The NCAA announced Thursday that Division III winter championships have been canceled for the 2020-2021 academic year “due to low participation numbers among member schools.”

This announcement impacts basketball, swimming and diving, indoor track and field, and hockey. Wrestling, a sport not sponsored by St. Thomas or the MIAC, is also affected.

“The committee has been closely monitoring and discussing the membership’s winter sport participation for several months, and it has been providing updates to the councils,” the NCAA statement said.

The decision was based on the results of a form sent to Division III athletic directors Jan. 19, and was completed by 98% of member schools. Those results determined that participation numbers in all Division III winter sports “are well below the established threshold to provide a national championship experience.”

Established thresholds were 70% for hockey and wrestling, and 60% for all other winter sports.

Participation numbers of NCAA-member schools playing winter sports, according to forms sent to DIII athletic directors:

– Men’s basketball: 48.6%
– Women’s basketball: 46.2%
– Men’s swimming and diving: 43.1%
– Women’s swimming and diving: 42%
– Men’s indoor track and field: 48.8%
– Women’s indoor track and field: 49.3%
– Men’s hockey: 52.3%
– Women’s hockey: 51.4%
– Wrestling: 61.8%

This comes after a tumultuous year of sports where student-athletes were granted another year of eligibility after spring sports were canceled in early March.

“This was a very difficult decision to make, and we are saddened to do so,” said Fayneese Miller, chair of the Presidents Council. “We are committed to ensuring that our student-athletes have the best possible experience, and, for us, this means having a meaningful number of competitions. We hope this is possible for our spring championship.”

The St. Thomas athletics department did not immediately respond for comment.

Elijah Todd-Walden, Justin Amaker and Olivia Paradise contributed to this report.