With the 2025 NCAA Gymnastics Championship on the horizon, there can be no better time to look back at one of the most successful gymnasts to grace the NCAA — Trinity Thomas. There is seemingly no end to the list of honors she has received. Notable among them is her record as the only gymnast in NCAA history to record five Gym Slams, which is a 10.0 on each apparatus.

But what led the little 7-year-old York girl to become one of the greatest gymnasts of the modern era? What do we know about Thomas’ background? Let’s find out.

All about Trinity’s family

Trinity was born to parents Tisen and Titania Thomas, on April 7, 2001, in York, Pennsylvania. It was her parents’ background in sports that led to Trinity’s interest and eventual success in gymnastics. Her father, Tisen Thomas, used to play as a wide receiver for the Penn State Nittany Lions football team. Although he couldn’t compete on a professional level, Tisen made sure to bring Trinity up with a competitive mindset.

Three of Trinity’s four younger siblings have a shared background in gymnastics. Her mother, Titania Thomas, was a softball, basketball, and track player. It was something that her mother did that set a girl from West York on a path to become the Trinity Thomas we know today.

Trinity Thomas’ life in West York

Trinity Thomas got into gymnastics at the tender age of seven. When asked about how she got into gymnastics, Thomas said, “My mother was tired of me flipping all over the house and furniture. So, at age 7 she took me to a gym for a tryout for their competitive cheer program.” But fate had something else in store for her and we are thankful for it. She had only started cheerleading when the coach at Skyline Gymnastics in York saw her and invited her to join the gymnastics team.

Thomas fell in love with the sport instantly, developing a special inclination towards floor exercises. Speaking about her preferred event in gymnastics, she said, “My favorite thing about gymnastics is the feeling I get when I am performing my floor routine. I also love this sport because there is always something that I can change to improve myself and my performance.” Well, there is hardly any room for improvement once you have scored a perfect 10.0, and Trinity has a few of them.

When she is not defying gravity, Thomas can be found enjoying a good steak and watching ‘Grey’s Anatomy’. There’s something that an all-time NCAA great has in common with all of us.