Eli Thomas will be the first to tell you there perhaps are other swimmers who are better in competition.
But he’s the swimmer with the plaque.
“Swimming is one of my passions,” says Thomas, 17, who was selected as the All American Conference “Male Swimmer of the Year” after competing in the league competition held on Jan. 25 at Fayetteville State University.
He took first place in the 100-yard butterfly event with a time of 1:09.23. He was runner-up in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 114.76.
Thomas is a senior at Massey Hill Classical High School, but he competes for the E.E. Smith High School swim team because the classical school doesn’t offer a team. Teams that compete in the All American Conference, Thomas says, are Terry Sanford, Harnett Central, Pine Forest, Overhills, Western Harnett, Triton and E.E. Smith. Harnett Central won the team championship. Pine Forest was second and Overhills third.
Thomas is modest about being selected as the league’s No. 1 swimmer.
Just being able to compete and be in the pool is enough.
He welcomes the aroma of the chlorine.
“It’s just one of those smells when you go into the indoor pool,” Thomas said. “That chlorine seems to gloss over you.”
Like other competitors, he anxiously awaited announcement of “Male Swimmer of the Year.” The honor is decided in a vote of league coaches and is based not only on swimming skills but on team leadership and sportsmanship.
“It surprised me a lot,” said Thomas, whose father, Scott Thomas, is the E.E. Smith swim team’s volunteer assistant coach.
Lifeguard to the rescue
Eli Thomas has been swimming since age 3. Not only is he a high school swimming champion, he’s a certified lifeguard, too. He spends summers lifeguarding at the College Lakes Swimming Pool in north Fayetteville.
He rescued two youngsters in 2023.
“We have a really big slide,” Thomas said. “It can create a big current. You can get pulled into it.”
A 2-year-old found himself in the current, Thomas says, and wasn’t strong enough to swim out of it.
It was Thomas to the rescue.
He saved an 11-year-old youngster later in the summer.
“This kid didn’t know how to swim,” Thomas said. “Your brain just goes into overdrive mode. I jumped in the pool and pulled my buoy around him and got him safely out of the pool. It was very stressful. It was worse for him.”
While he takes pride in his “Male Swimmer of the Year” honor, Thomas seems more proud of saving the lives of the two youngsters.
“It made me feel really good,” Thomas said. “It’s always a good feeling when you make sure kids don’t hurt themselves.”
Liberty University bound
With the school swimming season at end, Thomas is turning his thoughts to the classroom at Massey Hill Classical, where he is an honor student and senior representative for the Student Government Association.
“I’m taking a little break so I can work on my grades and start flying lessons for my personal pilot’s license,” he said. “Once, the summer starts, I’ll start training again.”
Thomas is planning to enroll in the fall at the Liberty University School of Aeronautics in Lynchburg, Virginia, and also try as a walk-on for the swimming and diving team.
He’s not looking to becoming another Michael Phelps, the most decorated U.S. Olympian with 28 gold medals. Nor is looking to become another Matt Biondi or a Mark Spitz, other swimming Olympian medalists.
Eli Thomas wants to one day became a commercial airline pilot.
“I will be flying over the water,” he said with something of a laugh. “Not through it.”
Epilogue
Along Southern Avenue, Eli Thomas is a senior every teacher and student knows by first name when they see him in the hallways or anywhere around the campus. He’s been involved in theater and chorus and helps plan for school events or extracurricular activities.
“Having had the opportunity to witness Eli's character both inside and outside of the classroom, I can attest that he is a young man that maintains the highest levels of integrity, compassion and endurance,” said Douglas Massengill, principal at Massey Hill Classical. “He has preserved through military transitions and personal challenges to become a bright, caring and outgoing young man. I am proud to have had a small part in his success and cannot wait to see what Eli accomplishes next.”
What we know for sure is that Eli Thomas is aiming high and reaching for the stars.
Bill Kirby Jr. can be reached at billkirby49@gmail.com or 910-624-1961.
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