By Don Owen
NKyTribune sports editor
It took less than two years for the women’s basketball program at Thomas More University to vault to No. 1 in the NAIA national rankings.
Thomas More, which captured three national championships at the NCAA Division III level before transitioning to the NAIA in 2019-20, is ranked No. 1 in the latest NAIA poll. The Saints are 21-1 overall and have posted victories against five nationally ranked teams this season.
A week ago, Thomas More coasted to a 65-55 win over then-No. 1 Campbellsville. The Saints also defeated No. 12 Shawnee State on Monday.
Zoie Barth (right) leads Thomas More in scoring at 12.8 points per game. (Photo by Jeff McCurry)
Thomas More won NCAA Division III national titles in 2015, 2016 and 2019 before transitioning to the NAIA. A year ago, the Saints posted a 22-10 record in their first season of competition in the NAIA.
A balanced attack has allowed the Saints to vault to No. 1 in the national poll. Zoie Barth, a Highlands High School graduate, leads Thomas More in scoring at 12.8 points per game.
Courtney Hurst is scoring 12.2 points per contest and has drained a team-leading 63 shots from 3-point range. Hurst is a Conner High School graduate.
Briana McNutt is the third Thomas More player scoring in double figures (10.7 ppg), and she also averages 5.6 rebounds per game. Taylor Clos, a transfer from Northern Kentucky University, averages 9.4 points per contest. The Campbell County High School graduate is 25-for-76 from 3-point range this season.
Prior to leaving the NCAA Division III level, Thomas More posted 135 consecutive victories against Presidents’ Athletic Conference opponents. The Saints won 11 straight PAC championships before competing as an NCAA Division III independent in 2018-19 and capturing the national title with a 33-0 record in their farewell season in the NCAA.
Thomas More is in first place in the Mid-South Conference standings with a 16-1 record. The Saints are scheduled to host Bethel (Tenn.) at 5:30 p.m. Friday at the Connor Convocation Center.
Thomas More is 12-0 at home this season and 48-2 at the Connor Convocation Center the past four years. The Saints were 10-2 during the 2019-20 campaign at the Connor Convocation Center and 11-0 at home in 2018-19. In 2017-18, Thomas More finished with a 15-0 mark at home.
Don Owen is sports editor of the Northern Kentucky Tribune. Contact him at don@nkytrib.com and follow him on Twitter at @dontribunesport.
