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Thomas More sports find temporary sanctuary in American Collegiate Athletic Association for 2018-19


By Don Owen
NKyTribune reporter

Thomas More College has a new conference — but only for a year.

The American Collegiate Athletic Association announced Thursday that it has added Thomas More as a full member for the 2018-19 academic year. The Saints will join eight other schools — including members in seven states, ranging from New York to California — and compete in eight sports at the NCAA Division III level.

There is no regular-season schedule in the ACAA, nor does the conference receive an automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Tournament. But it provides a temporary home for eight Thomas More sports as the Crestview Hills school considers its options after leaving the Presidents’ Athletic Conference following the 2017-18 academic year.

Terry Connor

“This is just for one year,” Thomas More athletic director Terry Connor said. “Being in the ACAA will give several of our teams a chance to compete for conference titles and also be recognized with the weekly awards for their accomplishments.

“There is no conference schedule involved. It doesn’t help us in the scheduling, but it gives us the opportunity to potentially participate in a four-team tournament at the end of the year in some of the team sports.”

Thomas More has been invited to join the NAIA and the Mid-South Conference, beginning in the 2019-20 season. While Thomas More hasn’t accepted the invite as of yet and is still considering all options, it’s believed the school will make the move to the NAIA next year and compete in the regional-friendly Mid-South Conference in 2019-20.

In the meantime, Thomas More will have the opportunity to compete for coach and player of the year accolades in the ACAA, not to mention player of the week honors.

“Our conference was created so schools like Thomas More would have a place to go until they find a new league or affiliation,” ACAA commissioner Kelly Higgins said. “When a member school moves on to something new, that’s great. That’s why we’re here, to help them find the right fit.”

The ACAA sports include men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s basketball, women’s volleyball, men’s and women’s soccer, and softball.

Connor, who has known Higgins for many years, said one of the appealing aspects of the ACAA was the fact it conducts four-team postseason tournaments for selected sports. Higgins noted that sites have been predetermined and the host gets an automatic berth for the ACAA Tournament. He said power rankings — such as the Massey Ratings for basketball — determine the top four seeds.

Kelly Higgins

“If you are the No. 4 seed, though, and the host is say No. 6, the host school bumps the No. 4 seed from the tournament,” Higgins said. “In that scenario, the top three in the ratings get in plus the host, regardless of their rating. We want the host school in the four-team tournament from an attendance standpoint. We want home fans to have a dog in the tournament fight, so to speak. We do predetermine the host schools, but issues can come up and circumstances can change those sites, too.”

Though the ACAA has no automatic qualifier for the NCAA Division III Tournament, Thomas More can still earn an at-large berth to the national event.

“We all know how good Thomas More is in women’s basketball, and they can still get a Pool B at-large bid in the same region they’ve been playing in,” Higgins said. “Same for the other sports at Thomas More. They can earn at-large bids. Thomas More has been very successful in a number of sports, and we think they are a great addition to our conference — regardless of how long they’re here. They compete at a very high level”

While a member of the Presidents’ Athletic Conference, Thomas More captured 57 league championships in 13 years. The Thomas More women’s basketball team also won back-to-back NCAA Division III national championships in 2015 and ’16. Dating back to 2012, the Thomas More women posted 135 consecutive victories against PAC opponents on the court.

This past season, Thomas More captured PAC titles in volleyball, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s tennis, baseball and softball.

American Collegiate Athletic Association
(membership for 2018-19)

Alfred State College Pioneers

Finlandia University Lions

University of Maine-Presque Isle Owls

Mills College Cyclones

Pine Manor College Gators

SUNY Canton Roos

SUNY Delhi Broncos

Thomas More College Saints

University of Valley Forge Patriots

Contact Don Owen at don@nkytrib.com and follow him on Twitter at @dontribunesport


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