Thomas More trio named to NCAA Division III All-Decade Team; Moss, Temple and Owings honored

NKyTribune staff

Three former members of the women’s basketball program at Thomas More have been named to the NCAA Division III All-Decade Team (2010-20) by D3hoops.com.

The Thomas More players selected were Sydney Moss, Madison Temple and Abby Owings. Moss and Temple were first team selections, while Owings was named to the third team.

Moss, a Boone County High School graduate who played at Florida for one season, dominated NCAA Division III. She led Thomas More to a 33-0 record and the NCAA Division III national championship as a junior in 2014-15. Moss averaged 24.2 points per game to rank No. 1 nationally and was named Division III National Player of the Year for the second straight season.

Moss finished her career by leading Thomas More to the 2015-16 NCAA Division III national title. She averaged 22.1 points per game as the Saints again posted a 33-0 record to repeat as national champions. Moss scored 1,511 career points in three seasons at Thomas More.

The 2015-16 Thomas More squad is one of just two to hold the No. 1 ranking from preseason through the national time game.

In 2018-19, Temple swept all the major national awards — Player of the Year, NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player, and Jostens Trophy winner. She was the leading scorer on an undefeated national championship team that played a Globetrotter-like season.

After leaving the Presidents’ Athletic Conference, Thomas More put together a non-conference schedule in which it played multiple ranked teams on the road in a short period of time to compensate for the lack of a conference schedule.

Temple was the rare 6-foot guard at the Division III level who could handle the ball against the press, create for her teammates by passing from the point, or score on her own. She finished as Thomas More’s all-time leader in points (2,184), assists (585) and made free throws (365).

With Temple leading the way, Thomas More finished its time in NCAA Division III as national champions in 2018-19. Thomas More joined the NAIA the following season as members of the Mid-South Conference.

Owings’ career overlapped with two of Division III’s all-time greats in Moss and Temple, but her own talent and accomplishments should not be overlooked. As a sophomore, Owings enjoyed an All-America season and won a Division III national championship with Moss.

When the Saints beat Tufts in the 2016 national title game in front of the largest crowd to watch a Division III women’s basketball championship contest, Owings led Thomas More in scoring with 17 points.

Then, before Temple emerged as the next Player of the Year, Owings was an NCAA Division III first team All-American and conference MVP in 2017.

Owings finished her career with another NCAA Division III Final Four appearance, her third in four years. The 5-foot-2 Owings was tenacious and fearless, using her speed to get the Thomas More offense running.

She was also a great scorer and ranks No. 2 in program history with 1,789 points.

Thomas More is the only school that had three representatives on the All-Decade Team. The Saints won three national titles on the hardwood and finished as national semifinalist another season during the past decade.

NAIA MOVES CHAMPIONSHIPS: The NAIA has moved all of its fall sports championships to the spring in response to the pandemic.

Conferences and institutions have been given the autonomy to play regular-season games in the fall and spring prior to the championships — based on regional regulations of COVID-19.

Thomas More is scheduled to begin the football season Sept. 12 at Georgetown (Ky.). The Saints are currently scheduled to play host to the Cumberlands (Ky.) at 7 p.m. on Sept. 19.

(Information compiled from Thomas More, the Mid-South Conference and staff reports)