KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Rylee Derr (Lititz, Pa./Warwick), who led the Golden Bear women's basketball program to its best season ever and took the mantle as its all-time leading scorer in the process, was announced as the 2021-22 Kutztown University Female Athlete of the Year, Wednesday.
 
Derr put forth 13.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.4 steals per game while starting all 33 contests for the PSAC East champion Golden Bears. The Lititz, Pa., native's commitment to her team and its success never wavered, despite having to also juggle the demands of student teaching.
 
Kutztown set new program records for wins (26) and conference wins (18) in a season. The Golden Bears won the PSAC East and returned to the NCAA Division II Championship tournament for the first time since 1996.

Derr was named All-PSAC East First Team for the third time and ended her career with a total of four all-conference honors. The graduate student guard was chosen as the 2021-22 Pete Nevins Women's Player of the Year by the Lehigh Valley College Basketball Media Organization.
 
On Jan. 15, 2022, in a game against Mercyhurst at Keystone Arena, Derr became KU's career scoring leader with her 1,624th point. Fittingly, the record was broken on a 3-pointer. Derr completed her career with program-highs of 1,820 points and 335 3-pointers made. She finished one field goal shy of Melissa McQuade's program record 584 and her 14.8 career scoring average is second only to Sherry Szczuka (15.0).
 
Derr made at least one 3-pointer in 44 consecutive games from 2017-19, tied for the longest streak in team history. She ranks tied for third in career free throws made (319), sixth in career rebounds (747) and seventh in career 3-point field goal percentage (36.2).
 
COVID-19 forced the cancellation of Kutztown's 2020-21 season, which was to be Derr's senior campaign, but she returned to play out her final year of eligibility in 2021-22 while spending her weekdays in the classroom as a student teacher. Derr graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor's degree in elementary and special education last December, before starting her master's work in KU's student affairs in higher education program during the spring semester. She is a four-time PSAC Scholar-Athlete.
 
Derr set a program single-game record when she connected for nine 3-pointers against East Stroudsburg Jan. 26, 2019. She also set Kutztown's single-season record with 89 3-pointers made (2018-19) and holds four of the top six spots on that list, making 86 in 2017-18 (a program freshman record), 81 in 2019-20 and 79 in 2021-22.
 
Derr is the first women's basketball player to receive KU Female Athlete of the Year honors since McQuade in 2011. The program's remaining winners since the award's inauguration in 1987 include Fran Metz (1987), Missy Boettger (1991) and Amy Wahl (1999).
 
Kutztown University's annual athletic awards are selected through a vote of the department's administration, head coaches and support staff. Throughout the week, winners will be announced on KUBears.com and the Golden Bears' social media channels.
 
2021-22 Kutztown University Athletics Award Winners
Female Freshman of the Year: Brianna Stocklin, Softball
Male Freshman of the Year: Matthew Weinberg, Wrestling
Female Athlete of the Year: Rylee Derr (Lititz, Pa./Warwick), Basketball
Male Athlete of the Year: Announced Thursday, June 30
Women's Coach of the Year: Announced Friday, July 1
Men's Coach of the Year: Announced Friday, July 1
 

KUTZTOWN UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS

YEAR	WINNER	SPORT(S)
1987	Fran Metz	Basketball
1988	Sharon Toth	Softball
1989	Gwen Kerr	Field Hockey
1990	Lisa Marella	Field Hockey
1991	Missy Boettger	Basketball/Softball
1992	Shayn Mosley	Field Hockey/Diving
1993	Daphne Hoyt	Cross Country/Track & Field
1994	Lorie Erie	Softball
1995	Deidre Lynn Rhodes	Track & Field
1996	Deidre Lynn Rhodes	Track & Field
1997	Tara Crozier	Track & Field
	Claudine Gruver	Swimming
1998	Tara Crozier	Track & Field
1999	Amy Wahl	Basketball
2000	Kristi Braine	Track & Field
2001	Megan Seefeldt	Cross Country/Track & Field
2002	Kellie Evans	Softball
2003	Missy Klein	Volleyball
2004	Jessie Didier	Volleyball
2005	Kerstin Kloeffer	Tennis
2006	Laura Kline	Field Hockey/Track & Field
2007	Steph Denlinger	Softball
2008	Ashley Fitzgerald	Softball
2009	Steph Denlinger	Softball
2010	Steph Jeppesen	Swimming
2011	Melissa McQuade	Basketball
2012	Kayla Jones	Bowling
2013	April Doyle	Track & Field
2014	Erin Reynolds	Field Hockey
2015	Sam Costello	Soccer
2016	Anna Behm	Field Hockey
2017	Alaina Curry	Soccer
2018	Emily Zwiercan	Soccer
2019	Sara Keeny	Softball
2020	Mackenzie Fuhrman	Field Hockey
2021	Becca Hemingway	Track & Field
2022	Rylee Derr (Lititz, Pa./Warwick)	Basketball