University of North Carolina Athletics
Carolina To Host Omni Hotels Mideast Region Men's Tennis Championships This Week
October 22, 2002 | Men's Tennis
Oct. 22, 2002
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - North Carolina will be hosting the Omni Hotels Mideast Region Men's Championships October 23-27. The singles finalists and doubles champion from this event will earn spots in the November 7-10 Omni Hotels National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships at Brookhaven Country Club in Farmers Branch, Texas.
In addition to host North Carolina, this event will feature the top players from Division I schools from throughout the states of North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and South Carolina. Georgia Tech's Roger Anderson captured the singles title at this tournament last year, and Virginia Commonwealth's Pedro Nieto and Florian Marquardt took home the men's doubles title.
Seventeen Omni Hotels Regional Championships for NCAA Division I men and women are taking place over the last two weekends of October: The eight Omni Hotels Regional Championships for women are taking place at the following schools this month: Harvard, Wake Forest, Troy State, Michigan State, Tulsa, TCU, Stanford and the University of San Diego/San Diego State. The nine Omni Hotels Regional Championships for men will be hosted by: Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Tulsa, TCU, UNLV, St. Mary's and Pepperdine.
The 2002 Omni Hotels/ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships, the nation's premier collegiate indoor tennis tournament, is the second of three national championship events for college tennis this season. The first events - the Riviera/ITA Women's and Icy Hot/ITA Men's All-American Championships - were held two weeks ago, and the third event is season-end NCAA Championships in May. The Omni Hotels National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships feature a 32-player singles field and 16-team doubles field for men and women, including: qualifiers from Omni Hotels Regional Championships held across the country during the fall, the Omni Hotels/ITA National Small College champions, the winners of the ITA All-American Championships and at-large and wild card selections made by the ITA National Tournament Committee. Overall, more than 10,000 players from nearly 600 schools participate annually in the Omni Hotels Regional and National Intercollegiate Championships.
The Omni Hotels/ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships were inaugurated in 1978. Recent champions include up-and-coming professionals James Blake, Laura Granville, Marissa Irvin, Alex Kim and Mike Russell. Current pros Todd Martin and Lisa Raymond are also among the past champions.
Omni Hotels, based near Dallas in Irving, Texas, offers luxury accommodations at 40 hotels and resorts located throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. Each property in the Omni Hotels portfolio provides guests with exceptional four-diamond hospitality, personalized service and exquisite decor, creating a distinctive experience at each location. Ranked the "highest in guest satisfaction among upscale hotel chains" by J.D. Power and Associates, Omni Hotels offers unsurpassed meeting facilities and a wide range of guest services and amenities, including wine tastings, gourmet dining, state-of-the-art fitness facilities, tours of local attractions, and specialized programs. Through an aggressive expansion strategy, Omni Hotels is steadily entering new markets around the world. Guests can locate hotels, book accommodations or find out more about Omni Hotels by calling 1-800-THE-OMNI or accessing the company's Web site at www.omnihotels.com.
As the governing body of collegiate tennis the ITA promotes both the athletic and academic achievements of the collegiate tennis community. The ITA, which was founded in 1956 and is based in Skillman, N.J., administers numerous regional and national championships, the ITA Collegiate Summer Circuit, presented by the USTA, and the Omni Hotels Collegiate Tennis Rankings for men's and women's tennis at the NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA and Junior College levels. The ITA also has a comprehensive awards program for players and coaches to honor excellence in academics, leadership and sportsmanship. The official ITA Web site is www.itatennis.com.chapel
