Nov. 5, 2013
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State's Mike Friesen and Haley Palmer were named Mountain West Coach of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, respectively, by College Sports Madness. The Aztecs also landed four on the all-conference first team and one on the second team.
Kelsey Booth, Hannah Keane, Carli Johnson and Palmer all earned a spot on the all-Mountain West first team. Victoria Barba, meanwhile, was named to the second team.
Friesen picked up the top conference coaching honor for the second straight season. The seventh-year head coach led the Aztecs to a 9-1 record and their second straight MW regular-season championship.
Palmer is the second Aztec in as many seasons to be recognized as the league's top defensive player. The senior helped San Diego State record seven shutouts and limit opponents to a mere 6.7 shots per game. The Windsor, Calif., native is a first-teamer one season after being named to the CSM all-MW second team.
Booth is a first-time award winner after producing two goals and a team-best three assists in Mountain West action. The midfielder/forward earned seven points, the second most on the team, and started all 10 conference games.
A year after landing on the CSM all-Mountain West second team, Keane earned a spot on the first team after leading the Aztecs in goals (6) and points (14). Hailing from Sacramento, Calif., Keane also added two assists and scored the game-winner four times.
Like Palmer, Johnson went from second-teamer in 2012 to a first-team performer this season. A defender from Santa Rosa, Calif., Johnson played all but 15 minutes in conference action at her backline position. In 10 starts, the senior added a goal and an assist for the MW champions.
Barba, meanwhile, tied for second on the team in goals (2) and finished fourth in points with five en route to College Sports Madness all-Mountain West second-team accolades. The midfielder put a remarkable 62.5 percent of her shot attempts on goal (10-for-16) and was 2-for-2 in penalty kicks. This is the sophomore's first career honor.
The Aztecs will look to defend their Mountain West tournament championship this week in Albuquerque, N.M. Top-seeded SDSU will compete in the semifinal round on Thursday at 7 p.m. MT against either fourth-seeded New Mexico or the No. 5 seed, Utah State. The game will stream live on the Mountain West Network.