Courtesy: GW Athletics
WASHINGTON – GW Swimming & Diving Head Coach Brian Thomas has completed his coaching staff for the 2021-22 season, naming Christopher Lane as head diving coach and Temarie Tomley as assistant coach.
Lane is a familiar face around 22nd & G after spending the past two seasons as a volunteer assistant with the Buff and Blue. An accomplished collegiate diver at Arizona and Ball State, he has trained some of the nation’s top junior divers as head coach at nearby Monumental Dive Club, and he was recently tabbed by USA Diving to serve on its staff for the upcoming UANA Junior Pan American Diving Championships.
A two-time All-American swimmer at Alabama from 2014-18 and a top-30 qualifier for the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials, Tomley brings experience at the highest levels of the sport. She joins the Buff and Blue after serving as aquatics director and head swim coach at the Country Club of Mobile in Alabama.
Lane and Tomley join recently-announced Assistant Coach Mike Sullivan for the program’s fourth season under Thomas.
“I couldn’t be happier with how our staff has taken shape,” said Thomas, who was named A-10 Coach of the Year in 2019 and 2021. “I’ve always tried to surround our student-athletes with coaches that prioritize the person above the athlete, and I think we’ve achieved that here. In addition, for all three coaches to have experience within the Power 5 gives us a distinct advantage within the Atlantic 10 and beyond. Each will bring a wealth of knowledge, care and commitment to our pool deck.”
As a collegiate competitor, Lane started at Ball State before transferring to Arizona, where he was a Pac-10 finalist and NCAA Zones qualifier. After graduating in 2000, he began a career in personal fitness that included a nine-year run developing programming for NBC’s The Biggest Loser, in addition to designing corporate wellness programs for a wide range of national clients.
In 2019, Lane came to Foggy Bottom to pursue his MPH through the Milken Institute School of Public Health, and he’s spent the past two seasons working with the Buff and Blue, a run that’s seen the program win both men’s and women’s titles.
In 2020, Peter Nachtwey was named Most Outstanding Diver at the A-10 Championship meet for the second time, and the group’s performance earned Wesley Mattice the conference’s Men’s Diving Coach of the Year award. Meanwhile, Gabriella Arendes, Rachel Dickinson and Caitlin Inall totaled a combined 59 points to help the women’s program claim its first crown.
This past season, the diving group produced three medalists at the A-10 meet in Nachtwey, Spencer Bystrom and Jamie Doak with the men securing a fourth team championship in five seasons.
Along the way, Lane has been active within the local club scene, helping tutor national-caliber divers most recently at Monumental Diving Club and previously at Montgomery Dive Club.
His current role at Monumental allows him to work with all levels at the club while leading the Junior National and National Development teams. Next month, he will be on deck with Team USA for the Junior Pan American Championships in Tucson, Ariz.
“I’m very excited to bring Christopher on board full-time,” Thomas said. “Going through the search process, we looked at all angles and realized the best fit was already here.
“Chris brings a wealth of experience from the Power 5 and is currently serving as a national-level coach with USA Diving. On top of that, his familiarity with our student-athletes and his belief in our culture made this an easy choice.”
“I’m thrilled to be stepping into the role of head diving coach here at GW,” Lane said. “I look forward to continuing the tradition of excellence within the diving program. We’re welcoming a strong first-year class, and I’m looking forward to the new season. Raise High!”
A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Tomley was a three-time NCAA participant as a sprinter at Alabama, competing in relays at the national meet in 2015, 2016 and 2018. She competed at the SEC Championships all four years and made three trips to the U.S. Open, in addition to her appearance at the Olympic Trials following her sophomore season. Her personal-best swims in the 50 free, 100 free and 200 free still rank among her alma mater’s all-time top 10 all-time.
An Education in Exercise and Sports Science major, Tomley was twice honored as a CSCAA First Team Academic All-American and also recognized as a CoSIDA Academic All-American during her time with the Crimson Tide. After completing her undergraduate degree in 2018, she earned a master’s in Business Administration the following year, as well.
Following a year and a half on staff at New Mexico as assistant director of annual giving and special events, Tomley moved back to Alabama last May to take her position at The Country Club of Mobile, where she was responsible for leading the aquatics division with a roster of 150 swimmers ages 3-18.
“Temarie will be an excellent addition to our staff and is exactly what we were looking for when the search began,” Thomas said. “It was clear early on in our discussions that Temarie has a passion for coaching and will be able to pull from some of the best minds in the sport to help our student-athletes achieve at a high level, especially given her experience at Alabama.”
“I can’t wait to get started at GW!” Tomley said. “It’s clear the program has an atmosphere of excellence that I’m excited to contribute to. I love working with swimmers and am looking forward to building them as better students in the classroom, athletes in the pool and as young adults in life, and I’m eager to work with the coaching staff to take it to the next level. Raise High!”
GW is set to open the 2021-22 season on Oct. 2, hosting Virginia Tech.
