On today’s episode of the Lax Goalie Rat podcast, we have a remarkable guest whose lacrosse journey is nothing short of inspirational. Christian Tomei, the talented goalie from Belmont Abbey, joins us to share his incredible story.
Coming out of high school Christian was one of the top-ranked goalies in the nation along with names such as Liam Entenmann, Logan McNaney, Jared Paquette, Tim Marcille and Jack Thompson.
Christian always aspired to play college lacrosse and his hard work would pay off as he ended up making a verbal commitment to play at Ohio State in just the 8th grade. But as he reflects on it now, he acknowledges that he did it more for the attention of making the commitment rather than finding the perfect fit.
He would go on to play in the Under Armour All-American game and even get invited to play with Team USA at the U20 World Championship.
Congratulations to boys lacrosse player Christian Tomei on being named an Under Armour All-American! He will compete at the UA All-American Lacrosse Classic on June 29th at Johns Hopkins University! pic.twitter.com/2NJdHrOmgX
Arriving at Ohio State with high expectations Christian stepped onto campus with the mindset that he was the man. But he wasn’t prepared for what he was about to face when he started college.
The increased attention and accolades began to take a toll on Christian. He found himself playing for the recognition rather than the love of the game.
After struggling both on and off the field, Christian began buying into the victim mentality mindset that his head was creating for him, blaming everyone else except himself for his lack of success early on at Ohio State.
Eventually, he entered the transfer portal and transferred to Jacksonville University.
Beyond excited to announce that I will be continuing my academic and athletic journey in my home state at Jacksonville University! #Floridaboy🐬 pic.twitter.com/FD3YoIAzJn
Reinvigorated, Christian arrived on campus in Duval in the best shape of his life and was ready to get back on track with his college career.
However, while he was physically prepared for his next step mentally, he was still struggling. During his team’s fitness testing, Christian faced adversity and struggled to finish the test. Christian admits mentally he still was struggling with the victim mentality behavior which ended up causing him to fall out of love with the sport and eventually led to him quitting lacrosse altogether and moving back home.
Christian went two years without touching a lacrosse stick, lacking the motivation to play. It was during this time that he had to confront his inner struggles and work on rebuilding his mindset and love for the game.
With newfound motivation and a fresh perspective, Christian joined Keiser University and started the arduous journey back to being the goalie he once was. He trained rigorously, dedicating nine hours a day to his craft.
His hard work paid off when Christian would go on to help lead his team to win a NAIA national championship while being named AAC Tournament MVP, AAC Defensive Player of the Year, First Team All-AAC Selection, NAIA Invitational All-Tournament team member and a First Team All-American.
Christian is now set to embark on his next chapter at Belmont Abbey where he will play lacrosse for the upcoming season.
I hope you enjoy this episode with Christian where we explore a wide range of topics, including how to tackle adversity head-on, the journey to understanding your unique leadership style, and the significance of giving back to the game that has given so much to us.
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