If your weekends seem to go by fast, try watching Thomas Phillips fly by – literally.
Phillips has hurdled his way to next week’s NCAA Championships, where he will compete in the 400-meter hurdles.
En route to qualifying for the NCAA Championships, the senior won the 400 hurdles four times and was a part of the winning 4×400-meter relay team on three occasions.
This year, Phillips set the school record in the 400 hurdles with a time of 50.22 seconds, shattering the previous mark of 50.52 -a record he himself set in March.
Still, this senior’s achievements are not confined to this year. Phillips also holds the school record for the 400-meter sprint with a time of 47.05s and was a part of the team that set the record time of 3:10.28 for the 4×400 relay in 2009.
His many accomplishments on the track have gained him respect from other runners.
“He is one of the top competitors in the USA and he wears that UC Davis jersey,” Interim Director Byron Talley said. “He humbly represents [UC] Davis’ talent and brings us pride.”
Phillips’ need for speed would indicate that there is no set finish line for his running days. He hopes to continue his career on a professional level after college. He has had a taste of the competition, as he recently represented England at the University Games, according to Talley.
“I don’t want to get caught up in all the high levels of competition. I’m excited to go to NCAA and what is to come after that,” Phillips said. “But at the end of the day, it’s still just running.”
Indeed, this running has earned Phillips the title of Male Athlete of the year from The Aggie sports desk.
– Matthew Yuen
