Thomas Earns 2005 NCAA Inspiration Award

NORMAN, Okla. -- Her senior year presented a number of new challenges for Michelle Thomas. Now, because of the way she faced those challenges and succeeded, the fifth year senior at the University of Oklahoma has been named one of three NCAA Inspiration Award winners for 2005.

Thomas, who is from McAlester, will receive her award on January 9 at the annual NCAA Honors Dinner as part of the NCAA Convention in Dallas. Joining Thomas as 2005 Inspiration Award winners are Kaia Jergenson of Lipscomb University and Marcharia Yuot of Widener University.

Created in 2001 by the NCAA Honors Committee, the Inspiration Award may be presented to a coach or administrator currently associated with intercollegiate athletics or to a current or former varsity letterwinner at an NCAA institution who, when confronted with a life-altering situation, used perseverance, dedication and determination to overcome the event and now serves as a role model to give hope and inspiration to others in similar situations.

Thomas, the first NCAA Inspiration Award winner in school history, probably would have welcomed just a single event in her final year of competition as a middle distance runner at OU.

Last fall, Thomas and her twin sister stepped in when their two young nieces, ages five and seven, needed a home. The nieces' mother had been sentenced to prison. Their grandmother, Thomas' mother, was battling cancer and could not care for the children.

Each morning, Thomas got up and got the children to day care before she went to early morning cross country practice. She kept that schedule throughout the fall semester and finished with a 3.56 grade point average in her major of microbiology with a minor in chemistry. She also earned Academic All-Big 12 honors in cross country for her performance.

Thomas, her sister and the two nieces settled into life. She returned to school and practices in January in preparation for the 2004 indoor season. Life was beginning to return to normal when tragedy struck again. Returning from a workouts, Thomas and her teammates noticed an OU police officer talking to their coach. Shortly after, the coach approached Thomas with the news that her oldest sister had been murdered. The fact that the murder occurred on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a day set aside to honor the memory of the man who preached nonviolence, only added to the pain.

Money was tight and ultimately the expense of paying for her older sister's burial fell to Thomas and her twin sister. Utilizing money they had saved for school expenses, they paid the expenses for the services.

Still, Thomas continued to go to class, train for competition and provide a stable home for her young nieces. Following the funeral, she returned to school and the team, now facing the challenge of paying college-related expenses. Soon after her return to Norman, she was called to the athletic director's office and informed that an academic scholarship had been awarded to her.

Thomas, a Bill Gates Scholar, competed in the Big 12 Indoor Championships, running on OU's distance medley relay that scored at the conference meet with a fifth place finish. She competed throughout the outdoor season and continued to succeed in the classroom, earning Academic All-Big 12 first team honors for the third time in her Sooner career.

In April, she was selected to receive the Athletics Council Achievement Award. The award honors student-athletes who have overcome great personal, academic and/or emotional odds to achieve academic success while participating in intercollegiate athletics. The award winners have persevered and made significant personal strides toward success. The common thread for all considered for the award is a drive to succeed which has enabled them to overcome difficult situations.

Her nieces returned to live with their mother after she was released from prison. However, in November, after a series of setbacks, Thomas went to McAlester and moved her sister and the two nieces back to Norman. She got her nieces re-enrolled in Norman Public Schools and has encouraged their mother to return to school which she is slated to do in January. Scheduled to graduate in May with her bachelor's degree in microbiology with a minor in chemistry, Thomas says that she did what she needed to do.

“I always have had people in my life who were there to support me, including my coaches, teammates and the athletic department staff here at OU,” Thomas explained. “Since I have been old enough to understand, I've known that education is crucial for success. There have always been people in my life that made sure I understood what the right thing to do was. The best way for me to say thank you to them and to honor what they have done for me is to do the same for someone else. That's all I did reach out to help someone like I have been helped.”

A lifetime of helping may be in store for Thomas who is interested in pursuing a career in medical research.

“We are so proud of Michelle and all she has accomplished,” said co-head coach Jill Lancaster. “While many would have crumbled in the face of what she has lived through, Michelle has continued to succeed. Life is full of challenges and the person each of us becomes is a result of how we respond to those challenges. Michelle has faced all of her challenges head on. She is a role model for all of her teammates and her coaches. Michelle takes care of business ... from the track to the classroom to providing a stable environment for two young children. We are proud she has been part of our program. She is the kind of person that makes intercollegiate athletics such a special place to be.”

Success in college athletics often is measured in wins, titles and times. Michelle Thomas has proven that success should be measured in the lives of those who are changed through our actions.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Thomas Earns 2005 NCAA Inspiration Award

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