Second Conference Honor for Urbina

Colorado Springs, Colo. (March 4, 2010) – For the second time this season, junior Evan Urbina has been named the Mountain West Conference Men’s Tennis Player of the Week. The award marks the Cougars’ fourth player of the week this year, the most in one season since the conference’s inception in 1999. On the women’s side, Utah’s Paige Miles garnered the honor.

Urbina, who hails from Huntington Beach, Calif, went a combined 4-0 over the weekend to lead the now 23rd-ranked Cougars to a 2-0 record against San Francisco (W, 6-1) and No. 29 Boise State (W, 5-2). Against the Dons, he defeated Rainer Nachbauer (6-3, 6-2) at No. 2 singles, after teaming with partner Spencer Smith to down Nachbauer/William Schumacher (8-6). The junior went on to record another unbeaten day on Saturday, beating the Broncos’ Vicente Joli in straight sets (6-4, 7-6 (14)) at No. 2 singles after teaming with Smith to secure a victory over Joli/Filipp Pogostkin (8-4). Both of Urbina’s wins helped BYU defeat Boise State for the first time since 2002.

Miles, a product of Salt Lake City, Utah, went a combined 4-1 over the weekend to help the Utes tally a weekend sweep of No. 50 Arizona (W, 5-2), No. 22 DePaul (W, 5-2) and Weber State (W, 6-1). On Saturday, the freshman downed Arizona’s Ariane Masschelein (6-2, 6-1) at No. 4 singles, after teaming with partner Anastasia Putilina to upset the Wildcats’ 42nd-ranked tandem of Natasha Marks/Alexandrina Naydenova (8-3) at the No. 1 doubles spot. She went on to clinch the match-winning point in Utah’s upset win over the Blue Demons, beating Sandra Zmak (6-2, 7-6 (7)), after picking up her only loss of the weekend earlier in the day to the ninth-ranked doubles team of Anna Redesci/Selma Salkovic (8-4). Miles capped off her strong weekend of play by notching a straight-sets victory over Weber State’s Brittiny Moore (6-2, 6-2) at No. 4 singles.