Head Coach: Esther Thomas EThomas@parish.org

Coach Esther Thomas was born in Nigeria and came to the US at the age of two. She ran track at Texas Christian University from 2000-2002 where she competed in the 100m Hurdles, the Heptathlon, and was named Western Athletic Conference Freshman of The Year in her Indoor and Outdoor Seasons. After college, Esther started her coaching career as the Junior High Head Coach for Canyon Creek Christian Academy. She had joined the coaching staff at Parish in 2013 as the assistant track and field coach specializing in the hurdles and jumps. Coach Thomas has taken many of her athletes to the State meet and has a State Champion in the Triple Jump. In addition to coaching at Parish, she has 15 years of coaching experience with North Dallas Athletic Association and DC Sports Track Club where her innovative coaching style has helped many athletes obtain college track scholarships.

Esther is blessed with four fantastic children. Marcus plays football at the University of Mount Union and is in his junior year, Liberti attends Southern University and is in her sophomore year, Laila attends the University of California Santa Barbara and is in her freshman year, and Marcellus attends Bowie Elementary and is in first grade (Fall of 2023).

Coach Thomas’ Coaching Philosophy:

“I believe that becoming the best athlete starts mentally. My goal season to season isn’t just to make State Champions but to assist my athletes in feeling better about themselves. When they feel better about themselves then they become more effective at practice. Being more effective at practice will help them perform better at track meets and in life generally. We will laugh, we will work hard, and most importantly, we will have fun.”