Michael Thomas Signs National Letter-of-Intent with ENMU Men's Cross Country Team

PORTALES, N.M. — Eastern New Mexico University head cross country coach Joel McMullen has announced the signing of Kirtland High School senior Michael Thomas, from Shiprock, N.M., to a National Letter-of-Intent to run for the Greyhounds next season. Thomas will be a freshman during the 2005-06 academic year. He is the son of Hank and Lita Thomas.

McMullen and his assistant coach, Matthew Gordillo, have recruited to rebuild and add depth to both the men’s and women’s cross country teams for the upcoming season, focusing primarily on the tremendous amount of talented runners throughout New Mexico. The ENMU men’s cross country squad finished fifth in the Lone Star Conference and 13th in the NCAA South Central Regional in 2004.

Thomas will provide ENMU with solid athletic and academic credentials. He was one of the top eight senior finishers (19th overall) at last fall’s New Mexico Class 4A State Championships. He has received various accolades for his athletic achievements, including: Participated in the Cross Country State Championships four times; All Academic Team three times; Lettered in cross country from eighth grade through 12th grade.

“Michael’s signing with us is important in many ways,” McMullen state. “We made it a top priority to recruit in northwestern New Mexico. There were some very talented kids up there. Michael’s desire to come to Eastern is hopefully an indication to all those young student-athletes that hard work and dedication in high school can lead to great rewards. Hopefully, this is the first step in establishing a recruiting ‘pipeline’ between ENMU and northwest New Mexico.

“Michael has Navajo and Hopi Indian heritage and all of the wonderful character traits of his Indian ancestry,” McMullen said. “To have him and his family believe in us enough to entrust him to us, when he could have chosen any number of other schools, means more than I can say. Michael is a product of an intense sense of loyalty and hard work. I know he will be a tremendous asset to this program.”

Michael Thomas
Shiprock, New Mexico
Kirtland High School