It only took a year as the University of St. Thomas bounced back July 15 from its involuntary removal from the Division III Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference to announce it will compete in Division I.

It marks the first time in the NCAA’s modern era that a program has been reclassified directly from Division III to Division I college athletics, university officials said.

Beginning in the 2021-2022 academic year, the university is joining the Summit League for 19 of its 22 sports, as well as the Pioneer Football League and the Western Collegiate Hockey Association women’s league. A conference decision is pending for men’s hockey.

St. Thomas will continue to compete in the MIAC conference this academic year. That conference voted to remove St. Thomas in May 2019, citing the university’s relative success in football and other sports.

“Our St. Thomas community is excited to embark on this journey of building Minnesota’s first private D-I collegiate athletics program and the second D-1 program in the state,” said Julie Sullivan, university president. “St. Thomas has a long history of academic and athletic excellence and embracing change with an entrepreneurial spirit. This move continues that trajectory.”

The Summit League includes among its schools the University of Nebraska Omaha, the University of Denver and North Dakota State University.

The Pioneer Football League schools include the University of Dayton in Ohio, the University of San Diego in California and Valparaiso University in Indiana.

The WCHA women’s league count among its schools the University of Minnesota, Bemidji State, Ohio State University and the University of Wisconsin.