Program Outlook

Since its program started in 1977, St. Thomas has been synonymous with women’s basketball excellence in NCAA Division III and the MIAC.

The Tommies have reached postseason play 21 of the last 22 seasons, including 15 NCAA playoff berths in a row from 1986-2001. The team's all-time NCAA tournament record is a remarkable 34-17.

Under former Coach Ted Riverso, St. Thomas won the 1991 NCAA Division III national championship, and later placed third nationally in 1995, 1996 and 2000.

Tommie Laurie Trow -- now a Division I head coach at Northern Arizona -- was the 1993 National Player of the Year. Trow is the only basketball player in NCAA history to score in double figures in every game in her career (113 games). During her era, UST won 43 consecutive home games and also had a then-Division III record 40-game win streak.

Former Tommie player Ruth Opatz Sinn was hired as head coach in May 2005. Sinn's Tommies soared to a share of the MIAC title and received an NCAA playoff berth in 2007-08 and had just one senior on the squad.

Sinn played on the Tommies' first two conference championship teams and helped build an 80-36 won-loss record from 1980-84. As a senior she played on St. Thomas' first NCAA playoff team and led the squad in steals and assists. She ranks in UST's top-12 in career steals, assists and blocked shots. She was among the first seven females inducted into UST's Athletic Hall of Fame, back in 1992. Sinn replaced Tricia Dornisch, who built a 113-50 record in six seasons.

The 1999-00 Tommies became the first MIAC basketball team to finish 22-0. The squad went on to post a 28-2 overall mark, and take third place in the national tournament. Molly Hayden was selected a Kodak Division III All-American.

The 2000-01 Tommies came back to repeat as conference champions and reached the NCAA round of 16. In 2001-02, St. Thomas shared the MIAC championship and finished 21-5.

Guard Missy Pederson was selected as a Kodak All-American in 2000-01 and 2001-02. Pederson broke a 15-year-old record NCAA Division III record for career free-throw percentage as she converted 300-of-358 foul shots in her four seasons for a .8379 clip. Pederson became the first MIAC women's player to surpass 1,500 points, 300 assists and 300 steals.

From January 1995-Febuary 2005, St. Thomas went 193-43 against MIAC opponents and 115-22 in home games.

The Tommies have won nine of the last 17 MIAC championships. Over the last 26 seasons, St. Thomas has posted 21 top-three MIAC finishes including 11 championships. In a 12-year span from 1991-2002, UST had 10 Kodak All-Americans and had the conference Player of the Year nine times.

The Tommies also boast an outstanding academic record and are regularly listed in the top-40 nationally. The 2003-04 squad was ranked among the best Division III teams for the third year in a row with a 3.49 GPA.

The Tommies play in the 2,200-seat Schoenecker Arena on campus. They face a challenging schedule to prepare for NCAA tournament play, and take an annual trip to either California, Texas, Arizona, Colorado or Boston. Approximately 20-25 players try out for the varsity and junior-varsity teams.