Texas Tech University Athletics
Red Raider Club Scholar Athlete of the Month: Evan Nix
March 01, 2016 | Men's Tennis
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March 1, 2016
Written by: Kayla Chandler, Athletics Communications
Evan Nix, a senior tennis player from McKinney, Texas, has hopes of one day becoming a doctor.
But in order to achieve those dreams, Nix believes the biggest thing while going to college is to finish his degree and education in order to achieve those goals.
He thinks Texas Tech is just the place for that.
"School is something that has always been really important in my life," Nix said. "I've never really sacrificed school for tennis, it's always been if I wanted to play more tennis, I'd have to stay up later or sacrifice time with my friends."
Ultimately, Nix said, his goal is to go to medical school.
"For me, academics, has been just as important, if not more important than playing a sport here," Nix said.
Nix describes himself as competitive and has the "whatever it takes" attitude.
"I really like the feeling of practicing really hard and watching it pay off," Nix said.
However, his reach extends far beyond the tennis courts or even the classroom.
The three-year letter winner is in charge of Red Raider Reach, a student-athlete-led community service initiative. He said it allows him to bring a different team into UMC or Covenant hospitals each month to hang out with children and their parents. He believes this sets him apart from the other candidates applying to medical school.
None of this would be possible though, Nix explains, without all the help he gets from the Red Raider Club, athletics department and Marsha Sharp Center.
"People who work with compliance will come up to you and ask what else they can do to accommodate you," Nix said. "You can tell that they really want to meet your needs and help you be successful in the classroom."
Nix's teammate and friend, Connor Curry, agrees with how much of an impact the Red Raider Club makes on a student-athlete's career path.
"I think the best part of the Red Raider Club is all of the people you meet," Curry said. "If you know someone who knows someone to get the exposure you need to get the job you want, it helps a lot."
Nix said, as of right now, he wants to do something with surgery or pediatrics. He believes he will learn more about his goals as a person throughout his four years at medical school.
"If I could pick anywhere in the world to be a student athlete, it would be here for so many reasons," Nix said.
"He has something special about him," Curry said. "With certain athletes, they work hard on the court or on the field, in whatever sport they play, but Evan takes it to another level. He works hard on the court and even with school too, which motivates me to do well in school."Curry said Nix has the special ability of succeeding in everything that he does.
"Some people may be tired from working out, they don't want to go out and do anything, they don't even want to study," Curry said, "but Evan will study and he'll go out and do all of those activities."
Brett Masi, the men's tennis head coach, said Nix has something out there that not many people have.
"Evan knew what he wanted coming into Tech," Masi said. "He is a very conscious kid when it comes to everything. Let alone his academics, he puts a lot of pressure on himself to do well."
Masi said Nix takes pride in his extracurricular activities and is a super ambitious kid and individual.
"You have a few kids every now and again that come through programs and are that giving and thoughtful and want to do more than just come to school," Masi said.
Players Mentioned
