Lozano and Nyman Win First Place at Regional Championships

LAS -- Carlos "Panda" Lozano and Erik Nyman claimed first place in the 2002 Omni Hotels Regional Championships on Saturday. The second-seeded team was able to win both their semifinal and final match to win the chance to participate in Nationals in Dallas on Nov. 7-10.

Lozano and Nyman first beat third-seeded Vallentino Pest and Felix Hardt of San Diego State 8-5 in the semifinals before playing the finals in the afternoon. In the finals, they faced and defeated fourth-seeded Marcus Berntson and Guillaume Bouvier of Boise State 9-7.

BYU Head Coach Jim Osborne was very impressed with the play of Lozano and Nyman.

"Panda and Erik played awesome today," Osborne said. "They had some tough losses in singles yesterday, but they were able to bounce back today and win two huge doubles matches. I'm really excited for them and the opportunity they have to play in Nationals."

Nyman and Lozano will be participating in Nationals in Dallas on Nov. 7-10.

Final Day Results
Semifinal Doubles
Berntson/Bouvier (4) (BSU) def. Salazar/Stotland (6) (UNM)	 8-5
Lozano/Nyman (2) (BYU) def. Hardt/Pest (3) (SDSU)		         8-5
Finals Doubles
Lozano/Nyman (2) (BYU) def. Berntson/Bouvier (4) (BSU)	     9-7