Kaitlyn Ritchie

Class:
Freshman
Hometown:
Bartlesville, Okla.
High School:
Bartlesville H.S.

Dominant Hand: Right

Outlook: Advanced to the round of 32 in doubles with partner Sofia Ayala with wins over Wichita State in the play-in, and Saint Louis University in the first round.

"Kaitlyn truly has tennis in her blood coming from such a strong tennis family. She has brutal, punishing groundstrokes, and can dictate from the back part of the court," said Missouri Head Coach Blake Starkey. "She has been a very solid player for us the past couple of years. She went on a tear towards the end of last spring, and we'll be looking for more of the same this year."

Kaitlyn was born in Bartlesville, Okla., and is the daughter of Pat and Linda Ritchie. Kaitlyn's father, Pat, is an established teaching professional in Bartlesville, and Kaitlyn was 8-years-old when she played her first tournament. She also played (and plays) a lot with her brother, J.P. Ritchie, who is currently a scholarship player for the University of Iowa men's tennis team. In juniors, Kaitlyn primarily played Missouri Valley Sectional tournaments as well as numerous national events. She finished No. 1 in the Missouri Valley in the 16's and was fourth her final year. Her best finishes in National events was fifth at the National Open in San Antonio, Texas, and she also made the final 16 (256 in the draw) at the Winter Nationals in Phoenix. She finished third at the Missouri Valley Sweet 16 her junior year (she was only in 18's for one year). Her highest national rank was 72nd. Besides tennis, she also played high school basketball for two years and ran track her senior year. She finished second at the Oklahoma State Tennis Championship her senior year, and was named the Oklahoma Coaches Association Player of the Year.

Off the court, Kaitlyn enjoys hanging out with her teammates, being outdoors, drinking coffee, and going to movies. Kaitlyn specifically does not like really hot weather, mean or fake people, or purple lettuce. Although there are many interesting things about Kaitlyn, she considers the fact that she does not like white foods (cauliflower, mayonnaise, cottage cheese, sour cream, alfredo sauce, generally anything "white") to be an interesting thing about her.

Favorite Food: Pancakes Hero: Her Grandmother (Catherine) Favorite Actor: Channing Tatum Favorite Athlete: Lebron James Favorite Actress: Mandy Moore Favorite Tennis Player: Lindsay Davenport Favorite Movie: A Walk to Remember Favorite Book: The Bible Favorite Web Site: www.facebook.com What Kaitlyn is listening to now: Country and R&B Career Conference Wins: Nebraska, Iowa State