May 2, 2002

Lexington, Ky. – The University of Kentucky tennis program was rewarded for a stellar year on Thursday, as both the men’s and women’s squads received No. 1 seeds in the 2002 NCAA Championships. Along with the lofty seeds, both teams will play host to the first and second rounds of the tournament on May 10-12. All of the regional action will be held at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Center on the UK campus.

The 17th-ranked women’s tennis team will play host to Boston University, Georgia Tech and Michigan. On Friday, May 10 the Wildcats will battle the Fighting Terriers, while Georgia Tech takes on the Wolverines of Michigan. The winners will square off in Saturday’s regional final for a trip to the Sweet 16 on the campus of Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif.

The ninth-ranked UK men will welcome SEC-rival Vanderbilt, Ohio State and Murray State. The Cats will open up against the Murray State Racers on Saturday, May 11 with the victor facing the winner of the Buckeye/Commodore match. The men’s regional final will take place on Sunday, May 12 before heading to Texas A & M University in College Station, Tex., for the round of 16.

Along with a trip to the team championships, Wildcats Jesse Witten, Carolina Mayorga and Sarah Witten also received bids to the NCAA Individual Championships to take place May 22-25. Jesse Witten, currently ranked sixth in the nation, received a bid to the Men’s Singles Championships, while Sarah Witten and Mayorga received bids to the Women’s Singles Championships and to the Doubles Championship as a tandem.

All the action can be followed live on the Internet at www.ukathletics.com.