Chris Tamas with his award in front of the new Athletic Hall of Fame
Chris Tamas has won plenty of battles as a professional athlete, but he could not battle back the tears on Thursday night, May 16, during his induction as the first member of Laguna Blanca School?s Athletic Hall of Fame.
?When my older sister was in sixth grade, my parents made the decision to bring us here to Laguna. They worked hard and sacrificed to make sure we could enjoy the experience of being here,? he said before a long pause to gather his emotions. ?As you can tell, I owe a lot to my family both in sports and in life.?
Tamas was a two-time All-CIF first team selection in basketball and volleyball while at Laguna, leading the Owls hoops team to the CIF basketball title game in 1998. He went on to become a first-team All-American as a setter for the University of the Pacific men?s volleyball team, starting all four years en route to the school?s all-time assists record.
After college, Tamas, spent time with the U.S. National team, leading it to the Gold Medal at the NORCECA Championships in 2006. He was on the training squad for the 2008 Olympic team that won a gold medal in Beijing.
As a professional, Tamas played all over Europe, setting for teams in Holland, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, Cyprus and Finland.
?I?ve been blessed to do what I?ve done,? he said.
Tamas is now an assistant coach for the Cal Poly women?s volleyball team, after previous coaching stints at UC Riverside and the University of Minnesota. His wife, Jen, won a silver medal with the U.S. women?s volleyball team in Beijing.
Introducing him at the ceremony were former teacher Trish McHale, who runs the journalism program at Laguna Blanca, and former coaches Ray Robitaille and Jason Donnelly.
The school also recognized its student athletes at the event. Senior Justin Palmer was named Scholar-Athlete of the Year while Senior J.T. Aubery and Junior Clara Madsen were named Athletes of the Year. Certificates were awarded to scholar athletes who have maintained an un-weighted GPA of 3.75 while playing a sport. Triple Crown Awards were also awarded to scholar athletes who maintained a 3.75 unweighted GPA and played three Varsity Sports.
Chris Tamas and his family celebrate his induction into the Laguna Blanca Hall of Fame
SCHOLAR ATHLETE AWARDS
Freshmen
Danielle Abrams ? volleyball
Jackie Berci ? tennis
Louisa Cameron Coats ? volleyball
Travis Fristoe ? golf
Armon Ghodoussi ? soccer
Michael Hawker ? cross country, soccer, JV volleyball
Philip Hicks ? tennis
Phoebe Madsen ? volleyball, soccer, sand volleyball
Cameron Morello ? lacrosse, sailing
Pierce O?Donnell ? football, basketball, volleyball
Alexis Yabsley ? soccer
Sophomores
Rebecca Brooks ? JV volleyball
Katie Carrillo-Castro ? JV volleyball
Connor Curran ? cross country, soccer, volleyball
Morgan Gainey ? JV volleyball, lacrosse
Libby Hasse ? tennis
Bryn Jewett ? JV volleyball, soccer
Scott Johnston ? cross country, JV basketball, JV volleyball
Ethan Katnic ? JV basketball, volleyball
Stephen McCaffery ? football, basketball, volleyball
Juniors
Ian Bankhead ? cross country
Nadia Belton ? cross country, soccer
Chloe Brown ? volleyball
Kimberly Crickette ? JV volleyball
Margaret Lazarovits ? lacrosse
Clara Madsen ? volleyball, soccer, sand volleyball
Olivia Pickett ? volleyball
Tristan Prinz ? cross country, soccer, tennis
Seniors
Anastasia Antonova ? tennis
Eddie Conk ? basketball, tennis
Helena Davila ? tennis
Alex Hawker ? cross country
Justin Palmer ? football, tennis
Benji Sorensen ? basketball, tennis
Bella Taron ? volleyball
TRIPLE CROWN AWARDS
Freshmen
Pheobe Madsen
Pierce O?Donnell
Sophomores
Connor Curran
Stephen McCaffery
Juniors
Clara Madsen
Tristan Prinz
