PSAC Release

LOCK HAVEN, PA - IUP volleyball senior Danielle Ostendorf (Rockford, IL/Boylan Catholic) was a recipient of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) 2011 Fall Top 10 Award, it was announced Friday.

The PSAC Top 10 Awards, which are selected by the conference's sports information directors, recognize student-athletes who excel in both the classroom and in the area of competition. The PSAC Top 10 Awards are in their 15th season of existence, having been initiated in the 1997-98 academic year.

Ostendorf was a second team All-PSAC West selection in 2011 after leading the Crimson Hawks in kills (242) and kills per set (2.52). She had 12 double-figure kill matches, including a season-high 18 in a win over Seton Hill. Ostendorf compiled a 27.8 hitting percentage, and was third on the team in blocks with 63. Ostendorf had an oustanding career at IUP, and her 902 kills are eighth all-time in IUP history.  

With a cumulative GPA of 4.0, she is a member of the Cook Honors College at IUP, and was honored as a PSAC scholar athlete this season. Ostendorf was also nominated for the Syed R. Ali-Zaidi Award for Academic Excellence (PASSHE), and was a finalist for the prestigious Fullbright Scholarship.

The Top 10 Awards recognize 10 outstanding student-athletes, five male and five female, for each athletic season: fall, winter and spring. The Fall 2011 Top 10 Award winners are Devin Goda of Slippery Rock, Stephen Schelander of Shippensburg, Bryce Shaffer of Bloomsburg, Shawn Sopic of Clarion and Ian Wild of Mercyhurst on the men's side, while the women's winners are Alyssa Barrett of Slippery Rock, Rhianon Brady of Clarion, Rose Mascoli of East Stroudsburg, Ostendorf and Neely Spence of Shippensburg.

To be a candidate for the PSAC Top 10 Awards, 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 for their respective team. The fall sports eligible for consideration for the Fall Top 10 Awards are men's and women's soccer, field hockey, volleyball, football and men's and women's cross country. At the end of the academic year, all Top 10 Award winners from the entire academic year are eligible for the PSAC Pete Nevins Scholar-Athlete of the Year Awards, given to one male and one female candidate at the end of the academic year.