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Dave Di Tomasso
In 2004, Dave Di Tomasso became the head coach of Elmhurst University's brand new men's soccer team. Di Tomasso needed little time to turn the program into a winner, guiding the Bluejays to an impressive 12-7-1 record and a trip to the CCIW Tournament in its first year as a varsity sport.
Now, 19 years later, the Bluejays' ascent up the ranks of college soccer has been nothing short of impressive. In 2009, Di Tomasso led Elmhurst to its first-ever CCIW Championship and its first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Bluejays finished the season with a 13-4-4 overall record and posted an undefeated conference record of 5-0-2.
Di Tomasso was named the CCIW's Coach of the Year with Jon Brehm, Brian McMahon, Brandon Violette, Sebastian Domczewski, Matt Sterner and Randy Warren all earning all-conference recognition. McMahon became the second Bluejay in the last three years to earn the league's Player of the Year award.
In 2019, Elmhurst finished with a 10-9-2 overall record, secured a spot in the CCIW Tournament for the eighth time in school history. Oliver Saile was named the CCIW's Defensive Player of the Year while Keegan Thompson also joined Saile as a first-team al-conference pick.
In 2011, Di Tomasso guided Elmhurst to an 8-7-4 overall record and a trip to the CCIW Tournament. Matt Sterner earned all-conference and all-region accolades while McMahon earned the third all-conference honor of his career.
In 2015, Di Tomasso guided the Bluejays to an 8-8-3 overall record. The Bluejays posted a 4-2-1 mark in the CCIW to place second in the league and qualify for the CCIW Tournament. Nick King and Jeff Kading were named to the all-conference squad while King also took home all-region honors from the NSCAA.
In 2014, the Bluejays to an 11-5-4 overall record and the team's second straight trip to the CCIW Tournament. The Bluejays advanced to the finals of the CCIW Tournament for just the second time in the program's history. John Reglin and Christian Mullin were named to the first-team all-conference squad while Michael Delong and Mike Emig earned second-team accolades. Mullin was named to the NSCAA all-region third team, while Regin was tabbed as a third-team All-American by D3Soccer.com.
In 2013, Di Tomasso steered the Bluejays to an 11-4-3 overall record and a spot in the CCIW Tournament while sharing the CCIW's Coach of the Year award. Reglin earned first-team all-conference and all-region accolades in goal while Austin Haas earned second-team all-conference and third team all-region honors. Delong was also tabbed to the second-team all-conference squad.
Di Tomasso has compiled an 161-131-36 record in 18 seasons as the Bluejays' head coach. His teams have won 10 games or more in nine of his 17 seasons and have qualified for the CCIW Tournament eight times. He has coached 47 all-conference players, 14 all-region honorees, one All-American, one Academic All-American and three CCIW Players of the Year.
Di Tomasso's players have also found success as former four-time all-conference pick Tom Hunka has been invited for professional team tryouts in England and Poland. Brehm has also played for the Chicago Fire's National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) squad.
Before taking the reigns of the men's team, Di Tomasso spent six seasons as the head coach of Elmhurst's women's soccer team. He ranked as the College's all-time winningest coach in women's soccer after compiling a 68-45-6 record in six seasons. Sixteen of Di Tomasso's players earned all-conference honors and Tasha Shepard became the first Elmhurst women's soccer player to earn All-America recognition.
Di Tomasso's overall collegiate coaching record stands at 229-176-42.
In addition to achieving success on the field, Di Tomasso's teams have earned honors for their work in the classroom. His teams have been ranked among the best in the nation in total grade-point average. The 2005 men's soccer team qualified for an NSCAA team award with a combined grade-point average of over 3.00.
Di Tomasso, who also coached the men's golf team at Elmhurst, serves on the Illinois Olympic Development Program staff and runs multiple sessions of the Elmhurst College Soccer Academy each summer. He holds a Premier Diploma from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) and a United States Soccer Federation "A" license. He was recently named the NSCAA Regional Director for Coaching Education. In addition, he'll also serve as an associate national staff coach.
Prior to joining the Bluejays, Di Tomasso worked at Wofford College, an NCAA Division I school in South Carolina. While there, he ran the school's soccer academy while also serving as director of soccer at Shannon Forest Christian School.
His soccer head coaching background also includes a three-year stint at The Bolles School, where his varsity girls' team won back-to-back Florida state championships (1993-94 and 1994-95) and reached the championship game again in 1995-96.
A former professional player, Di Tomasso was a member of the United Systems of Independent Soccer League (USISL) Division III South Carolina Shamrocks and Baltimore Bays, and the "A" League Worcester Wildfire. He also played in Essen, Germany, for Schwarz Weiss Essen (1994-95), a Third Division team.
Di Tomasso played soccer for two seasons at The Ohio State University, before transferring to Jacksonville University, where he was a two-year starter at midfielder and a senior captain for the men's soccer team. Di Tomasso earned his bachelor's degree in physical education from Jacksonville. He received a master's degree in sports management from the Virginia Commonwealth University Sports Center in 2001.
Di Tomasso and his wife, Lindsey, reside in Clarendon Hills and are the proud parents of two sons, Dayton and Michael, and a daughter, Emily.
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