Kate Lanier is an achiever.

With her combination of a great tennis game, excellent grades and independent spirit, there’s been nothing this Habersham Central High senior hasn’t been able to accomplish so far in life.

On the tennis court, Lanier was one of the best in the state this season. With her steady backhand shot and mental toughness, she powered herself to an undefeated record and 44-0 mark in her career for the Lady Raiders.

That alone was enough to secure a scholarship to Southern Mississippi next season.

“Going undefeated was an accomplishment that I felt pretty good about,” Lanier said.

For her efforts, Lanier is The Times’ Girls Tennis Player of the Year.

But to focus on her athletic achievements isn’t the whole story. Lanier is also a uniquely gifted student, in fact, has never made a B in her life and graduated last week third out of 317 students at Habersham Central. That opened up her options to any school that she wanted to attend, even though tennis was the main factor in her decision to sign with Southern Mississippi.

For an elite tennis player, such as Lanier, making a name for yourself means going far beyond the high school tennis courts. Lanier started playing for fun in the footsteps of her parents and brother, Greg, at around the age of 10. Once she got the hang of things and it became apparent she had a liking for the sport, she started working with a trainer, Courtney Rutherford, and traveling to USTA tennis tournaments all across the southeast.

That social networking outlet in the sport facilitated the meeting with her future coach at Southern Miss, Raynie Theis, at a tournament in Arkansas, and was eventually offered by the school last fall at the Clay Court Nationals in Memphis, Tenn. “I was really excited to get that offer and really liked the school and coach,” Lanier said.

The constant competition and endless hitting made the high school game easier for Lanier. On a normal day, Lanier drives to Hamilton Mill in Gwinnett County and hits for three hours each day. There, she received the individual instruction that an elite player requires to be able to make the step to the next level.

“Kate has a natural aptitude for tennis,” Habersham Central coach Ginger Armour said. “She’s smart, calculating and is always looking ahead in the match.

“She’s such a smart player.”

In fact, Lanier’s undefeated streak in high school was never in jeopardy until her last match in the Region 8-AAAA tournament against Rockdale County freshman Summer Walker, also a first-team All-Region selection.

When she lost the second set, it was the first time she’d done so in four years of high school. However, tied at 1-1, she was leading in the third set before the match was called due to a Rockdale County win, preserving her undefeated high school career.

With her match not on the same court as the rest of the team, she couldn’t see what was transpiring with the rest of her Habersham Central teammates. All she could think about was being in the fight for her life against Walker.

“I was beyond nervous playing against her,” Lanier said. “It was by far the toughest high school match that I’ve played.”

Lanier took to tennis for many reasons. First of all, she’s always been around sports and tried basketball, gymnastics and horseback riding. But tennis was different. She saw her older brother, Greg — a walk-on wide receiver at the University of Georgia, pick up a racket, and was immediately hooked.

After finding out quickly that she liked tennis, it was also apparent that she was gifted at playing the sport too. But jumping head first in tennis doesn’t come without challenges. When Lanier ventured out on a weekend trip to play tennis, she also had to fit in time to complete class assignments and projects. One help for the Southern Mississippi signee was being able to complete some classes online.

However, the trade off of spending so much time on the court and in transit to get where she needed to play was well worth it. Lanier got countless opportunities to play against elite level talent in tournament competition, and challenging her game in every aspect. “You can’t let yourself slack playing against this level of talent because they are training just as hard as you,” Lanier said. “You really learn your strengths and weaknesses.”

Playing tennis also helped Lanier grow personally. She said she was very shy as a kid, but grew interesting in winning tennis trophies after seeing her brother do the same. Once on the court, the independent streak she was born with took over.

“I’ve always wanted to do everything for myself,” Lanier said. “My mom tells me when I was little I wouldn’t let anyone help pack my suitcase or help make my lunch for me.”

Now that Lanier knows she’s headed to Southern Mississippi, her goals for the next four years are clearly defined. First, she wants to help lead the Lady Golden Eagles to a Conference USA championship. Also, she wants to become an All-American.