BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. -- The Mountain East Conference today announced its annual women's tennis awards with the University of Charleston's Katie Swann, West Virginia State's Laura Isbey and Yellow Jackets coach John Simms earning top honors.
Isbey repeats as the MEC's Player of the Year after a stellar junior year for the Yellow Jackets. Isbey went unbeaten at No. 1 singles in conference play for the second-straight season. She also went 3-0 at No. 1 doubles and 2-1 at No. 2 doubles for the Yellow Jackets.
Swann is the MEC Freshman of the Year after going 5-1 at No. 1 singles for the Golden Eagles. The Huntington, W.Va., product lost only to Isbey in conference play. She played No. 1 doubles with Kristine Gegeshidze and the two went 5-2 in doubles in conference play, but defeated three top 50 doubles teams on their way to the ITA Atlantic Region championship in September.
Simms earns his fifth-consecutive Coach of the Year honors after leading the Yellow Jackets to another Mountain East Conference regular season championship. In fact, WVSU has yet to lose a conference regular season match under Simms since the inception of the MEC in 2013. The Yellow Jackets finished conference play with a perfect 8-0 record and are the No. 1 seed at this weekend's MEC Tournament in Huntington, W.Va.
Including Isbey, six of the eight first team selections are repeat honorees in Elise Edwards (UC), Kristine Gegeshidze (UC), Rebekkah Heigermoser (WVWC), Kierstin Hensley (WVSU) and Trinite' Klamadji (FSU). Swann and Irene Nunez (WVWC) also were selected to the first team.
The University of Charleston had a league-best three first team honorees, while West Virginia State and West Virginia Wesleyan each had two.
Three West Liberty players landed on the eight-player second team in Laura Huwe, Thais Mendez and Maurine Oudart. Heloisa Adams (FSU), Nina Dillwald (WVSU), Laura Herrera (NDC), Silvana Slusarciuc (UC) and Daria Tyschenko (WISE) rounded out the second team.
The All-MEC teams and awards are selected by a vote of the league's coaches.
| First Team All-Mountain East Conference |
| Name (School) |
Cl. |
Hometown |
| Elise Edwards (UC) |
Jr. |
Burlington, Ontario |
| Kristine Gegeshidze (UC) |
So. |
Tbilisi, Georgia |
| Rebekka Heigermoser (WVWC) |
So. |
Bavaria, Germany |
| Kierstin Hensley (WVSU) |
So. |
Ashland, Ky. |
| Laura Isbey (WVSU) |
Jr. |
Auckland, New Zealand |
| Trinite' Klamadji (FSU) |
Jr. |
Niamey, Niger |
| Irene Nunez (WVWC) |
So. |
Tres Cantos, Madrid |
| Katie Swann (UC) |
Fr. |
Huntington, W.Va. |
|
|
|
| Second Team All-Mountain East Conference |
| Name |
Cl. |
Hometown |
| Heloisa Adams (FSU) |
Fr. |
Porto Alegre, Brazil |
| Nina Dillwald (WVSU) |
Sr. |
Castrop-Rauxel, Germany |
| Laura Herrera (NDC) |
So. |
Weston, Fla. |
| Laura Huwe (WLU) |
Jr. |
Frankfurt, Germany |
| Thais Mendez (WLU) |
Fr. |
Vina del Mar, Chile |
| Maurine Oudart (WLU) |
Fr. |
Amiens, France |
| Silvana Slusarciuc (UC) |
Jr. |
Timisoara, Romania |
| Daria Tyshchenko (WISE) |
Sr. |
Kirovograd, Ukraine |
Player of the Year: Laura Isbey (West Virginia State)
Freshman of the Year: Katie Swann (University of Charleston)
Coach of the Year: John Simms (West Virginia State)