Congratulations to Nathan Brendle! He has been named to the 2012 District 2 All-District team!
This team consists of the top 16 singles players in northeast Indiana. The district stretches from South Bend to Kokomo, east toward Marion and then also includes Fort Wayne. There are 82 teams in the district, which means there are more than 250 players eligible for this award. Nate's selection puts him in the 5% of players in the northeast area of Indiana!
Nathan is the second Bruin all-time to be selected to the All-District team, so it is quite an honor. The other player was Ben Mast in 2010. Nathan is joined on the team by several other players from our area, including Nick Pollock of Concord and Derek Hinen of Columbia City, 2 players that Nathan defeated during this season.
Nathan ended the season 21-2. That is a record for wins in a single season by a Bethany Christian player. Nathan ended his career as a Bruin with 51 wins. That is also a record (at least for the time that we have records :-), eclipsing Luke Hostetter's 45. Nathan also set multiple other records this year, including winning 21 straight matches. 40 straight sets, 8 matches in a row where he won at least one of the sets "6-0," and he had 16 "6-0" sets on the season. It was an incredible year and the All-District team is a fitting recognition for such a great player.
Here is the team in full (click on the picture to enlarge):
Here are some wonderful things about Nathan, that I said on Senior Night:
One thing that I always enjoy about Senior Night is reflecting on how each senior has changed. With Nathan, he has always been our most skilled player, since he joined as a sophomore. But watching how he has matured mentally over the years has been incredible. Making amazing strides in self-control, focus, and patience, he has both solidified his tennis game and put himself in a great place to succeed post-tennis. I've always enjoyed his honesty and desire to be a player who is concerned with the team. As such, I've enjoyed watching him celebrate his personal successes (like the Merrillville Tournament championship) as well as his teammates successes (like Joel and Hans win over Elkhart Central!)
The other thing that has been great about Nathan is his willingness to teach. He has a gift of helping others, especially with their serves, and seeing him use that gift has been awesome. With his Fairfield win, Nathan is now the all-time leader at Bethany for varsity wins. So we will miss his incredible talent. But we will also miss the other gifts he gives to the team.
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." - John 14:27