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Dittman makes history with DSU Lady T’s Basketball program
May 25, 2012
MADISON, S.D. - When headed to an event in the Midwest during the winter, every seasoned Midwesterner knows to first check the weather. Snowstorms often prevent an event from occurring when it is originally scheduled. But, in the case of Dawn Dittman, her career as a Lady T was made possible because of a game that was played earlier than originally scheduled due to bad weather.
Assistant coach Judy Dittman was on her way to a game in Rochester, Minnesota when she discovered the game had been changed to an earlier time. She knew the head coach, her brother Jeff Dittman, would not be happy if she did not see a game and so she quickly switched on the radio to see if there was a game nearby. That game happened to be the district championship between two rival teams from Iowa, Storm Lake and Cherokee. Dawn was the starting post player for the Storm Lake Tornadoes and the rest is history.
Over the duration of Dawn's career, the Lady T's improved and went from finishing last in the South Dakota-Iowa Athletic Conference (SDIC) her freshman year to a third-place finish her senior year. During that time, the SDIC was one of the top conferences in the NAIA with teams consistently qualifying each year as a final four team in the national tournament.
"One of the things that I am most proud of is how each year, through a lot of hard work and sacrifice, we improved," said Dawn. "We were competing for a conference championship my senior year."
As the forward/post for the Lady T's, Dawn was named as a third-team NAIA All-American her senior year. She earned first-team All-Conference honors in the SDIC and was also named SDIC Athlete of the year her senior season. Academically, Dawn was a two-time NAIA All-American Scholar Athlete.
As a Lady T, Dawn set several school records. She is currently listed in the record books as 4th in career blocked shots (127), 7th in single season blocked shots (42) and 3rd in single game blocked shots (7 versus Concordia, MN. on Nov. 10, 1996). She is also 9th in single game field goals (13 versus Mt. Marty College), 9th in career field goals (51.1 percent), 2nd in single game free throws (13 versus Black Hills State Feb. 21, 1998), 5th in career free throw percentage (74.4 percent), 7th in single season free throw percentage (79.5 percent) and 7th in single season free throws (99). Dittman also holds the number three spot for single game points when she scored 33 versus Mount Marty on Feb. 25, 1997.
After graduating from DSU with a bachelor's degree in English for Information systems in 1998, Dawn returned to DSU in 1999 to work as a web designer and assistant coach for the Lady T's. In 2003, she earned her MSIS degree from DSU. During this time, she also worked as the project manager/web designer for the HealthEDventure program.
In 2008, she moved to Hastings, Nebraska, with her husband Jeff and daughter Taylor. At Hastings, Dawn was an assistant coach and instructional designer for three years. During this time she also completed her doctorate of science from DSU in 2012. She is currently an IT project manager for Hastings College.
For further information and so that we may plan appropriately for the banquet, please RSVP by contacting the Athletic Department at 605-256-5229 or e-mail carla.sudenga@dsu.edu. Tickets are $14 per person and may be purchased at the door. The social begins at 5:30 p.m. with dinner served at 6:15 p.m. The program will begin at approximately 7 p.m. The event is open to the public.
Nick Huntimer, Dakota State University Sports Information Director
