 In the Lady Gators' first year as a varsity sports team, Ryan's Gators finished seventh at the AIAW national championship tournament, beginning a streak of nineteen consecutive top-ten finishes in the AIAW and NCAA national championship tournaments.Ryan's golfers finished second in the AIAW national championship tournament in 1978 and 1978.The 1981–1982 school year was the transition year for sponsorship of national championship tournaments for women's college sports in the United States.