University of St. Thomas “Involuntarily” Removed From MIAC
The University of St. Thomas has been "involuntarily" removed from the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
According to a release, "The MIAC Presidents' Council cites athletic competitive parity in the conference as a primary concern. St. Thomas will begin a multi-year transition immediately and meanwhile is eligible to compete as a full member of the MIAC through the end of spring 2021."
The President of the University, Julie Sullivan, issued a statement addressing the concern of the University leaving the conference, stating how the University was a founding member of the conference and how the University tried to remain with the conference.
"As a founding member of the MIAC, St. Thomas has had a long history with these competitors, and we believe our strong presence and success in the conference has made it a better and more competitive one. This history holds importance to our entire community, including our students, coaches and alumni.
St. Thomas expended tremendous effort to remain in the MIAC and stabilize the conference. However, the presidents came to a consensus that the conference itself would cease to exist in its current form if St. Thomas remained. The primary concern cited by the other MIAC presidents is the lack of competitive parity within the conference, across many sports. They stated that St. Thomas has not violated any MIAC or NCAA rules and leaves the conference in good standing."
You can see the whole statement HERE.
For now, the Tommies will have to decide if they want to move up to the Division II level, and there could be a spot in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. The Tommies could also move to the WIAC (Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) which is currently filled with all schools in the Wisconsin University System schools.
Either way, the decisions ahead are complicated for the Tommies.
President Sullivan continued that the University will focus on the experience of the student-athletes.
"While this decision is extremely disappointing, we will continue to prioritize the welfare and overall experience of our student-athletes. They embrace and represent both academic and athletic excellence and are important contributors to our university’s culture. Additionally, our coaches share the values of advancing comprehensive excellence and are among the best in the country."