INDIANA, Pa. - IUP senior
Karolin Kirchtag was named the 2022 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division Women's Tennis Athlete of the Year, as the league announced its postseason awards Friday afternoon.
The honor for Kirchtag comes as she and the No. 1-seeded Crimson Hawks host the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region Championship this weekend.
Kirchtag has put together the finest year of any player in program history. She carries a combined record of 55-15, including 30-5 in singles play and 25-10 in doubles action. Her 30 singles victories are an IUP record and her 55 combined victories are two shy of the program mark.
Kirchtag opened the 2021-22 by sweeping the ITA Atlantic Region and PSAC singes and doubles crowns during tournament play in the fall, becoming the second player in conference history to achieve that feat. Her wins earned her an automatic invite to the ITA Cup, the first for an IUP player.
She continued her dominance in the spring, going a combined 35-10 in dual matches, including 11-1 against PSAC West opponents. Kirchtag played as IUP's No. 1 singles player, going 12-2 at that spot.
After opening the fall with 21 straight combined victories, Kirchtag heads into the NCAAs with 11 straight singles wins, including the clincher in IUP's PSAC championship match against Slippery Rock last weekend. She was named the PSAC Tournament MVP with a 3-0 record and was also the PSAC Champion Scholar for women's tennis with a 4.0 cumulative GPA.
IUP's PSAC Athlete of the Year history
This is the fourth PSAC player of the year award in IUP women's tennis history, the first since Tanya Timko won back-to-back awards in 2014 and 2015. Yvonne Neiderbracht also won the award in 2004.
PSAC postseason awards
The Athlete of the Year honor for Kirchtag came as the PSAC announced its 2022 tennis awards Friday afternoon. Kirchtag was one of four Hawks honored, also earning first team singles and doubles honors.
Joanna Stralka and
Natasha Munday were also first team singles and doubles selections while Kirchtag's partner,
Katy Graydon, was a first team doubles pick.
Follow
For up-to-date information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's tennis on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUPtennis.
