Springfield, Ohio — Senior right-side hitter Kara Seidenstricker (London, Ohio/Jonathan Alder) and junior middle hitter Emily Kahlig (Coldwater, Ohio/Coldwater) have been recognized for the combination of their athletic and academic accomplishments with first-team Capital One Academic All-America Division III All-District 7 honors.
The district awards of the Academic All-America program are awarded following nominations and online voting by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Only student-athletes who make the first team in district voting, as Seidenstricker and Kahlig did, can be considered for Academic All-America awards, which will be announced later this month.
Already a three-time All-American and a two-time Academic All-American, Seidenstricker is enjoying another exceptional season in 2015, leading the Tigers in kills with 263 and service aces with 51, and ranking among the team leaders in digs with 291 and blocks with 34. For her career, Seidenstricker has piled up 1,389 kills, 1,350 digs, 218 blocks and 214 service aces. Seidenstricker currently ranks eighth in career kills in Wittenberg history.
Seidenstricker started her career by earning an unprecedented series of awards, including NCAC Newcomer of the Year, NCAC Player of the Year, Great Lakes Region Player of the Year, Great Lakes Region Freshman of the Year, first-team NCAA Division III All-America and NCAA Division III Freshman of the Year. In the years that followed, she has added first-team All-NCAC (twice), 2014 NCAC Player of the Year, first-team All-Great Lakes Region (twice), second-team All-America in 2013, first-team All-America in 2014, third-team Academic All-America in 2013, and first-team Academic All-America in 2014. In addition, Seidenstricker has earned a spot on the NCAC All-Tournament team each of the last three years.
Her excellence on the court has been matched by her work in the classroom. Seidenstricker owns a 3.98 grade point average toward a major in education and a minor in psychology.
Kahlig has been limited to 14 matches in the 2015 season after earning first-team All-NCAC, first-team All-Great Lakes Region and honorable mention All-America awards a year ago. She has posted totals of 92 kills and 44 blocks in 2015, running her career totals to 410 kills and 194 blocks.
Like Seidenstricker, Kahlig is as accomplished as a student as she is on the court. Kahlig carries a 3.96 grade point average while majoring in psychology, and she is involved in a variety of campus activities, including Union Board and Athletes in Action.
The Tigers head into this weekend’s NCAC Tournament with records of 21-2 overall and 8-0 in the league, good for first place in the final standings for the 10th straight year and the 21st time since Wittenberg became a member in 1989. Wittenberg, which has won 59 straight NCAC regular season matches, is ranked fifth in the nation currently.
Written By: Ryan Maurer