Columbus North sophomore Hank Lin is The Republic Boys Tennis Player of the Year. He is pictured on the tennis courts at Columbus North High School in Columbus, Ind., Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2022.
Mike Wolanin | The Republic
Hank Lin had watched older brothers Kevin and Nathan play the No. 1 singles spot for Columbus North and waited his turn.
This year, following Nathan’s graduation, it was time for Hank to move into that No. 1 position for the Bull Dogs, and he lived up to the standards that his older brothers had established.
Hank went 25-1 at No. 1 singles as a sophomore in leading North to a top-four state ranking and a spot in the state tournament. Now, he shares an honor with Kevin and Nathan — The Republic Boys Tennis Player of the Year.
“It was a really fun experience to watch them,” Hank said. “I almost came to every single match, except for the Terre Haute ones or when I was busy with homework. I learned that mentality is really important in dealing with certain elements of pressure, and you shouldn’t ever give up. You should fight for every ball. It definitely motivated me to try and get a state title for the team because we haven’t got one.”
The Bull Dogs came up a little short of that title this season after falling to top-ranked West Lafayette Harrison in the state quarterfinals. In that match, Hank endured his only loss of the season against eventual state singles champion Aaron Gu.
“I think the year I had was pretty good,” Hank said. “I did a lot of offseason training, playing more tournaments and practicing with people down in Louisville. I felt really prepared.”
Hank, who started playing tennis around the time he was in first grade, made the jump to No. 1 singles this season after going 21-1 at No. 2 singles as a freshman.
“It’s definitely more pressure,” Hank said. “No. 2 singles wasn’t much pressure because I knew that it was most likely a guaranteed spot other than playing against the top teams in the state. Now, I had the mentality that I had to play my best tennis and try to succeed.”
“Last year, playing No. 2, he was dominating,” North coach Kendal Hammel added. “Did I expect him to have this kind of record? Yeah. I don’t know if I expected him to be undefeated or not, but he has performed very well. This year, other than a couple of close matches, it was the same thing. He does play the strongest competition of all the other teams, but he was ready for it, and we expect big things in the future. He’s going to be a top contender in the state the next couple of years, too.”
Hammel isn’t surprised at the success Hank has enjoyed the past two years.
”Everybody has been talking about Hank coming up for years,” Hammel said. “His talent level, his game play, his work ethic, you just expected big things from him. He’s very mentally tough, he’s very smart. He does a lot of the work on the court, off the court to make himself better. He’s had two very good brothers to hit with over the years to make him better.”
Although neither of his brothers have played college tennis, Hank is hoping to do that. Nathan plays club tennis at Purdue, and Hank hinted that he might try to get him to join the team as a senior if Hank ends up going there as a freshman in 2025-26.
Hank has been going to a clinic in Louisville three times a week to practice.
“I knew a lot of people from Louisville that I could hit with, so it gives me an opportunity to compare myself with those college players,” Hank said.
Along with his brothers, Hank credits Hammel with his development as a tennis player.
“He taught me a lot,” Hank said. “He’s a really great coach, and he always tries to push everyone to their best. He’s definitely one of the reason I’m where I am today.”
The Republic All-Area Boys Tennis team:
Hank Lin, Columbus North: The sophomore went 25-1 at No. 1 singles.
Anvay Atram, Columbus North: The junior went 29-1 at No. 1 doubles and was state runner-up with Amrit Kar.
Amrit Kar, Columbus North: The junior went 29-1 at No. 1 doubles and was state runner-up with Anvay Atram.
Parth Shah, Columbus North: The sophomore went 17-2 at No. 2 doubles and 5-2 at No. 2 singles.
Parth Gupta, Columbus North: The senior went 19-5 at No. 2 doubles.
Austin Clark, Columbus North: The junior went 16-9 at No. 2 singles and No. 3 singles.
Steven Sun, Columbus North: The sophomore went 11-5 at No. 3 singles.
Owen Law, Jennings County: The senior went 21-4 at No. 1 singles.
Parker Bales, Jennings County: The freshman went 23-1 at No. 2 singles.
Honorable mention
Brown County: Jack Sichting. Columbus East: Matthew Degner, Erik Takahashi. Columbus North: Darren Li. Edinburgh: Max Blandford. Hauser: Levi Gollmer, Hunter Pappano. Jennings County: Justin Ramey, Ryan Schuck. Trinity Lutheran: Solomon Hall.
