Wildcat Wednesday 09/13/2017

Wildcat Wednesday - Hurricane Relief Recap

HURRICANE RELIEF RECAP

It is with great pride that we start this week's Wildcat Wednesday and recap the hurricane relief efforts that took place over the last few weeks. What started as a way to show support for one of our upcoming opponents and their community, quickly became a representation of the caring nature of our community.

When we hatched the plan of filling our equipment truck with goods for those affected by Hurricane Harvey, we figured we'd fill it over the course of the week and get some items to those in need. It quickly became apparent that we were going to need to make some adjustments as the first truck was completely full on Tuesday evening after just three days.

We reviewed some logistics and were able to bring in our old equipment truck to continue taking donations. That too filled quickly, and after Friday morning's drop-off time, the second truck was full.

From there, we weighed the trucks and got them ready to make the journey to Houston following Saturday night's game. The trucks arrived at the offload center on Monday morning and the Bayou Cats, the Houston-area chapter of the Alumni Association, were there to assist. In addition, we heard from one of our student-athlete's parents, who assisted in unloading the trucks, and we want to share that note with you:

Mr. Heeke,

I just wanted to take a moment to thank you, the athletic department, the students/faculty and the citizens of Tucson. I was at the Red Cross center today to help unload the UA Equipment trucks. We were overwhelmed by the generosity. Wow!

I am a life long Houstonian and our son, Casey Ponton, is a sophomore at UA. Casey is a diver on the Men's Swim and Dive Team and was just named Arizona Student-Athlete of the Month. We are so proud that he is attending such a caring University surrounded by a supportive town.

So much of Houston was affected by the flood and I can tell you that all of the items donated will go to good use.

Please pass on our appreciation. We couldn't be more proud to be Wildcat parents!

BTW, you have the best truck drivers! They were so proud to deliver this stuff and they worked very hard unloading!

#BearDown,

Cindy & Jim Ponton

Volunteers at the offload center in Houston.

We can't thank everyone involved with this initiative enough. Together, we collected, shipped and delivered almost 70,000 pounds of items for the people of Houston. While we are no longer in position to accept donations, we've been collaborating with the Red Cross and World Care, and we hope you'll consider continuing to donate towards the hurricane relief efforts in both Texas and Florida. The Red Cross is in need of financial support and you can learn more by clicking HERE. World Care is accepting items and you can learn more about how to donate by clicking HERE.

In addition to those of you who donated, we want to thank all of the volunteers who assisted in collection and distribution, Suddath Relocation Systems, World Care, the Red Cross and the Bayou Cats for helping to make this donation drive such a success. I'm so happy to be a part of a community like this, and your efforts over the last few weeks have really shown me what it means to Bear Down.

INSPIRING WOMEN

Last spring, our C.A.T.S. Life Skills department developed a program called 'Inspiring Women' to address many of the issues female student-athletes are facing. Through this programming, we are covering topics such as body image, disordered eating, healthy relationships, and many others. Our goal is to make sure our student-athletes know they are not alone and there is a support system in place to assist them if needed. In addition to the series, a number of staff members have stepped up to serve as mentors in an effort to support the young women in our department. It's another example in a long line of strong work from our Life Skills group to address the needs of our student-athletes.

As a part of the program, we've developed a series of posters that have been hung around our facilities to reinforce the messaging. Yesterday, we released our Inspiring Women video and we want to share it with you. You can view the video by clicking on the poster below.

PAGDANGANAN WINS FIRST EVENT AS A CAT

Congratulations are in order for Bianca Pagdanganan from women's golf, who earned medalist honors in her first start as a Wildcat. She shared the top spot at eight under par with Stanford's Andrea Lee. Bianca is a transfer from Gonzaga and joined the program just prior to the fall semester, so it's impressive to see her have such an immediate impact.

Way to Bear Down, Bianca, and congratulations again on your victory.

