TUCSON, Ariz. – Arizona Athletics held its annual C.A.T.S. Awards Banquet recognizing the accomplishments of nearly 500 student-athletes at the Westin La Paloma on Monday. Swimming and diving's Bonnie Brandon and Rafael Quintero earned the Ruby and Sapphire Awards for top female and male senior student-athletes, respectively. Soccer's Sheaffer Skadsen was acknowledged as the athletics department's Valedicatorian, while the gymnastics program took home the Athletics Director Cup for Community Service. Seniors Shelby Edwards from gymnastics and Kolton Lapa from men's golf delivered the senior responses.
“Each year, we like to spend an evening reviewing the amazing accomplishments of our programs and student-athletes,” said Director of Athletics Greg Byrne. “We have so many young men and women performing at a high level on the playing surfaces, in the classroom, and out in the community, and we feel it is important to highlight those efforts. This is one of my favorite nights of the year and I'm happy we were able to get together and celebrate Arizona Athletics.”
A senior from Centennial, Colo., Brandon has tallied seven All-America honors including six first-team honors. She holds school records in the 1,650 freestyle and the 200 backstroke, and is also a member of the school-record holding 800 freestyle relay. Brandon has been named to the Pac-12 All-Academic first team twice in her career, and is a CSCAA Scholar All-America honoree. She is also a finalist for the 2016 Wooden Citizenship Cup, which is given to athletes that best display character, teamwork and citizenship. Others nominated for the Ruby Award were Nnenya Hailey (Track & Field), Jessie Sisler (Gymnastics), Sheaffer Skadsen (Soccer) and Lindsey Weaver (Golf).
Quintero is a senior from Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, who has already qualified to compete in the 2016 Summer Olympics for Puerto Rico. He is a nine-time All-American, which includes seven first-team honors, and finished off his UA career by being named Pac-12 Diver of the Year last week. Others nominated for the Sapphire Award were Casey Skowron (Football), Kaleb Tarczewski (Basketball), Pau Tonnesen (Track & Field) and Gabe York (Basketball).
A senior from Vancouver, Wash., Skadsen has posted a perfect 4.0 GPA, while en route to a bachelor's degree in public health. She plans to attend dental school following graduation. Skadsen earned the Pac-12 Soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year award during the fall and was also recognized as an All-Pac-12 honorable mention defender. For her career, she was a two-time first-team Academic All-District performer and a four-time first-team Academic All-Pac-12 honoree.
The gymnastics program earned the Athletics Director Cup for Community Service after tallying 606 community service hours, which broke down to an average of 38 hours per team member. Overall, student-athletes have produced 3,281 hours of community service so far this year and there has been an 89.9% student-athlete participation rate.
In addition to these accomplishments, the following awards were also handed out at the C.A.T.S. Awards Banquet:
Junior Female Athlete of the Year – Katiyana Mauga (Softball)
Katiyana Mauga is second in the Pac-12 with 15 home runs, which includes the 60th of her career, making her the fastest player in Arizona history to 60 career homers. She has added a team-high 48 RBI, which ranks third in the Pac-12, while batting .345 and slugging .788. She's also posted 37 walks. Last year, Mauga was a third-team NFCA All-American and second-team All-Pac-12 performer, who finished third nationally with 26 home runs.
Other nominees: Danielle O'Toole (Softball), Penina Snuka (Volleyball), Sage Watson (Track & Field), McKenna Witt (Sand Volleyball)
Junior Male Athlete of the Year – Bobby Dalbec (Baseball)
Bobby Dalbec is one of the nation's premier two-way players, who has had an especially strong season on the mound. Through 36 games, Dalbec has appeared in 16 games, pitching 48 2/3 innings, posting an ERA of 2.96. Dalbec is 7-3 with five saves and has 39 strikeouts on the season. At the plate, the power hitter has posted four home runs with 20 RBI. Last season, Dalbec was tabbed second-team All-America, while earning Pac-12 All-Conference and All-Defensive team honors.
Other nominees: Tyler Fowler (Swimming & Diving), Collins Kibet (Track & Field), Renny Richmond (Swimming & Diving)
Sophomore Female Athlete of the Year – Krystal Quihuis (Golf)
Krystal Quihuis, the 44th-ranked player in the nation according to Golfweek, currently leads the 12th-ranked women's golf program with a 72.9 stroke average, while posting a team-high 11 rounds of par or better. So far this season, Quihuis won the Wildcat Invitational, while notching two Top 10 finishes and five Top 20s. Last season, Quihuis was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and honorable mention All-Pac-12.
