Sophomore All-American honored after double-win performance on the weekend
Thomas, who earns the indoor field award for the fourth time in his career, was a double-winner for the third time in four meets for Stonehill this winter at Friday's Reebok Boston Collegiate Indoor Games, hosted by Northeastern University. He won the 55-meter high hurdles with an NCAA Division II Championships provisional qualifying time of 7.51-seconds to edge Tyler Cotto from the University of Massachusetts by .01-seconds. Thomas qualified second for the final with a time of 7.64-seconds in the preliminary round. He rounded out his double performance with his fourth indoor high jump title of the winter by clearing 7-feet, 0.25-inches – more than four inches higher than the second place winner.
Thomas, who has won all four high jump and three of four hurdle events he has entered this season, is ranked first in all of Division II for the high jump and has the fourth-fastest qualifying standard for the 60-meter hurdles. He cleared a Division II-best 7-feet, 1-inch at the Harvard Open on December 11, while his 7.51-second run in the 55-meter hurdles translates to a time of 8.04-seconds over 60-meters.
Thomas has won the high jump event in all four meets he has entered this season. (PHOTO BY Richard Orr) |
Thomas has earned field athlete of the week honors a combined five 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 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, ranked 17th in this week's USTFCCCA Division II computer rankings, is back in action on Saturday when it participates in the Tufts University Stampede, in Medford, Mass.