TOWSON, Md. – The Towson University women's tennis team welcomed a mental strength coach to campus Monday and Tuesday, in an effort to give Towson student-athletes an opportunity to explore the mental side of the game.

Brian Lomax of Performance Xtra came to the Towson campus and presented a program that focused on mental toughness and competitive skills training, according to Towson head tennis coach Doug Neagle.

“This is Brian's expertise,” Neagle said. “Mental toughness helps in every sport and any help can be a positive for the Towson program.”

Lomax hosted seminars with other teams on campus, including the baseball team, field hockey and women's golf programs. Lomax's seminars are specifically designed to develop techniques and concepts that will allow student-athletes to take concrete steps on the journey to improve their own performance. 

“I was able to make a lot of contacts and was able to use my networks to build my clientele,” Lomax said. “I believe there are four areas of training for every athlete: motivational, mental, emotional and physical. I'm continually adding to the program.”

Founded in 2009 by Lomax, Performance Xtra was established to tap into the power of the mind and hone in on mental skills for greater success. An avid tennis player, Lomax incorporates aspects of leadership, character building and positive psychology into his teaching. With those philosophies, Lomax was successful on the court and was ranked as the No. 2 player in the United States for men's over-35 singles play in 2006. He is certified in Mental Toughness Training by the Human Performance Institute.

“Tennis has always been a part of my life,” Lomax said. “When I got older, I started to get really excited about what the mental aspect did for my game. You can apply mental toughness to all aspects of life.”