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PRESIDENT'S PREGAME PARTY AT UTEP

With the football team headed to El Paso for a game against UTEP on Friday, we want to make Wildcats attending the game aware of the President's Pregame Party. The UA Alumni Association, along with the RioGrandeCats alumni chapter, is hosting a pregame party with UA President Robert Robbins and UAAA President Melinda Burke.

The party, which will start at 4:15 p.m., is being held at The Palomino Tavern (205 Cincinnati Ave., El Paso, TX 79902). While there, you'll have a chance to mix and mingle with fans and alumni as we show everyone that El Paso is Wildcat Country.

To RSVP, click HERE. If you need more information, contact Marc Acuna at (520) 626-0705 or email him at marc.acuna@al.arizona.edu.

SOCCER TO FACE BYU FRIDAY

The soccer program is currently 2-2-2 as it navigates one of the nation's toughest non-conference schedules and is coming off a big victory over Texas Tech on Sunday. I've spoken with head coach Tony Amato and he thinks this team is playing as well as any he's had during his time here. With that in mind, it's time to get out and support your Wildcats. We'll host our final non-conference match against BYU on Friday, Sept. 15 at 7 p.m. It's the first of two University of Arizona Faculty/Staff Appreciation Nights. For more information or to purchase tickets through our department, visit ArizonaWildcats.com/SOC or click HERE.

VOLLEYBALL'S WILDCAT CLASSIC COMES TO MCKALE

Volleyball will host the Wildcat Classic on Friday, Sept. 15 and Saturday, Sept. 16. Arizona's first match will be against William & Mary on Friday at 12:30 p.m. (non-ticketed match). Then, they'll take on New Mexico St. at 7 p.m. (ticketed match), which will be followed by an autograph session. We'll close out the tournament on Saturday at 1 p.m. against Illinois St. (ticketed match). For additional game times and to purchase tickets, click HERE or call the McKale Ticket Office at (520) 621-CATS.

U OF A NIGHT AT THE DIAMONDBACKS RECAP

Thank you to everyone who attended the Diamondbacks' "U of A Night." More than 1,000 tickets were sold for this event, which was a big success. We appreciate the continuous support we receive from Maricopa County. I was fortunate to join President Robbins and Melinda Burke, along with the UA color guard, on the field to represent our great University. Overall, it was a great turn out by our fans and alumni. Thank you for being there, and for showing once again, #PhoenixisWildcatCountry.

(L-R): Marc Acuna (Alumni Assoc.), Melinda Burke (Alumni Assoc.), President Robbins, Me and Madalyn Hemminghaus (Alumni Assoc.)

TWITTER GIVEAWAY

Congrats to Joe Lazarevic (@joe_lazarevic) for being selected as this month's winner of the Wildcat Wednesday Twitter Giveaway. 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.

Once a month, we'll provide a phrase accompanied by the twitter handle @Dave_Heeke and the hashtag #HeekeTwitterGiveaway for Wildcat Wednesday subscribers to tweet. We'll select the winner at random and announce in a Wildcat Wednesday the following month.

Here is this month's Twitter giveaway message:

"Tell them … tell the team to bear down."
@Dave_Heeke #HeekeTwitterGiveaway

UPCOMING SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

To view the list of upcoming events, broadcast information, start times and stat links, click HERE. (Note: All times are listed as Mountain Standard Time, i.e. Tucson time.)

To access live stats from your desktop or mobile device, visit ArizonaLiveStats.com.

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 "Wear the Colors" album at facebook.com/ArizonaAthletics on Fridays.

NOTE: Please submit photos for Wildcat Wednesday with an original email to uofaad@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.

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Continue to do what you can to help Arizona Athletics and:

Accept the Bear Down Challenge
Buy Season Tickets
Wear the Colors (Especially on Friday)
Get Others to Do the Same

Bear Down with Pride,

Dave Heeke
Director of Athletics
University of Arizona
uofaad@arizona.edu

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Wildcat Wednesday - Hurricane Relief Recap