Athletic Hall of Fame 2022: Chris Tomasic

Inducted as a Coach
Sport: Wrestling

Chris Tomasic launched the Gibbons Wrestling during the 1992-93 academic year, pulling together eight matches for that first team, all at away locations as Cardinal Gibbons did not yet have the facilities to host a match. 

He recruited 18 students to join the initial team but touched hundreds of lives during his decade-long tenure that included two campus locations. Coach Tomasic led his teams to seven NCISAA Wrestling State Championships in just 10 years. 

After a trying first season, Coach Tomasic worked with his team on fundamentals and grew to become the top independent school program in the area, becoming a fixture in the annual Cary and Athens Drive tournaments.

For Coach Tomasic, his team’s performance off the mat was equally important. He held the student-athletes on his team to a high standard, pushing them to excel in the classroom. As a result, his teams typically scored among the highest average team GPA each year.

He was a transformative leader who continued to inspire even after his team’s graduated. Alumni Jeremy Barefoot and Calin Riley continued his legacy, coaching at Sanderson for 10 years.

Chris Marlow, a 1999 alumnus, said: Coach’s statistical accomplishments speak for themselves, but his enthusiasm for his sport and sharing it with others is spoken of less. He was always looking to bring others into his little wrestling world ….”