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.

Thomas More Saints
Logo
UniversityThomas More University
ConferenceG-MAC
NCAADivision II (transitional)
Athletic directorTerry Connor
LocationCrestview Hills, Kentucky
Varsity teams22
Football stadiumRepublic Bank Field
Basketball arenaConnor Convocation Center
Baseball stadiumThomas More Stadium
Softball stadiumThomas More Softball Field
Tennis venueFive Seasons Family Sports Club
Other venuesSuper Bowl Bellewood in Newport (bowling)
NicknameSaints
ColorsBlue and gray[1]
   
Websitethomasmoresaints.com

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

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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

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List of teams

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Facilities

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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.

Accomplishments

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National championships

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Sport Championship years
Women's Basketball 2016
Women's Basketball - Semifinalist 2018
Women's Basketball 2019
Women's Basketball - Runners-Up 2021
Women's Basketball 2022
Men's Basketball - Semifinalists 2022
Men's Rugby 2021
Lynn Thompson - Women's Golf Individual Champion 2002

Championship history

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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
Men's Basketball 2009, 2010, 2017, 2018, 2022 1995, 1996, 2009, 2017, 2018 1959, 2009, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022
Women's Basketball 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
Men's Golf 2010, 2017 2010, 2017
Women's Golf 2017 2017
Men's Indoor Track & Field 2017
Men's Rugby 2019, 2021 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021
Men's Soccer 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017
Women's Soccer 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
Men's Tennis 1983, 1986, 1987, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 2017, 2018 1983, 1984, 1986, 1989, 2017, 2018
Women's Volleyball 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

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Sport Player Seasons(s) Event(s)
Women's Golf Lynn Thompson 2002
Men's Outdoor Track & Field Lucas Nare 2014 100 and 200-meter dash
Chris Wainscott 2021 Shot Put
Chris Wainscott 2022 Shot Put and Discus
Men's Indoor Track & Field Jacob Steinmetz 2020 Weight Throw
Chris Wainscott 2022 Weight Throw and Shot Put
Devin Webster 2022 Shot Put
Women's Outdoor Track & Field Christina Cook 2015, 16, 17, 18 400-meter run
Women's Indoor Track & Field Christina Cook 2017 400-meter run
Women's Cross Country Annabel Clayton 2019, 20, 21
Women's Swimming & Diving 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

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  1. ^ "Visual Standards & Brand Guide" (PDF). Retrieved August 17, 2023.
  2. ^ Moore, Josh (July 24, 2018). "Kentucky college making jump to NAIA from NCAA". Lexington Herald-Leader. Lexington, KY. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
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