Thomas heading to her father's alma mater

If bloodlines count for anything, then Whitney Thomas should have quite a track career at Southeast Missouri State.

Thomas, a senior hurdler at Hazelwood Central High School in St. Louis County, recently signed a letter of intent to compete for the Redhawks. Her father, Rob Thomas, ranks as one of Southeast's all-time great track athletes.

"I'm excited about coming to SEMO, and I know my father is really happy about it," she said.

Rob Thomas, inducted into the Southeast Athletic Hall of Fame last October, is the school's only Division I national champion, having won the indoor 500 meters in 1984 even though Southeast was then a Division II program (there was no Division II indoor national meet at the time).

Thomas was a two-time Division I All-American, a three-time Division II All-American, an Olympic trials qualifier in 1984 and a USA national team member in 1985.

"He told me it was a good school and they had a good track program," said Whitney, whose mother Robin also attended Southeast and ran on the track team for one year. "I was recruited by some other pretty good schools and it was a pretty tough decision.

"But when I thought about it, since both my parents went there, I thought it was the best decision for me."

Southeast coach Joey Haines -- who coached Rob Thomas during the final two seasons of his four-year college career -- is elated to have Whitney in the fold, and not just because of the bloodlines, although those cannot be ignored.

"Rob is one of Southeast's all-time great track athletes. He ran on the 4x100 and 4x200 relay teams that still hold the school records," Haines said. "Whitney is also an exceptional athlete. We think she's going to have a really bright future with us."

Whitney, the defending Class 4 state champion in the 100-meter hurdles, is favored to repeat this season. She placed third in the event at last year's Junior Olympic Nationals.

"We think she can be OVC champion as a freshman," Haines said.

Whitney hopes to finish her high school career with another state title and then make an immediate impact for the Redhawks.

"I want to win state again and break the [state] record, then I hope to win the OVC and make it to nationals," she said.