BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. – The Mountain East Conference today announced its 2024 Women’s Tennis award winners and all-conference teams, following a vote of the league’s head coaches.

Fairmont State’s Maria Fonseca was honored as the MEC Player of the Year in women’s tennis, while teammate Hope Backx was voted the Freshman of the Year. West Virginia Wesleyan’s Kyle Hoffman was named the women’s tennis coach of the year in 2023-24.

Fonseca, a sophomore from Porto, Portugal, went 5-0 in conference play at No. 1 singles, and finished the 2023-24 season with a 13-4 overall mark. Her wins include Walsh, Belmont Abbey, Edinboro and West Virginia Wesleyan at the No. 1 spot. In doubles play, Fonseca went 10-5 overall, including 3-1 in league play.

Backx, from Melbourne, Australia, went 3-2 at the No. 2 singles position for the Falcons in conference play this season. In non-conference play she also picked up notable wins against IUP and Bluefield State. In doubles play, she went 12-5 overall and 4-1 in league play at Fairmont’s No. 1 doubles spot – which included wins over Charleston, Carson Newman, Mercyhurst, Edinboro and Bluefield State. She was also named first team All-MEC as a freshman.

Hoffman, West Virginia Wesleyan’s third-year head coach, was named the 2023-24 MEC Women’s Tennis Coach of the Year. He led his Bobcats to a 14-7 overall record this season, including a 3-2 mark in conference play. Wesleyan is the No. 4 seed in this week’s MEC Tournament and currently ranks seventh in the Atlantic Region. Hoffman also earned MEC Men’s Tennis Coach of the Year honors in 2016 and 2017. Wesleyan had three players earn All-MEC recognition this season.

In addition to announcing the individual award winners, the league also announced its all-conference teams on Friday afternoon (listed below).