University of St. Thomas Athletics
Taylor Young is among the many accomplished Tommie women's basketball standouts on the court and in the classroom.
Photo by: University of St. Thomas
MIAC Memories: Good rivals brought out best in Women's Hoops
7/9/2021 4:59:00 PM | Women's Basketball
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Editor's Note: This is another is a series of stories on St. Thomas' rich history of athletics competition in the MIAC. St. Thomas is closing out its Division III and MIAC chapters and will join four new conferences starting in fall 2021 as part of its transition into Division I athletics.
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St. Thomas Women's Basketball -- MIAC Memories
Tommie MIAC Regular Season Championships (18):
1982-83, 1983-84, 1990-91, 1991-92, 1995-96, 1996-97, 1997-98, 1999-00, 2000-01, 2001-02, 2007-08, 2010-11, 2011-12, 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19
Tommie MIAC Team Playoff Championships (9):
2009-10, 2011-12, 2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19
MIAC Coach of the Year (11):
Ted Riverso (1992, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998); Tricia Dornisch (2000); Ruth Sinn (2008, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2019)
MIAC Player of the Year Awards (14):
Laurie Trow (1991, 1992, 1993); Amy Bot (1994); Mollie Pattyn (1997); Kirsten Vipond (1998); Molly Hayden (2000); Missy Pederson (2001, 2002); Carrie Embree (2008); Jenna Dockter (2015); Kaitlin Langer (2016); Hannah Spaulding (2018, 2019)
MIAC Sixth Player of the Year Awards (6):
Kirsten Vipond (1995); Tara Miller (1997); Mary Thomas (1999); Maggie Weiers (2011); Elaine Warner (2015); Hannah Spaulding (2017)
More Highlights:
Did You Know?
The Tommies have received nine of the last 21 MIAC Player of the Year honors and five of the last 13 MIAC Coach of the Year honors.
St. Thomas won 18 of a possible 39 MIAC regular-season championships in women's hoops, which broke the record for the most by a conference institution. The Toms final 12 seasons in the MIAC produced a 211-21 record against conference opponents since January 2010.
Over the last 39 seasons, St. Thomas posted 33 top-three MIAC finishes.
In a 12-year span from 1991-2002, the Purple had 10 Kodak All-Americans and also had the conference Player of the Year nine times.
Three different coaches took St. Thomas Women's Hoops to a Division III Final Four, including three teams by current Coach Ruth Sinn in the 2010s decade.
League Parity
St. Thomas was always challenged over the years by top coaches and players throughout MIAC women's hoops.
Seven different MIAC schools won a league regular-season title over the last 16 seasons.
In a nine-year span from 2006-2014, eight different schools had a Player of the Year.
They Said It:
"I have had the privilege of being both a player and a coach in the MIAC. I was a part of our first conference championship team playing against eventual coaches and administrators that would continue to leave their mark on the MIAC.
"This conference has embodied the true 'victory' of athletics in that it allows its individuals to reach and grow comprehensively. The student athletes and coaches I've been fortunate to compete with and against are incredible. They personify everything that is good about athletics.
"At. St. Thomas I was blessed to be coached under Tom Kosel. Coach Kosel's relational approach allowed all of us to strive and be better -- not only on the basketball court, but in life. This is what I'm most thankful for – the young ladies who have worn the jersey, past and present, with such pride and commitment to high standards. This is exactly what the MIAC is all about, and what we will continue to strive to create in our next chapter of Division I basketball."
Ruth Sinn, Tommie Women's Basketball Head Coach
Editor's Note: This is another is a series of stories on St. Thomas' rich history of athletics competition in the MIAC. St. Thomas is closing out its Division III and MIAC chapters and will join four new conferences starting in fall 2021 as part of its transition into Division I athletics.
--
St. Thomas Women's Basketball -- MIAC Memories
Tommie MIAC Regular Season Championships (18):
1982-83, 1983-84, 1990-91, 1991-92, 1995-96, 1996-97, 1997-98, 1999-00, 2000-01, 2001-02, 2007-08, 2010-11, 2011-12, 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19
Tommie MIAC Team Playoff Championships (9):
2009-10, 2011-12, 2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19
MIAC Coach of the Year (11):
Ted Riverso (1992, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998); Tricia Dornisch (2000); Ruth Sinn (2008, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2019)
MIAC Player of the Year Awards (14):
Laurie Trow (1991, 1992, 1993); Amy Bot (1994); Mollie Pattyn (1997); Kirsten Vipond (1998); Molly Hayden (2000); Missy Pederson (2001, 2002); Carrie Embree (2008); Jenna Dockter (2015); Kaitlin Langer (2016); Hannah Spaulding (2018, 2019)
MIAC Sixth Player of the Year Awards (6):
Kirsten Vipond (1995); Tara Miller (1997); Mary Thomas (1999); Maggie Weiers (2011); Elaine Warner (2015); Hannah Spaulding (2017)
More Highlights:
- St. Thomas has played in the postseason in 32 of the last 33 years.
- The Toms have a 26-10 all-time record in the conference postseason playoffs, led by nine championships, since the event began in 2001.
- St. Thomas won either the regular-season or playoff title in the MIAC for nine consecutive seasons through 2019.
- The Tommies built a record win streak of 77 against conference opponents before it was halted in December 2019. At the time that was the second longest win streak among all NCAA teams (both genders).
- The 1999-2000 Tommies became the first MIAC basketball team to finish 22-0. The squad went on to post a 28-2 overall mark and took third place in the national tournament.
- Laurie Trow and Taylor Young were rare four-time Tommie All-MIAC recipients. Seven different Toms were three-time honorees
Did You Know?
The Tommies have received nine of the last 21 MIAC Player of the Year honors and five of the last 13 MIAC Coach of the Year honors.
St. Thomas won 18 of a possible 39 MIAC regular-season championships in women's hoops, which broke the record for the most by a conference institution. The Toms final 12 seasons in the MIAC produced a 211-21 record against conference opponents since January 2010.
Over the last 39 seasons, St. Thomas posted 33 top-three MIAC finishes.
In a 12-year span from 1991-2002, the Purple had 10 Kodak All-Americans and also had the conference Player of the Year nine times.
Three different coaches took St. Thomas Women's Hoops to a Division III Final Four, including three teams by current Coach Ruth Sinn in the 2010s decade.
League Parity
St. Thomas was always challenged over the years by top coaches and players throughout MIAC women's hoops.
Seven different MIAC schools won a league regular-season title over the last 16 seasons.
In a nine-year span from 2006-2014, eight different schools had a Player of the Year.
They Said It:
"I have had the privilege of being both a player and a coach in the MIAC. I was a part of our first conference championship team playing against eventual coaches and administrators that would continue to leave their mark on the MIAC.
"This conference has embodied the true 'victory' of athletics in that it allows its individuals to reach and grow comprehensively. The student athletes and coaches I've been fortunate to compete with and against are incredible. They personify everything that is good about athletics.
"At. St. Thomas I was blessed to be coached under Tom Kosel. Coach Kosel's relational approach allowed all of us to strive and be better -- not only on the basketball court, but in life. This is what I'm most thankful for – the young ladies who have worn the jersey, past and present, with such pride and commitment to high standards. This is exactly what the MIAC is all about, and what we will continue to strive to create in our next chapter of Division I basketball."
Ruth Sinn, Tommie Women's Basketball Head Coach
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