St. Thomas takes 12th in D-III Directors' Cup

July 09, 2008

St. Thomas finished 12th out of 424 institutions in the 2007-08 NCAA Division III Directors' Cup all-sport standings -- its best showing in eight years. The Tommies' 594.25 points were their most ever. UST has placed in the top 40 in Division III all 13 years of the competition, including nine top-25 finishes.

The final scoring was announced by the National Association of Collegiate Athletics Directors (NACDA). The prestigious competition is sponsored by NACDA, the United States Sports Academy, and USA TODAY, and seeks to recognize the top overall collegiate athletics programs in the country.

Williams (Mass.) took first for the 12th time in 13 seasons with 1,120 points. Two other MIAC institutions finished in the top 75 -- Gustavus placed 22nd (524.2) and St. John's took 40th (369.0).

UST had no top-four national team finishes but had seven top-25 placings and scored in 11 of 20 sports (the best finish of indoor and outdoor track is used).

Tommie women's teams took seventh in women's golf; tied for ninth in volleyball; placed seventh in indoor track; tied for 17th softball; placed 25th in women's cross country; tied for 33rd in women's basketball; and tied for 49th in women's swimming.

St. Thomas men's points came with a tie for fifth in both hockey and outdoor track; a tie for 17th in baseball; and a tie for 33rd in men's basketball.

In national polls during 2007-08, St. Thomas had teams ranked in the top five in softball, women's golf and men's hockey. The Tommies were also ranked in the top 20 in baseball, men's basketball, women's hockey, women's cross country and volleyball. UST was the lone Division III institution to be ranked in the top 20 all season in softball and baseball.

Maria Bye capped a remarkable career in academics and athletics. (Mike Ekern photo)

In Division II, top 60 placers included Minnesota State Mankato, which took third; St. Cloud State, which placed 53rd; and Winona State, which placed 60th. In Division I, the Minnesota Gophers are in 27th place, with baseball and track and field points still to come.

Click here to access final 2008 Division III scoring:

http://nacda.cstv.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/nacda/sports/directorscup/auto_pdf/RandSDIIIMay22

Division III Top 15 Placers
1. Williams (Mass) 1120.25
2. Washington (Mo.) 899
3. New Jersey 825.25
4. Amherst (Mass.) 815
5. Middlebury (Vt.) 813.50
6. UW-Whitewater 808
7. Emory (Ga.) 752.50
8. Wartburg (Iowa) 722
9. SUNY-Cortland 709.25
10. UW-Eau Claire 628
11. Messiah (Pa.) 615.25
12. St. Thomas 592.25
13. UW-Stevens Point 587.25
14. Ithaca (N.Y.) 585
15. Tufts (Mass.) 580

MIAC Scorers
12. St. Thomas 592.25
22. Gustavus 524.20
40. St. John's 369
86. Bethel 234.50
105. Carleton 175.5
133. St. Olaf 147
165. Concordia-M'head 101.5
186. Augsburg 85
244. St. Benedict 50
265. Macalester 26.50

St. Thomas' All-Time Directors' Cup Scoring
Year/Place/Points
1996/14th of 402/388.5 points
1997/18th of 402/340.5
1998/t-25th of 402/200
1999/16th of 387/240
2000/4th of 393/586
2001/25th of 395/353.5
2002/13th of 400/446.5
2003/35th of 424/301
2004/40th of 424/296
2005/24th of 424/356
2006/28th of 424/398
2007/28th of 424/431.25
2008/12th of 424/592.75

Al McCoy helped the Toms sweep the MIAC regular-seaosn and playoff titles. (Mike Ekern photo)

2007-08 Tommie Highlights:

General Highlights:

--For the ninth year in a row, St. Thomas collected more MIAC team championships than its conference peers. The Tommies won or shared 11 of 22 regular-season championships and claimed five of 11 playoff titles in 2007-08. MIAC runner-up finishes were posted in men's and women's hockey and women's tennis, and playoff runner-up placings were recorded in women's hockey and women's basketball.

--The 11 titles are one off the MIAC school-year record of 12 team championships set by St. Thomas in 1990-91. (The Toms also won 11 in 1991-92 and 1999-2000).

