| St. Thomas Celts | |
| University: | University of St. Thomas |
| Association: | NCAA Division III |
| Conference: | Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference |
| Director: | Todd Smith |
| Location: | Houston, Texas |
| First Year: | 1947, 2006 |
| Teams: | 16 |
| Basketballarena: | Jerabeck Athletic Center |
| Mascot: | Lenny the Lion |
| Nickname: | Celts Warriors (formerly) |
| Color1: | Red |
| Hex1: | FF0000 |
| Color2: | Gold |
| Hex2: | F2BF49 |
| Pageurl: | http://www.ustcelts.com |
The St. Thomas Celts are the athletic teams that represent the University of St. Thomas, located in Houston, Texas, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the Division III level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) as a provisional member since the 2019–20 academic year. The Celts previously competed in the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 2011–12 to 2018–19; as well as an NAIA Independent within the Association of Independent Institutions (AII) from 2007–08 to 2010–11.
UST competes in eight intercollegiate men's sports, nine women's sports, and two co-ed sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, swimming, tennis and track & field; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track & field and volleyball; and co-ed sports include cheerleading (spirit) and Esports.[1]
UST men's basketball dates back to 1947, in conjunction with the opening of the university. During their original athletic tenure, their mascot was the Warriors.[2] [3] Their men's basketball program disbanded in 1967.[4] UST also hosted a baseball team from 1948[5] to 1969.[6] Men's basketball temporarily returned for the 1984–85 season, posting a 9–23 record and losing in the NAIA District IV Tournament to Southwestern University.[7] 1984 was also when the UST athletic teams were first known as the Celts.[8]
In fall 2006, the NAIA informed UST that its application to join had been accepted, bringing varsity intercollegiate athletics back to campus for the first time in 20 years.[9] Beginning in 2007, UST fielded both a women's volleyball team and a men's soccer team to compete as Independents within the Association of Independent Institutions (AII).[10] [11] The 2009–10 academic year marked the return of the UST men's varsity basketball team.[12] From 2011 to 2019, UST competed in the NAIA as members of the RRAC.[13]
On February 14, 2018, UST announced it would become the SCAC's 10th member after completing an exploratory year in NCAA Division III.[14] Pending acceptance into Division III after that, SCAC competition would begin in the 2019–20 season. As Division III and the SCAC require a minimum of 12 sports, UST added men's and women's tennis along with the return of baseball during the 2019–20 academic year. According to UST President Richard Ludwick, "[t]his is really recognition not only of the quality of our athletics program, but of the quality of our academics and institution as a whole. It is exciting to think about the level of competition that we have been invited to join."[15]
The school became a provisional member of Division III in 2019.[16]
In 2020, the Celts Baseball team played for the first time since 1969. They went 7-11 before the season ending due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[17] [18] On February 8, 2020, the Celts registered their first victory (an 11-7 victory over Howard Payne) since April 26, 1969 (a 2-1 defeat over Houston Baptist).[19] [20]