TERRITORIAL CUP SHOWDOWN ON THE HORIZON
It's Territorial Cup game week and you can feel the buzz in Tucson for what is sure to be another great game in this historic match-up between Arizona and our rivals. The Territorial Cup is recognized by the NCAA as the oldest rivalry trophy. This Saturday will be the 89th edition and we lead the series 48-39-1.
There is something special about rivalries in college sports. It's definitely one of my favorite parts of working in the industry. We certainly like to have fun with the rivalry from time-to-time, but I want to reiterate that it should be just that…fun. Whether you'll be in attendance or watching the game elsewhere, let's make sure we Bear Down with Pride.
We can't tell you how excited we are to head to The Valley this weekend. We've put an emphasis on the Phoenix market because we have so many fans and alums in the area, so it will be good to get up there and visit with so many of you.
The countdown is on. We Bear Down in Tempe in three days.
PREGAME PARTY PRIOR TO TERRITORIAL CUP
If you're headed to the Territorial Cup showdown this Saturday, we'd like to encourage you to join us at the Alumni Association's pregame party. The event is being held at Macayo's Depot Cantina (300 S Ash Ave., Tempe, AZ, 85281) starting at 10:30 a.m. Admission is free and everyone is welcome to attend. Food and drink will be available for purchase and the UA Bookstore is bringing their souvenir trailer to make sure everyone has the necessary Wildcat gear for the game. In addition to being able to prepare for the game with fellow Arizona fans, the Pride of Arizona will perform at 11:15 and I'll address the crowd at 11:30 a.m. Wilbur, Wilma, Arizona Cheer and the Arizona Pomline will also be on hand.
Let's have a big turnout for this party so we can show everyone that #PHXIsWildcatCountry. If you are planning on coming, we'd appreciate it if you would RSVP by clicking HERE. We'll see you at Macayo's on Saturday.
CATS JOURNEY JOURNALS
Our student-athletes do a great job of giving back to the community, and recently, women's swimming freshman Katrina Konopka had an idea. Kat has always loved working with children and seeing them express their personality. In high school, she was part of a club that would decorate basic journals and deliver them to the local children's hospital, and so she thought, "why not try to bring that to UA?" As a result, this fall, our swimming team decorated 35 journals and the student-athletes went room-to-room to deliver the journals personally to children at Diamond Children's Medical Center.
As soon as we heard about it, we knew immediately this was something we wanted to expand. We took the idea to our Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and they loved it as well – and CATS Journey Journals was born. What we really like is the idea that the journals can be used for many reasons – to write, draw, express, create – and be inspiring so the children continue to persevere on their journey. It appears to be having a positive effect.
"It was great to see the big smiles on the kids' faces when they were given the journals," Kat told us. "The best part about this experience is seeing how such a small gift can make such a huge impact. It not only brightens the children's day, but ours as well."
Currently, teams are decorating journals and writing an inspirational message or quote on the first page. We hope to expand the program moving forward. Look for more to come on this exciting new program in the future!
SKADSEN NAMED PAC-12 SOCCER SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
We have another tremendous honor we want to share with you in case you missed it last week. Senior Sheaffer Skadsen was named the Pac-12 Soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year for her combination of academic and athletic prowess. Sheaffer currently holds a 4.0 GPA, is a three-time Pac-12 All-Academic honoree and a two-time Academic All-District selection. She will earn her degree in public health next December and is planning on attending dental school.
Sheaffer has been equally as impressive on the field, having played in 69 career matches as a central defender. A rock on the back line for head coach Tony Amato, she has been on the field for all but 14 minutes during the 2015 season, starting all 19 matches.
With Sheaffer's recognition, we've now totaled 11 Pac-12 Scholar-Athletes of the Year over the last three years, which is tied with Stanford for the most in the league. We tallied four last year after having six during the 2013-14 academic year.
Congratulations Sheaffer on this excellent achievement and good luck to you and the rest of the team when you take on Santa Clara in the second round of the NCAA Tournament tomorrow.
BOWL TICKET REQUESTS NOW AVAILABLE
With the memorable win over Utah, our football team has become bowl eligible. This will be our fourth straight season with a bowl game appearance, something that has never happened in the history of the program. That speaks volumes about the trajectory Coach Rodriguez has this program on.
The McKale Ticket Office is now accepting bowl game ticket requests for our Wildcat Club members and/or football season ticket holders. We've made some adjustments to our bowl game ticket policies. In the past, Wildcat Club members and football season ticket holders had to wait a few days after the bowl game was announced to find out if they had tickets. Starting this year, anyone who places a request by the Noon, Dec. 6 deadline will receive an order confirmation the night of the bowl game announcement, which is also on Dec. 6. You'll know if you have tickets, though the exact seat location will be communicated later that week. Wildcat Club members and/or football season ticket holders can log into "MY ACCOUNT" and request tickets by following the link at ArizonaWildcats.com/bowlgame.
If you are not a current Wildcat Club member, there's still time! Click HERE to join today and you will still be able to take advantage of this early request window. In addition to having the first opportunity to request postseason tickets (including bowl games, Pac-12 tournament etc), you also receive a variety of other benefits based on your annual giving level (click HERE to learn more about benefits). Thanks for your continued support of our student-athletes!
