Before Alec Donovan became the NCAA’s first publicly gay wrestler, he had to win a lifelong match with a private pain that other gay athletes understand too well.

How do the hours spent pushing weights and holding planks translate to success? Accomplished college athletes and their coaches explain the workouts that have helped them reach the top – and what lessons athletes young and old can learn from their methods.

Inside the moments that create an NCAA champion in the world’s oldest sport.

From eligibility to drug testing to host sites, the thinking behind NCAA standards.

Beach volleyball’s journey from an emerging sport for women to an NCAA National Collegiate Championship ended in spectacular fashion on the sun-splashed beaches of Gulf Shores, Alabama, capping several years of efforts that fans never saw.

Once reserved for the most elite college athletes, loss-of-value insurance plans have gone mainstream in the past two years, leaving some to wonder where the line falls between providing security to student-athletes and issuing false hope.

What would you do to bond with your team? To enshrine your sport’s tradition into the annals of history? To maybe even win a bit more often? We found college athletes (and one grass-eating coach) who tattoo their lips, believe in a box of breadcrumbs, kiss a statue, shout nonsense and don retro sweatsuits – all for the sake of being inspired to greatness.

Schuyler Bailar thought he would have to choose between swimming in college and embracing his true identity. He didn't.

In honor of the 45th anniversary of Title IX, a celebration of the 45 top shots, serves, scores and final seconds in NCAA women’s championships.

Millions are interested in college sports; few understand the intricacies behind them. What follows is the story of how 1,117 schools, more than 100 conferences, tens of thousands of athletics administrators and more than 460,000 student-athletes come together to make the NCAA work.