FAYETTEVILLE -- Antonio Thomas is used to being first, so it was no surprise the Haas Hall senior became the school's first-ever Division I college signee when the senior swimmer signed with Missouri State on Thursday.
Thomas, a distance swimmer who is a US Open qualifier in the 800-meter free, also competes in the 400 and 1,500 free events. He is a member of the Razorback Aquatic Club Aquahawgs club team in addition to swimming for Haas Hall.
The Scholastic All-American signed a provost scholarship with Missouri State but had a number of schools in his sights before settling on the Springfield, Mo.,-based school. Seaton Hall, Cincinnati and Utah were also colleges Thomas considered before choosing to swim for the Bears.
"The one thing that I originally wanted to do was I wanted to get out of this region," said Thomas, who visited those other schools. "I feel like everyone wants to go explore and see what's out there. But there was something about the atmosphere of being away that really didn't do it for me."
Thomas said he had been in contact with Missouri State coaches throughout the recruiting process, and made the decision to take an official visit.
"Right off the bat, everyone was so nice, and I knew a lot of the people on the team because a lot of them swam club in Arkansas," Thomas said. "But the one thing that they kept saying over and over again and stuck in my head was, this place is like home."
Anita Parisi with the Aquahawgs spoke at Thursday's signing and praised Thomas' work ethic, citing the more than 20 hours per week he trains at The Jones Center pool in addition to the rigorous academic schedule as Haas Hall.
"Antonio has worked really hard," Parisi said in front of a large gathering of Haas Hall students. "A lot of hard work has gone into this, as well as his ability to be a competitor. He gets in the water and he wants to race. The desire to win will take you a long way and Antonio has that desire."
Sports on 11/13/2015