After overcoming several obstacles, Thomas Gregory returned just in time to compete in the postseason meets for the Guilford boys’ outdoor track team this spring. Thomas put forth an incredible effort and contributed to a school-record performance in the 4x800 relay with the Grizzlies during his senior campaign.

Thomas had COVID and also suffered a knee injury prior to Guilford’s postseason competitions this year. The good news was that Thomas was able to get back in action for the championship meets and performed well for the Grizzlies. Thomas ran on a 4x800 relay that set the school record at the State Open Championship and then broke it again at the New England Championship.

Thomas’s 4x800 relay team first set the school record by turning in a third-place finish at the State Open Championship with a time of 7:59.43, eclipsing the previous mark of 8:04.8 set in 1995. Five days later, Thomas and his 4x8 teammates competed at the New England Championship and broke their own school record by recording a time of 7:58.48 in a fourth-place finish. Thomas teamed up with junior Michael Masotti, sophomore Coleman Love, and senior Justin Shiffrin in both record-breaking performances.

“The first time we broke it, I was in shock. I knew we were potentially capable of doing it, but even leading up to it, I didn’t think we were going to break it,” says Thomas. “The last race of my high school career was the cherry on top in setting the school record. I ran the fastest I’d ever run, so it was really a great way to cap off the season and all of high school.”

Prior to the State Open and New Englands, Thomas competed at the SCC West Sectional Championship, the SCC Championship, and the Class MM State Championship for the Grizzlies. Unfortunately, shortly before the championship season, Thomas experienced a couple of setbacks by first catching COVID and then enduring a knee injury that affected him in the weeks leading up to the biggest meets of the year.

“It was annoying at first, because it was the worst possible time. I had to try and get back into peak form as quickly as possible,” Thomas says. “[Sectionals] was the first meet I ran in several weeks. By the time we got into the State Open and New England, I was fully back into it.”

Thomas was able to regain his form and continue posting personal-record (PR) times in all of his events after returning to the team. Competing in the 4x400 and 4x800 relays, as well as the 800, Thomas understood the importance of being on the same page with his teammates both on and off the track.

“There’s a lot of camaraderie. The team bonds are strong on the track team and the cross country team. I think that’s the best part about it for me,” says Thomas. “For relays, since you’re close with the other guys on the relay, you know that you can count on them to do the best that they can do. You know that you have to run to your best in order to help out the guys that you’re friends with.”

Thomas has gained a lot of experience running distance events as a member of Guilford’s cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track squads. As a freshman, Thomas wanted to try something new and decided to join the cross country program. Thomas grew into the habit of taking his training more seriously as his career unfolded, leading him to a string of strong performances during his senior year.

“Earlier in my high school career, I wasn’t as consistent and training every day in the offseason, but the last year of high school, I’ve really tried to change that, and that was really what helped me improve a lot from junior year to senior year,” Thomas says. “There’s a sense of achievement in running a fast time or running a PR or winning a race. I think putting in the work and training is worth it for that sense of accomplishment.”

Thomas’s senior season with the outdoor track team featured a third-place finish in the 800 at the SCC West Sectional Championship. Thomas also joined forces with Shiffrin, senior Cal Stephens, and junior Joshua Chen as part of a 4x400 relay team that came in second place at the Class MM State Championship.

Head Coach George Cooksey knew that Thomas would be an integral part of the Grizzlies’ success from the first step that Thomas took on the track in his freshman year.

“Thomas’s natural talent carried him to earn varsity status as a freshman. He and Justin Shiffrin formed the heart a of a talented freshman group,” says Cooksey. “His resilience and perseverance made all the difference not only for himself as a competitor, but just as importantly for building the confidence of his teammates.”

Thomas will be bringing his talents to the track program at the University of Chicago. He’s looking forward to competing at a higher level while experiencing a whole new environment hundreds of miles away from home.

“I’m excited to see how I’m able to run in college. I think I can continue to run faster and get better,” Thomas says. “I’m excited to see what Chicago has to offer.”

Thomas took away many valuable lessons from his experience as Grizzlies’ runner. While capping off his farewell season in memorable fashion, Thomas discovered the importance of taking chances and was pleased to see that approach pay off as a senior.

“What I’m going to miss most is going out to practice every day and having fun with my friends,” says Thomas. “You really have to take a chance. When you’re in a championship race, you have to be willing to go out hard and take a risk in order to perform well. You can’t perform well if you’re not willing to do that.”