Photograph courtesy Tennessee Athletics
Parts of the next launch was issued by Tennessee Athletics and Kentucky Athletics and data and graphics courtesy Tennessee Athletics and Kentucky Athletics…
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Southeastern Convention introduced its 2024 Class of Ladies’s Legends, and the College of Tennessee is represented by the illustrious Monica Abbott and Kentucky is represented by its first All-American Molly Johnson-Belcher.
The 2024 assortment of SEC Ladies’s Legends showcases former student-athletes and coaches from all 14 SEC member establishments. The ladies’s legends program started in 2001 with lessons chosen yearly apart from 2021 and 2022.
This yr’s class will likely be honored on the 2024 SEC Ladies’s Basketball Event, held March 6-10, 2024 in Greenville, S.C. Every legend will likely be acknowledged throughout halftime of their staff’s first sport of the match, in addition to in a bunch introduction at halftime of the second semifinal sport.
One of the embellished gamers within the historical past of school softball, Abbott threw an astonishing 23 no-hitters and 6 excellent video games throughout her Tennessee profession and led the Woman Vols to a few consecutive Ladies’s School World Collection appearances (2005-07), with a runner-up end in 2007.
Abbott logged 10 wins within the circle in her three appearances on the Ladies’s School World Collection.
By means of 4 stellar seasons at Tennessee, she posted an unimaginable 189-34 document, a 0.79 ERA, 112 shutouts, 2,440 strikeouts and 125 video games with 10 or extra strikeouts. She additionally turned the primary pitcher in NCAA Division I historical past to document 500 strikeouts in 4 totally different seasons.
Throughout her profession, Abbott was named the SEC Pitcher of the Yr 3 times – nonetheless the one three-time winner in SEC historical past – and capped her remaining season at Tennessee by taking dwelling the Honda Award for Softball, the Ladies’s Sports activities Basis Sportswoman of the Yr, the Roy F. Kramer SEC Feminine Athlete of the Yr award and the USA Softball Nationwide Participant of the Yr award.
Abbott is a two-time Olympian with Crew USA and a three-time World Champion. She was inducted into the Tennessee Athletics Corridor of Fame in 2017 and was the primary Tennessee softball participant to have her jersey retired on March 23, 2013.
Johnson-Belcher performed at Kentucky from 2007-2010, holding quite a few faculty information, showing in a number of Crew USA competitions, and guiding Kentucky to its first-ever NCAA Event look in 2009.
She at present is in her 14th season as Kentucky’s assistant coach, the place she mans first base for the Wildcats and oversees the UK outfield improvement.
In 2010, she was the No. 2 general choose within the Nationwide Professional Fastpitch Draft, the place she left UK as its all-time hits chief and was named this system’s first-ever NFCA All-American simply weeks later. She at present ranks inside the highest 10 at Kentucky in hits, batting common, runs scored, doubles, dwelling runs, at bats, slugging proportion, whole bases, stolen bases, and fielding proportion.
The All-American shortstop additionally had a bevy of SEC accomplishments, profitable All-SEC honors in all 4 years as a Wildcat. She was voted All-Freshman in 2007, All-SEC Second Crew in 2008 and First Crew in 2009 and 2010. She was additionally a member of the All-Defensive Crew in 2010 and made the SEC All-Event Crew in 2009, her junior marketing campaign.
The 2024 Ladies’s Legends group contains:
Dee Foster, Alabama, Gymnastics (1990-93)
Krystal Osborne, Arkansas, Volleyball (1994-97)
DeWanna Bonner, Auburn, Basketball (2006-09)
Kiara Smith, Florida, Basketball (2018-22)
Ashley Houts, Georgia, Basketball (2006-10)
Molly Johnson-Belcher, Kentucky, Softball (2007-10)
Theresa Plaisance, LSU, Basketball (2010-14)
Ali Weisz, Ole Miss, Rifle (2013-17)
Tan White, Mississippi State, Basketball (1997-2001)
Bri Kulas, Missouri, Basketball (2012-14)
Blakely Mattern, South Carolina, Soccer (2006-09)
Monica Abbott, Tennessee, Softball (2004-07)
Jessica Beard, Texas A&M, Monitor & Subject (2008-11)
Christina Foggie, Vanderbilt, Basketball (2011-14)
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