After being too successful at Division III, St. Thomas University in Minnesota will officially be a Division I program. St. Thomas University shared the news Wednesday in a press release.

At its Wednesday meetings, the NCAA’s Division I Council approved a motion granting St. Thomas the ability to make the jump from DIII to DI. With the decision, the Tommies officially accepted invitations to join the Summit League athletics conference, as well as the Pioneer Football League and Women’s Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA).

“Our St. Thomas community is excited to embark on this journey of building Minnesota’s first private D-I collegiate athletics program and the second D-I program in the state,” said university president Julie Sullivan. “St. Thomas has a long history of academic and athletic excellence and embracing change with an entrepreneurial spirit. This move continues that trajectory.”

“Today, as much as ever, I’m proud to be a Tommie as we look to our university’s future,” said Dr. Phil Esten, St. Thomas vice president and director of athletics. “I thank the leadership at the NCAA, the Summit League, Pioneer Football League, WCHA and all who have supported our efforts. This decision aligns with our university’s bold vision to ever press forward. I am excited to compete in Division I, while ensuring conditions for our student-athletes to pursue comprehensive excellence.”

St. Thomas will join its new conferences for the 2021-22 academic year.

Football Scoop took a look at the program’s dominance back in 2019 when it was removed from the MIAC:

Under head coach Glenn Caruso, St. Thomas is 78-10 in MIAC play with six league championships. St. Thomas has won multiple league games over the past two seasons by scores of 60-0, 68-0, 84-0 and even 97-0.