Thomas More College capped a banner 2016-17 athletic season with a 67th place finish in the final Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup standings.
The Saints accumulated 290 for its place among 324 NCAA Division III schools who competed in NCAA Championship events. There are 450 NCAA Division III member schools. Thomas More recorded the top 2016-17 Directors’ Cup finish for a Presidents’ Athletic Conference member school and for a Kentucky Division III school as PAC member Washington & Jefferson College was No. 110 and in-state rival Transylvania University was ranked No. 82. The 67th place finish is the fourth-highest finish for Thomas More. The Saints finished 57th in 2009-10, 59th in 2015-16 and No. 61 in 2013-14.
The 2016-17 academic year saw eight Thomas More teams qualify for NCAA Championships (women’s soccer, football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, women’s golf, men’s tennis, men’s golf and softball). The women’s soccer team advanced to the sectional semifinals (Round of 16), while the women’s basketball team advanced to the second round. The College won the most PAC championships in school history with nine during this past academic year. Football, women’s soccer, men’s indoor track & field, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, women’s golf, men’s tennis, men’s golf and softball all brought the PAC championship trophy back to Crestview Hills.
Thomas More also had some high individual accomplishments during the past academic year. Junior Christina Cook (Independence, Ky./Simon Kenton) qualified for the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championship for the third-straight-year in the 400-meter dash as wells as qualifying in the 400-meter dash for the NCAA Division III Indoor Championship. Five Saints earned All-American honors with junior Abby Owings (Independence, Ky./Simon Kenton) in women’s basketball, senior Trevor Meyer (West Harrison, Ind./East Central) in football, sophomore Alix DeDreu (Rising Sun, Ind./Rising Sun) in softball and seniors Laura Felix (Burlington, Ky./St. Henry) and Taylor Robinson (Alexandria, Ky./Campbell County) in women’s soccer.
Two Thomas More student-athlete earned Academic All-America honors from the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Felix earned the honor in women’s soccer and junior Laura Finke (Fort Wright, Ky./Notre Dame) earned the honor in softball.
The Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup was developed as a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics and USA Today. Points are awarded based on each institution’s finish in up to 18 sports: nine women’s and nine men’s.
Cory Blackson
Director of Athletic Communications and Compliance
Thomas More College
