Changing the Culture of Athletics, One Conversation at a Time

For most scholar-athletes, success is measured by times, records, and results. For UC San Diego senior cross country and track and field scholar-athlete Thomas Fry, success is also measured by the conversations that happen away from competition; the ones that help athletes feel supported, understood, and empowered.

A native of Monument, Colorado, Fry is a scholar-athlete, mental health advocate, and psychology major at Roosevelt College. Throughout his time at UC San Diego, he has worked to support scholar-athlete well-being through The Hidden Opponent, a nonprofit organization dedicated to developing mental health leadership in athletics through advocacy, education, and support. 

“Mental health and mental health advocacy has always been a really big passion of mine,” Fry said.

That passion began long before he became a Triton.

A Passion That Started Before College

Throughout high school, Fry was already speaking out about the importance of mental health resources for young people. Whether advocating for more counselors or encouraging schools to provide workshops and support systems, he found purpose in helping others navigate challenges that are often difficult to discuss.

When he arrived at UC San Diego, Fry saw an opportunity to merge two defining parts of his life: athletics and mental health advocacy. 

“Combining that passion of being an athlete and also that passion for mental health advocacy was something that really appealed to me,” Fry said.

As a psychology major, Fry's academic interests only reinforced his commitment to understanding how mental health influences performance, relationships, and overall well-being. His classroom experiences and advocacy work often complemented one another, helping shape both his perspective on mental health and his vision for the future.

That search led him to The Hidden Opponent.

Founded to advocate, educate, and support scholar-athletes, The Hidden Opponent has grown into a national movement with more than 2,500 campus ambassadors across over 800 high school and college campuses. The organization works to create a sports culture where mental health is viewed as an essential component of athletic success and where seeking help is seen as an act of leadership.

At UC San Diego, the chapter was founded by former Triton softball scholar-athlete Kaia Simpson. Inspired by Simpson’s efforts, Fry joined as a Campus Captain during his sophomore year before later becoming a Head Campus Captain.

Creating Meaningful Conversations

As a Campus Captain, Fry organizes workshops designed to help scholar-athletes develop tools that support both performance and overall well-being.

Many of the sessions focus on mindfulness, gratitude, and self-reflection, topics that are not always part of the traditional athletic experience but can have a lasting impact.

The gratitude workshop in particular has become a favorite.

Fry begins by asking participants to share something they are grateful for. The answers are often similar: teammates, coaches, parents, and friends.

Then he asks a different question.

“I want people to acknowledge that there's something inside of them that got them to where they are,” Fry said.

Participants are asked to identify something they are grateful for about themselves.

The exercise often sparks some of the most meaningful conversations of the workshop.

“We get things like, ‘I'm grateful for my resilience,’ or ‘I'm grateful for my hard work,’” Fry said. “Athletes are really high-achieving people, but it's hard to get that perspective of looking back and appreciating the parts of yourself that got you where you are.”

For Fry, those moments serve as reminders that success extends far beyond athletic accomplishments. Helping athletes recognize their own value, independent of performance outcomes, is what makes those conversations meaningful.

Building a Community Beyond UC San Diego

While much of Fry’s work happens on campus, his impact extends far beyond La Jolla.

As a Head Campus Captain, he works with scholar-athlete leaders from across the country, and even around the world, helping support chapters and initiatives that share The Hidden Opponent’s mission.

“I've worked with campus captains in California, on the East Coast, and even in Norway,” Fry said. “They're all unified by being athletes and by being really passionate about the mental side of sport.”

The role has connected him with hundreds of athletes who are committed to creating healthier athletic environments within their own communities.

It has also reinforced something Fry sees every day: scholar-athletes want these conversations, even if finding time for them can be difficult.

“Scholar-athletes are very busy people,” Fry said. “Sometimes I have two or three people come, and that's okay.”

Whether a workshop reaches two athletes or twenty, Fry believes every conversation matters because participants carry those lessons back to their teammates, friends, and programs.

More Than a Triton

Fry’s involvement with The Hidden Opponent has not only shaped the athletes around him, it has helped shape his own future.

Originally arriving at UC San Diego as a pre-med student with aspirations of becoming a psychiatrist, Fry envisioned a future centered on helping others. As his involvement with The Hidden Opponent grew, so did his understanding of the specific impact he hoped to make.

Today, he plans to pursue graduate studies in sports psychology and hopes to work directly with athletes as a counselor and mental health professional.

“The Hidden Opponent definitely gave me an idea of not just why I like mental health, but the kind of populations and groups of people that I want to work with,” Fry said.

His experiences as both an athlete and advocate have shown him the unique challenges athletes face, but they have also revealed the qualities that inspire him most.

“I love athletes because I have that experience, and I'm always going to be so grateful for that experience,” Fry said. “Athletes are really high-achieving people, highly motivated people, and I find that very inspiring to be around.”

As Fry prepares for life after UC San Diego, his impact will continue long after his final race. Through every workshop he has hosted, every conversation he has started, and every athlete he has encouraged to prioritize their mental well-being, Fry has helped foster a culture where seeking support is viewed as a strength and vulnerability as a form of leadership.

His legacy will not be measured solely by finish times or race results. It will be found in the scholar-athletes who feel more comfortable asking for help, the conversations that continue long after his graduation, and the community he helped build along the way.

MORE THAN A TRITON: STORIES OF UC SAN DIEGO SCHOLAR-ATHLETES BEYOND COMPETITION
Zehra Anbarlilar, Women's Fencing: Building a Home an Ocean Away
Thomas Fry, Men's Cross Country / Track & Field: Changing the Culture of Athletics, One Conversation at a Time

About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era as a member of The Big West in NCAA Division I. The 24-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 39 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in NCAA Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.