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REMEMBERING COACH TOMEY
The University of Arizona and all of college football lost an icon last week with the passing of Coach Dick Tomey. He was the true definition of a leader, and it was inspiring to see all the powerful messages from his former players and staff members. Coach Tomey was a man of passion, integrity and dedication. He impacted countless lives on and off the football field. We are forever grateful for Coach Tomey's legacy as a Wildcat, and we will carry on that legacy as a true definition of "The Wildcat Way".
The Tomey Family and Arizona Athletics will host a public memorial service in honor of Coach Tomey on Friday, May 31 at 9 a.m. inside McKale Center.
NCAA SOFTBALL REGIONALS AT HILLENBRAND
Coach Candrea and the Arizona Wildcats will play in the NCAA Tournament for a 33rd consecutive season when they host NCAA Tucson Regional at Hillenbrand Stadium. Arizona will welcome Auburn, Colorado State and Harvard to Tucson this weekend as the Wildcats will face Harvard first at 8:30 p.m. on Friday, May 17.
Our one-of-a-kind facility will once again be the epicenter of college softball. We've seen capacity crowds all season at Hillenbrand, and we can't wait to showcase our terrific home environment on the national stage. You can purchase your NCAA Regional tickets here.
WILDCAT GRADUATES
We hosted a memorable day in McKale Center with Thursday's student-athlete convocation. This exceptional event recognized 112 Wildcats as University of Arizona graduates. Our speakers included some very outstanding Wildcats, including former men's basketball standout Jerryd Bayless and Gustavs Kehris from Arizona Track & Field.
Our student-athletes' academic journey culminates with graduation, but that is just the first chapter of their careers as Wildcats. Our student-athletes have achieved a level of excellence in the classroom that is unprecedented. Arizona Athletics has set department records in the classroom, which includes setting a new single semester overall GPA record in back-to-back semesters. Our athletics department has also soared in its Graduate Success Rate (GSR) data from the NCAA, posting an 18 percent increase over the last six years.
PAC-12 TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Arizona Track and Field is coming off a tremendous performance at the Pac-12 Track and Field Championships hosted at our own Roy P. Drachman Stadium in Tucson. The meet was highlighted by individual conference titles won by Jordan Geist in the shotput and Karla Teran in the high jump. This decorated season for Coach Harvey and the Wildcats will continue at the NCAA Regionals in Sacramento, Calif. later this month. Thanks to our staff who worked so hard in hosting this event and to the fans for coming out and supporting these world-class athletes.
INSIGHT FROM AD MEETINGS
As I proudly represent the University of Arizona at conference and national athletic director meetings, I want to continue to keep our great supporters up to date on the future of college athletics. Pac-12 athletic directors voted to move to a 20-game league schedule in men's basketball earlier this month while also adopting new legislation for transfers within the Pac-12 Conference.
As part of our ongoing mission to provide the best fan experience possible for all Wildcats, we have begun a collaborative process with the conference regarding game time selection for various sports outside of football and men's basketball. It's important to have this conversation with the Pac-12 about when games and matches are played to ensure events are scheduled for the best date and time with our student-athletes and fans in mind. I am excited to continue to work with the conference to improve scheduling for all our programs and for our tremendous fans.
ARIZONA BASEBALL
Arizona Baseball is red hot and rolling with seven wins in their last eight games. The Wildcats are not only one of the best hitting teams in the nation, but they are putting up numbers at the plate at a historical rate. Arizona has finished its home schedule but are out on the road to close out the regular season. The team will play at Penn State for a three-game series beginning on Thursday, May 16 at 3:30 p.m. (MST) available on a live stream through Big Ten Plus.
STAFF SPOTLIGHT
The entire Wildcat family would like to celebrate our own Becky Bell's induction into the Riverside, California Sports Hall of Fame. While Becky is being recognized by her hometown as one of its most inspiring citizens, her legacy at the University of Arizona is everlasting.
An iconic figure at Arizona, a pioneer in college athletics and a Wildcat through and through, Becky is a fixture in the lives of Arizona student-athletes past and present. She has helped shape the lives of young men and women in Tucson for decades as a tennis coach and at the helm of the nationally-renown C.A.T.S Life Skills program.
She has been a proud representative of the Block A for decades even after graduating from UCLA as an All-American tennis player. Congratulations on this tremendous Southern California honor and thank you for everything you have done for Southern Arizona.
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
