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RECORD-BREAKING ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

Arizona student-athletes posted an exceptional 3.055 overall GPA this semester, which is the highest spring semester GPA in department history. This outstanding spring gives Arizona Athletics three consecutive semesters with overall 3.0 GPA's or greater for the first time in Arizona history.
 
The impressive academic statistics continue as Spring 2019's overall cumulative GPA is a 3.102, which is also a new department record. A new spring semester record of 65 student-athletes earned perfect 4.0 GPA's while another 158 Wildcats earned a 3.5 GPA or greater. Our top men's and women's programs this spring were Beach Volleyball with a 3.824 and Men's Cross Country with a 3.513.
 
Educating and developing student-athletes is at the core of our mission at Arizona Athletics, and our student-athletes continue to achieve academic greatness at unprecedented levels. I want to congratulate our student-athletes on all of their hard work in the classroom as well as our excellent C.A.T.S. Academics staff for helping our athletics department accomplish these important goals.
 
BEAR DOWN IN OKC

Coach Candrea and the Wildcats are off to Oklahoma City for the program's 23^rd appearance in the Women's College World Series. This record-breaking season continues as Arizona faces Washington at 9 a.m. (MST) on Thursday, May 30 on ESPN. Our softball program has a rich history and storied tradition, and it will be great to see that on display on national television.


 
Our student-athletes, coaches and staff are great representatives of the University of Arizona, Arizona Athletics and our Southern Arizona community and will proudly represent the Block A. Wildcats around the world are excited to see Arizona Softball compete at the pinnacle of the sport on a national stage. You can get your WCWS t-shirt from the UA Bookstores by clicking here. Plan your day, tune in and Bear Down with the Wildcats at the WCWS.
 
REMEMBERING COACH TOMEY

Arizona Athletics will host the public memorial service for Coach Dick Tomey on Friday, May 31 at 9 a.m. in McKale Center with doors opening at 8 a.m. We will pay tribute to Coach Tomey and his incredible legacy at the University of Arizona as a father, husband, coach, mentor and icon.


 
Friday's service is open to the public, and Arizona Athletics will provide a live stream of the ceremony. In lieu of flowers, the Tomey family has created the Dick Tomey Legacy Fund for donations towards providing scholarships and programming for underserved youth in the areas where the college football icon coached.
 
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP TICKETS PUNCHED

Arizona Track and Field turned in numerous memorable performances at the NCAA West Preliminaries in Sacramento as Wildcats rewrote the record books and earned spots at next month's NCAA Outdoor Championships in Austin, Texas. Nine individual Wildcats qualified for the national championships alongside three of Arizona's relay teams.


 
Freshman James Smith broke the school record in the 400-meter hurdles with a blistering time of 49.88 seconds to secure his spot in the championships. Arizona's 4 x 400-meter relay team of Shannon Meisberger, Tatum Waggoner, Karolina Pahlitzsch and Diana Gajda also set a new school record as they punched their ticket to Texas.


 
Congratulations to our track and field student-athletes and coaches on all of the success and accolades. Best of luck to those of you competing for national championships next month, and we will all be cheering you on.
 
WOMEN'S GOLF ALL-AMERICANS

Congratulations to the Arizona Women's Golf trio of Yu-Sang Hou, Haley Moore and Bianca Pagdanganan on earning All-American honors from the Women's Golf Coaches Association. Yu-Sang and Bianca were WGCA All-America Second Team selections while Haley earned Honorable Mention All-America honors.
 
These three Wildcats helped lead the team to another outstanding season highlighted by another dramatic run at the NCAA Championships in Arkansas. These most recent honors add to the program's tremendous history as Arizona student-athletes continue to earn national distinction.
 
BACK THE A

As we featured in last week's email, there are several great ticket options for the 2019 Arizona Football season. You can customize your own ticket packages at great prices by purchasing a Flex Pack or a Wildcat Mobile Pass, which are already on sale. There are also season ticket packages, starting at $70, also now on sale.
 
Single-game tickets will officially go on sale at 10 a.m. (MST) on Saturday, June 1 online at ArizonaWildcats.com/FB. These tickets will utilize our special Bear Down Pricing, which is a great way to lock in your seats ahead of time.
 
We want to thank everyone who has already purchased football tickets. Arizona Stadium and the University of Arizona campus are dynamic environments on game days. Saturdays are special in Southern Arizona with great energy as we Back the A.
 
INCLUSIVE EXCELLENCE

The pivotal work of Arizona Athletics' newly-formed Inclusive Excellence Council continues as we are proud to announce that the we are adding an Assistant Athletic Director for Diversity, Inclusion and Engagement. The key position will support, develop, manage and implement diversity and inclusion strategies that promote and foster an open and inclusive environment. This important addition will help continue the Inclusive Excellence Council's work to fulfill the University of Arizona's commitment to a vibrant, empowered and inclusive campus.


 
SEE YOU NEXT YEAR

This week's Wildcat Wednesday email is our final one of the 2018-19 academic year. Our athletics department accomplished many great things this year as our student-athletes displayed excellence in their sport, in the classroom and in our community. Thank you to all of our alumni, fans and donors for your continued support to make Arizona Athletics one of the top athletics departments in the nation. Have a great summer and Bear Down!
 
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: 

1. Bear Down with us today! Join the Wildcat Club to make an impact on our student-athletes' experience.
2. Buy Season Tickets
3. Wear the Colors (Especially on Friday)
4. Encourage Others to Do the Same

 
Bear Down with Pride,

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