It is a member of the NCAA Division I Summit League; the 2019–2020 season was their first in the new conference.

The first year the university fielded a women's team was in 1894.

With the exception of 1986, 1987, and 1989, the basketball team appeared in every NCAA Division II tournament from 1984 to 2007.

The Fighting Hawks have made one appearance in the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament.

The Fighting Hawks, then known as the Fighting Sioux, made twenty-two appearances in the NCAA Division II women's basketball tournament.