« Women’s Soccer 2017

Martha Thomas

School
Charlotte
Position
Midfielder/Forward
Major
exercise science

Classroom

A leader off the field in so many ways for the 49ers, Martha Thomas finished her junior year (2016-17 academic year) with a perfect 4.0 GPA on her way to being named to the NSCAA Scholar All-America Second Team. She earned All-Conference USA Academic First Team honors for the second straight season (only two eligible years) and was tabbed to the NSCAA All-South Region First Team in 2016. Her classroom work has placed her on the Chancellor’s List (3.8 or higher) in three of the last four semesters as she has dived deep into her major. The lone exception was during the Spring 2016 term when she was picked to the Dean’s List (3.4-3.79 GPA). She added another Dean’s List mention in Fall 2014, her first collegiate semester, and was on the Chancellor’s List for the first time in Spring 2015. She has garnered a spot on the Conference USA Honor Roll each of her three years and has been a recipient of the Conference USA Academic Medal (3.75+ GPA) the last two years. Out of her six completed semesters, she has earned a perfect 4.0 GPA in four of them. Her academic prowess has helped the Niners to receive the NSCAA Team Academic Award in each of the last two years she’s been with the program.

Character

A true leader on and off the field, Thomas has excelled in the spotlight the last three years. Not only has she served as a team captain as a junior and senior, she also has taken the initiative to be a team leader for the Charlotte Leadership Academy. A leader among her peers across all sports, she plays an active role in the Charlotte Leadership Academy and is primed to be named a Leader of Distinction for the group at the end of the academic year. Leaders in this academy are active in cultivating winning and professional attitudes for student-athletes of all teams. She spearheads group meetings and serves as a valuable resource for her fellow student-athletes in the group. Leaders of Distinction are formed after being named an Emerging Leader during their underclassmen years to begin building the culture most representative for Charlotte athletics. Her base for this came early in her career, as she attended a Leadership Seminar during her freshman year. She has also been heavily involved with the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee as one of the team representatives from women’s soccer.

Community

Thomas not only does well on the field and in the classroom, but she also takes time to reach out to the community for various projects. She has been involved with Project Life, a Polar Plunge for Special Olympics, the YMCA Miracle League, serving at a local food pantry, the athletics department’s Stroll for Epilepsy, the American Red Cross Blood Drive, a Women in Sports Pregame Clinic and the Salvation Army “Silver Stars” program. She also welcomes children and youth teams to the field for post-game autograph sessions. She volunteers time with local club programs, passing her knowledge of the game on to younger players who have an ambition to continue playing as they grow up. Through her first three years at Charlotte, Thomas has accumulated 34 community service hours to rank highly among all student-athletes. She also has amassed 57 life-skill credits, taking time out of her busy schedule to attend and participate in other community service projects with her team or fellow student-athletes.

Competition

For all of her outstanding classroom, character and community attributes, Thomas has earned her most recognition on the field. She has already cemented her place among the program’s and Conference USA’s all-time greats and will soon further add to her legacy. She will wrap up her career as the 49ers’ career leader in goals scored and points produced, while also ranking highly for game-winning goals recorded and assists distributed. Her career got off to a strong start when she was selected as the 2014 Conference USA Freshman of the Year and earned TopDrawerSoccer.com Freshman All-America Second Team honors. She has continued to accumulate the hardware, adding the 2016 Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year plaudit and three All-Conference USA Team mentions, including back-to-back first-team spots. She is a five-time member of the TopDrawerSoccer.com National Team of the Week; three-time Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week selection; and a two-time choice on the NSCAA All-Central Region Team, including a first-team nod in 2016. She has been recognized as the Preseason Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year in 2015 and 2016 and has landed highly on the TopDrawerSoccer.com National Top 100 list, including the top ranking in the league this year. Her success hasn’t been limited to the individual, as she guided the 49ers to the 2016 Conference USA Championships title and subsequent NCAA Tournament berth as Charlotte won the crown on its home turf.