A splAsHiNg sUccess
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outhern’s sophomore swimming sensation Amanda Thomas captured the national title in the 200-yard individual medley last March. Thomas finished with a time of 2:00.88, just .32 seconds off of the NCAA record. In addition, she was the runner-up in the 400-yard individual medley, actually breaking the NCAA record en route, with a clocking of 4:15.59. She also notched a second-place finish in the 200-yard butterfly. In all, Thomas collected All-America honors in four events during the Division II championships (she was also fourth in the 200-meter backstroke). “She didn’t come in as a big student-athlete who was destined to win national titles,” says Southern swim coach Tim Quill, who has now coached individuals to 15 NCAA titles. “She’s a good example of how if you set goals for yourself, short-term and long-term, and you work towards those goals on a daily basis, sometimes you will see the results.” Thomas made an immediate impact last year as a freshman, taking home All-America honors in six events and being selected as the Most Outstanding Performer at the league championship. The spotlight of an NCAA championship competition was uncharted territory, but her success was almost immediate, as she reached the pinnacle of the sport on her first swim of the championships.
With a national title in the books, Thomas and Quill set their sights on new goals. And at the time of publication, those goals had been exceeded. Thomas was named the 2012 NCAA Division II Women’s Swimmer of the Year after winning national titles in both the 200 and 400 individual medley, placing runner-up in the 200 butterfly and finishing third in the 200 backstroke at this year’s championships — breaking the NCAA record in the 200 individual medley event. She now holds three NCAA individual titles, three NCAA runner-up marks and is a 14-time All-American for her career. To cap a wonderful run of success, she later qualified for the June U.S. Olympic Trials in the 400 individual medley. left: sophomore Amanda Thomas is proving to be a star in southern’s swimming program.
A N N U A l R e p O R T s O U T H e R N c O N N e c T i c U T s TAT e U N i v e R s i T y 1 3