Flick takes home highest PSUAC student-athlete honor

Kaylea Flick, a recent Penn State graduate of the Class of 2020, earned her bachelor's degree on May 9, but not before she added one last award to her long list of accolades during her time as a Penn State New Kensington student-athlete.

The Penn State University Athletic Conference recently announced Flick as a recipient of the 2019-2020 John S. Egli Award, which is given annually to a male and female student-athlete in the PSUAC who exhibit great athletic ability, academic achievement, leadership and personal character outside of their respective sport.

"Kaylea has left her mark on Penn State New Kensington Athletics, and I have been honored to be able to watch her do it," said Megan Bratkovich, New Kensington's director of athletics.

Flick credits her award to her parents, teammates, coaches, and other supporters. "This award represents so much more than just my accomplishments, because without all these people in my life, I would've never been able to achieve this much at this point in my life." 

Now holding a degree in biobehavioral health, Flick enters the ranks of alumni as the most decorated student-athlete in recent campus history. She has been twice named to the USCAA National All-Academic Team and has garnered PSUAC Academic All-Conference honors three times. Earlier this year, Flick was named the USCAA Division II Women's Volleyball Student-Athlete of the Year, the national body's equivalent of the Egli Award.

For her performance on the volleyball court, Flick was named a USCAA All-American and a PSUAC All-Conference performer in each of the last two years. In both of those years, she ranked in the top ten in the nation in kills per set and earned Penn State New Kensington Female Athlete of the Year recognition.

Flick was also named the YWCA Westmoreland County Sportswoman of the Year for Excellence in a Team Sport in 2019. Flick stated she was proud, "to be included with the other women that were given awards [at the YWCA banquet]. It was incredible the things that they do, and the fact that I was included with them was incredible."

"She has earned just about every major award you can as a student-athlete, both academically and athletically, and has set the bar high for future New Kensington student-athletes," said Bratkovich. "We will certainly miss her."

On campus, Flick served as secretary/treasurer of the Biobehavioral Health Club and was a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. She also involved herself off campus, volunteering with Pave the Clay for the Steve King Foundation and the Knead Café.

Flick is the second New Kensington student-athlete to win the Egli Award. Golfer Daniele Smith won the award in 2018.

Flick said she will miss her time at New Kensington, just as the campus will miss her, saying, "Fortunately, every ending leads to a new beginning, and I can't wait to see where the real world leads me."