Advantage Lucas Evans after winning US spot
21 Oct 2024
Christ’s College tennis No.1 Lucas Evans will be taking his game to a new level in 2025, having won an Academic and Athletic Scholarship to play for Mount St. Mary’s University in NCAA Division 1 – the highest level of intercollegiate competition in the United States.
Powered by a “love of tennis” and a desire to develop his talent in a “US high-performance training environment”, Lucas is elated to be heading to North America.
“Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, Maryland, offers an amazing opportunity to combine my academic studies with my passion for tennis, guided by top coaches at a NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Division1 tennis school,” he says. “I chose Mount St. Mary’s University because of its academic standard, great location, and being able to play at three or four in the conference team. It offers a potentially more competitive pathway for my tennis while I also weigh up a later career in mathematics, economics or science.”
Having grown up in Wimbledon, London, tennis has always been integral to his life. And with a Spanish mother and Kiwi father, Lucas has many international options for his career.
“I love tennis – it has been such a big part of my life, right from that early belief in my ability from my coach, James Meredith,” he says. “I have been inspired to chase this US spot by so many players before me – who I have looked up to for years in New Zealand. Underpinned by my time in the US, it would be amazing to play on the Futures Tour.”
The Julius House member has won both singles and doubles titles in New Zealand and Australia, and notched up national success with College’s A team. He is also a two-time Canterbury Open champion.
Reflecting on his time at College, Lucas appreciates the “massive support and commitment” of Master-in-Charge – Tennis Josh Kim. He also feels fortunate to have the backing of a great Housemaster, Dr Mike Field, along with the “incredible guidance and teaching of Mr O’Connor, Ms Tang, Mr Waugh, and Ms Billante”.
Having studied Chemistry, Physics, Calculus, French, and English this year and achieving NCEA Level 2 with Excellence, Lucas is ready for the next challenge – both on the tennis court and an American university campus.
