Regina Thomas

Classroom

Thomas has been a solid performer in the classroom and worked hard to balance the demands of being a student-athlete throughout the years. She has completed her undergraduate degree and instead of by-passing her final year of eligibility, Thomas elected to return to school to begin work towards a master’s degree after earning her bachelor of arts in Psychology from the University of Mississippi. She has been named to the UMAA Honor Roll four times, the Dean’s Honor Roll once and the Chancellor’s Honor Roll once in her career. She has been named to the Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll three times.

Character

Thomas has displayed great character throughout her career at Ole Miss. From redshirting her first season on campus to suffering a season-ending injury in an All-America season last year and returning to complete her eligibility, Thomas has set the example when it comes to encompassing the attributes of a true student-athlete and upstanding young woman. It would have been easy for Thomas to forego her final season of eligibility after suffering a season-ending injury in 2010 and earning All-America honors (the first Ole Miss player to ever do so), but Thomas elected to finish out her career and returned for the 2011 season to complete the commitment she made to her teammates, coaches and the Ole Miss fan base when she first arrived on campus in 2007. Through her community service, performance in the classroom and demeanor on the court, Thomas sets the example for the many young women and youths in the Oxford and Ole Miss community.

Community

Thomas has been a very active member of the Oxford and Ole Miss community in her time as a student-athlete. She participates in a variety of community outreach programs both on campus and in the local area. Thomas regularly participates in Reading With The Rebels, going out to local elementary schools to read to (and with) local school children to promote the fun of reading. She also participates in the Rebel ReRun program to collect athletic shoes for children in Africa. She also participates in the SEC Canned Food Drive to collect food to stock area food pantries for needy families. Thomas also joined with her teammates in working to clean up and provide assistance to local communities recovering from the tornados that hit the mid-South in April.

Competition

Thomas has been a leader in a competitive scenario, displaying strong character and leadership. She led Ole Miss to the program’s third NCAA Tournament in five years – and third in program history – this past season despite a torn ACL with six matches remaining in the regular season. She also earned All-America honors from the American Volleyball Coaches Association, becoming the first Ole Miss player to be named to an All-America team in the program’s 35-year history. She was also the first Division I player from a Mississippi school to be named to an All-America team by the AVCA. Despite having finished her undergraduate degree, Thomas elected to return for her final year of eligibility in order to continue to compete with her squad and finish what she started when signing with the Rebels out of high school.