Phil Esten, vice president and director of athletics at the University of St. Thomas, recently spoke with WCCO Radio about the NCAA potentially reducing the university’s provisionary period, which would allow student-athletes to compete in postseason play sooner than expected after the school’s transition to Division I.
From the story:
St. Thomas was put on a five-year (provisionary) period after transitioning from Division III to Division I in 2021. That could be changing, according to St. Thomas Vice President and Athletic Director Phil Esten who talked with Tom Hauser on the WCCO Morning News.
“The NCAA is considering a reduction of a year in the provisional period and we’ll follow that through January,” says Esten. “But I’m very, very optimistic about the year.”
The NCAA requires a reclassification period to make sure schools uphold the standards athletically and academically of a Division I program, but with the success of several programs, St. Thomas is ahead of schedule. The Tommies left the D-III MIAC and made the unprecedented jump all the way up to Division I.
The (provisional) period bars St. Thomas from participating in any postseason competitions outside their conference.
