CLARKSVILLE – Austin Peay State University women's tennis head coach Ross Brown has announced the signing of Hülben, Germany native Sarah Heckel for the 2019-2020 school year.

Heckel has already won tournaments on the junior and senior level in Germany and was ranked No. 117 in Germany's women rankings. Heckel's first major honor came at the Under-21 regional championship (Würrtembergische Nachwuchsmeisterschaften) in 2016.

Heckel also won the Badenweiler Trophy Series 2, a national senior women's tournament in Germany and the Dimah Open for the third time in a row in 2017. Heckel's club team won two straight region titles as well in 2018 and she capped the year off by claiming the Futures Winner Cup, another national women's senior tournament.

"We are very excited to have Sarah join our program," said Brown. "She is talented, determined, has a strong work ethic, and will fit into our teams culture. Sarah will help keep the strong standard high next year."

Heckel adds to the German presence that the Austin Peay women's tennis program already has. Helena Kuppig, a senior and Second-Team All-Ohio Valley Conference honoree a year ago, and Fabienne Schmidt, a sophomore and reigning OVC Freshman of the Year, both hail from Germany as well.