Incoming HRA varsity wrestling head coach and program coordinator Eric Thompson
For the first time in the history of its athletics program, Hampton Roads Academy will offer varsity wrestling during the winter 2026-2027 season. The brand-new team will compete within the Tidewater Conference of Independent Schools (TCIS) and, at the state level, through the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association (VISAA).
Leading varsity wrestling, as both head coach and program coordinator, will be Eric Thompson, father of rising sophomore Lainey Thompson ’29 as well as an experienced wrestler and coach.
As a student-athlete in the mid-1990s, Eric Thompson set the Hampton High School wrestling match win record, with an impressive 131 career victories and only eight losses. He was a two-time undefeated AAA high school wrestling state champion and won multiple Virginia state freestyle championships, twice earning High School All-America honors. He went on to wrestle at the collegiate level at Virginia Tech, where he received a full athletic scholarship.
Since graduating, Thompson has helped young people discover a love of the sport and hone their abilities as the head wrestling coach at Christiansburg Middle School, the head assistant coach at Poquoson High School, and a coach for the Peninsula Wrestling Association.
“Eric Thompson is the perfect leader for this new athletic offering,” said HRA Director of Athletics Laura Stoner. “As a successful wrestler himself and an experienced coach in the local area, he knows the sport and the competition well. Just as importantly, as the parent of a three-sport HRA Upper School student-athlete, he is very familiar with HRA and HRA Athletics—our vision, our goals, and our standards. We look forward to partnering with Eric as we build a standout wrestling program.”
The introduction of HRA’s wrestling team follows the addition of varsity indoor track to the school’s slate of athletic offerings last winter. Both expansions to Navigator Athletics reflect the Academy’s commitment to providing enhanced opportunities for student-athletes to compete at a high level and develop crucial skills with applications far beyond their chosen sports.
“We are thrilled to add wrestling as a varsity winter sport,” said Head of School Jay Lasley. “Wrestlers typically are disciplined, resilient, and dedicated student-athletes—character traits we hold in the highest esteem here at Hampton Roads Academy—and I am confident adding this sport will enable us to continue to attract top-shelf student athletes and families from around the Peninsula to HRA.”
With a deep understanding of the benefits of participating in wrestling at the high school level, Thompson leapt at the opportunity to build the new program from the ground up. “Everyone who wrestles will turn out to be a better human being on the other side,” said the coach, also an accomplished real estate broker who attributes his successes throughout life to the qualities he cultivated as a wrestler.
“Wrestling is like no other sport in the world,” he explained. “It is basically chess on your feet. You must be able to think and react quickly while being exhausted from a relentless pace.”
As he prepares to assume his new role, Thompson noted that his main goal is “to instill confidence and the many lessons I have learned through the sport of wrestling to a new generation. Hopefully, over time, we can build a program that everyone is proud to support.”
