SUBMITTED by Brenda Pittman
Katie Thoms, a Newark High School senior and Girls Varsity Lacrosse player, signed a National Letter of Intent November 14th to attend Edinboro University in the fall on a Division II scholarship.
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| (L-R) Mary Thoms, Katie Thoms and Mark Thoms. |
Before the signing in the NHS library, Chris Corey, NCSD Director of Health, Physical Education and Athletics welcomed parents, coaches, teammates, teachers, administrators and lots of other well-wishers watching and congratulated Thoms.
“It is with great pleasure that we can honor her accomplishments as a student-athlete here at Newark,” Corey said. “We are proud of her and her lacrosse accomplishments. As a center midfielder, she has been 2nd team All Finger Lakes for the past two seasons. Going into the upcoming season, Katie has scored 54 goals and 20 assists. We are excited to see what her senior year will look like as Katie has shown steady improvement throughout her high school career."
“The last thing I’d like to point out is that Katie is a captain in all three sports she plays: soccer, basketball and lacrosse. Also, Katie is evidence that playing three sports throughout one’s career is a good thing and playing one sport helps you grow in another.”Then Thoms, flanked by her parents, Mary, who teaches seventh grade English at Newark Middle School and Newark Police Department Sgt. Mark Thoms signed the National Letter of Intent. Thoms thanked everyone for coming to the event and for their support. “It really means a lot,’’ she said.
Before, during and after the reception, others expressed how proud they are of Thoms’ accomplishments.
“We are very excited for Katie to join our lacrosse family!” Caitlin Formato, Head Women’s Lacrosse Coach at Edinboro said later. “We are hoping that Katie can step in and contribute right away to our defensive end."
“Katie is a passionate player that truly loves the game of lacrosse,’’ said NHS Health teacher Karen Cline, who is Thoms’ lacrosse coach. “Katie is not a selfish player and will feed the ball to any teammate looking to score. She doesn't know the word "quit", as she works hard throughout the entire game whether winning or losing."
“I’m so excited for her,’’ said Jim Denk, who has coached Thoms in lacrosse at the Relentless Hustle Lacrosse Club in Pittsford since she was in sixth grade. Noting how hard Thoms has worked at the sport and her commitment to it, Denk said she is a “good kid and I’m excited for her.”
“Katie is hard-working and I am very excited for her,” Mary Thoms said. “I think Edinboro is a great fit for her academically and athletically. Words cannot express how proud I am–she has a bright future ahead of her."
“Since 9th grade Katie has been visiting colleges while playing lacrosse along the East Coast, from NYS to Florida,”she continued. “Katie decided early that she needed to play at a college where she felt comfortable and had the academic degrees she was looking for. It didn’t matter what college division it was, but she wanted to stay on the East Coast. Ultimately her three choices were: Mercyhurst, Catawba and Edinboro. She had verbally committed to Mercyhurst and then the head coach and recruiting coach took jobs elsewhere, so she continued looking. After her overnight at Edinboro, Katie decided that was where she wanted to go.”Katie Thoms said the coach and players at Edinboro made her feel “like it was home.” She hopes someday to be a college-level athletic director and will major either in health and physical education or sports administration.
Like his wife, Mark Thoms said he couldn’t be more proud of his daughter.
“It’s great. All her hard work has paid off,’’ he said. “All of the summer club team playing has paid off. I’m proud of her.’’Thoms’ other coaches commended her on her accomplishments.
“Katie as a three sport athlete was able to not only be a top player, but also a leader in the sports she is in,” said Newark Middle School math teacher Jason Dentel who is Head Girl’s Varsity Soccer coach at NHS. “As a captain of our soccer team, Katie demonstrated to our younger players what a well rounded student athlete is all about."
“I've known Katie since she was a little girl. With three older siblings to learn from, she has grown into a thoughtful and caring young woman who is also very competitive,” said Newark Middle School science teacher Heather Schlegel, who coached Thoms for modified soccer and JV lacrosse . “On the field she has always been a true team player. She will often and without hesitation set others up for success because she understands what “team” is all about. She is a leader that leads by example and in the past couple of years has started to share her experience and lead with her voice as well. She will be a great addition to her college team.”
“Katie is one of the hardest working players and has been for the last 3 years she has been on the varsity basketball team,” said Justin Fladd, Varsity Girls Basketball coach at NHS. “She not only gets it done on the basketball court but also in the classroom. I am honored to say I had the opportunity to teach and coach Katie Thoms during her years at Newark High School. Edinboro is getting a well-rounded athlete and even better person.”Thoms, whose GPA at NHS is 91.61, takes Gemini courses through FLCC and AP courses. She is a member of Student Council, Youth 2 Youth, Varsity Club, Interact Club, Art Club, National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society and Link Crew.
Her myriad sports affiliations and recognitions include:
- AAU Basketball – She is a member of the Finger Lakes Fury and Finger Lakes Elite club teams.
- Club Lacrosse – Her mother noted her daughter was a member of the Relentless Hustle Lacrosse Club and previously played for CNYELC (Central NY Elite Lacrosse Club). Her high school training starts in March and ends in May. Club lacrosse starts in May and runs through the entire month of July. Fall lacrosse starts in September and runs through March. Thoms has one month off in August from lacrosse, but starts pre-season soccer in the middle of August.
“Because she is three-sport athlete her days are filled,” Mary Thoms continued. “She will go from school to a student council meeting to a sport practice and then travel to club lacrosse practice doing her homework while traveling. During the summer, she would go from basketball to lacrosse to summer soccer to leaving for the weekend for a lacrosse tournament. Time management has been a huge part of her high school career.”In lacrosse, Thoms, has been a varsity player for 4 years. She received All League Honorable Mention in grade 9; Second Team All-League in grade 10 and 11. Thoms was MVP in 2013 and 2015. She earned Best Offensive Player in 2014 and 2016 and won Scholar Athlete in 2014, 2105 and 2106.
In soccer, Thoms, has been a varsity player for four years; Second Team All-League Soccer in grades 11 and 12; Coaches Award 2016; and Scholar Athlete 2014, 2015, 2016.
In basketball, Thoms, has been a three-year varsity player who was Most Improved player in Grade 10 and Best Defensive JV player in Grade 9.
Thoms, who has worked at Wegmans since she was 15, has volunteered for Coach Tim Tanea’s AECC summer soccer camp and Coach Fladd’s AECC summer basketball camp. She has been a volunteer referee for modified soccer; Cracker Box Palace, booster clubs, was a ball girl for soccer for many years prior to playing at the HS level, and Kitz soccer coach for one year.
NHS Principal Tom Roote had this to say about Thoms:
“Katie's signing was extra special as she is a multi-sport athlete who has grown significantly from year to year. Watching her from the sidelines has always left me impressed as she presents as very coachable and ready for the "moment" should it present itself. Way to go Katie!”
“Being a well-rounded person is one of the traits I admire most,” said Superintendent Matt Cook. “As a true three-sport athlete, Katie is not only well rounded athletically, she's a great student and a good person. Can't ask for more than that out of a Newark graduate!"
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