--UST has now won a conference-best 347 all-time MIAC championships (318 regular-season, 29 playoff). Gustavus is second with 225. In women's regular-season titles, St. Thomas has now won a conference-best 108. Gustavus has won the next most with 51.

--In the last seven years alone, UST has won 65 MIAC regular-season championships and has qualified for MIAC postseason playoffs a conference-best 52 of a possible 60 times.

--In the 2007-08 MIAC all-sport competition, St. Thomas claimed both the men's and women's crowns by comfortable margins. The UST women won seven of 11 championships and cruised to a 15-point win, while the men won four of 11 titles and won by six points. The St. Thomas women have won 17 of the 23 MIAC all-sport competitions held. On the men's side, the Tommies have placed first or second overall 33 of the past 36 seasons. The Tommies won or shared both men's and women's titles 11 consecutive years from 1985-96 and again in 1998 but hadn't accomplished it since.

--The MIAC titles included a rare sweep in women's cross country, indoor track and outdoor track -- a feat only accomplished four times previously in MIAC women's history (all by St. Thomas). Coach Joe Sweeney now has won a remarkable 60 of a possible 78 conference championships in those three sports -- the most women's titles of any current Division III coach.

--The UST women's track field team made the 4x400 finals at outdoor nationals. That's the 27th year in a row St. Thomas has had a men's or women's relay team advance to the NCAA finals.

--St. Thomas has had two CoSIDA Academic All-Americans thus far -- with two more currently on the national ballot in track and field to be announced June 23 and 25. Softball's Maria Bye joined an elite group of college athletes to be a three-time first-team Academic All-American; a three-time first-team on-field All-American; and play on an NCAA championship team. P.J. Theisen received his third career Academic All-America honor in football.  P.J. and sister Katie Theisen are on the national ballot in track and field/CC. UST has received this coveted Academic All-American honor 56 times, including 38 honorees from 12 different sports in the last 10 years.

--P.J. Theisen and Bye were named the male and female MIAC Student-Athletes of the Year by College Sporting News -- the first time in the three years the award has gone to athletes from the same institution. Bye also was named Softball's College Division Academic All-American of the Year as the top overall student-athlete among the 33 from the College Division, which includes more than 700 eligible schools in Division II and III and NAIA. Theisen broke the MIAC record in the 400 hurdles, his seventh career All-America honor, and helped the Tommies place fifth in the NCAA outdoor meet.

--St. Thomas had 28 student-athletes honored as All-Americans in their respective sports -- including 15 underclassmen.

--Senior Carol Comp (indoor weight throw) and senior Mark O'Connell (outdoor hammer throw) won NCAA championships in track and field -- the Tommies' 52nd and 53rd individual national titles.

--The Toms qualified for the MIAC playoffs in 10 of 11 possible sports -- volleyball, baseball, softball and men's soccer, and men's and women's teams in basketball, hockey and tennis. The Tommies swept the regular-season and postseason championships in volleyball, softball, baseball and men's basketball.

Steve Fritz won his 500th game against rival St. John's. (Mike Ekern photo)

--St. Thomas won regional Coach of the Year honors four times -- Thanh Pham in volleyball, Joe Sweeney in women's outdoor track, and Steve Mathre in men's indoor and outdoor track. The Tommies also received MIAC Coach of the Year honors in 10 of 22 sports -- Joe Sweeney was voted Coach of the Year in cross country, indoor and outdoor track; in swimming, Tom Hodgson received the men's honor and shared the women's honor; Pham was honored in volleyball; Steve Fritz and Ruth Sinn were honored in men's and women's basketball; Dennis Denning received the award in baseball; and Mathre was recognized in indoor track.

--MIAC Player of the Year honors went to Laura Heck in golf; Carrie Embree in basketball; and Maria Bye in softball. Special awards for top performnces at the MIAC track and field meets went to P.J. Theisen in outdoor track; Nikki Arola in indoor and outdoor track; Carol Comp in indoor track; and Shara Guidry in outdoor track. Also, Volleyball freshman Emily Foster was named MIAC and Central Region Rookie of the Year.

