The Stride Report has learned that Washington's Carley Thomas will not be racing during the upcoming indoor track season due to injury. There is still significant uncertainty as to whether or not she will compete in the spring given the amount of emphasis that is being placed on her recovery.
Earlier in the summer, Thomas broke her femur in a tubing accident. In October, she posted an update on her Instagram page detailing her injury and the recovery process.
Coming into this indoor track season, Thomas was considered to be one of the NCAA's biggest and best stars. Last winter, the Washington ace ran a time of 2:02.75 for 800 meters, earning the NCAA's second-fastest time (nationally) in the event behind only Penn's Nia Akins.
However, her personal best actually comes from the summer of 2019 when she ran 2:01.01 for 800 meters in London before eventually toeing the line at the IAAF World Championships in Doha, Qatar.
With Thomas now sidelined for this winter and potentially this spring, the national title in the women's 800 meters is wide-open (should an indoor national meet actually happen). Clemson's Laurie Barton is now the country's top collegiate returner in the women's 800 meters from last year.