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ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE CONTINUES

The impressive streak of banner semesters in the classroom posted by Arizona student-athletes continued last semester as numerous records were once again broken. Our athletics department posted a 3.0666 semester grade point average last semester, which gave Arizona a fourth consecutive semester of a 3.0 GPA or greater for the first time ever in department history. Fall 2019's cumulative GPA of 3.115 was a new all-time high for any fall semester. Included in these historic numbers, 61 student-athletes earned a perfect 4.0 GPA in addition to an impressive 171 Wildcats who recorded a 3.5 GPA or greater for the semester. We also saw a record high of 306 student-athletes post a 3.0 or greater.
 
Arizona Athletics strives to provide the best experience for all our student-athletes and elite success in the classroom is a foundational part of that experience. Academic excellence is a pillar of the Wildcat Way and an important element of our athletics department's strategic vision for the future.
 
Congratulations to all our student-athletes on this tremendous accomplishment and for being exceptional representatives of the University of Arizona. We also want to congratulate our excellent staff at C.A.T.S. Academics who continue to help our student-athletes shine in the classroom.
 
THIS WEEK IN MCKALE CENTER



With an average home attendance of 13,441 that leads the Pac-12 Conference, Coach Miller and the Wildcats return to the friendly confines of McKale Center to welcome Utah and No. 20 Colorado this week. The Wildcats are an impressive 102-9 (.918) at home since the start of the 2013-14 season. Our storied home venue has been rocking all season long, and this week will be more of the same. The Cats host the Utes at 6:30 p.m. (MST) on Thursday before a 12:30 p.m. (MST) tip against the nationally ranked Buffaloes on Saturday.
 
The Pick-Two Pack is our newest ticket option for Arizona Men's Basketball and it allows you to choose any two of our Thursday home games for $40 for upper level seats and $100 for mid-level area seats.  You can buy your Pick-Two Pack by clicking here.
 
STUDENT-ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT

Last week, two Arizona student-athletes attended the Black Student-Athlete Summit at the University of Texas at Austin.  Rhedi Short from Football and Zakee Washington from Men's Track and Field represented the Wildcats at the three-day conference focused on issues related to the Black experience within college athletics. The topic for the 2020 Summit was "The Mental Health of the Black Student-Athlete". Rhedi and Zakee described the summit as an incredible experience, saying, "it was very informative to learn what it means to be a black student-athlete, which ranged from intersectionality of race and sport to identifying race-based stressors among Division 1 black student-athletes."
 
C.A.T.S. Life Skills has made it a priority to send student-athlete representatives for the past three years, and every year it proves to be a transformative experience. The summit is one of the many opportunities our folks in C.A.T.S. provide to student-athletes to enhance and further develop their experience as a Wildcat.
 
KEEPING AUSTRALIA IN OUR THOUGHTS



The devastating fires that have hit Australia have been a horrifying crisis. Australia has been home to many Wildcats over the years, including current student-athletes Josh Green of Men's Basketball, Tara Manumaleuga of Women's Basketball, David Schlicht of Men's Swimming & Diving and Maddi Leydin of Gymnastics. The destruction has affected millions in the country and the many Australians living abroad. We will keep all of Australia in our thoughts moving forward as they recover from this national tragedy.
 
ARIZONA VOLLEYBALL ACCOLADE

Jaelyn Hodge, part of Arizona Volleyball's 2020 recruiting class, was named Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year after capping off her prep career at Basha High School with a 6A State Championship. Jaelyn becomes the third Wildcat in program history to earn state player of the year honors. She is part of a decorated recruiting class that also features four signees ranked in the Top 100 nationally as well as Sofia Maldonado who has U18 and U20 national team experience with Mexico.
 
GYMCAT EARNS AWARD



Coming off Arizona's win in its first home meet of 2020, Arizona Gymnastics standout Zaza Brovedani earned Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honors after her outstanding performances on the uneven bars and balance beam. The Oakland, California native is part of the program's strong start to the season that has led them to a No. 21 national ranking entering this week.

Zaza and the rest of the GymCats are off to California this week for a Friday night meet against Sacramento State and Oregon State. You can follow the action at ArizonaWildcats.com or @ArizonaGymCats on all social media platforms.
 
BEAR DOWN IN PHOENIX

The East Valley Alumni Chapter and the Phoenix Young Alumni are holding a fantastic event and honoring a very special alumnus. The Wildcat Toast & Taste will recognize Arizona Baseball great Terry Francona at the event on Friday, Feb. 7 at 6 p.m. (MST) at the Marriott Phoenix Chandler. The event is also a very important fundraiser with proceeds going to the alumni chapters' scholarship funds.

Phoenix is a hub of our alumni network, and we are very excited about this event. For more information and to register for this terrific night of celebration, click here.
 
TENNIS TIME IN TUCSON

Friday will be a great evening for both our men's and women's tennis programs with their annual Red-Blue Match. Both teams will take to the court at LaNelle Robson Tennis Center starting at 5 p.m. (MST). They will co-host a youth clinic to start before beginning their intrasquad matches. All home tennis matches are free admission and Friday is the first home action of 2020 for both programs. Come down to campus on Friday evening and Bear Down with our tennis programs.
  
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