Hailing from the Great White North, our 60th-ranked athlete did not earn the nickname “Hollywood” without putting on quite a show. For four years, Tom Marechek graced Syracuse lacrosse with his dazzling style of play and a heck-of-a-lot of goals, to-boot.
With the addition of “Hollywood” after the 1988 season, the Orange improved from a team that was already unbeatable – to one that was flat-out unfair. Marechek joined fellow Victoria, British Columbia, natives – and SU lacrosse legends – Paul and Gary Gait on a Syracuse squad that was fresh off an undefeated season and national championship victory. Sure enough, Marechek wasted absolutely no time getting acquainted as he notched an SU freshman record 46 goals, in 1989. The Orange also enjoyed a second consecutive championship season.
As a sophomore, Marechek slightly raised his individual points per game tally en route to another Syracuse title. However, that 1990 national championship would ultimately be vacated after news got out about head coach Roy Simmons Jr.’s wife, Nancy, co-signing a car loan for Paul Gait. Nevertheless, the Orange could not be stopped a single time that year, notching a 13-0 record along with its 21-9 butchering of Loyola in the National Championship Game (three of those 21 goals were scored by Marechek).
Unfortunately, Marechek would not go on to win another title, but he did lead SU back to the Final Four his junior year – while also leading the nation in goals scored (57). The following year, Marechek and the Orange came up just short in the title game, falling to Princeton in overtime.
When Marechek’s career on The Hill came to an end in 1992, Syracuse’s record during his four-year collegiate career was 52-6 – with two national championships (one vacated), one national runner-up and one Final Four appearance. That ain’t too shabby, at all.
As far as his individual accolades go, Marecheck notched an impressive 258 total career points, on 182 goals and 76 assists. The Canadian-born star was also a four-time All-American. 
After wrapping up his days at Syracuse, Marachek went on to be the sixth overall pick in the ’92 National Lacrosse League (NLL) Draft by the Buffalo Bandits. After a distinguished career in the pros, he was inducted into the NLL Hall of Fame in 2007, and the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2012. Fast forward over ten years later where a now-51-year-old Marechek has continued to stay around the game he loves, both as a coach and camp director.
