While at Rensselaer:
Defense … Played 106 career games … Scored once with five assists … Played all 37 games as junior and all 34 as senior … Biomedical Engineering major ... Dean's Honor List.
From the coaching staff:
"Kirsten’s journey at RPI has been nothing short of amazing and inspirational. Battling back from a brain tumor and cancer her sophomore year, ‘Wan’ only missed one semester and was back on the ice practicing with our team and attending classes on campus in less than six months after her diagnosis. I’ll always remember her father telling me she was studying for her physics summer class while she was waiting for brain surgery. She also volunteered as a coach with her childhood hockey organization while going through radiation treatments. Truly incredible. Kirsten’s story can only really be told by her, but I’ll always be inspired by her toughness, humility, strength, grace and resiliency through one of the hardest things anybody should have to go through. ‘Wan’ is a leader in everything she does. Her work ethic is unmatched on the ice and in the classroom. She was never afraid to put the work in to be the best she could be, no matter what the obstacle or adversity in her path. A hard-nosed, gritty and competitive defender, you always knew you’d get her very best. Words cannot express how proud I am of her and I can’t thank her enough for all she has done for our program." - March 2020
What others say:
"Has gone through the worst and still worked hard every single time we stepped on the ice." - March 2020
“Kirsten is an overall amazing person. She never fails to brighten up everyone's day and is one of the hardest working people I know. She puts so much effort into her school work and sport and was an immediate person for me to look up to as soon as I got onto campus.” - April 2020
“Always a positive impact on the ice and in the locker room. Always looking to put a smile on everyone's face.” - April 2020
"Kirsten Iwanski has been through so much and is one of the strongest people I know. Her work ethic and perseverance is inspiring. She is an amazing teammate and friend who is always there to try to bring people up. I can't wait to see all that she accomplishes!" - April 2020
“Kirsten was my stall-mate for my freshman year, and I am very thankful for that. She always kept our team positive, and never ever stopped believing in everyone. She set an example on the ice to always give it your all, and pushed everyone to be their best. If I was ever having a bad day, I could always count on Kirsten at practice to make me laugh.” - April 2020
“Kirsten has served as a role model for me in various ways throughout my freshman year. She has the ability to lift spirits in the locker room with her passion for the game. She always brings energy to the room and her work ethic is second to none. She has been a leader both on and off the ice, and this will help her succeed in all future endeavors.” - April 2020
“Kirsten was such a great asset to the team this year with her positivity and her undeniable ability to defend. I really admire her and her way of shining light on a tough situation because she always knew how to keep her spirits up, and it was infectious. Kirsten, I'm going to miss you and your one liners!” - April 2020
