broken by eventual champions, Penn State, in penalties.
[4][5] In the finals, BYU would defeat Illinois 4–0, including a goal from sophomore Matt Affleck winning their 5th title in 6 years.
They then defeated two-time champion and regional runners-up Miami (OH) 2–1 with goals from senior co-captain Jessica Duggan and freshman Marina Karag.
In the knockout round, UC-Santa Barbara beat Michigan State 1–0 in the quarterfinals with a goal from senior co-captain Alison Conway; then, following a 1–1 draw in regulation where UCSB's freshman Veronica Noone scored and a scoreless overtime, would defeat Arizona after 9 rounds of a penalty shootout in the semifinals to advance to their first finals.
In the finals, Penn State would score the lone goal of the game and claim their first national title.
Meanwhile, Texas Tech would face Utah Valley State in the quarterfinals and scored two goals early then received a red card but were able to hold them off 2–1 to advance to the semifinals where they defeated the back-to-back, reigning champions, JMU, 3–0.
In the finals, the game would be tied 1–1 after regulation, but Colorado "Black" would score a golden goal in overtime to defeat Ohio State and claim their first open title.
Following this tournament, Chrismer would walk on to Colorado's varsity team where she would appear in 5 matches and would record a single assist which was against Oklahoma on October 25, 2002, to Kristina Lamberty in what would end up being the game winner.
Knockout stage games needed to declare a winner, so if one was tied at the end of regulation, overtime would begin.
The teams that participated in the open division were chosen on a first-come first-serve basis with registration beginning on September 3, 2001.