Erin Sprangers is a standout in soccer and track and field.

Spring Highlights

--St. Thomas softball team was ranked in the top three nationally for most of the season. The Tommies' 42-5 final mark included a 25-0 record vs. conference opponents for the second year in a row. Junior Maria Bye became the first MIAC softball player to be named both conference Pitcher and Player of the Year two years in a row. Coach John Tschida surpassed 500 wins in less than 600 games. Bye, 2B Kaitlyn Wightman, and OF Alison Wright were named to the All-America team. St. Thomas, which had no softball All-Americans in the program's first 25 seasons, has had 15 honorees over the last six seasons under Tschida.

--The Tommie baseball team won the MIAC championship for the sixth consecutive season and finished 11th in the final Division III poll. UST posted a 30-win season for the 12th time in 13 years and made the NCAA regional playoffs for the 13th time in 14 seasons under Coach Dennis Denning. Only one other Division III school (SUNY-Cortland) has had more NCAA playoff appearances since 1995. UST also won the MIAC playoffs for the seventh time in the nine-year history of the event. Seniors Chris Bullis and Lonnie Robinson made the ABCA All-America team, and Matt Pexa and Bullis were honorable mention All-Americans on the d3baseball.com team. Bullis broke the season (.489) and career records (.434) for batting average and ranked was fourth in Division III. UST led Division III in fielding percentage.

--Denning and Tschida rank first among active Division III coaches in career winning percentage in their sports. In baseball and softball, the Tommies were a combined 46-2 vs. conference teams in 2008, and are a combined 417-49 (.895) vs. MIAC teams since 1999.

--The men’s tennis team placed fourth in the conference, and had one of the nation's top freshmen players in Arya Vayghan, who went 19-2 at first singles.

--The women’s tennis team posted a 17-4 record and placed second in the conference. Senior Dana Vilar had her singles winning streak peak at 38 over parts of three seasons at third singles. Coach Terry Peck surpassed 500 career victories for men and women.

--Mark O'Connell's final collegiate throw was magic. His last throw of 191-0 let him win the hammer at the NCAA Championships by just 21 inches. He's the first Tommie male national champion in 13 seasons and he helped the Toms placed fifth in the team scoring. Senior Derek Marks was an NCAA runner-up in the discus, and P.J. Theisen placed third in the 400 hurdles as he ran the fastest time in MIAC history. Theisen also was an All-American in the long jump. At the conference meet, St. Thomas scored in all 15 Saturday events and won the MIAC outdoor team title for the 22nd time in the last 26 seasons. UST trailed by 38 points going into the last day but finished with 183 points for a 21.5-point victory over runner-up St. John's. UST scored in 20 of 22 events and received points from 23 different athletes. The Toms competed without injured junior All-American James Ewer, who has 16 career top-two MIAC finishes. Theisen scored 32 individual points and contributed to 18 relay points.

--The women's track and field team had two all-Americans at outdoor nationals -- sophomore Erin Sprangers in the 800 meters and senior Selina Dehn in the triple jump. Coach Joe Sweeney's team rolled up 262 points at the conference meet and capped an MIAC indoor-outdoor team sweep for the fourth year in a row. Nikki Arola contributed to four firsts and Katie Theisen had a hand in 43 points. Shara Guidry swept the discus and shot put. Earlier in the spring, Guidry broke a 20-year-old UST record in the discus and broke a 27-year-old UST record in the shot put.

--Katie Theisen, who has a 4.00 gpa in Biology, received a prestigious Goldwater Scholarship for 2008-09. She's the lone student-athlete among five MIAC recipients.

--Former St. Thomas softball All-American Carrie Embree became just the second Division III alum to play in the National Pro Fastpitch League. Embree signed to play with the New England Riptide, located in Lowell, Mass.

Carol Comp was seeded 10th but was a surprise winner in the weight throw at nationals. (Greg Smith photo)

Winter Highlights

--St. Thomas was the lone Division III school last winter to record 20-win seasons in men's and women's hockey and men's and women's basketball.  

