After adding three conference championships in early March, St. Thomas athletics broke the MIAC record for the most championship titles won in a single season.

St. Thomas won nine of the 12 possible winter sport, conference titles. These included six conference championships out of the eight winter sports. Women’s basketball and indoor track and field took championships and men’s winter sports swept the board in the regular season with basketball, indoor track and field, hockey and swimming and diving.

Athletics Director Steve Fritz said he isn’t surprised St. Thomas broke records this season because of the balance throughout the programs.

“I think it shows what a great balance we have in all of our sports,” Fritz said. “We believe we try to put every one of our sports in a place where they have the chance to be successful and obviously we’re happy when they do.”

The nine awards also include playoff tournaments, in which the Tommies took three out of the possible four titles. Women’s basketball, men’s basketball and women’s hockey all received playoff bids to the NCAA postseason tournament following their victories in the MIAC playoffs.

Women’s basketball coach Ruth Sinn said the commitment and dedication across the board leads to such excellence.

“We have some incredible young people who understand what commitment means and understand how to really serve their fellow teammates and make each situation the best it can be,” Sinn said.

Defenseman Jeremy Hepler, men’s hockey team captain, said he thinks the dedication and drive from Tommie athletes is what sets the university apart from competing schools.

“I think it’s noticeable how hard we work,” Hepler said. “You can see it in our gym. Each of our sports are putting the time in during the preseason. Once it’s time to drop the puck for us, as well as the beginning of everyone else’s season, the dedication pays off.”

St. Thomas beat its own record, which was set last year, with eight out of 12 championship titles, including five conference championships and three playoff bids. Gustavus and Augsburg each took three MIAC championships this year.

Scott Blanchard, men’s and women’s swimming and diving coach, said he believes the “family mentality” is what stands out in the school’s sports.

“With swimming, we really try hard to build our team like a great big family,” Blanchard said. “I think the rest of the athletics at St. Thomas try to apply that same mentality. People really want to be a part of something that’s bigger than just themselves, and when you’re a part of a family, it really lends to the team’s success.”

Angela Tipp, women’s track and field captain, agreed and thinks the sense of unity is why St. Thomas sports have been successful.

“We do everything together on the track team,” Tipp said. “We eat together; we hang out together; we do homework together. We’ll have spent every day together for four years.”

The awards bring recognition to the university, something Blanchard said helps draw in prospective student athletes.

“Athletics is a high-profile piece of the puzzle when it comes to kids choosing a college,” Blanchard said. “When they see athletics across the board being successful, they see that the institution as a whole supports the athletics at the school. It’s really evident at St. Thomas that they make a big effort to show support to their athletic teams.”

Tipp said the success across the board for athletics is what made her choose to attend St. Thomas.

“For me, seeing all the wins track had over the years as well as all the other sports showed what a well-rounded school St. Thomas is,” Tipp said. “Stuff like this helps in showing that it’s serious here. If you’re serious about the sport, this is the place to be.”

Moving forward, Fritz said the best thing St. Thomas can do is continue to strive for excellence and never be satisfied with the result.

“I don’t think you can ever sit still in athletics. If you are, you’re going backwards,” Fritz said. “We’re lucky to have competitive people here at St. Thomas that are always looking to get better.”

Lauren Andrego can be reached at andr0090@stthomas.edu.