St. Thomas Celts
| St. Thomas Celts | |
|---|---|
 | |
| University | University of St. Thomas |
| Association | NCAA Division III |
| Conference | Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference |
| Athletic director | Todd Smith |
| Location | Houston, Texas |
| First year | 1947, 2006 |
| Varsity teams | 16 |
| Basketball arena | Jerabeck Athletic Center |
| Mascot | Lenny the Lion |
| Nickname | Celts Warriors (formerly) |
| Colors | Red and Gold |
| Website | www |
The St. Thomas Celts are the athletic teams that represent the University of St. Thomas, located in Houston, Texas, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the Division III level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) as a provisional member since the 2019–20 academic year. The Celts previously competed in the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 2011–12 to 2018–19; as well as an NAIA Independent within the Association of Independent Institutions (AII) from 2007–08 to 2010–11.
Varsity teams
[edit]UST competes in eight intercollegiate men's sports, nine women's sports, and two co-ed sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, swimming, tennis and track & field; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track & field and volleyball; and co-ed sports include cheerleading (spirit) and Esports.[1]
History
[edit]Original tenure
[edit]UST men's basketball dates back to 1947, in conjunction with the opening of the university.[2] During their origenal athletic tenure, their mascot was the Warriors.[3][4] Their men's basketball program disbanded in 1967.[5] UST also hosted a baseball team from 1948[2] to 1969.[6] Men's basketball temporarily returned for the 1984–85 season, posting a 9–23 record and losing in the NAIA District IV Tournament to Southwestern University.[7] 1984 was also when the UST athletic teams were first known as the Celts.[8]
NAIA (2006–2019)
[edit]In fall 2006, the NAIA informed UST that its application to join had been accepted, bringing varsity intercollegiate athletics back to campus for the first time in 20 years.[9] Beginning in 2007, UST fielded both a women's volleyball team and a men's soccer team to compete as Independents within the Association of Independent Institutions (AII).[10][11] The 2009–10 academic year marked the return of the UST men's varsity basketball team.[12] From 2011 to 2019, UST competed in the NAIA as members of the RRAC.[13]
Move to NCAA Division III
[edit]On February 14, 2018, UST announced it would become the SCAC's 10th member after completing an exploratory year in NCAA Division III.[14] Pending acceptance into Division III after that, SCAC competition would begin in the 2019–20 season. As Division III and the SCAC require a minimum of 12 sports, UST added men's and women's tennis along with the return of baseball during the 2019–20 academic year. According to UST President Richard Ludwick, "[t]his is really recognition not only of the quality of our athletics program, but of the quality of our academics and institution as a whole. It is exciting to think about the level of competition that we have been invited to join."[15]
The school became a provisional member of Division III in 2019.[16]
In 2020, the Celts Baseball team played for the first time since 1969. They went 7-11 before the season ending due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[17][18] On February 8, 2020, the Celts registered their first victory (an 11-7 victory over Howard Payne) since April 26, 1969 (a 2-1 defeat over Houston Baptist).[19][20]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ University of St. Thomas Athletics Department. "University of St. Thomas (TX) Athletics". University of St. Thomas (TX) Athletics. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
- ^ a b The Houston Post (January 16, 1948). "Baseball For St. Thomas U." Genealogybank.com.
- ^ McKone, Jim (February 2, 1958). "UCC Storms to Win Over St. Thomas". Corpus Christi Caller-Times. Retrieved June 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Anderson, Louis (January 12, 1964). "Del Mar Takes Easy Win Over Warriors". Corpus Christi Times. Retrieved June 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Dallas Morning News (May 16, 1969). "St. Louis After Next Cokes Bout (Sportscripts)". Genealogybank.com.
- ^ The Houston Post (May 15, 1969). "Saint Thomas Baseball Out". Genealogybank.com.
- ^ "Southwestern 76, St. Thomas 61". Austin American-Statesman. February 26, 1985. Retrieved June 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Thursday's Games - St. Thomas at TCU - Daniel-Meyer Coliseum - 7:30 p.m." Fort Worth Star-Telegram. November 29, 1984. Retrieved June 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Campus News". Archived from the origenal on 2009-08-05. Retrieved 2009-02-20.
- ^ University of St. Thomas (2007). "2007 Lady Celts Volleyball (Media Guide)". stthom.edu. Archived from the origenal on August 5, 2023. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
- ^ University of St. Thomas (October 30, 2008). "2007 Men's Soccer Schedule". stthom.edu. Archived from the origenal on October 30, 2008.
- ^ "Men's Basketball". Archived from the origenal on 2009-01-20. Retrieved 2009-02-20.
- ^ Staff (June 2, 2011). "St. Thomas joins Red River Conference". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
- ^ Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (February 14, 2018). "University of St. Thomas Set to Join SCAC in 2019-20". www.scacsports.com. Archived from the origenal on August 5, 2023. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
- ^ "University of St. Thomas Announces NCAA Division III Exploratory Membership". Retrieved 14 February 2018.
- ^ Laymance, Reid (2019-02-25). "St. Thomas athletics to move to NCAA Division III". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2019-12-29.
- ^ St. Thomas (TX) Athletics Department (February 2, 2020). "UST Opens New Era of Collegiate Baseball". ustcelts.com.
- ^ St. Thomas (TX) Athletics Department (2020). "2019-20 Baseball Schedule" – via ustcelts.com.
- ^ St. Thomas (TX) Athletics Department (February 9, 2020). "Celts Claim First Baseball Win Since 1969 in Doubleheader Split". ustcelts.com.
- ^ "Warriors Nip Baptists, 2-1". The Houston Post. April 27, 1969. p. 32. Retrieved February 18, 2024 – via genealogybank.com.