--The men’s hockey team lost 2-1 in overtime in the NCAA quarterfinals to eventual NCAA champion St. Norbert. Coach Terry Skrypek's team finished second in the MIAC regular-season race but won the MIAC playoff crown and captured a first-round home NCAA playoff victory over UW-Stout. It was the Toms' 12th consecutive top-two MIAC finish. The Tommies posted their 26th consecutive winning season, and reached the playoffs for the 23rd time in the 23-year history of the format. Senior forward Nick Pernula and sophomore goalie Tyler Chestnut made All-America. UST finished second nationally in power-play kills at 90%. The Toms are 30-8-2 since mid-January 2007.

--St. Thomas captured the MIAC men's basketball title for the 13th time in 21 seasons and overall won 19 of 22 games vs. conference foes. UST swept the conference regular-season and postseason titles for the fourth time in seven seasons. Coach Steve Fritz became the 12th active Division III coach to secure 500 victories. The Toms have finished below .500 in men's hoops just four times in the last 44 seasons. UST lost a two-point decision in the NCAA playoffs to Buena Vista, which later lost in overtime to eventual national champion Washington (Mo.).

--The men's basketball team also scored one of the biggest upsets in conference history with a November road overtime defeat of Winona State, which later won the NCAA Division II championship. In fact, UST fans (with a sense of humor) could point out this claim to basketball supremecy: The Tommies beat Winona State, which beat Grand Valley State, which beat Michigan State, which beat Missouri, which beat Kansas State... which was the last team to defeat Division I champion Kansas.

--In women's track and field, the Tommies took seventh at indoor nationals, led by Carol Comp's win in the weight throw and a runner-up NCAA finish in the distance-medley relay. One week earlier, Nikki Arola had a hand in five victories to help claim the program's ninth consecutive MIAC indoor team championship and set records for points scored (233) and margin of victory (134.5). Coach Joe Sweeney's team had 12 firsts and scored in all 18 events they entered. The Toms' 10 individual wins was in contrast to the 2007 MIAC meet in which they had only one individual champion but used depth to repeat as champion.

--In men's track and field, James Ewer (long jump) and Brian Sames (800) each placed fifth at nationals to earn All-America honors. UST won the conference team championship for the 24th time in the 24-year history of the event -- the longest consecutive team streak in MIAC history. The Toms' 235.5 points were the second most in the 24-year history of the event. P.J. Theisen anchored the winning 4x400 relay and had four runner-up finishes (triple jump , 55 hurdles, 400 meters, long jump) to record 32 points. Coach Steve Mathre's team scored in 18 of 20 events with 26 different athletes contributing points. UST topped runner-up St. John's (114.5) by 121 points -- the biggest winning margin in 10 seasons.

--The women’s basketball team qualified for the postseason for the 21st time in the last 22 years and shared the MIAC championship. Senior Carrie Embree, in her first season playing basketball in five years, was named MIAC Player of the Year. Coach Ruth Sinn's team was picked for fifth in the coaches' preseason poll and came into January 4-3 overall before they jelled. UST hit four milestones not met in six or more seasons. The Toms reached 20 wins, made the NCAA playoff field, shared the conference title with St. Ben's, and reached the MIAC playoff finals beofre losing in overtime. UST won a league-best nine conference road games.

--Under first-year head coach Tom Palkowski, the women’s hockey team lost a 1-0 decision to Gustavus in the MIAC playoff finals. The Tommies set a school record with 22 victories. Sophomore goalie Lauren Bradel was named to the All-America team.

--Tom Hodgson was named MIAC men's Coach of the Year and women's Co-Coach of the Year at the conclusion of the conference swimming and diving meet. It was the second consecutive honor for Hodgson on the women's side. Hodgson's athletes won four MIAC races and broke 14 of a possible 38 school records in swimming events this year, 13 of those at the MIAC meet. The 29th-year head coach guided the St. Thomas men to fourth place, two spots better than last season, and just four points (431-427) behind third-place Carleton. UST finished ahead of St. John's for the first time since 1995. Triple winner Becca Ney led the Tommies at conference, and Jena Root made honorable mention All-America at nationals.

