Background: Concussions in female collegiate athletes are understudied. The purpose of this study was to understand the incidence of concussion in women`s sports. Methods: Deidentified data from the Pac-12 Health Analytics Program were analyzed for female athletes from July 2016 to June 2022. Concussion incidences, expressed as cases per 100 athlete-years (AYs), were calculated across contact, limited-contact, and noncontact sports. Results: Between the 2016-2017 and 2021-2022 athletic seasons, 1026 concussions were reported across women`s sports. Volleyball had the highest incidence (14.89 per 100 AYs; 95% CI = 12.88, 17.16) followed by basketball (13.44 per 100 AYs; 95% CI = 11.30, 15.91), water polo (11.93 per 100 AYs; 95% CI = 9.38, 15.05), and soccer (11.03 per 100 AYs, 95% CI = 9.61, 12.63). Conclusions: Female volleyball athletes had the highest concussion rate, and soccer rates were lower than previously reported. These findings highlight the need for tailored prevention strategies and further research. Key Points Female collegiate volleyball athletes experienced the highest concussion rates among women`s sports in the Pac-12, despite the sport`s limited-contact classification. While concussion rates declined in contact sports over time, limited and noncontact sports accounted for an increasing proportion of the overall concussion burden.
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