The Highflyer

March 03, 2011

Corey Thomas soars through the air, over the pole, and onto the mat, just like that. Add to that his ability to run quickly and jump over hurdles, and you have an incredible athlete looking to secure conference, regional, and national titles for the Stonehill Skyhawks.

A six-foot sophomore from Brookline, MA, Thomas entered his second track and field season already having a Northeast-10 Indoor Athlete of the Year Award, a 55-meter high hurdle NE-10 title, and All-American honor under his belt. Now as a sophomore at Stonehill, Thomas is continuing to impress his coaches, teammates and Skyhawk fans as recent media articles have demonstrated.

Born in Brookline to Jean Epps, Thomas says his mother has served as his role model. "She did hurdles in college too; she tells me that's where I got my talent from," notes Thomas.

He harnessed his athletic talents at Boston College High School, where he starred on the indoor and outdoor track and football teams. By the time he graduated in 2009, Thomas had won an indoor state track title and another in football.

What is possibly even more astounding about his high school career is that Thomas holds four state and conference records in indoor and outdoor track. Those records include the 400m hurdles, 110m hurdles, and, the two events he competes in for Stonehill, the 55m hurdles and the high jump.

So far this season Thomas has already garnered national attention. At the Boston University Valentine's Invitational in February, Thomas completed a high jump of 7 feet, 1.75 inches, the highest jump in the country this season. In his other event, the 55m hurdles, Thomas will look to defend his NE-10 title from last season, where he set a championships record of 7.51 seconds. He is currently ranked fourth in the nation in that event.

In the high jump, Thomas fell one spot short of the conference championship last year with a jump of 7 feet, 0.25 inches. The first and second place finishes still got him All-Conference accolades in each event.

And, as if he hadn't outdone himself with his performance last year at the NE-10 Championships, he took his talents even further, winning two events on February 17th as he led the Skyhawks to a second place finish behind Southern Connecticut State, which won its ninth consecutive title.

"Coach Boen said that a top three finish is our goal, and when the points got close, it was a wild atmosphere," says Thomas in regards to the Championships.

Following the NE-10 Championships, Thomas was off to compete at the New England Regional Championships held at Boston University. He was eager to see two rivals at the regional finals,

"I wanted to put up a fight against UMASS Amherst senior Tyler Cotto in the hurdles and James Noel of Connecticut in the high jump," recalls Thomas. The added motivation helped Thomas continue his strong season, finishing third in the hurdles and second in the high jump. He finished third in the 60m hurdles, and broke the Stonehill record in the event by finishing in 8.12 seconds.

While Thomas secured both victories, there still remains a lot of work left to do, especially in the high jump, according to Thomas.

"I want to clear 7'3"  That would be my career high."

Outside of track, the criminology major and communication minor loves waking up every day as a Skyhawk.

"I first came here as a sophomore in high school and loved it. The campus was amazing. I knew I wanted to come here. It was the only school I applied to. I can walk around campus and hold a conversation with other people, they're all so welcoming," says Thomas.

Thomas says he hopes to be an Olympian one day, sighting two-time silver medalist Terrence Trammel as one of his role models. "I'm close to his time in the hurdles."

Stonehill could have a future Olympian down the road, but for the time being, an individual National Champion in potentially two events is not out of the question. For the dog-loving, hard working Thomas, nothing is out of reach when it comes to the heights he can soar to.

Thomas, along with the members of the 4,000 meter distance medley team, have qualified for the NCAA Division II Track and Field Championships to be held in Albuquerque, NM on March 11-12.

Contact

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