Lin Selected for NCAA Singles Championship
4/30/2015 12:44:00 PM | Men's Tennis
INDIANAPOLIS – Similar to the Columbia men's tennis team, Winston Lin will compete in the NCAA Singles Championship for the second straight year, as the Lion earned an automatic bid into the field of 64 the selection committee announced yesterday.
Competition is set begin Wednesday, May 20 at the Hurd Tennis Center in Waco, Texas. One round will be played each day through the final on Monday, May 25. With only the participants announced, the actual draw will be released only a day before play commences.
Lin was 1-of-15 automatic qualifiers to earn a spot in the tournament. Automatic qualification into the individual national championship is awarded to any conference with one ore more eligible singles players ranked in the International Tennis Association (ITA) Top 125.
Though Lin is currently ranked 20th in the nation, another ITA ranking will be released Saturday, May 1 as the final chart before the championship begins. In the fall, the Williamsville, New York, native went 14-4 in singles competition, including sweeping his four opponents at the Ivy Plus Invitational to capture the Tigers Draw. For the second straight season, he hoisted the USTA/ITA Northeast Regional Singles Crown to earn an automatic bid to the USTA/ITA Indoor National Championships. Lin closed the fall season with in the singles consolation quarterfinals.
In the spring the senior continued to soar, going 12-6 in singles duals to help lift Columbia to an undefeated league record en route to its 12th Ivy League title and second in as many years. Lin also helped the Lions to its highest national ranking of No. 11 after winning ITA Kickoff Weekend for the first time since competing in the event to earn an automatic bid to the ITA Indoor National Championships for the first time in two decades.
Before Lin takes the court in the individual championship, he and the Lions, who ranked No. 20 on the latest ITA team list, and have their eyes set on the NCAA Team Championship. Columbia will face Georgia Tech in the first-round Oxford, Mississippi Friday, May 8.
