June 27, 2003

MANHATTAN, Kan. - Kansas State tennis head coach Steve Bietau announced Friday that Judith Diaz has signed a national letter of intent to play at Kansas State in 2003-04.

"Judith is a great student and great athlete. I'm excited about her joining our program," Bietau said.

Diaz, a native of Caracas, Venezuela, was a National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-American at Tyler JC in Texas this past season. She was the NJCAA national champion at No. 3 singles and posted a 25-17 record. In doubles, Diaz played at No. 2 and reached the semifinals of the national championship. She ended her season with a 27-12 record.

In the final NJCAA rankings, Diaz was ranked No. 9 in singles and doubles, while Tyler finished No. 3 as a squad.

The Kansas State tennis team, making its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Round of 16 this past May, ended the year ranked No. 32 nationally and No. 1 in the Central Region in the final Omni Hotels Intercollegiate Tennis Association polls, the highest final ranks ever for the Wildcats.

K-State concluded its season with a 15-8 mark, advancing to the NCAA Tournament for just the third time in school history (1996 & 1998). K-State's season ended with a 4-0 loss to No. 5 Southern California in the NCAA Round of 16 May 15. Along the way, the Wildcats won a school record 15 matches and posted a program-best 7-4 Big 12 Conference record.