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MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK

Our athletics department is amid a very significant recognition, and I want to emphasize the importance of Mental Health Awareness Week. Arizona Athletics is committed to the physical and mental health and wellbeing of our student-athletes, coaches and staff. As athletics director, I have prioritized mental health support as a pivotal resource for our department because I believe it is a crucial component to our overall health. Led by Michelle Skog and Rachel Webb, our Mental Health Services team do an outstanding job working with our Wildcats as well as helping organize our department's participation in this important initiative.
 
 
Our goal in this campaign is to encourage the conversation around mental health and normalize seeking support. This is an important topic that affects all of us, and I am proud to see so many Wildcats getting behind this outstanding cause. You can be a part of our social media campaign for Mental Health Awareness week by participating in #WildcatsCare.
 
GET WELL COACH SUMLIN

On behalf of the Wildcat Family, I want to send along well wishes to Coach Sumlin following his positive test for COVID-19. I would also like to echo his sentiments and thank Dr. Stephen Paul and our department's entire medical team who provide tremendous care to all our student-athletes, coaches and staff.  Get well soon Coach, and we all look forward to you recovering and getting back on the field to lead our football program.

COVID-19 has impacted all of our lives. I want to support anyone who has battled this pandemic, including our student-athletes, staff, our Wildcat Family and our fellow community members. Supporting one another is a key part of how we can stay united during these trying times, and compassion is a core value of who we are as Wildcats. We will continue to overcome obstacles because Together, We Bear Down!
 
ARIZONA FOOTBALL SCHEDULE



The Pac-12 Conference released its updated 2020 Football schedule on Saturday morning, and the announcement brought even more excitement for the season. We've gotten a lot of questions regarding Arizona Football's schedule, and I want to provide some additional information to you. Saturday's release included only opponents and dates with the TBD placeholder for our final game, which will be played as a crossover game during the final weekend of the season. 
 
Furthermore, we did not receive start times for our games as those will be determined at a later date in accordance with the league's selection protocols. The Pac-12 also indicated that all games through the first six weeks of the season will be carried by our ABC, Fox, and ESPN television partners due to the smaller inventory of games with a shorter schedule for all teams.
 
As always, we encourage fans to refer to the official football schedule page on ArizonaWildcats.com as the up-to-date source for schedule information. We will continue to share updates and news in future Wildcat Wednesdays as that information becomes available.
 
WELCOME TO THE ARIZONA SANDS CLUB



We celebrated the grand opening of the Arizona Sands Club on Friday, which is our renovated and reimagined restaurant-club experience atop the Lowell-Stevens Football Facility. This year-round dining and lifestyle club is a tremendous addition to our first-class facility in partnership with ClubCorp. I took part in the grand opening and joined our friends at Wildcats Sports Radio 1290 AM for a live interview from the club.
 
This is a beautiful space that is the perfect place to grab a bite to eat, host a physically-distanced meeting and take in the beautiful views of campus. This club will also be a key part of our gameday experience starting with the 2021 Arizona Football season. You can join the Arizona Sands Club today with some tremendous membership plans by clicking here.
 
HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH



Arizona Athletics proudly continues its monthlong celebration of Hispanic Heritage by recognizing and paying tribute to the roots of our student-athletes and their stories. This past week, we highlighted Sofia Maldonado Diaz of Arizona Volleyball in a Spanish-speaking interview. We also showed the Spanish duo of Helena Pueyo and Marta Garcia of Arizona Women's Basketball sporting this year's Hispanic Heritage Month t-shirt and reflecting on what this celebration means to them.
 
COMPLIANCE CORNER

The 2020-21 academic year is underway, and our Wildcat student-athletes are adopting to the unique challenges of COVID-19 in true Bear Down style. We want to remind fans that providing student-athletes with any gifts, benefits or services that are not available to the public or general student body will render the student-athlete ineligible. We appreciate your tremendous support of our student-athletes and ask that you please contact the Compliance Office at (520) 621-4796 with any questions prior to providing a student-athlete with any potentially impermissible extra benefit.
 
WEAR THE COLORS – SHARE THE PHOTOS

Send us your photos of you wearing the colors while staying safe!

Thank you for wearing the colors and sharing your Arizona pride! Make sure to take a picture the next time you are wearing the colors and send it to us, we just might include it in next week's Wildcat Wednesday! And even if your photo submission doesn't make  next week's edition, 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.
 
Stay Safe, Bear Down and Mask Up!
 
Dave Heeke
Director of Athletics
University of Arizona
uofaad@arizona.edu