Thomas More Saints
| Thomas More Saints | |
|---|---|
 | |
| University | Thomas More University |
| Conference | G-MAC |
| NCAA | Division II (transitional) |
| Athletic director | Terry Connor |
| Location | Crestview Hills, Kentucky |
| Varsity teams | 22 (12 men's, 10 women's) |
| Football stadium | Republic Bank Field |
| Basketball arena | Connor Convocation Center |
| Baseball stadium | Thomas More Stadium |
| Softball stadium | Thomas More Softball Field |
| Soccer stadium | Republic Bank Field |
| Tennis venue | Five Seasons Family Sports Club |
| Volleyball arena | Connor Convocation Center |
| Other venues | Super Bowl Bellewood in Newport (bowling) |
| Nickname | Saints |
| Colors | Blue and gray[1] |
| Website | thomasmoresaints |
 | |
The Thomas More Saints are the athletic teams that represent Thomas More University, located in Crestview Hills, Kentucky, in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) intercollegiate sports. The Saints are currently transitional members of the NCAA's Division II as they move most varsity sports from the Mid-South Conference of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics to the NCAA Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC). The university will compete in the Great Midwest and be eligible for conference championships and tournaments beginning in the 2023–24 academic year, and, following the mandatory transition period, TMU teams will be eligible for NCAA Championships during the 2025-26 year.
Some sports not sponsored by the G-MAC have separate affiliations; notably, the men's volleyball team competes as a de facto Division I member due to the NCAA sponsoring a single national championship for Divisions I and II. That team is competing as an independent in the 2025 season (2024–25 school year) before becoming a single-sport member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference for that conference's first season of men's volleyball in spring 2026.
History
[edit]Thomas More announced its transition to NCAA Division II athletics in July 2022. The Saints had been in the NAIA for the past two academic years and will retain NAIA membership until completion of the 2022–23 academic year. The Saints previously competed as a member of the Division III ranks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the short-lived American Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) during only the 2018–19 school year; as well as a member of the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) from 2005–06 to 2017–18.
Thomas More had previously been members of the NAIA from 1947–48 to 1989–90.[2]
Varsity teams
[edit]| Men's sports | Women's sports |
|---|---|
| Baseball | Basketball |
| Basketball | Bowling |
| Bowling | Cross country |
| Cross country | Golf |
| Football | Lacrosse |
| Golf | Soccer |
| Lacrosse | Softball |
| Soccer | Tennis |
| Tennis | Track and field |
| Track and field | Volleyball |
| Volleyball | |
| Wrestling |
Intercollegiate teams
[edit]Archery, esports, and rugby.
Facilities
[edit]Thomas More University and the Florence Y'alls Baseball Club partnered in March 2022 to rename the home of the Florence Y'alls "Thomas More Stadium". As part of the agreement, the stadium will also become the home of the Thomas More Saints’ baseball team starting in spring 2023. Thomas More announced a major comprehensive fundraising campaign in Fall 2021 in support of a five-year strategic plan that includes enhanced athletic facilities for many of the Saints 29 sports teams.
Additional plans are in place for other facility upgrades at the university that will affect additional Saints sports teams positively; renovations at Republic Bank Field and its track were completed in 2021.
| Venue | Sport(s) | Open. | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas More Stadium | Baseball | 2004 |
[3] |
| Republic Bank Field | Football Soccer Rugby |
2008 |
[4] |
| Connor Convocation Center | Basketball Volleyball Wrestling |
1989 |
[5] |
| Thomas More Softball Field | Softball | 1998 |
[6] |
| Five Seasons Family Sports Club | Tennis | n/a |
[7] |
Accomplishments
[edit]National championships
[edit]| Sport | Titles | Winning years | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basketball (women's) | 2 |
2015–16, 2018–19 | [8] | |
| Rugby (men's) | 1 |
2021 | [9] | |
| Golf (women's) | 1 |
2002 | Lynn Thompson (individual) | [10] |
Championship history
[edit]| Sport | Conference season titles |
Conference tournament titles |
NCAA / NAIA tournament appearances |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baseball | 1956, 1964, 1965, 1966, 2008, 2011, 2015, 2016 | 2010, 2011, 2014, 2016, 2018 | 2000, 2003, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018 |
| Basketball (men's) | 2009, 2010, 2017, 2018, 2022 | 1995, 1996, 2009, 2017, 2018 | 1959, 2009, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022 |
| Basketball (women's) | 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022 | 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 | 1997, 2001, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 |
| Competitive Dance | 2022 | 2022 | |
| Football | 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 | 1992, 2001, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2015, 2016 | |
| Golf (men's) | 2010, 2017 | 2010, 2017 | |
| Golf (women's) | 2017 | 2017 | |
| Track and field (men's) –indoor | 2017 | ||
| Rugby (men's) | 2019, 2021 | 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 | |
| Soccer (men's) | 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017 | 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018 | 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017 |
| Soccer (women's) | 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 | 2005, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 | 2003, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018. |
| Softball | 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018 | 2007, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019 | 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019 |
| Tennis (men's) | 1983, 1986, 1987, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 2017, 2018 | 1983, 1984, 1986, 1989, 2017, 2018 | |
| Volleyball (women's) | 2007, 2009. 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 | 1985, 1986, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018 | 1983, 1985, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018 |
| Wrestling | 2017 | 2021, 2022 |
Individual national qualifiers
[edit]| Sport | Player | Season(s) | Event(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Golf (women's) | Lynn Thompson | 2002 | |
| Track and field (men's) | Lucas Nare | 2014 | 100 and 200-meter dash |
| Chris Wainscott | 2021 | Shot Put | |
| Chris Wainscott | 2022 | Shot Put and Discus | |
| Track and field (men's) –indoor | Jacob Steinmetz | 2020 | Weight Throw |
| Chris Wainscott | 2022 | Weight Throw and Shot Put | |
| Devin Webster | 2022 | Shot Put | |
| Track and field (women's) | Christina Cook | 2015, 16, 17, 18 | 400-meter run |
| Track and field (women's) –indoor | Christina Cook | 2017 | 400-meter run |
| Cross country (women's) | Annabel Clayton | 2019, 20, 21 | |
| Swimming (women's) | Shelby Miller | 2020 | 200, 500 and 1650-yard freestyle |
| Wrestling | Wilder Wichman | 2020, 21, 22 | 157 |
| Andrew Taylor | 2020, 22 | 174 | |
| Avery Jones | 2020 | 184 | |
| James Caniglia | 2020 | 197 | |
| Shay Horton | 2021, 22 | 125 | |
| Ryan Moore | 2021, 22 | 141, 149 | |
| Daulton Mayer | 2021, 22 | 197 |
References
[edit]- ^ "Visual Standards & Brand Guide" (PDF). Retrieved August 17, 2023.
- ^ Moore, Josh (July 24, 2018). "Kentucky college making jump to NAIA from NCAA". Lexington Herald-Leader. Lexington, KY. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
- ^ Thomas More Stadium
- ^ Republic Bank Field
- ^ Connor Convocation Center
- ^ Thomas More Softball Field
- ^ Five Seasons Family Sports Club
- ^ Women's basketball overall records
- ^ Rugby Captures First Ever National Championship on thomasmoresaints.com, 12 Dec 2021
- ^ Our Rich History: Thomas More’s first national champion ever, Lynn Thompson/NCAA women’s golf by By Raymond G. Hebert on Northern Kentucky Tribune, 11 Sep 2023
