San Diego State freshman midfielder Laura Fuentes has been named both the Mountain West Newcomer of the Year and a member of the all-conference second-team, the league announced this afternoon. As the Newcomer of the Year, Fuentes also landed on the all-newcomer team.
"Laura had a fantastic freshman year and was a huge impact on our team," head coach Mike Friesen said. "I'm really excited about her future as I am very confident that she will only get better and have a bigger impact on our team."
Fuentes established solid ball control and forced opponents to key in on her throughout her first season on the Mesa. The Newark, Calif., native completed her first regular season starting in all 11 conference matchups where she led the team in points (seven), was second in minutes (1022) and had the second-most shots on goal (10). Among the conference, Fuentes tied for sixth in goals scored (three – vs. Utah State, at Nevada, vs. Air Force) and tied for seventh in total points.
This marks the first time an Aztec has earned Newcomer of the Year honors since 2015, when Leah Pruitt was named Freshman of the Year by the conference.