St. Thomas University Sports

St. Thomas University (STU) in Miami Gardens is a small, private Catholic university affiliated with the Archdiocese of Miami. While often recognized for its academics, the school is also excellent at sports. Nicknamed the Bobcats, STU began its athletics program in 1965 with men’s basketball and now has 28 varsity teams. Male students compete in baseball, basketball, football, soccer, tennis, golf, swimming & diving, track & field cross country, rugby, volleyball, wrestling and bowling. Women’s sports include basketball, softball, golf, soccer, tennis, swimming & diving, volleyball, beach volleyball, bowling, flag football, rugby, lacrosse, track & field and cross-country. Most of St. Thomas’ teams play in the Sun Conference of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The wrestling team competes in the Appalachian Athletic Conference. Overall, the Bobcats have won 67 conference championships.

A Rich History of Athletic Success

St. Thomas has excelled at baseball. The Bobcats have won nine regular season and five conference championships and made numerous appearances in the NAIA World Series, reaching the championship game in 2019. STU has produced several professional players and touts a strong lineage of successful coaches. The team plays its home games on-campus at Paul Demie Mainieri Field, named after the school’s former baseball coach.

The men’s basketball program started in 1965 under head coach Ken Stibler, who collected 216 wins from 1965-1983. In recent seasons, the team has made several NAIA national tournament appearances. St. Thomas debuted its varsity football program in 2019. The team plays its home games on-campus at AutoNation Field.

The on-campus Fernandez Family Center has been the home of the men’s basketball and women’s basketball teams since 2009. The women’s team has seen significant success since 2009, with two Sun Conference championships and five NAIA national tournament appearances.

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