Long Beach State highlighted the naming of the 2008 women's tennis all-conference team with a clean sweep of the major awards. Hannah Grady claimed Big West Player of the Year accolades for the third straight time, while Jenny Hilt-Costello was named Coach of the Year and Stephanie Jeanes earned Freshman of the Year honors.
Grady, a native of Coventry, England, is the first player in Big West history to capture the top individual honor in three consecutive seasons. She played the entire season at No. 1 singles, posting a 17-7 dual match record. Among those 17 wins, she went a perfect 10-0 against Big West foes and defeated five of her fellow first team all-conference members. In addition, Grady collected two Big West Women's Tennis Athlete of the Week awards. Grady is ranked No. 82 nationally in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) singles rankings and No. 53 in doubles with partner Stephanie Bengson.. She topped off the season with a pair of wins at last week's Big West Women's Tennis Championship.
Hilt-Costello garnered Coach of the Year honors for the fifth time in her career, and for the fourth time in the last five seasons. Hilt-Costello's five awards tie Carol Plunkett (1986-90) of San Diego State for the most in Big West history. Hilt-Costello led the program to its fifth straight Big West Tournament title and NCAA Tournament bid as the 49ers went 19-6 overall and had an unblemished 8-0 mark in conference play. The 49ers are currently ranked No. 41 in the nation by the ITA. Under Hilt-Costello, the 49ers are an impressive 149-52 (.741) in the last eight seasons.
Jeanes is the third Long Beach State player to be named top freshman in the four years of the award's existence. Hailing from Sydney, Australia, Jeanes racked up an 18-6 dual match record playing primarily at the No. 4 spot. Jeanes also was 17-6 with partner Jessica Weeks on the 49er No. 2 doubles team. Jeanes did not lose to a Big West opponent in either singles or doubles the entire season.
The following is a complete listing of the 2008 Big West All-Conference Team:
FIRST TEAM - SINGLES
| Name |
Yr. |
School |
| Stephanie Bengson |
Sr. |
Long Beach State |
| Becky Bernhard |
Sr. |
UC Irvine |
| Brittany Blalock |
So. |
Cal Poly |
| Hannah Grady |
Jr. |
Long Beach State |
| Erynne Oki |
Jr. |
UC Riverside |
| Randi Schuler |
Jr. |
UC Davis |
| Marta Simic |
Sr. |
UC Santa Barbara |
SECOND TEAM - SINGLES
| Name |
Yr. |
School |
| Inna Agababian |
Sr. |
UC Irvine |
| Victoria Brymer |
Jr. |
Cal State Northridge |
| Jill Damion |
Fr. |
UC Santa Barbara |
| Stephanie Jeanes |
Fr. |
Long Beach State |
| Kanykey Koichumanova |
Sr. |
Cal State Northridge |
| Desiree Stone |
So. |
UC Davis |
| Jolanta Twarowska |
Jr. |
Pacific |
HONORABLE MENTION - SINGLES
| Name |
Yr. |
School |
| Svenja Arens |
So. |
Pacific |
| Deborah Armstrong |
Fr. |
Long Beach State |
| Clare Fermin |
Jr. |
UC Irvine |
FIRST TEAM - DOUBLES
| Name |
School |
| Hannah Grady/Stephanie Bengson |
Long Beach State |
| Steffi Wong/Brittany Blalock |
Cal Poly |
| Marta Simic/Charlotte Scatliffe |
UC Santa Barbara |
| Stephanie Jeanes/Jessica Weeks |
Long Beach State |
SECOND TEAM - DOUBLES
| Name |
School |
| Kanykey Koichumanova/Brooke Doane |
Cal State Northridge |
| Erynne Oki/H.R. Espiritu |
UC Riverside |
| Inna Agababian/Becky Bernhard |
UC Irvine |
| Victoria Brymer/Canna Furuta |
Cal State Northridge |
HONORABLE MENTION - DOUBLES
| Name |
School |
| Herzyl Legaspi/Randi Schuler |
UC Davis |
| Jolanta Twarowska/Olga Gumenyuk |
Pacific |
| Clare Fermin/Rebecca Kwan |
UC Irvine |
2008 BIG WEST PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Hannah Grady, Long Beach State
2008 BIG WEST COACH OF THE YEAR
Jenny Hilt-Costello, Long Beach State
2008 BIG WEST FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Stephanie Jeanes, Long Beach State