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BACK THE A
Saturday was an exciting day for Arizona Football as we celebrated the end of practices with our Spring Game, while welcoming the program's alumni home for the weekend. It was awesome to see the enthusiasm surrounding the program on display with our fans and letterwinners at Arizona Stadium cheering on the team.
We talk a lot about "Back the A" and what it means to our football program, athletics department and our University as a whole. Saturday was a great way to honor that message by connecting with our fans, showcasing our beautiful campus, celebrating tradition and engaging our supportive community. It's what makes being a Wildcat special and the Block A powerful.
Let's all "Back the A" as we look forward to more memorable Saturdays in the fall when there's a buzz in our community and Arizona Stadium is at the core of that dynamic energy. Renew your season tickets by May 1 or purchase new season tickets to be a part of it all. Thank you for all of your support and Bear Down!
CATSYS
Our annual student-athlete award ceremony, the CATSYS, is coming to McKale Center on Monday, April 22 at 6 p.m. We are elated to welcome back former Wildcat Channing Frye as the host after his retirement from the NBA following 13 seasons. This is truly a one-of-a-kind event as we celebrate and honor the many accomplishments of our student-athletes. The evening is made even more special by having illustrious alumni return to campus to host the event. You can join us for this memorable evening with free admission for the bowl seating of McKale Center or via our dedicated live stream of the event.
WELCOME BACK
Our Arizona Football alumni weekend, centered around our Spring Game, was some fun-filled days for 90 football letterwinners. The group participated in their annual golf tournament, toured the new Cole and Jeannie Davis Sports Center and enjoyed a pregame tailgate at Arizona Stadium prior to Saturday's game.
Alumni weekends are not only a great opportunity for teammates to re-connect but also to build strong relationships with our coaching staff. During Friday's dinner, Coach Sumlin spoke to the group and reiterated the importance of having former players connected and involved with the program. It truly is our pleasure to honor and recognize those Wildcats who have come before, and we look forward to seeing this special group of men support the Wildcats this upcoming season.
ARIZONA SOFTBALL
Arizona Softball, and its impressive 17-game winning streak, return to the friendly confines of Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium for a series versus Stanford, which begins Thursday at 6 p.m. The top-ten ranked Wildcats will look to improve their terrific 12-0 start to Pac-12 play as this marks just the third time in program history Arizona has won its first dozen conference games. Only a limited number of tickets remain for this weekend's series. Get in on the excitement! Click here to Bear Down with Coach Candrea and the Wildcats this weekend.
We also want to congratulate senior pitcher Taylor McQuillin on her selection in Monday's National Pro Fastpitch College Draft. Taylor was selected sixth overall by the Cleveland Comets as she became the 15th player in program history to go in the NPF Draft. This is a tremendous testament to the rich legacy and history of Arizona Softball and a great achievement in Taylor's career.
WILDCATS IN NBA PLAYOFFS
The University of Arizona and Arizona Athletics are privileged to have eight Wildcats representing the Block A in the 2019 NBA Playoffs. The trio of Steve Kerr, Bruce Fraser and Andre Iguodala will look to secure Golden State's third consecutive championship. Joining those three in the Western Conference playoffs is Matt Brase who is a member of the Houston Rockets' coaching staff. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Bret Brielmaier of the Brooklyn Nets are part of the Eastern Conference's group of Wildcats that also includes T.J. McConnell of the Philadelphia 76ers and Aaron Gordon of the Orlando Magic.
Arizona Basketball alums have cemented the program's NBA pedigree with 26 NBA titles and 41 NBA Finals appearances. We will be rooting on all of these letterwinners as they look to add to this terrific legacy.
CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON
Postseason play is right around the corner for a number of our teams with Arizona Women's Golf already posting a strong second place showing at the Pac-12 Championships in Los Angeles as freshman Ya Chun Chang finished two strokes under par for fourth place. Arizona also got top-eight finishes from Haley Moore and Yu-Sang Hou.
Arizona Men's Golf will head to Eugene, Ore. for the Pac-12 Championships on Monday after playing in the nationally-televised Western Intercollegiate this week.
Our men's and women's tennis programs will head to Los Angeles to take on USC and UCLA this week before the Pac-12 Tennis Championships also in Southern California next week.
With a number of our programs in the home stretch of exciting seasons, the Pac-12 Networks will broadcast the championships for these programs. You can get more info on tuning in to the Pac-12 Networks by clicking here. Best of luck to all our Wildcats participating in conference championships in the coming days and all of us who wear the colors are behind you.
BEAR DOWN BEACH VOLLEYBALL
Coach Walker and Arizona Beach Volleyball continue their historic season after earning four wins last weekend to push their win streak to 11 matches. This exceptional streak of victories has pushed the team's win total to 21 for the season, which sets a new program record. The Wildcats are off for more tournament action at Boise State this week before Pac-12 Championships, which are scheduled to begin on Thursday, April 25. Bear Down and Go Cats!
ANOTHER ACCOLADE FOR GEIST
Sophomore Jordan Geist continues his dominance as one of the top throwers in the county. He was named Pac-12 Field Athlete of the Week for a second consecutive week and the fifth time in his young career. With a mark of 21.59 meters in the shotput in last week's Triton Invitational, Jordan set a new NCAA and Pac-12 record for the year and the third best mark in the world. Congratulations Jordan for your continued excellence and for representing the University of Arizona on the biggest of stages.
CELEBRATING A CAMPUS ADDITION
We want to tip our cap to our campus partners as Banner University Medical Center is set to open their new patient tower on Monday, April 22. This marks the completion of nearly four years of work as the facility will transform our campus and strengthen the University of Arizona's impact's on our Southern Arizona community. Congratulations on this special achievement!
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.
Continue to do what you can to help Arizona Athletics and:
- Bear Down with us today! Join the Wildcat Club to make an impact on our student-athletes' experience.
- Buy Season Tickets
- Wear the Colors (Especially on Friday)
- Encourage Others to Do the Same
Bear Down with Pride,
Dave Heeke
Director of Athletics
University of Arizona
uofaad@arizona.edu
