Philanthropic efforts lead to enhancements for Tommie Athletics

ST. PAUL, MINN. - The University of St. Thomas' Athletic Department transition to Division I has been generously supported through philanthropy over the past few years, and FY24 (July 1, 2023-June 30, 2024) was no different. A record number of donors gave to St. Thomas Athletics in FY24, which continued support to provide the resources needed for the Tommies early Division I success. In particular, this past year saw support for facility upgrades and enhancements to assist the overall pursuit of comprehensive excellence for 550 St. Thomas student-athletes.

St. Thomas has already seen some early Division I success. The Tommies have claimed two conference titles in their first three seasons of the Division I era, with football (2022) and baseball (2024) winning the Pioneer Football League (PFL) and Summit League respectively. Other teams have also received attention for their success, making headlines on the local and national level thanks to televised games on FS1, spots on ESPN's Sportcenter and Top-10 countdowns. These are just a few of the highlights from the first three years at the Division I level, and through continued philanthropic support the department is looking forward to continued success.

The Tommie Athletic Fund, which launched with the move to Division I, recently concluded one of its best years ever. In FY24 the Tommies Athletic Fund had many highlights;

$33M philanthropic contributions, the second largest fundraising year ever for St. Thomas Athletics.

1,145 donors of which 25% were brand new donors to the University of St. Thomas.

Of that total, 10 gifts of $1M+ were secured in FY24.

The 1904 Club, the St. Thomas Athletics Annual Fund, had a record 846 members (up 26% from FY23) and raised just over $1.5M.

In just four years since the announcement of the move to Division I, the Tommie Athletic Fund has raised just north of $139M in support of St. Thomas student-athletes.

The Tommie Athletic Fund, which is led by Deputy Athletics Director Ben Fraser, seeks to provide opportunities for the over 500 student-athletes at the University of St. Thomas to pursue comprehensive excellence.

"Through incredible generosity, we have been able to take what were already great facilities and provide some really impactful enhancements for our student-athletes," commented Fraser, Deputy Athletic Director for Development and External Operations. "These enhancements have not only allowed us to compete with our peer institutions but have allowed us to continue to showcase our mission and vision to potential future St. Thomas student-athletes and their families."

Gallery: (7-3-2024) Fueling Station

The impact of these contributions has not only changed the lives of student-athletes through scholarship support, nutritional advancement, mental health and sport medicine resources, but they have also changed the landscape of the St. Thomas campus. Not only has the University of St. Thomas been able to begin construction on the new Lee and Penny Anderson Arena, but many other enhancements to current facilities have been made through support of donors. In 2023-24, the Tommies opened a new fueling station in the Anderson Athletic and Recreation Center (AARC), providing critical nutritional sustenance for Tommie student-athletes while also creating a platform for education around life-long nutritional skills. St. Thomas also unveiled the Recruiting Suite, located on the third floor of the AARC. This conference style room is used daily and has provided a home to bring potential St. Thomas student-athletes and their families to share our unique story.

"Our community has shown time and again that they understand the power of philanthropy through donations to support the pursuit of comprehensive excellence," commented Dr. Phil Esten, Vice President and Director of Athletics."Our facilities are a physical manifestation of our commitment to excellence, and I'm proud of the resources we provide our student-athletes in their co-curricular endeavors. The level of support we provide would simply not be possible without the support we've seen from our donor community and I'm deeply grateful for their continued contributions to support our mission."

Enhancements have also been seen in our competition venues with the addition of new Daktronic video boards in both Schoenecker Arena and O'Shaughnessy Stadium in 2023.

"The video board upgrades in these two venues truly transforms the fan experience," said Mike Gallagher, Assistant Athletic Director of Branding, Creative Content and Production. "Additional sizing, a second video board and a 5x clarity upgrade on the main video board at O'Shaughnessy Stadium along with a 20x clarity upgrade in Schoenecker Arena to compliment nearly 100 new feet of fascia on the facing of the third level truly elevates the interaction folks can expect to have with the St. Thomas gameday atmosphere."

Donations to support equipment have been another major area of that has continued to enhance the Division I experience for St. Thomas student-athletes. Through philanthropic support this past year, the Tommie men's and women's cross country and track & field programs added a Boost Treadmill to their indoor facility to provide additional training and rehabilitation needs to their student-athletes. The 2024 Summit League champions baseball program were able to invest in a TrackMan Portable Pitching and Hitting System. St. Thomas men's and women's golf programs also saw a major upgrade in their indoor practice facility through the renovation of the Golf Simulator Room and the addition of a new TrackMan System.

"The new TrackMan and renovated Golf Simulator Room on campus has been a game changer for our program," commented head women's golf coach Katie Hanneman. "Having access to a launch monitor daily gives the team instant feedback and ability to make changes quickly. We are so thankful for this incredible addition to our program."

"All of these incredible enhancements would not have been possible without the generous support from our donors," continued Fraser. "When our donors make a gift to Tommie Athletics, they are continually changing the lives of our student-athletes."

For more information on the Tommie Athletic Fund and supporting St. Thomas Student-Athletes you can visit Tommie Athletic Fund (tommiesports.com) or reach out to tommieathleticfund@stthomas.edu

To Join the 1904 Club today click here: Donation · University of St. Thomas · GiveCampus

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Philanthropic efforts lead to enhancements for Tommie Athletics

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