May 10, 2000

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - North Carolina men's tennis coach Sam Paul has been named the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Region II Coach of the Year Award it was announced Wednesday morning. This makes Paul one of eight national finalists for the ITA Coach of the Year Award for the year 2000.

This is the second time Paul has won the award during his seven seasons as UNC's head coach. In 1996, Paul won ACC and Region II Coach of the Year awards and was a finalist for the National Coach of the Year award. Earlier this year he was also named ACC Coach of the Year.

Paul credited his players and assistant coaches for the award. "I'm really proud to win this award. It is really a testament to the strength of my team and the hard work that these guys have put in," the seventh-year Carolina head coach says. "I also have two great assistant coaches in Carlos Garcia and Don Johnson that deserve a lot of the credit for this award."

The Tar Heel men's tennis team is currently ranked No. 20 by the ITA. Carolina recently received its eighth NCAA Tournament bid in the last nine seasons and the sixth bid during Paul's seven-year tenure. The Tar Heels play Ball State Saturday at 2 p.m. in the semifinals of an NCAA regional tournament at Knoxville, Tenn.