ARLINGTON, Texas – Seattle U’s Lamija Avdic earned the 2024-25 Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Women’s Tennis Player of the Year award, as voted by the conference’s head coaches, headlining three major award winners from the league tennis season.

Joining Avdic as a top player award winner was Tarleton State’s Maria Castano, who captured WAC Freshman of the Year accolades. Grand Canyon head coach Dané Vorster was tabbed WAC Coach of the Year after leading the Lopes to a conference title in her first season leading the program.

Avdic and Castano highlighted 12 singles player selection on WAC all-conference teams. GCU’s Bella Crossman and Karina Hofbauer, along with Hofbauer and doubles teammate Gala Arangio, were voted onto the first team, while Arangio and Dania Deaifi were included among the second-team all-conference singles players. Rounding out the All-WAC first team was Maria Cascos from Abilene Christian and Ana Paula Jimenez from UT Arlington. Other second-team selections featured Tarleton State’s Noelia Lorca and Adeliya Mukhutdinova, UT Arlington’s Maria Lucia Araoz-Gosn, Utah Tech’s Maya Inouye, and the doubles teams of Avdic and Natalia Michta from Seattle U and Maretha Burger and Emma Persson from Tarleton State.

2024-25 WAC Women's Tennis Awards (as voted by the conference’s head coaches)

WAC Player of the Year
Lamija Avdic, Seattle U

WAC Freshman of the Year
Maria Castano, Tarleton State

WAC Coach of the Year
Dané Vorster, Grand Canyon

All-WAC First Team
Maria Cascos, Abilene Christian
Bella Crossman, Grand Canyon
Karina Hofbauer, Grand Canyon
Lamija Avdic, Seattle U
Maria Castano, Tarleton State
Ana Paula Jimenez, UT Arlington
Karina Hofbauer & Gala Arangio, Grand Canyon (Doubles)

All-WAC Second Team
Gala Arangio, Grand Canyon
Dania Deaifi, Grand Canyon
Noelia Lorca, Tarleton State
Adeliya Mukhutdinova, Tarleton State
Maria Lucia Araoz-Gosn, UT Arlington
Maya Inouye, Utah Tech
Lamija Avdic & Natalia Michta, Seattle U (Doubles)
Maretha Burger & Emma Persson, Tarleton State (Doubles)