IAAF Diamond League
Thursday, July 4 – 8:42 PM CEST (11:42 AM PT)
Lausanne, Switzerland - Stade Olympique de la Pontaise
Start Lists/Results | Live Video

World University Games
Monday, July 8 – 6:40 PM MSK (7:40 AM PT)
Wednesday, July 10 – 6:51 PM MSK (7:51 AM PT) & 8:45 PM MSK (9:45 AM PT)
Friday, July 12 - 6:45 PM MSK (7:45 AM PT)
Kazan, Russia – Central Stadium
Roster | Schedule | Live Results | Live Video (via ESPN U)

THOMAS LAUNCHES PROFESSIONAL CAREER OVERSEAS
Less than two weeks after the official conclusion to her collegiate career at the 2013 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, Vashti Thomas currently finds herself in Europe with the world's elite athletes. Thomas is first set to compete in the 100m hurdles of the IAAF Diamond League (Lausanne) this week then travels to Kazan, Russia for the World University Games next week.

TOEING THE LINE
The IAAF Diamond League competition taking place in Lusanne, Switzerland will begin on Thursday, July 4 at 5:30 PM CEST (8:30 AM PT). The 100mH competition is scheduled for 8:42 PM CEST (11:42 AM PT) inside Stade Olympique de la Pontaise.

Though the World University Games begin on July 6, Thomas will not be competing until July 8 when she participates in the long jump at 6:40 PM MSK (7:40 AM PT). On July 10, she participates in the 100mH at 6:51 PM MSK (7:51 AM PT) with the finals to follow at 8:45 PM MSK (9:45 AM PT). Finally, Thomas is scheduled to run in the 4x100m relay on Friday, July 12 at 6:45 PM MSK (7:45 AM PT).

Live coverage will vary for each meet (links above). Remember to follow @ARTU_Knights on Twitter and "Like" the Urban Knights on Facebook for score updates, videos, and recaps.

COACH RYAN ON VASHTI…
"Vashti turning pro this summer is just another example of what is possible here at ART U for our athletes," head coach Charles Ryan said. "Her dedication to her craft both on the track and in the classroom are paying off. It's ironic that the same week she departed for Europe to pursue professional track she got her first offer from someone waiting to buy her artwork. Her exploits on the professional athletics tour will only raise the profile of the program and the university as a whole. I'm very proud of her."

DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER (100mH)
The IAAF Diamond League is composed of 14 of the best invitational track and field meets in the world. The meets are spread across Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the USA, and compose the top tier of the IAAF's global one-day meet competition structure. This series of 14 meets, which began in 2010, showcases 32 event disciplines which are carefully distributed among the meetings. In each of the 32 event disciplines there is a "Diamond Race" with points available throughout the 14-meet season. Winners of each Diamond Race receive a $40,000 cash prize and a spectacular Diamond Trophy, but more importantly, they will have shown season-long consistency to earn the unchallenged honor of being the World Number 1.

Each of the 32 event disciplines is staged seven times with the top three athletes being awarded the same amount of points at each meeting with the exception of the Final where the points are doubled.

In the 100mH race coming as part of the Diamond League meet in Lusanne, Switzerland, Thomas is slated to run against some familiar faces in Lolo Jones, Kellie Wells, and Nia Ali as well as other elite talent including Dawn Harper-Nelson (Gold Medalist in the 100mH at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games) and Australia's Sally Pearson (2011 World Champion and 2012 Olympic Champion in the 100mH).

THE WORLD IS WATCHING (100mH, LJ, 4x100m)
The World University Games is the American term for "Universiade", which is an international multi-sport event organized for university athletes by the International University Sports Federation (FISU). The name is a combination of the words "University" and "Olympiad". The Universiade is an international sporting and cultural festival, staged every two years in a different city around the world. It is second only in importance to the Olympic Games. Universiade has Summer and Winter Games similar to the Olympic Games.

This year, in Kazan, Russia, the World University Games will feature 12 days of competition with the 100mH coming on Wednesday, July 10, the long jump taking place on Thursday, July 11, and the 4x100m relay on Saturday, July 12.

IT'S THI TIME
Vashti Thomas' collegiate career was truly remarkable. A two-time NCAA Division II National Champion, twice the High Point Athlete of the Meet at both the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships, and an 11-time NCAA All-American, Thomas has demonstrated her versatility with numerous records set both in program and NCAA history over the past four years.

In the three events she will compete in over the next 10 days, the 100m hurdles, long jump, and 4x100m, Thomas brings an outstanding resume. In the 100mH, her best time of the year and in her career was the 12.70 that set a new NCAA DII Championship meet record and was No. 10 in collegiate history. In the long jump, Thomas' career best distance was a 22-10.5 that came at last year's US Olympic Trials in Eugene, OR while the 21-11 at Arizona State University's Sun Angel Classic (Apr. 6) was her top mark this season. Finally, in the 4x100m, Thomas was part of a quartet with Jesseka Raymond, Briana Stewart, and Dinesha Bean that set the Drake Stadium record with a 44.19. That same team also went 44.30 to earn NCAA All-American honors at the NCAA DII Championships in Pueblo, CO.

AT 2013 USA OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS…
Competing against the likes of Brianna Rollins (Nike), Lolo Jones (Asics), and Olympic gold medalist Brittney Reese at the 2013 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in mid-June, Vashti Thomas returned to Drake Stadium, where she and the Urban Knights earlier this year matched a NCAA record in the 4x100m shuttle hurdles as part of a historic weekend at the 104th Drake Relays.

In three rounds of the 100m hurdles, Thomas was explosive as ever. Starting in the first round on Friday, Thomas went 12.79, snagging third place in her heat which automatically qualified her for Saturday's semifinals. The NCAA DII National Champion then lit up the track with a 12.63 in the semi's which, though wind-aided, pushed her into the finals later that same day. In the finals, Thomas finished seventh overall with a time of 12.86.

Additionally, Thomas competed in the long jump where she went up against the likes of Reese, Olympic bronze medalist Janay DeLoach, and several others. In her first attempt, the NCAA DII National Champion delivered a 20-1.75 (6.14m) to sit in sixth place after one round. Thomas, who would later run in the finals of the 100mH, passed on her final two attempts and did not qualify for the finals, finishing 10th overall. Though she did not make Team USA on this occasion, Thomas still showed she has a bright future among the country's best.