The National Collegiate Athletic Association oversees many college and university athletic programs in the United States.

The current three division system of Division I, Division II and Division III align like-minded campuses in philosophy, competition and opportunity.

After Division III St. Thomas’ involuntary removal from the MIAC in May 2019, the university was invited to join the Division I Summit League program.

Designer Maggie Stout has changes St. Thomas athletes might expect if the university transitions from DIII to DI.

St. Thomas’ position in the Summit League is reliant on unprecedented approval from the NCAA, which typically requires a school to function as DII before committing to DI. The approval process works through a series of waiver requests and committees, and according to Summit League commissioner Tom Douple, these will continue through January (2020) and a decision will be reached by April at the latest.