The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Hall of Honor
- Induction:
- 2019
- Class:
- 1999
A four-time All-American and two-time Big 12 Conference Player of the Year, Sandy (Sureephong) Blanton helped lead the Longhorns to three Top-5 NCAA team finishes and four-consecutive conference regular season and tournament championships. Texas posted a 90-25 overall dual-match record and finished in the Top 10 of the final ITA national rankings in each of her four seasons in Austin. In addition, the Longhorns registered a perfect 40-0 dual-match record in conference play during her career. A native of Haines City, Fla., Blanton tallied a 25-6 overall singles mark (16-3 dual-match) and led Texas to a 22-6 dual-match record (7-0 Southwest Conference) and the quarterfinals of the NCAA Team Championship (tied for fifth) as a freshman in 1995-96. She was named the 1996 ITA Southwest Region Rookie of the Year. Following her freshman year, Blanton represented the United States in the 1996 ITF Maureen Connolly Cup and defeated Great Britain's top player, Lizzie Jeffs, by a score of 6-3, 6-3. Blanton registered a 35-7 overall singles record (24-3 dual-match) and paced the Longhorns to a 24-6 dual-match record (11-0 Big 12) and the semifinals of the NCAA Team Championship (tied for third) in her sophomore season in 1996-97. She earned ITA All-America honors in doubles with partner Laura Berendt, as the duo advanced to the quarterfinals in the NCAA Doubles Championships. Blanton also shared Big 12 Conference Player of the Year honors with teammate Cristina Moros and earned All-Big 12 first-team honors in both singles and doubles. As a junior in 1997-98, Blanton tallied a 26-10 overall singles mark (17-5 dual-match) and led Texas to a 23-6 dual-match record (11-0 Big 12) and the quarterfinals of the NCAA Team Championship (tied for fifth). She ended the season ranked No. 5 nationally in singles and No. 4 in doubles with partner Cristina Moros, earning ITA All-America honors in both singles and doubles. Blanton claimed Big 12 Conference Player of the Year accolades and garnered All-Big 12 first-team honors in both singles and doubles. In her senior season in 1998-99, she battled through injuries that forced her to miss the entire fall season and a portion of the spring season and registered 16-8 overall singles mark (12-6 dual-match). She paced Texas to a 21-7 dual-match record (11-0 Big 12) and the Round of 32 at the NCAA Team Championship, and the Longhorns ranked No. 9 in the final ITA national poll. Blanton advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Singles Championships, earning ITA All-America honors in singles. She also claimed All-Big 12 first-team honors for the third consecutive season in both singles and doubles. Blanton completed her collegiate career with a 102-31 overall singles mark, including a 69-17 record in dual-match action. She received the Texas Athletics' Patricia and Ralph Thomas Endowed Presidential Scholarship in the spring of 1999 and earned a degree in Sport Management in December 1999. Following graduation, she spent two years playing professionally and reached as high as No. 158 in the WTA rankings in doubles and No. 368 in singles. After her professional playing career, she worked as an assistant coach for the women's tennis program at LSU (2001-05). In 2006, Blanton was one of six players named to the Big 12 Conference's 10th Anniversary team in both singles and doubles. She and her husband, Ricky Blanton, currently own and operate an insurance agency in Baton Rouge, La. The couple have three children, Gavin, Claire and Sienna.
