Top Of His Game: North senior earns Republic Boys Tennis Player of the Year for third straight year

There’s no question that Columbus North had its most talented team in boys tennis history this season, and senior Nathan Lin was the top guy on the team.

Without a doubt, Lin solidified himself as one of the best to come through the program.

Lin made First Team All-State and All-District in singles and finished with a record of 18-3, all at No. 1 singles. His efforts earned him The Republic Boys Tennis Player of the Year for the third consecutive year.

Before the season started, Lin was anxious to see how the team was going to be this season, especially with the talented veterans returning and the incoming freshman class that featured his brother Hank.

“I knew it was going to be an exciting one since it was probably one of our best teams out of all the teams at North. As the season progressed, I think we really played our best,” Nathan Lin said. “After we got ranked second in the state, we were really excited since it’s the first time we’d ever done that. Everyone played really solid, and everyone worked hard.”

The Bull Dogs finished the season 18-2, with both of the losses coming to top-ranked and state champion Carmel. The second loss to Carmel came in the state semifinal match.

North saw itself in the top five all season and moved up to No. 2 near the end of the regular season. Lin was a big factor in helping the Bull Dogs be one of the top teams in that state.

Lin had hoped his season could have gone on a week longer and play in the state individual finals. Even though it didn’t become a reality, Lin was still proud of how the season turned out.

“Once the state tournament came, we knew it was going to be pretty tough, but we made it through the first round, and then we had to go through Carmel again. We were hoping to win a few matches, but they’re No. 1 for a reason,” Lin said. “Overall, I think everyone was really proud of how far they’ve gotten because everyone’s been working really hard, the players and the coaches. For myself, I was really looking forward to keep playing in the state tournament individual-wise, but during the state semifinals, it was a little rough for me. Not everyone can be perfect. All I can say is, I played my best that day, and the results are what happened. Overall, I was still pretty pleased with how I did.”

In the past offseason, Lin spent a lot of time playing in tournaments, doing some extra hitting, lessons and clinics to help him improve as a player this year.

Every time Lin stepped on the court, he was very reliable for a win in nearly every match played this season.

“When you can go into almost every match knowing that he can handle that match, and he’s going to win that match, that’s huge for the team,” North coach Kendal Hammel said. “He has developed so well. I am very proud of him. He has worked hard from year to year, and I know this last year, his senior year, he’s worked hard off the court.”

When Lin was a freshman, he had the opportunity to play with his older brother Kevin, when he was a senior on the tennis team. Three years later, Nathan Lin found himself in the other role when his Hank arrived this season.

“I’ve been looking forward to it for a couple years now. I had the personal experience of having my older brother Kevin and playing alongside him, also. I guess it was Hank’s turn to play alongside me,” Nathan Lin said. “It was really fun because especially at the home courts, sometimes we’d be able to talk to each other because we’re right next to each other on the court. Overall, it was really fun having a sibling on the team.”

As for Lin’s future, he is still undecided on which school he wants to attend, but mentioned he is thinking about following in Kevin’s footsteps and attending Purdue. Nathan mentioned he doesn’t want to stop competitive tennis completely and hopes to land a spot on the tennis team to whichever school he chooses.

Nathan Lin, who was team captain for North, mentioned he’ll miss all of the team bonding together on bus rides and going out to eat. He was happy with his four years playing for the Bull Dogs.

“All the cheering and team bonding we all had together these past four years was probably more important to keeping us together as a team and making the season more enjoyable,” he said. “Sometimes, I was a little upset with how my performance came out in the state tournament, but overall, it was gaining the high school experience and having a really fun time throughout the four years and slowly learning from what the older kids do. Overall, it was really enjoyable.”

Hammel will have big shoes to fill heading into next year.

“I have been very fortunate to have a very talented team, players-wise. Nathan has been definitely the leader of the group as far as that No. 1 singles tennis player. You cannot ask for more than what Nathan did for the team as a captain and as a No. 1 player. All four years, he was someone I looked up to and knew that we could count on him,” Hammel said. “Honestly, just that leadership of that player at No. 1, knowing you’ve got the confidence that he’s going to start off the team with the win for the most part every time. He brought his best game no matter whether it was a weaker player or a stronger player. He always worked at it, and he went and did what he needed to do to win his matches and compete against better players all the time. I hope the guys look up to what he did.”