GET YOUR BASKETBALL TICKETS ON NOVEMBER 29
Basketball fans, mark your calendar for Sunday, Nov. 29. Single-game tickets for the rest of our basketball season go on sale at 10 a.m. MT at ArizonaWildcats.com. This includes the UNLV and Long Beach State games, plus all nine Pac-12 home games. If tickets remain after Nov. 29 (and with a limited supply, they might not), fans will be able to purchase tickets on Monday, Nov. 30 by calling (520) 621-CATS (2287) or by visiting the McKale Ticket Office in person. We hope to see you at McKale.
VOLLEYBALL ACTION AT MCKALE THIS WEEKEND
Volleyball is back home this weekend to host two tough Pac-12 foes, USC and UCLA. Friday, Nov. 20 at 6 p.m., the Cats will battle it out with the No. 2 team in the nation, USC. You are not going to want to miss this crucial match-up, and if you're one of the first 300 people to the match, you will receive a "Bear Down and Beat USC" shirt! Your Wildcats will turn around and take on the ninth-ranked Bruins of UCLA on Sunday, Nov. 22. You'll receive a rally towel if you're one of the first 200 to arrive on Sunday. Both of these matches are important for our quest to qualify for the postseason and we need you to be there to support the team all weekend! To purchase your tickets now, you can click HERE.
BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL RENEWAL DEADLINES COMING UP
Don't look now, but we're only three months away from the start of the 2016 baseball and softball seasons. Anticipation is high for both programs. Jay Johnson is starting his first year as head coach of the baseball team, while the legendary Mike Candrea is entering his 30th year as the softball head coach. The season ticket renewal deadline for both sports is this Saturday. You can call (520) 621-CATS (2287) or visit the box office up until Friday at 5 p.m. MT. Of course, renewals are available 24/7 at ArizonaWildcats.com. Click HERE to renew online.
CATS IN THE COMMUNITY
Arizona's student-athletes continue to be active in the community. Here is a sample of what they've done recently:
Nov. 13 – Harrison Ivie (track and field) spoke to members of the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base prior to their Day in the Life tour of the athletics facilities. He spoke about his experience and daily routine as a student-athlete balancing school, practice, competition and other elements of life.
Nov. 13 – Before their big win last weekend, members of the football team visited their Wildcat fans at Diamond Children's Medical Center.
Our student-athletes are looking to continue volunteering in the Tucson Community. If you know of a non-profit that would benefit from the helping hands of our student-athletes, please let us know by submitting an online request by clicking HERE. We won't be able to fulfill every request, but we try to get to as many as we can.
TWITTER GIVEAWAY
Congrats to Cali Marissa (@caliwasntthere) for being selected as this week's winner of the #ByrneTwitterGiveaway. A member of the athletics department staff will DM you with more information on how to secure your prize so make sure you're following @AZAthletics.
Here is this week's Twitter giveaway message:
Good luck to @ArizonaWSoccer in its NCAA 2nd-round match versus Santa Clara. #BuildingALegacy
@Greg_Byrne #ByrneTwitterGiveaway
Each week, we'll provide a phrase accompanied by the twitter handle @Greg_Byrne and the hashtag #ByrneTwitterGiveaway for Wildcat Wednesday subscribers to tweet. We'll select the winner(s) at random and announce in the following edition of Wildcat Wednesday. We hope you'll have some fun with this and participate each week. As long as we're seeing a lot of participation, we'll keep the giveaways going throughout the year.
COMPLIANCE CORNER
As the holidays quickly approach, student-athletes often use their roles to help the community and raise awareness for certain causes. Charities and other nonprofit agencies may use a student-athlete to support its charitable activities as long as certain conditions are met. To request the use of a student-athlete's name, picture or appearance, please read the online policies to ensure compliance within various departmental and NCAA regulations. These policies can be found online HERE. For more information on how a student-athlete might be able to help support your nonprofit, please contact Lacey John, Assistant Director for Community Relations and Special Events, at lpjohn29@arizona.edu.
ARIZONA NUGGETS
Volleyball's 62 victories (and counting) over the last three seasons are the most in a three-year span since winning 62 from 2001-03 … Soccer had a program record 11 student-athletes named to the Pac-12 All-Academic teams including first-teamers Sheaffer Skadsen and Jaden DeGracie … Taryn Griffey from Women's Basketballmade six 3-pointers, the most by an Arizona player in a single game in three seasons, in a win over Toledo … Naoki Takeda from Men's Tennis captured the singles championship at the Jack Kramer Club Classic after going 5-0 during the tournament … Samantha Czarniak from Women's Tennis went undefeated in singles play at the SDSU Fall Invitational II, winning the black draw … Kaleb Tarczewski from Men's Basketball is one of 50 players named to the watch list for the Wooden Award for the nation's best player … Swimming alum Giles Smith scored a huge victory in the 100 fly at the Arena Pro Swim Series last week, defeating Michael Phelps in the process.
WEAR THE COLORS – SHARE THE PHOTOS
Thank you for wearing the colors and sharing your Arizona pride! If your photo submission did not make this week's edition of the Wildcat Wednesday, please check our "Wildcat Wednesday" album at facebook.com/ArizonaAthletics.
NOTE: Please submit photos for Wildcat Wednesday with an original email touofaad@arizona.edu using the subject line 'Wildcat Wednesday photo.' Also, please ensure all submissions are clear and properly lit. We also ask that you identify everyone in the photo so we can highlight them accordingly.
