4A Boys Tennis: Kent Denver’s Gold Returns to Win Third State Title
By Tracy Renck/CHSAANow.org
PUEBLO – Nathan Gold is truly the gold standard for Class 4A boys tennis players.
The Kent Denver High School star concluded the individual part of his prep career by capturing his third state championship in the past four years Friday at the City Park Tennis Courts.
Gold’s latest gold medal performance was a 6-3, 6-1 win over Vail Christian’s Daniel Blanch. The Class 4A state tennis tournament concluded on Friday because of rain forecast Saturday in Pueblo.
“It felt really good,” Gold said. “I just tried to enjoy it as much as possible. It felt good to play next to my teammates and this was just a great day. Daniel is a good player. I played him during the regular season as well and I was happy to win.”
Gold won the Class 4A No. 1 singles crown in 2021, 2022, and 2024. He didn’t play high school tennis his junior year while he was trying to get recruited – which he did and will be playing at Cornell next fall. He’s planning on majoring in economics.
“Last year I was doing online school and training,” Gold said. “I took the year off and then after I committed to college over the summer, I decided that I was going to play high school again. This feels amazing.”
Gold’s three-year high school individual career was one for the ages. He was undefeated in all his matches of his career and lost just one set his freshman year, 7-6, in the second set of a win over Fossil Ridge’s John Shelby.
“I was so happy to help out my team and continue the Kent Denver legacy,” the 5-foot-11, 170-pound Gold said. “My freshman year was definitely the hardest because I was the youngest and there were some good seniors at Regis and Creek who I played against. I’m kind of sad that it’s all over because I only have one more (high school) match left.”
Ian Hintz, Kent Denver’s coach, praised Gold.
“Nate just has a tenacity and will to win,” Hintz said. “He just doesn’t give up. He wants to win every point. I don’t think there was any doubt that Nathan wasn’t going to (win state) today. Nate is the gold standard literally and figuratively.”
Kent Denver’s entire team was playing for individual state titles on Friday and came away with four victories, counting Gold.
Joining Gold atop the podium were Kent’s Will Moldenhauer (No. 2 singles); Noah Bogel/Liam O’Drobinak (No. 1 doubles) and Jack Cramer/Simon Hirsch (No. 2 doubles).
Other champs were Colorado Academy’s Marcus Magno (No. 3 singles); Colorado Academy’s Oliver Neely/Bennett Neely (No. 3 doubles); and Colorado Academy’s Peter Owen/Hendrik Jordaan (No. 4 doubles).
Kent Denver, the reigning Class 4A team champion, will try and defend its crown when it takes on Colorado Academy in the finals of the team state tournament at 12:45 p.m., Oct. 22 at Denver Tennis Park.
“It would be ideal to close out my career winning the team state title with my friends and teammates,” Gold said.
