CHAPEL HILL -- Kenyon College sophomore Mike Greenberg upset the odds to claim the Division III national individual championship Sunday at Bates College in Maine.

In the final, the East Chapel Hill graduate fell behind after one set, but stormed back to win two straight and earn his school's first-ever individual national crown, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.

East coach Lindsey Linker, who tutored Greenberg as he won state singles titles at both the 3-A and 4-A level, was ecstatic.

"I have to say I've been on cloud nine for two days," said Linker. "It's a first for me in my 20-some years of coaching, and probably the pinnacle, to have a player achieve that.

"And for it to be a player like Mike who has worked so hard and is such a good kid is really special."

Greenberg had to overcome adversity both before and during the tournament just to have a shot at the title. His initial matriculation to the Wake Forest tennis program soured, and he had a back injury to boot. He considered transferring to another Division I school, but settled on Kenyon.

"We talked about it, and I said you could go to a Division III school and try for a national championship, and darned if he doesn't go out and do it as a sophomore," Linker said.

Having worked himself back into shape, Greenberg had an excellent season, compiling a 28-2 record and leading the Lords to the quarterfinals of the team competition a week before.

He was tabbed the National and Central Region Rookie of the Year by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association as well as the North Coast Athletic Conference Newcomer and Player of the Year.

Ranked tenth in the nation, Greenberg cruised to opening-round victories in the individual field by scores of 6-1, 6-0; 6-4, 6-1; and 6-2, 6-4 to set up a semifinal showdown with John Watts of Washington (Mo.) University on Saturday. Watts, ranked No. 1 in the country, was the man responsible for both of the blemishes on Greenberg's regular-season record.

This time, however, Greenberg upset Watts 6-4, 6-4 and marched on to the title match.

"He had lost during the regular season but he was confident he could do well against him," said Linker. "I can't think of a kid who deserves this more."

Greenberg had earned a spot in the D-III doubles' competition as well, but bowed out in the first round after a close 7-6(4), 7-5 defeat.

Linker also coached Mike's older brother Dan Greenberg, who was the New England Small College Athletic Conference's 2008 Player of the Year and earned a fourth seed in the national individual tournament after an outstanding year for Williams College.

The senior Greenberg led the Ephs to the D-III team quarterfinals as well, but saw his college career end in the first round of both the singles and doubles competition last weekend.

Meanwhile, yet another Linker pupil and former East Chapel Hill Wildcat competed at the same level; freshman Colin Egan's Emory Hawks defeated Mike Greenberg and Kenyon 5-1 in the quarterfinals of the team competition. The Hawks then took out Middlebury College in the semis by the same score but lost to Watts' Washington University charges in the dual-team championship, 5-3.

The trio form plenty of evidence of Linker's coaching success, as the Wildcats terrorized the 3-A ranks for years before moving up to join the 4-A elite.

Linker herself couldn't be more proud of all three and thinks Egan and Mike Greenberg can only get better.

"I had always predicted their best tennis would come after graduation," she said. "It makes me really proud, obviously -- it's a coaches' dream."