For the second straight season, UC Irvine's Anna Bentzer and Long Beach State's Jenny Hilt-Costello were honored with the distinction of Big West Women's Tennis Player of the Year and Coach of the Year. Long Beach State's Stephanie Bengson also was selected as Big West Freshman of the Year as the 2005 all-conference team was unveiled today.

Bentzer becomes the fourth player in Big West history to earn back-to-back top individual women's tennis honors. Bentzer amassed a 19-4 record at No. 1 singles for the Anteaters and won 18 of her last 19 matches. The senior posted an unblemished 8-0 record against Big West opponents, including wins over fellow first team all-conference members Nicole Bouffler (Long Beach State), Marielle Gruenig (UC Santa Barbara), Silvia Gutierrez (Cal State Northridge) and Vana Mrazovic (Pacific). Bentzer received Big West Athlete of the Week honors four times this season. A native of Stockholm, Sweden, Bentzer capped off an impressive career with a 2-0 mark at last week's Big West Championship.

Hilt-Costello is the fifth coach in Big West history to earn top distinction two years in a row. This is her third honor overall, as she also won in 2001. She ranks third all-time in the conference record book for most Coach of the Year awards. Hilt-Costello guided Long Beach State to its second straight Big West title, and third in the last four seasons, as the 49ers defeated Cal State Northridge, UC Santa Barbara and Pacific at last week's conference tournament. The 49ers are heading to their third NCAA Tournament under Hilt-Costello, who owns a career record of 116-75 in eight seasons. Long Beach State went 8-2 against Big West opponents this season and enters NCAA postseason play with an overall record of 15-10.

Bengson is the recipient of top freshman honors in the first year that the conference has designated the award. A native of Albion Park, NSW, Australia, she compiled a record of 16-8 in dual matches while playing primarily at the No. 2 spot. Bengson also earned a spot on the all-conference first team.

For a complete listing of the 2005 Big West All-Conference Team, please click on the PDF link above:

2005 BIG WEST WOMEN'S TENNIS ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM

FIRST TEAM - SINGLES
Name	Yr.	School
Stephanie Bengson	Fr.	Long Beach State
Anna Bentzer	Sr.	UC Irvine
Nicole Bouffler	Sr.	Long Beach State
Marielle Gruenig	Jr.	UC Santa Barbara
Silvia Gutierrez	So.	Cal State Northridge
Natalia Kostenko	Jr.	Pacific
Vana Mrazovic	So.	Pacific
SECOND TEAM - SINGLES
Name	Yr.	School
Michelle Beyronneau	Sr.	UC Riverside
Canna Furuta	Fr.	Cal State Northridge
Chelsea Glynn	Jr.	UC Santa Barbara
Ruya Inalpulat	Jr.	Cal State Fullerton
Izabela Mijic	Jr.	UC Irvine
Samantha Waller	Jr.	Cal Poly
HONORABLE MENTION - SINGLES
Name	Yr.	School
Lindsey Bennion	Jr.	Utah State
Casey Cross	Jr.	UC Riverside
Carol Erickson	So.	Cal Poly
Gina Le	So.	Cal State Fullerton
Sandra Rocha	So.	Long Beach State
Patricia Ruman	So.	Idaho
Chelsy Thompson	Sr.	Cal Poly
FIRST TEAM - DOUBLES
Name	School
Nicole Bouffler/Sandra Rocha	Long Beach State
Samantha Waller/Nicole Shabaz	Cal Poly
Chelsea Glynn/Marielle Gruenig	UC Santa Barbara
Vana Mrazovic/Katharina Heil	Pacific
SECOND TEAM - DOUBLES
Name	School
Inna Agababian/Anna Bentzer	UC Irvine
Silvia Gutierrez/YuYu Myinttun	Cal State Northridge
Chelsy Thompson/Noelle Lee	Cal Poly
Casey Cross/H.R. Espiritu	UC Riverside
HONORABLE MENTION - DOUBLES
Name	School
Andrea Pintar/Leslie Damion	UC Santa Barbara
Alanah Carroll/Rachael Porsz	Long Beach State
Ruya Inalpulat/Gina Le	Cal State Fullerton
Silvia Gutierrez/Canna Furuta	Cal State Northridge
Lindsey Bennion/Carolyn Stephens	Utah State

2005 BIG WEST PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Anna Bentzer, UC Irvine

2005 BIG WEST COACH OF THE YEAR
Jenny Hilt-Costello, Long Beach State

2005 BIG WEST FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Stephanie Bengson, Long Beach State