Other nominees: Paige Kremer (Swimming & Diving), Kennady Schneider (Gymnastics), Gabi Stoian (Soccer)
Sophomore Male Athlete of the Year – JJ Matijevic (Baseball)
JJ Matijevic has started 33 games this season and is batting .296 with 17 RBI, five doubles, a triple and a home run. Matijevic has made the transition from first base to second base this year as well and committed only three errors in 55 chances. His one home run this year was a grand slam in a 4-1 victory over CSU Bakersfield. The sophomore is batting .319 with 10 RBI in 20 games at Hi Corbett Field this season. His four doubles at Hi Corbett are tied for the team lead this season.
Other nominees: Dusan Ristic (Basketball), Justin Wright (Swimming & Diving)
Freshman Female Athlete of the Year – Annie Ochitwa (Swimming & Diving)
Annie Ochitwa produced a strong freshman campaign that resulted in six All-America honors and five Top-10 performances on Arizona's all-time lists. Ochitwa set a school record in the 100 butterfly and has Top-10 times in the 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle, 100 backstroke and 200 individual medley. She earned All-America honors as a member of the 200 freestyle relay, 200 medley relay and 400 medley relay. Ochitwa garnered honorable mention All-America honors for her performances in the 50 freestyle, 100 butterfly and as a member of the 400 freestyle relay.
Other nominees: Taylor McQuillin (Softball), Gig Stoll (Golf)
Freshman Male Athlete of the Year – Chatham Dobbs (Swimming & Diving)
Chatham Dobbs finished off a stellar freshman season by producing four All-America honors and two Top-10 performances on Arizona's all-time lists in the 100 and 200 backstroke. He posted an individual honorable mention All-America honor in the 100 backstroke and was part of three relays, the 200 freestyle relay, the 200 medley relay and the 400 medley relay, that earned honorable mention recognition. Dobbs also helped Arizona to Pac-12 Championships in the 200 freestyle relay and the 200 medley relay.
Silver Anniversary Awards – Lance Dickson (Baseball) / Susie Meyers (Golf)
Established in 1991, the C.A.T.S. Silver Anniversary Award is given to former student-athletes who competed a minimum of 25 years ago. The award recognizes past letterwinners who have made a significant impact within their community, to the University of Arizona, and within their chosen profession.
Lance Dickson (Baseball)
Born and raised in San Diego, Lance Dickson came to the UA on a baseball scholarship in the fall of 1987. In his freshman year at Arizona, Dickson earned a spot as a starting pitcher for the Wildcats and the following season was the No. 2 starter, which resulted in a Pac-10 Championship. As a junior, he finished in the Top 5 nationally in strikeouts and Top 10 in ERA. He entered the 1990 Major League Baseball Draft and was selected with the 23rd overall pick by the Chicago Cubs. He went on to play six professional seasons.
Following his career, Dickson came back to Tucson to work on his degree. During that time, he joined the mortgage business and decided to work for NOVA Home Loans. He quickly dove into the mortgage lending business and has had great success. In 2002, he was promoted to Sr. Vice President of Operations and became the company's Chief Operating Officer in the summer of 2007. For more than eight years as the company's C.O.O., Dickson has led the company's growth from 165 employees in 2008 to 775 employees today. Annual loan funding also increased by 300% and profitability rose by 600%.
Susie Meyers (Golf)
Susie Meyers began playing golf at the age of 14 and quickly found her passion. After playing golf at the University of Arizona and earning All-America honors, Meyers played professionally for six years. She has participated in four U.S. Opens and has won one LPGA Championship.
After her playing career, Meyers began teaching golf and quickly fell in love with helping others develop their game. She has traveled all over the world teaching PGA professionals about coaching and instruction. She has also coached two PGA Tour winners, LPGA players, college players and juniors. Meyers has been an instructor at Ventana Canyon Golf Club for 22 years and was awarded the Teacher of the Year in the Southwest Section Chapter in 2012.
Meyers is also an author and her book, Point A Golf It's the Thought that Counts, will be available later this spring.
Team GPA Awards
Women's Golf: 3.51 GPA
Men's Golf: 3.18 GPA
UA Pillars of Excellence
Alison Gondosch (Soccer)
Harrison Ivie (Track & Field)
Wildcat Way of Excellence Awards
Bonnie Brandon (Swimming & Diving)
Danielle Buchanan (Gymnastics)
Michelle Floyd (Softball)
