During her time at UMass Lowell, Waruch has coached school record holders in the men’s pole vault (Vladimir Popusoi, 16’11’’), the men’s heptathlon (Dennis Peary 4936), the women’s high jump (Kerstin Darsney 5’10.75’’), women’s triple jump (Darsney 42’2’’), women’s pentathlon (Darsney 3662) and in the women’s pole vault (Rachel Hill, 11’11.75’’).
 
Popusoi, Peary, Darsney and Hill were all conference champions. Darsney also set an America East Conference record in the high jump and won Athlete-of-the-Meet and the Cushing Award (best female athlete at UMass Lowell). Popusoi was a two-time qualifier for the NCAA Regional Meet in the vault and Darsney also qualified in the triple jump.  
 
Peary was second in the decathlon at the New England Championship in 2017 while Darsney won the ECAC triple jump in the same year.
 
Waruch has also coached multiple Top 10 performers in all of the jumps, multis, 200 and 400.
 
While Waruch was at VCU, she served first as a graduate assistant while getting her master’s degree in Sports Management, then as a part time assistant prior to being elevated as a full time assistant for the newly combined men’s and women’s programs. She coached the pole vault, high jump and multis and several athletes helped rewrite the record books.
 
In making the move to UMass Lowell, Waruch also returns to the America East Conference where she excelled as student-athlete at the University of Maine.

A four-year standout member of the women's track & field team at the University of Maine, Waruch was a consistent contender in the pole vault at the America East Conference Indoor and Outdoor Championships. She finished in the top eight at the New England Indoor and Outdoor Championships in three of her six appearances.

Waruch was outstanding in the classroom as well. She graduated cum laude with a B.S. in Kinesiology and Physical Education as well as earning her teaching certification. She was also named to the America East Conference Academic Honor Roll during all four years. In 2009, Thomas graduated summa cum laude with a M.S. in Sports Management from VCU.

The Auburn, Maine native got her first taste of coaching during her college days when she was a youth and middle school soccer coach and as a volunteer pole vault coach at her alma matter Edward Little High School, where she coached numerous state meet contenders and a state champion.