Thomas Earns Second-Straight NE-10 Athlete of the Week

Sophomore All-American honored again after high jump performance

EASTON, Mass. (December 14, 2010) – Stonehill College sophomore All-American Corey Thomas (Brookline, Mass./BC High) has earned Northeast-10 Conference Field Athlete of the Week honors for men's indoor track & field for the second straight week by the league office this afternoon.

Thomas, who earns the indoor field award for the third time in his career, posted the second-highest high jump in the country this indoor season, regardless of division, when he cleared 7-feet, 1-inch, to place first at the Harvard Open on Saturday. The height is the highest at the NCAA Division II level so far this season to earn automatic qualification for the NCAA Division II Indoor Championships for the second-straight year. The leap is second nationally to University of Mississippi sophomore Ricky Robertson's 7-05 on December 3.

Thomas also placed third in the 60-meter high hurdles on Saturday at Harvard with his time of 8.19-seconds in the final after qualifying third in 8.27-seconds during the preliminary round.

Thomas has earned field athlete of the week honors a combined four times in his career between the indoor and outdoor seasons and collected Freshman of the Week honors 12 times last year, combining indoor, outdoor and track and field selections. He has already turned in two first place finishes in the high jump through the first two weeks of the season, placing first at the Jay Carisella Invitational, hosted by Northeastern University, with a leap of 6-11.75. Thomas was a double-winner at the event, taking the 55-meter hurdle final in 7.59-seconds to preliminarily qualify for nationals in that event as well.

Thomas enjoyed a record-breaking indoor season as a freshman at Stonehill, qualifying for the NCAA Championships for both the high jump and 60-meter hurdles. He earned All-America honors with his third-place finish in the high jump (6'11.5") in Albuquerque, N.M. Thomas posted the top indoor high jump in Division II last winter, clearing a program-record 7'2.25" to win the New England Indoor Championship. He also established the program-record for the 55-meter hurdles with his time of 7.45-seconds in placing second at the New England Championships, ranking third nationally for that event entering the Indoor Championships. Thomas was named the NE-10 Indoor Male Athlete of the Year and Most Valuable Athlete at the NE-10 Championships.

Thomas qualified for nationals in both the high jump and 110-meter high hurdles during the outdoor season. He didn't finish lower than third for the high jump in any of the eight outdoor events he was entered in for Stonehill last spring, posting wins at the Skyhawk Invitational and New Balance Boston Twilight Invitational to go with a second New England title. He won the 110-meter hurdles event in six of the eight outdoor meets he was entered this spring, posting wins at the Bryant Invitational, George Davis Invite, Skyhawk Invitational and New Balance Boston Twilight event to go with his Northeast-10 Conference and New England Championship performances. Thomas was named the NE-10 Male Freshman of the Year for the outdoor season.

Thomas, the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Men's East Region Indoor and Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year as a freshman, placed fourth for the high jump at the USA Junior Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Drake Stadium in June, clearing a school-record height of 7'1.50".

Stonehill is off until Saturday, January 22, when it participates in the University of New Hampshire Tri-Meet.