Donna Ditota, who has covered sports in Syracuse for more than 36 years, has been named a co-New York Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association.
She is the first female from New York to win the award since it was first handed out in 1959. She is the third Upstate writer to win the award (fellow syracuse.com basketball beat writer Mike Waters also won the award in 2019.)
She shares the 2021 award with Bob Glauber, who covers the NFL for Newsday. The winners are determined by a vote by their peers.
ESPN.com’s Jeff Passan, a Syracuse University graduate, was named the national sportswriter of the year. There was a tie for national sportscaster of the year award between Turner Sports’ Ernie Johnson and ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt.
Ditota started working at the Herald-Journal in Syracuse in 1986. She’s a former basketball player at Bishop Grimes and then St. Bonaventure.
She’s spent the majority of her time in Syracuse covering the men’s basketball team but also has covered lacrosse, football and more. She’s been a valuable advocate for women’s sports coverage.
Ditota is known both for her impactful feature stories and profiles and her deep analysis of basketball.
Some of Donna’s best work through the years:
Race for the Cure: Sportswriter Donna Ditota details boyfriend’s battle with breast cancer
Felisha Legette-Jack making most of 2nd chance many women coaches don’t get
Cicero-North Syracuse star basketball player Breanna Stewart chooses Connecticut
Scoop Jardine: A player transformed after five years at Syracuse
Jimmy Boeheim will transfer to Syracuse to play basketball: ‘It’s honestly surreal’
Bats, gondoliers and 3 Puntis: The 26 best tweets from Donna Ditota’s Italy adventure
The maturation of Syracuse basketball’s Frank Howard: How perseverance paid off
Rakeem Christmas: The ‘Mayor of Syracuse’ bids farewell to basketball constituents
How 11-year-old Elizabeth Lucason pushed her way to the front of elite CNY runners