The St. Thomas men’s and women’s soccer teams have rewritten the history books with impressive and, at times, unprecedented 2016 campaigns.

Both teams captured a conference championship in one form or another. The men won both the MIAC regular season title and the MIAC playoff championship, while the women took home the regular season crown.

A strong group of players and coaches in each program brought success the likes of which the programs always hope for, but don’t always achieve. Defender Mark Heydt said the men’s team success will hopefully set a standard for the future.

“It’s just hopefully now going to pave the way for the program to become a dominant force in the D3 soccer landscape, just like we are in football and basketball,” he said. “We want to be that first team to start leading the way for St. Thomas soccer to become nationally recognized.”

The men are currently 20-1-3 this season. Their MIAC playoff championship was the first in program history. They won their first two games in the NCAA playoffs last weekend to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1990, according to tommiesports.com, and have just moved on to the final four.

The women finished the season with a 17-3-1 record. They fell in the first round of the NCAA playoffs on Nov. 12 at the hands of Loras, 1-0. It was their first appearance in the tournament since 2009.

“It was just a really big deal to finally make it to the national tournament. It just shows how our progress over the whole season paid off. It was pretty cool,” said forward Mallory DeBoom.

As Tommie Sports reported, both teams entered the NCAA playoffs ranked in the top 20 of their respective polls for the first time ever.

The Tommies were rewarded for their outstanding seasons with an impressive haul of individual awards. The women’s team featured both the MIAC Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year.

DeBoom won Offensive Player of the Year, while senior goalkeeper Tarynn Theilig earned her second consecutive Defensive Player of the Year honor.

DeBoom scored nine goals and tallied seven assists this season. She led the team with 25 points. Her eighth goal total in MIAC games led the conference.

“It means a lot,” DeBoom said of winning the award. “I wasn’t expecting it because I wasn’t leading (the conference) in points overall. Being honored for what I did during the conference season specifically for my team was pretty cool.”

Theilig was the starting goalkeeper for a Tommie squad that posted 15 shutouts this year. She allowed just six goals all year, and recorded 88 saves.

“She has a huge role in games. Her leadership and athleticism to do her job is really impressive. She’s like half the reason why we did so well this season,” DeBoom said.

The men also won their fair share of awards. The program collected the two major MIAC individual awards this fall.

Head coach Jon Lowery won his first Coach of the Year honors in his fifth year at the school after guiding the Tommies to the most wins in program history.

“Coach Lowery just works so hard for us,” said Heydt. “He lives, sleeps, and breathes soccer. He gets more nervous for games than we do because he just wants to do that well. He’s come a long way during my four years and he completely deserves that award.”

Heydt earned the Player of the Year award after finishing near the top of several statistical categories in the conference. He led the MIAC with 22 points and eight assists. He finished second in goals with seven.

Heydt said his role as a fullback allows him to get involved in the offense, despite being a defender.

“Coach Lowery puts me in a position where he wants me to be high up the pitch and creating problems and basically playing as a wing back. I’m in the attack and just causing issues for the opposing team,” he said.

Looking ahead to next year, the women will only lose two seniors to graduation. DeBoom said this year sets the bar for what the team expects from here on out.

While the women’s season is wrapped up, the men are hoping to extend theirs another week.

The Tommies face Tufts University (13-5-2, overall 6-2-2 conference) in the Final Four at 10 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 2 in Salem, Virginia.

“We’re just happy to be playing. We don’t really feel any pressure at this point.” Heydt said. “We’re just taking it a game at a time and enjoying every minute of it because it’s a pretty special opportunity.”

Spencer Flaten can be reached at flat6148@stthomas.edu.