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MIAC expels original member St. Thomas for being too strong

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BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (AP) The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference has decided to oust the NCAA Division III league's largest school, St. Thomas, for competitive purposes.

The MIAC announced Wednesday the Tommies will be ''involuntarily removed'' in two years by the conference they helped found in 1920. Of the current 13 members, St. Thomas is one of four campuses located in the state's capital city, St. Paul.

The private Catholic liberal arts university has about 6,200 undergraduates, double the enrollment of the next-closest schools in the league. The Tommies have won 12 consecutive MIAC all-sports trophies on both the men's and women's side, based on conference finish in each event.

St. Thomas president Julie Sullivan called the decision ''extremely disappointing.'' The Tommies could try to join another Division III league or move to Division II.

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