Ana Ditchey
- Post by: mcalibrary
- January 12, 2024
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INDUCTEE
Although there have been 321 inductees into the Ed Romance Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, Ana Ditchey becomes only the 17th female to earn the honor. And earn it she did! As a four-year starter for Coach Steve Lapotsky, Ana excelled on the basketball court for MCA, leading them to a third place finish in District IV play in 1999. It was the highest finish for any Lady Tornado team since the 1985 District Championship won by the Fantanarosa-led team. It was also the last team to enter state play until the 2010 team began the current run of 9 consecutive trips. Ditchey became only the 7th player in MCA history to record 1000 points, finishing with 1246 – still good enough for 10th on the all-time list. She also ranks 8th in foul shots made in a season – 103, 7th in a career – 261, and 8th in 3 point goals with 71. She also led the team into District play as a senior co-captain.
In the spring, Ana took her talents to the Silver Bowl with the Lady Tornado track team. She was a 3-time District IV Champion in the javelin and three-time state qualifier. As a sophomore, Ditchey broke the 20 year old javelin record held by Cheryl Kent and then upped the mark to 138’9”. This throw was noted by Track and Field Magazine as the 6th best throw in the country in 1999. Although the individual marks were great, she was proud of the fact that her teams complied a 32-0 record in the Schuylkill League and won the SIAL Championship for four consecutive years from 1997-2000. Ironically, that would be the last undefeated team until 2017 – a team coached by Ditchey herself.
Ana also made a little MCA history as she became the first female golfer in the annals of MCA golf, earning a varsity letter in 1999.
Ditchey recently took over the Lady Tornado track program in 2012. They have continued to get stronger each year, culminating in that undefeated 6-0 team in 2017, winning the Heartland Conference Championship – MCA’s first-ever. During that time she has produced 49 District medalist performances, as well as 14 state qualifiers with 4 District Champions. Her most heralded pupil was Maura Fiamoncini, who won 3 state medals, including 2 state championships in the AA javelin. The 4 x 800 team of Lauren Hause, Marissa Kleman, Jen Bolick and Ali Varano also earned a 7th place medal at the PIAA State Championship with a school record 9:39.8. She is also proud to currently have 6 athletes competing at the college level at Bucknell, Kutztown, Bloomsburg and Susquehanna, while 2 more will be added following the 2018 season. Ditchey has been coaching since 2004 as an assistant with MCA track while previously coaching MCA basketball and volleyball.
Ana received a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education in 2004 from Bloomsburg University and added a Master of Science in Instructional Technology in 2007. She has been teaching at MCA for 14 years at Mount Carmel Area Elementary and also serves as a Committee Member for the MCA Think Big Pediatric Dance Marathon. She is the daughter of Tootsie and Bill Ditchey of Mount Carmel.