The St. Thomas Tommies are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent University of Saint Thomas. The school's athletic program includes 21 varsity sports teams. Their mascot is a tiger named Tommie, and the school colors are purple and gray. The university participates in the NCAA's Division I as members of the Summit League[1] in all varsity sports except for football, which competes in the Pioneer Football League, the men's ice hockey team, which competes in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association, and the women's ice hockey team, which competes in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. St. Thomas offers 10 varsity sports for men and 11 for women.
| St. Thomas Tommies | |
|---|---|
 | |
| University | University of St. Thomas |
| Conference |
|
| NCAA | Division I (FCS) |
| Athletic director | Phil Esten |
| Location | St. Paul, Minnesota |
| First year | 1904 |
| Varsity teams | 21 |
| Football stadium | O'Shaughnessy Stadium |
| Basketball arena | Schoenecker Arena |
| Ice hockey arena | St. Thomas Ice Arena |
| Baseball stadium | Koch Diamond |
| Softball stadium | South Field |
| Soccer stadium | South Soccer Field |
| Other venues |
|
| Mascot | Tommie |
| Nickname | Tommies |
| Fight song | Tommie Fight Song |
| Website | www |
History
editVarsity intercollegiate sports began in 1904, and St. Thomas celebrated 100 years of varsity athletics in 2003–04. In 1920, St. Thomas was one of seven charter members of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC).[2]
Since 1973, when the MIAC became affiliated with NCAA Division III, St. Thomas has won more than one-third of the conference's 39 team championships, with 15 NCAA titles in eight different sports, as well as 13 NCAA team runner-up finishes, which includes three additional sports. Overall, St. Thomas has top-five national team finishes in 21 different sports.[2]
In May 2019, the MIAC expelled St. Thomas from the league, due to concerns about "athletic competitive parity." As Sports Illustrated put it, "St. Thomas is just too good at sports for the rest of the MIAC," which was causing other teams to consider abandoning the league and threatening its continued existence.[3]
On October 5, 2019, St. Thomas officially announced its intent to move directly from Division III to Division I, a move that had not occurred since the NCAA established Divisions I, II, and III in 1973, and that was specifically prohibited in 2011. Normally a transition from Division III to I first requires teams to participate for several years in Division II, meaning the entire process would take approximate 12 years to complete. St. Thomas requested a waiver from the NCAA to allow the move, and announced that it had been invited to join the Summit League, a Division I conference that was supporting the school's waiver request.[4]
On July 15, 2020, the NCAA granted permission for St. Thomas to move directly from Division III to Division I beginning in 2021. All but three of the school's 22 teams would compete in the Summit League; the football team will join the Pioneer Football League, a non-scholarship football-only conference with teams in New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Iowa, and California. Men's ice hockey would join the CCHA[5] and the women's ice hockey team would play in the WCHA.[6] The transition process will take 5 years to complete (as opposed to the 4 years it takes schools transitioning from Division II), meaning that St. Thomas will achieve full Division I membership in 2026.
Sports sponsored
editSource:[1]
| Men's sports | Women's sports |
|---|---|
| Baseball | Basketball |
| Basketball | Cross country |
| Cross country | Golf |
| Football | Ice hockey |
| Golf | Soccer |
| Ice hockey | Softball |
| Soccer | Swimming & diving |
| Swimming & diving | Tennis |
| Track and field† | Track and field† |
| Volleyball | |
| † = Track and field includes both indoor and outdoor. | |
National championships
editAssociation for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW)
- Women's cross country 1981
National Collegiate Athletic Association (Division III)
- Women's cross country 1982, 1984, 1986, 1987
- Men's cross country 1984, 1986
- Baseball 2001, 2009
- Softball 2004, 2005
- Men's indoor track & field 1985
- Women's basketball 1991
- Men's basketball 2011, 2016
- Volleyball 2012
References
edit- ^ a b "The Official Home of University of St. Thomas Athletics". University of St. Thomas. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
- ^ a b "Proud Past Bright Future". University of St. Thomas. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
- ^ "D-III Powerhouse St. Thomas Is Getting Kicked Out of Its Conference Because It's Too Good at Sports". Sports Illustrated. May 22, 2019. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
- ^ "St. Thomas announces intentions to go Division I after getting removed from MIAC". Star Tribune. October 4, 2019. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
- ^ "CCHA Welcomes The University Of St. Thomas". Northern Michigan University. July 29, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
- ^ "St. Thomas can go D1; Minn. school was ousted from D3 league". Minnesota Public Radio. July 16, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2020.