Steady improvement remains one of Leslie Thomas’s top priorities.

Thomas is a Montgomery resident entering her sophomore season on the cross country and track and field teams at Marshall University. She approaches her second year for the Thundering Herd boasting a wealth of good experience from this past school term.

“(My) freshman year was quite the adjustment, but overall very successful,” said Thomas, who competed in cross country and indoor and outdoor track for MU. “It (cross country) was a rather rough fall season, though, and our team did not perform too great. We had a few injuries and the team was small, but this fall is looking a lot better.”

A Riverside High School graduate, Thomas logged a personal record of 20 minutes, 3 seconds for a 5-kilometer (3.1-miles) cross country course, and she managed to finish first for her team at the Conference USA championships.

In track, Thomas focused on the 5-k race, with a personal record of 18:29. She also competed in the 3-k, 10-k and 1,500 at times.

“I have big goals for the next three years, though, and can only look up from here,” said Thomas, who is majoring in biology with an eye toward becoming a veterinarian.

“I really enjoyed Marshall this year,” she said. “Being a science major, it was really rough trying to fit in the study time paired with the constant traveling and practicing with running, but I clearly managed and I love the challenge.”

Her off-season preparation has been a positive, she feels.

“Training is going really well. I’m just trying to get in a lot of quality miles. I ran a 5k in Celina, Ohio this weekend, but that has been the first ounce of speed I have really done thus far. I’m looking forward to getting back with my team.”

She says she would “absolutely love to be all-conference” in cross country this fall, but “I am not sure the reality of that goal.”

“I know the times in my head that I will be happy with, so hopefully I can just run faster,” Thomas added. “I have learned so much.

“In track I want to run in the 17s for my 5-k, and possibly try the steeplechase.”

Thomas is coached by Jeff Small and Casey Batey (graduate assistant), and former GA Travis Epling “helped me a lot this past year,” she said.

“Running is such an amazing sport I wish I would have jumped into at an earlier age,” Thomas concluded. “I think it isn’t promoted in our area enough, and younger kids should really get involved.”

— E-mail:

skeenan@register-herald.com