Jessup Athletics formally announced Chris Tolson as the newest Head Coach of the WJU Tennis program in June of 2021. Tolson is the inaugural Head Coach of the Men’s Tennis program, and comes to Jessup with a detailed resume in collegiate tennis.
"Chris brings over a decade of successful men's and women's collegiate tennis coaching to the table from NCAA DI to similar sized and faith-based institutions at the NAIA,” said Athletic Director Lance Von Vogt. “At each stop, he's been impressive in his approach and performance coaching on the court but, even more importantly, his impact off the court."
Prior to Jessup
Tolson comes to the Warriors after previously leading the tennis program at Eastern Illinois University since August of 2018. While with Eastern Illinois, Tolson helped lead his team to an Ohio Valley Conference Tournament appearance while also helping the men's program earn the second-most wins in program history (14).
On the women's side at EIU, Tolson coached the OVC Player of the Year, Rachel Papavasilopoulos, who ranked in the Top-20 ITA Midwest Rankings. The EIU women's team also had a top-20 ranking in doubles tennis.
Before jumping to the NCAA Division I rank, Tolson led the tennis program at Arizona Christian from 2011 – 2018. Tolson was the inaugural coach for the Firestorm, and during his tenure, he was named GSAC Coach of the Year twice (2015, 2017).
The Firestorm were very successful with Tolson leading the team, as the women's team won two GSAC championships (2015, 2016) and made three NAIA Tournament appearances (2015, 2016, 2017). The 2015 team reached No. 7 in the NAIA Coaches Poll. The men's team also won two GSAC titles (2017, 2018), making an NAIA Tournament appearance both times.
In addition to his experience in the GSAC, Tolson also coached at Glendale Community College, a school he played at. Tolson was also an assistant coach at Maryvale High School in Arizona, and had stints as an instructor and tennis pro at several tennis academies.
Von Vogt added that it was much more than his tennis background that led to Tolson being the right man to lead the Warriors. "What came across early in the process is that Chris really cares about his student-athletes. He cares about their spiritual well-being, mental health, and future plans. Chris is passionate about transformational education and graduating his student-athletes."
Tolson added to this, noting, "We are going to build a championship program with Christ-centered athletes that want to succeed on the court, in the classroom, and within our community."
5 NAIA Tournament Appearance
4 GSAC Championship
4 ITA All-Academic Honor
3 NAIA Scholar Team
2 GSAC Coach of the Year
Personal
An Arizona native, Tolson earned his Bachelor's Degree from Arizona State in 2006. As a collegiate player, Tolson finished seventh in the NJCAA National Tournament.
