 While the team failed to win a GSC title for the first time in eight years, it excelled in the NCAA South Central Regional, Elite Eight and Final Four to secure the first national championship ever claimed by a UNA women's athletic team.The team regained its GSC title in 2004.In 2006, the Lions lacked only one victory winning the national championship, falling to top-ranked Tampa in the finals of the NCAA Tournament in Pensacola, Florida.