Pronunciation | Wuppertal, Germany Pronunciation
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Career Highlights
- Academic All-Big Ten (2021, 2022, 2023)
- OSU Scholar Athlete (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025)
- Big Ten Distinguished Scholar (2022)
2024 (Redshirt Senior at Ohio State)
- Helped the Buckeyes win the Big Ten regular season title, the Big Ten Tournament crown and reach the semifinals of the 2024 College Cup
- Started 20 of 21 matches in which he appeared on defense
- Ohio State allowed just 17 goals with Gilej in the lineup ... opponents managed a goal or less in 16 of those matches
- Added a goal and assist with 20 shots taken on the year.
2023 (Senior at Ohio State)
- Did not compete (injury)
2022 (Junior at Ohio State)
- Started 11 of 19 matches played
- Scored first career goal in 3-0 win at Wake Forest in NCAA Tournament opening round (W, 3-0)
- Played 982 minutes for a career total of 2,757 in 43 career matches played
2021 (Fall-Sophomore at Ohio State)
- Appeared in all 14 games, attempting nine shots with four on net
- Helped the Ohio State defense allow just 1.5 goals per game.
- Played 1,032 minutes in the fall
2021 (Spring-Freshman at Ohio State)
- Appeared in all 10 games, attempting 10 shots with eight on net
Personal
- Son of Aneta and Daniel Gilej
- Played Wuppertaler SV (Club)
- Has one sibling, Jacqueline
- Enjoys playing soccer and basketball, spending time with family and friends, gaming, listening to music and watching movies
- Winning the league championship (Niederrheinlinga) and getting promoted to the Bundesliga is one of his greatest sports thrills to date. The feelings associated with winning a championship in his sport of choice alongside his teammates after months of hard work made winning the championship even more memorable.
Quoting Coach Maisonneuve – Thomas Gilej
“Thomas has a high soccer IQ with the physical attributes to be an exceptional college soccer player. With a 6-3 frame, Thomas moves very well and has soft feet for a big man. He is captain of his U19 Bundesliga team and will be a great teammate in the locker room. Thomas has some versatility and can sit in the midfield or be a force at centerback. We couldn’t be more excited to have Thomas part of the Buckeye family.”
