Lincoln’s McDonald triplets share same love of tennis, competition
September 30, 1998.
During the early afternoon hours, triplets Anna, Evan and Ryan McDonald were born, in that order via a cesarean section.
Now juniors at Lincoln High School, over the years the threesome has migrated from sport to sport together, but ultimately they settled on tennis as their greatest athletic love.
“They've grown into wonderful kids,” father Roger McDonald said. “They've been good and healthy, great students and just fun to be around.”
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Infertility treatment resulted in the multi-headed fraternal childbirth, the babies being born at 27 weeks at approximately three pounds each. Following the high-risk childbirth, the triplets were in the neonatal intensive care unit for nearly two months.
“I was in denial for a while— could be two, could be three,” Roger said. “As it turned out, the best thing in the world happened. The first several months were difficult. Three babies, two people— it just doesn't add up. But they were extremely good and healthy babies.”
Roger, whose birthday is Sept. 28, one day after his own father’s birthday, credited wife Julia for her organizational skills in a challenging child-raising process.
But over time, things got a little easier. Roger would take the triplets out and they'd all try different sports. For example, all three are third-degree black belts in taekwondo following seven years of training.
It was in elementary school when tennis came into play more. Roger played collegiately for the University of Evansville in Indiana.
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Soon, all three were playing on the court in increasing sibling competition.
“Between the boys, they're really competitive,” said Anna, who was the 2014 All-Big Bend Player of the Year while playing No. 1 singles as a freshman at Leon.
“I'd say I probably get more attention being the only girl, but I'm glad I was. I definitely grew up a tomboy, fighting with my brothers a lot.”
The sibling rivalry and in-fighting is, of course, natural. The McDonald triplets are also each other's best friends.
“We're so close,” Anna said. “I'm so blessed to have two brothers. Ryan is over-protective, like my dad. I'll wear something and he'll say 'Are you going to wear that?' If I like a guy, he'll do a background check.”
The personalities that developed out of each were interesting for Roger and Julia to watch.
Ryan is the serious one. Evan is laid back. Anna thinks she's a blend of the two, often playing mediator in disputes or having to act as Switzerland on car rides.
“We have three seats in the back of my dad's truck,” Anna said. “My dad would make me sit in the middle, because they'd always fight.”
For Ryan and Evan, the two said they often feel like twins. Anna, as a girl, gets her own.
The brothers both want to become engineers and won't separate when it comes time to head off for college.
But Anna may face the more difficult decision of breaking up the trio, since her tennis prowess will likely result in a scholarship offer that could take her out of state and away from in-state tuition costs.
“It's really hard to think about,” Anna said. “I rely on them a lot. They're smarter than me, so I'm always asking for help. It's hard to picture not having them there, but it may work out to go to a school where at least one of them is at.”
“It’d be fun to be in college with Anna or Evan,” Ryan said. “If Anna is playing college tennis, we'll definitely come watch.”
On the court, Evan and Ryan are No. 1 doubles partners for the Trojans. Evan is left-handed. Ryan is right.
Evan is laid back. Ryan is serious. That makes for a nice combo.
“They get each other,” Lincoln coach Lauren McCreless said. “They know when the other is up or down and they know how to communicate better than than if they were with someone else.”
“I'm more optimistic, Ryan's more pessimistic,” Evan said.
“He definitely brings me up because he's more serious. And I can bring him up because I'm not as serious and sometimes it can hurt you if you're trying too hard. It works out good.”
After a freshman year at Leon— mother Julia works for Leon County Schools, allowing school of choice regardless of zoning— the triplets returned to their district to be back around friends they'd grown up with but didn't see much of anymore.
For Anna, it was a tougher move after being Player of the Year, but at Lincoln she found a best friend in senior Paige Nicholson, her doubles partner and last year's All-Big Bend Player of the Year.
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The pair made the state semifinals last year, and in the process developed a sister-like relationship that now gets to battle the brothers on the court.
“It's like a sibling rivalry,” Nicholson said. “They're like my adoptive brothers.”
For now, there's a family doubles match always in existence— Roger and Anna vs. Ryan and Evan.
But in less than 18 months, the McDonald household will get quiet once again as Roger and Julia become empty nesters.
“We're going to have to learn to talk to one another, I guess,” Roger said with a laugh. “When you're single you have all the time in the world but you don't think you do. Then you have a wife and there's more time constraint. When you have kids, your time becomes their time.
“We'll have time again. I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens.”
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