The Thomas More Saints are marching on into a new era under full membership in the NCAA Division II. On July 10, 2025, the NCAA Division II Membership Committee approved Thomas More University’s membership, effective Sept. 1, 2025.

“This accomplishment didn’t happen overnight,” Terry Connor, vice president and director of athletics, said during a celebration that took place on campus after the news was announced. “This is built upon the dedication and talent of every student-athlete who’s worn a Thomas More uniform, every coach who’s guided them, and every member of our community who’s cheered them on.”

To earn full membership status, Saints Athletics completed three years of provisional Division II membership. The Saints began competition in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) in the 2023-24 academic year and were eligible to compete for conference championships and tournaments. G-MAC Commissioner Tom Daeger congratulated Thomas More on what it had achieved during that time.

“You have established yourself among the top tier of our member institutions,” Daeger said. “You have made an immediate impact on the conference, and we know you are going to make an equal impact as you move forward into the Division II national landscape.” For a list of athletic accomplishments since the Saints began competition in the G-MAC, visit this page.

In addition to success on the field of competition, the Saints have also achieved heightened academic success since moving to provisional NCAA DII membership. Average student-athlete GPA increased, with Thomas More’s NCAA DII student-athletes earning a cumulative 3.19 GPA in the spring 2025 semester. Overall, 281 student-athletes earned President’s List honors with a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher in spring 2025. Retention and persistence rates – two key indicators of student success – also rose among student-athletes since Thomas More’s transition from the NAIA to provisional NCAA DII membership.

“When we were watching our student-athletes compete in this new athletic conference, we realized pretty quickly that we had the conference right,” said Thomas More University President Joseph L. Chillo. “Our university is aligned by mission, we are aligned by purpose, and our student-athletes are going to have the best experience we could put forth.”

Noah Francis ‘26 remarked on the importance of striking a healthy balance between academics and athletic competition – a balance he’s found as an NCAA Division II student-athlete at Thomas More. “In my personal experience, being a biology major and minor in photography, and still having that opportunity to run cross country and track – it’s really hard to find that in this current climate. That’s a credit to the athletic department here and the administration at Thomas More.”

To read the press release announcing full Division II membership, visit this page.