Cook County sophomore Molly Thomas has been selected to compete in the 2015 Down Under Sport Tournament games in Australia next summer. Thomas has also been showing she has talent as a long distance runner with her rapid improvement in cross country this fall.
Last year as a ninth grader Molly Thomas nearly broke the school record in the 400 meter run when she clocked the distance in 63 seconds and change. Her time placed her fourth in sections and nearly qualified her for a trip to the Minnesota State High School track meet.
All in all Thomas, who was new to the quarter mile, had a great if abbreviated track season. Late winter weather kept the Vikings—who have no track to train on—from competing in several track meets because of cancelation due to inclement weather.
Thomas was recently rewarded for her fine running efforts when she was told she had been selected to compete in the summer 2015 Down Under Sport Tournament on the Gold Coast of Australia where she will run as a member of the Central Conference Track and Field Team.
To make this once-in-a-lifetime trip possible, Thomas is soliciting support from area businesses and is selling T-shirts provided by Down Under Sports. Her aunt, Leah Thomas, said a fundraiser will be set up for Molly next spring featuring the Splinters Nuevo, a seven piece band she plays in.
This fall the smooth striding Thomas has been competing in cross country for the first time, and although she’s now running eight times further than she’s used to—almost 2 miles (4k) on grass over hill and dale— she has shown that with a few pre-season miles sprinkled into her training she should become one of the better cross country runners in the area.
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