NKyTribune staff
Thomas More College will hold a press conference Tuesday at 12:05 p.m. to make a major announcement regarding its athletics program.
The press conference will take place in the Athletic Hall of Fame Room at the Connor Convocation Center. Thomas More acting president Dr. Kathleen Jagger and athletic director Terry Connor are both scheduled to speak during the press conference.
A year ago, then-Thomas More president David A. Armstrong said the school’s athletic programs were withdrawing from the Presidents’ Athletic Conference because “we feel it is the best time for TMC to seek new partnerships which will enhance our strategic goals.”
Thomas More received an invitation from the NAIA and the Mid-South Conference in the spring, but the school did not immediately accept as it announced it was still considering all available options. The Mid-South Conference features five schools from Kentucky — Georgetown, Campbellsville, University of the Cumberlands, Pikeville and Lindsey Wilson — along with Life (Ga.), Cumberland (Tenn.) and Shawnee State as full members.
The American Collegiate Athletic Association announced earlier this summer that it has added Thomas More as a full member for the 2018-19 academic year. But it’s only for one season.
“This is just for one year,” Connor said of joining the ACAA. “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.”
The Saints will join eight other ACAA 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.
