Jan. 8, 2015
Vanderbilt Athletics Hall of Fame inductee Julie Ditty has been selected as the school’s representative on the Southeastern Conference’s 2015 Class of Women’s Legends.
Ditty, a former All-American on the women’s tennis team, and the other honorees will be recognized at the 2015 SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament, March 4-8 in Little Rock, Ark. The Ashland, Ky., native will be honored during halftime of Vanderbilt’s first tournament game.
While at Vanderbilt, Ditty was a three-time All-American, and helped lead the Commodores to the NCAA Championship match in 2001. A 2002 graduate with a degree in early childhood education, Ditty finished her career with the second-most singles win in school history.
After leaving Vanderbilt, Ditty embarked on a successful professional career that saw her earn a top-100 ranking in singles and doubles. She was also selected to the U.S. Fed Cup Team in 2009. During her professional career, Ditty competed in the singles draw at all four tennis majors, while ranking as high as 89th in the world.
Ditty won nine ITF singles titles and 30 doubles titles during her professional career.
In 2009, she was the school’s first member of the tennis team to be inducted in the Vanderbilt Athletics Hall of Fame. In 2013 Ditty was inducted into the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame.
Ditty returned to the court last summer when she won the USTA Southern U.S. Open National Playoff qualifying singles tournament. She currently lives in Louisville, Ky.
Below is the list of honorees from the SEC East and West.
FLORIDA – LaTonya McGhee, Basketball, 1989-93
GEORGIA – Saudia Roundtree, Basketball, 1994-96
KENTUCKY – Victoria Dunlap, Basketball, 2008-1
MISSOURI – Dr. Joann Rutherford, Basketball (Coach), 1975-1998
SOUTH CAROLINA – Adrienne Gautreaux-McDonald, Golf, 2001-04
TENNESSEE – Mary Ostrowski, Basketball, 1980-84 (Posthumous)
VANDERBILT – Julie Ditty, Tennis, 1998-2001
ALABAMA – Erin Heffner Ventress, Volleyball, 2001-04
ARKANSAS – Sarah Pfeifer, Basketball, 2002-08
AUBURN – Barbara Camp, Administrator, 1992-2006
LSU – Temeka Johnson, Basketball, 2001-05
OLE MISS – Armintie Price-Herrington, Basketball, 2004-07
MISSISSIPPI STATE – Sharon Fanning, Basketball (Coach), 1995-2012
TEXAS A&M – Lisa Branch, Basketball, 1992-96