Former NHS tennis player receives prestigious nomination

Harrison Lang just finished his junior year at Creighton University in Nebraska and plays on the tennis team, but just a few years ago he was playing tennis at Niwot High School.

Recently, Lang was named to the CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America) Academic All-District VII Men’s At-Large First Team. Lang is the first CoSIDA Academic All-District selection in men’s tennis since 2006-07, and Lang said Creighton has a lot to offer its students.

“Creighton has a lot of good things going for it by giving student-athletes the ability to excel in the classroom and in their sport,” Lang said of the university. “A lot of the Creighton sports get recognized for having top teams in the country. To be chosen for that definitely feels good and it just validates my hard work, and for everyone on the team. They’ve definitely helped me improve over the last couple years.”

The CoSIDA Academic All-District Teams recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom. District VII is comprised of student-athletes from Wyoming, Texas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, Montana, Idaho and Colorado.

The Men’s At-Large Team recognizes students who participate in a variety of sports including wrestling, water polo, gymnastics, golf, tennis, ice hockey, lacrosse, swimming, skiing, rifle and volleyball. Lang will also move on to the Academic All-America ballot for his achievements on and off the court.

The Niwot native holds a 4.00 GPA at Creighton while studying biology, and has made the Dean’s List every semester of his college career so far, which started at CU Boulder. Lang was also named to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Scholar-Athlete Team following the 2014-15 season.

“It was a really good year overall for us as a team, definitely for me individually as well…” Lang said about his junior year. “I played three singles for the year, and I played one and two doubles. The tennis went well and school is also a big part of why I decided to come to Creighton. Balancing tennis and academics at the same time can be challenging, but it’s a good spot I have here.”

While playing tennis at Niwot, Lang earned the number one spot for singles. He has since continued on a successful track and led the Creighton tennis team with 12 singles victories this past season. Lang also went 12-6 at No. three singles, and was 7-8 in doubles while splitting time among three different partners.

Led by Creighton tennis coach Tom Lilly, Lang went 10-10 overall, which included a win at the Big East Championships over Butler University.

“As Harrison’s parents, we are extremely proud of him as a person and his accomplishments,” Lang’s mother Milena Halek said. “He has worked hard in school and on the court to be at the top of his game. His goal is to get into medical school and be a physician. We are sure that he will succeed at whatever he sets his mind to. He is a very smart, compassionate and skilled person.”