Kyle Fodness took the reins of the Beaver Women's Tennis team from his father, Mark, after being named the head coach on August 19, 2019. A Bemidji native and former Bemidji State student-athlete, Fodness has helped build momentum within the program and guide the Beavers back into the NSIC postseason picture. His tenure has been highlighted by player development, all-conference recognition, academic success, a program-best start to a season and a 2026 campaign that earned him NSIC Coach of the Year honors.
Fodness led Bemidji State to one of its strongest seasons in recent program history in 2026, guiding the Beavers to a 10-8 overall record and a 4-6 mark in NSIC play. BSU finished seventh in the conference standings and earned a berth into the NSIC Tournament for the first time since 2021. The Beavers opened the season with the best start in program history, winning each of their first six competitions to begin the campaign 6-0, including victories over St. Scholastica, Minnesota Duluth, Minnesota Morris, Minnesota Crookston and St. Cloud State. Following the season, Fodness was named the NSIC Coach of the Year, becoming the program’s first NSIC Coach of the Year since 1999 and just the third in program history.
Bemidji State’s 2026 success was fueled by improved depth throughout the lineup. Paula Garcia Acebal led the Beavers in singles wins with a 9-7 overall record, including a 5-5 mark in NSIC play and a 7-7 record at No. 2 singles. Marla Davies added an 8-9 singles record while playing primarily at No. 3 singles, and Lauren Rutten finished 8-8 overall with five wins at No. 5 singles. The Beavers also received strong doubles production as Garcia Acebal and Rutten posted a team-best 10-5 doubles record, including a 6-3 mark in conference play, while Ana Lucía Ibáñez Castro and Valesca Rodriguez added a 9-7 doubles record with a 5-5 mark against NSIC opponents. As a team, BSU finished 30-23 in doubles play and went 11-7 at both No. 2 and No. 3 doubles during the season.
The Beavers continued building momentum under Fodness in 2025, finishing 7-9 overall and 3-6 in NSIC play while placing seventh in the conference standings. The season helped position BSU for its postseason breakthrough the following year and featured strong individual and doubles production throughout the lineup. Lauren Rutten led the Beavers in singles wins with a 9-7 overall record, while Sophie Groen went 8-6 at No. 1 singles and Mia Leshem finished 8-5 overall, including a 7-5 mark at No. 2 singles. BSU also received strong singles depth from Britney Schommer, who went 3-0.
In doubles play, Groen and Leshem formed one of the Beavers’ top pairings, finishing 10-4 overall and 5-4 in NSIC play at No. 1 doubles. Individually, Groen posted an 11-4 doubles record, while Leshem finished 10-5. Their success helped the Beavers go 11-5 at No. 1 doubles during the season. Groen and Leshem earned All-NSIC Second Team honors in doubles, and Groen was also recognized as the NSIC Outstanding Senior of the Year for women’s tennis, adding another major conference honor to the program under Fodness’ direction.
During the 2024 season, Fodness continued to develop the Beavers’ lineup and build experience throughout the roster. BSU finished 3-10 overall and picked up three non-conference victories, including a 9-0 win over UW-River Falls on March 2 and back-to-back wins over UW-River Falls and Northwestern on April 20. The Beavers showed their best production in the middle of the singles lineup, going 6-7 at No. 4 singles, while Ana Lucía Ibáñez Castro led the team with five singles wins and Emilia Sand added four singles victories.
BSU also continued to build doubles depth throughout the 2024 season. The Beavers were strongest at No. 3 doubles, going 6-7 overall, while the pairing of Sophie Groen and Isabela Nelson posted a team-best 3-3 doubles record, all in conference play. Ibáñez Castro also led the team individually in doubles wins with a 5-8 overall record, while Groen, Nelson and Sand each added four doubles victories.Â
In 2023, the Beavers continued to gain valuable experience in NSIC competition as Fodness worked to develop the team’s depth and strengthen the program’s long-term foundation. BSU finished 1-14 overall and 1-10 in conference play, with the season helping set the stage for the program’s steady climb over the next three years. Sophie Groen remained a key leader for the Beavers, while the roster continued to gain experience that helped fuel improved conference positioning in 2025 and an NSIC Tournament berth in 2026.