Men's Swimming broke several school records. (Eli Adams photo)

Fall Highlights

--St. Thomas became the first program in the 25-year history of MIAC women's sports to win three conference titles in a fall season. UST won championships in cross country, volleyball and golf.

--The women's golf team, led by medalist Laura Heck, won St. Thomas' seventh consecutive MIAC championship last October. Coach Sara Evens' Tommies qualified for the NCAA Division III Championships in Iowa and placed seventh of 20 teams in May. That's UST's fourth top-10 NCAA finish since 2002. Heck was named first-team All-America, and senior Holly Noble was named second-team All-America.

--UST volleyball came within two points of a trip to the national quarterfinals. Coach Thanh Pham's team fell 15-13 in game five in the region finals to eventual NCAA runner-up UW-Whitewater. The Tommies, 28-5, were ranked 11th in the final NCAA III poll and made their third consecutive NCAA playoff trip. They swept the conference regular-season and playoff titles and finished 14-0 vs. MIAC opponents. Pham was named region Coach of the Year. St. Thomas has been ranked by the AVCA for 32 consecutive top-25 polls since early in 2005. Junior middle blocker Katie McCaffrey was one of 12 players named first-team All-America. It's the seventh volleyball All-America honor by a Tommie in the last six seasons.

The Tommies celebrate an NCAA playoff win over Central College. (Greg Smith photo)

--With just one senior, Coach Pete Wareham's men’s cross country team placed in the top half of the 23-team regional meet and had three runners in the top 51 individually. Brian Sames, Matt Boumeester and Neil Atzinger all ran well in the fall as a springboard to track and field success in 2009.

--In cross country, the Tommie women placed 25th nationally. They also repeated as MIAC champion with a tight 74-76 win over Carleton. Katie Theisen earned All-America honors with a 20th-place NCAA finish. In her other six fall races, Theisen had three firsts, a second and two fourths in fields ranging from 100 to 575 runners.

--In football, P.J. Theisen was named honorable mention all-America after he recorded 86 catches for 1,192 yards and 14 TDs. Theisen finished third in MIAC career receptions (218) and fourth in MIAC career receiving yards (3,223). He also had 25 touchdown catches (150 points, sixth best in school history). He finished third in UST career all-purpose yards (4,025). Senior Patrick Sommerstad was named to the American Football Coaches' Association Good Works team -- the 10th year in a row UST had a player on the elite national team. Don Roney resigned in November after 10 seasons as head coach.

--The men’s soccer team took third in the conference race and lost just one MIAC game, in overtime. Despite some injuries and a key absence, Coach Aaron Macke's team lost a 2-1 decision at Gustavus in the MIAC playoffs.

--A young women’s soccer team, under first-year coach Sheila McGill, was hit hard by injuries yet still finished 10-7-1 and took sixth of 11 teams in the MIAC race.

--The men’s golf team finished third in the MIAC championships, and Grant Shafranski was named to the Division III six-player All-Freshman Team. Coach Dave Lepp's team had several good battles against NCAA champion St. John's.

Carrie Embree was MIAC Player of the Year. (Greg Smith photo)

Expected 2008-09 Highlights:

--Former Tommie sprint star Roman Cress, now a teacher in Minneapolis, will represent his home country, The Marshall Islands, in August in the 2008 Summer Olympics.

--The Tommie women's basketball team has an August trip planned to Brazil. The UST volleyball team is just returning from a June trip to Italy.

--St. Thomas will chase its 1,000th all-time victory in men's hockey. The Tommies are the Division III national leader in victories and are now 991-574-64 in the 85-year history of their program.

--Coaches nearing victory milestones include Dennis Denning in baseball (481-144 in 14 seasons at UST) and Terry Skrypek in men's hockey (394-175-39 in 21 seasons at UST).

--Men's basketball will take a 34-game home-court MIAC win streak into next season and returns its top eight scorers.

--Softball will take a 57-game conference win streak into the 2009 season.

--Basketball's Jessica Katch goes into her senior season on pace to become the first Tommie to reach 1,200 points, 700 rebounds, 325 assists and 275 steals on her career.

Men's Hockey won the MIAC playoff title and shoots for win No. 1,000 in 2008-09. (Greg Smith photo)