INDIANA, Pa. - IUP women's tennis student-athlete Karolin Kirchtag was named to the 2022 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Spring Top 10 Team, announced by the league Wednesday afternoon. The awards are chosen and voted on by the league's sports information directors.

The PSAC Top 10 was initiated in the 1998-99 academic year, given to men and women who excel in both the classroom and in athletic competition. A total of 10 student-athletes - five men and five women - are chosen after each sports season; fall, winter and spring. To be a candidate for the Top 10 Award, a student-athlete must have achieved a minimum of a 3.50 cumulative grade point average and must be a starter or key reserve with legitimate athletic credentials. 

This is Kirchtag's first career PSAC Top 10 honor. Originally from Salzburg, Austria, Kirchtag graduated in May with a 4.0 cumulative grade point average as a sport management major at IUP. 

Kirchtag wrapped up arguably the greatest individual season in IUP women's tennis program history, earning ITA Atlantic Region Senior of the Year, PSAC West Athlete of the Year, and PSAC Tournament MVP honors this spring after sweeping the singles and doubles crowns at both the ITA Atlantic Region and PSAC Individual Championship tournaments in the fall. 

Kirchtag finished 2021-22 with a 31-5 singles record, breaking the IUP record for singles wins in a season, and added a 26-11 doubles record for 57 combined victories. Those 57 wins are tied for the most in program history. She was among the top-75 ranked singles players in Division II all year, reaching as high as No. 13 early in the spring - the highest ranking by an IUP player ever. She finished the year ranked at No. 64 after leading the Crimson Hawks to conference and Atlantic Region tournament titles. 

IUP and the PSAC Top 10 award
This marks the 65th PSAC Top 10 honor for IUP in the 25-year history of the award. The 65 total selections rank third all-time behind Shippensburg (75) and Slippery Rock (73). 

Kirchtag joins IUP women's swimmers Rachel Johnson and Paige Mikesell, who were PSAC Winter Top 10 selections this year. Kirchtag is also the fourth IUP women's tennis player to earn PSAC Top 10 honors, joining Luise von Agris (2018) and two-time winners Tanya Timko (2014, 2015) and Yvonne Niederbracht (2004, 2005). 

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