During the 2022 season, Fodness led the Beavers to a 5-7 overall record and a 4-7 mark in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play while producing some of the top individual performances in the league. Shaelyn Johnson led BSU with a 12-2 singles record, including a 9-2 mark in NSIC play at No. 2 singles, while Sophie Groen went 10-4 overall and 7-4 in conference play at No. 1 singles. Nicoleta Anestiadi added a 7-7 singles record at No. 3 singles, giving the Beavers strong production at the top of the lineup.
BSU was also strong in doubles play during the 2022 season, finishing 25-17 overall as a team and 16-17 in conference competition. Groen and Johnson formed the Beavers’ top doubles pairing, going 10-4 overall and 7-4 in NSIC play at No. 1 doubles, while Anestiadi and Laney Rutkowski added five wins at No. 2 doubles. Johnson and Groen earned All-NSIC honors, with Johnson named First Team in singles, Groen earning Second Team singles recognition and the duo receiving First Team doubles honors.
During the 2021-22 season, Fodness led the Beavers to a .500 record, going 7-7 in overall play and 4-7 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play. The Beavers began the season with a doubleheader sweep over the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and Concordia University. BSU closed the campaign with a 4-3 win at Minnesota State University Moorhead and also put together a three-match winning streak during the spring season.
During his initial season leading the program, Fodness and the Beavers finished the shortened 2020 season 7-7. BSU got off to a 4-1 start in the fall and finished with three wins over its final four matches before the season was canceled due to COVID-19. Senior Hannah Alme led the Beavers from the No. 2 singles spot after finishing the season 9-5 in singles play, including an 8-5 mark at No. 2 singles and a 6-3 record in conference singles play. Sophomore Laney Rutkowski went 11-3 on the season in singles play, including an 8-0 mark at the No. 5 spot. Four student-athletes were named to the 2020 Spring NSIC All-Academic Team, with three selections to the All-Academic Team of Excellence.
Under Fodness, Bemidji State players have continued to earn recognition among the top performers in the NSIC. Johnson and Groen highlighted the 2022 season with All-NSIC singles and doubles honors, while Groen later added NSIC Outstanding Senior of the Year recognition in 2025. Leshem and Groen also earned All-NSIC Second Team honors in doubles in 2025, continuing the program’s success in doubles play under Fodness.
A native of Bemidji, Minn., Fodness is a teacher within the Bemidji School District and has also served as head coach of the Bemidji High School girls’ tennis team. Prior to that role, he spent four years coaching the Bemidji Middle School girls’ program and five seasons coaching the BMS boys’ tennis team. In addition, he has served as the Offseason Development Coordinator of the Bemidji Summer Youth Tennis program.
Fodness also spent three seasons from 2016-18 as a volunteer assistant coach at BSU, which included three 10-win seasons and the program’s winningest season on record. The Beavers posted 12 wins in 2018 and finished fourth in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference regular-season standings.
As a coach at Bemidji High School, Fodness helped generate a strong presence for the Lumberjacks in the section. In 2022, the BHS boys tennis program posted a 9-0 record, adding to Fodness’ overall high school coaching record of 73-9. In 2021, the BHS boys and girls programs went 15-4 and 20-4, respectively, with both teams earning Section 8AA Championships and Fodness earning Section 8AA Coach of the Year honors. The Lumberjack girls program also claimed the section championship in 2020 with a 13-1 record. Both programs earned Academic All-State “Gold” recognition under Fodness’ direction.
A 2015 graduate of Bemidji State, Fodness was a collegiate student-athlete himself. After participating in four sports at Bemidji High School, he attended the University of Minnesota and competed as a place-kicker for the Golden Gophers in 2012 and 2013. He transferred home in 2014 and kicked for the BSU football team. During that season, he played in 11 games, led the team in scoring with 42 points, converted 27-of-32 extra-point attempts, made five field goals with a long of 38 yards and posted a team-best 57.4 yards per kickoff.
