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SOFTBALL OPENING DAY

This is a very exciting time of the year as the 2020 Arizona Softball season officially begins this week. The Wildcats play in the prestigious Kajikawa Classic in Tempe beginning on Friday, Feb. 7 at 12:30 p.m. (MST) and take on the Kansas Jayhawks on the Pac-12 Networks.
 
Coach Candrea and the Wildcats are coming off a banner 2019 season that culminated in the program's 23^rd appearance in the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City. Arizona returns much of its lineup for 2020 alongside a mix of high-profile newcomers and enter the season ranked in the top five nationally. Hillenbrand Stadium will once again welcome our program to one of the best environments in college softball all season filled with the best fans in the nation. If you haven't gotten your season tickets for softball, you can click here to purchase them. Tickets start at $75 for the season with youth and senior pricing also available.
 
Best of luck to our Wildcats on opening another terrific season on Friday. Arizona Softball is truly a program of excellence, and we are all ready for another chapter in its storied history books.
 
TIME TO RENEW



This week marks a very important time in the calendar at Arizona Athletics as we begin our 2020-21 renewal campaign for Wildcat Club membership, football season tickets and men's basketball season tickets. Your commitment to supporting Arizona Athletics and its 500 student-athletes is what powers all our athletics programs. Your support makes our athletics department a very special place to work and pushes Arizona Athletics to achieve excellence on the field, in the classroom and in our community.
 
We made key enhancements to our benefits structure for all Wildcat Club members in October, and we have incentives for early renewals that include waived fees and merchandise deals. We continue to develop and grow our student-athletes into academic, athletic and life champions through the resources provided by Wildcat Club members. You are an integral part of everything we do at Arizona Athletics, and we want to thank you for everything you do for our department and the University of Arizona. Click here to renew your Wildcat Club membership today. Bear Down and Go Cats!
 
NATIONAL GIRLS AND WOMEN IN SPORTS DAY



Wednesday, Feb. 5 is National Girls and Women in Sports Day, which is a tremendous celebration across the nation. The impact of women's sports on our athletics department is profound and everlasting, and it was awesome to see the #NGWSD trending on social media and represented on Arizona Athletics' various social media accounts. One of these terrific posts came from Arizona Softball Head Coach Mike Candrea. Join Arizona Athletics in honoring this important day and its impact on the nation.
 
MEET THE TEAM WITH ARIZONA BASEBALL



While Coach Johnson and the Wildcats will officially open on Valentine's Day, the team will host Meet the Team Night on Friday, Feb. 7. Come see the 2020 Arizona Wildcats in action for an intrasquad scrimmage at Hi Corbett Field with an autograph session afterwards inside the Terry Francona Hitting Center. Gates open at 5 p.m. (MST) with the scrimmage set for 6 p.m. (MST). Tickets for the event are just $5 and admission is free for season ticket holders as well as children ages 12 and younger.
 
HOOPS IN MCKALE CENTER



Arizona Men's Basketball returns to McKale Center following a road sweep of the Washington schools last week. The Wildcats' pair of wins marked the first conference road sweep of the season in the entire Pac-12 Conference.
 
The team will welcome USC and UCLA to Tucson this week where Arizona leads the Pac-12 Conference for a 36^th consecutive season in attendance with an average crowd of 13,527. McKale Center continues its legacy as the preeminent home environment in all of college basketball, and it does so by the unrivaled support of all our loyal fans. Thank you for making McKale Center a terrific venue for both of our basketball programs.
 
The Pac-12 Two Pack is available for purchase, which is tickets to two of our Thursday home games for $40 for upper seats and $100 for lower seating areas. Click here to utilize this great ticketing option.
 
#BLOCKA20



With spring signing day this week, we are excited to welcome a handful of new Wildcats to Arizona Football's 2020 recruiting class. These newest signees bolster our group of Winter commitments joining the program for next season. As this year's recruiting class joins the fold of our talented returners, we are getting geared up for spring football practice in the coming weeks.
 
The annual Arizona Football Spring Game is set for 5 p.m. (MST) on Saturday, April 4 at Arizona Stadium. We will include additional spring football information in upcoming Wildcat Wednesday emails.
 
STUDENT-ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT

Arizona Athletics is full of tremendous stories, including student-athletes, coaches, staff, alumni and fans. Our stories represent the University of Arizona, and we have great collaborations with our campus partners in telling our stories. Mo Almarhoun of Arizona Track and Field is one of those remarkable stories, and you can click here to read his profile written and produced by the College of Engineering's communications staff.
 
CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Arizona Athletics' celebration of Black History Month during February will include tributes and recognitions by all our programs and our entire athletics department. Beginning with the 50^th anniversary of Ernie McCray's historic 46-point performance, we will celebrate historical cultural figures and events in national and Arizona history. Arizona Athletics, in conjunction with campus partners, will co-host events throughout the month as well to promote diversity, unity and inclusion. We will also include additional content and activities in each of our Wildcat Wednesday emails throughout the month.
 
CONGRATULATIONS WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

The terrific season for Arizona Women's Basketball continues after Coach Barnes and the team swept the Los Angeles schools at home, including No. 8 UCLA. The Wildcats are now ranked No. 12 in the nation, which is the program's highest ranking since 1998 when Coach Barnes was playing for Arizona. Aari McDonald took home her second Pac-12 Player of the Week award of the season while earning more national honors.
 
All of Southern Arizona has turned out to support the program, and it has been truly inspiring to see our community rally around the team. Arizona Women's Basketball continues to be a fantastic representation of our entire athletics department and university. The program hits the road this week for a pair of games against the nationally-ranked Oregon schools. Bear Down Coach Barnes and company and Go Cats!
 
CONGRATULATIONS NATE LASHLEY



Last week was an exciting week for current and former Wildcats of Arizona Men's Golf. After the team secured its third consecutive Arizona Intercollegiate title, alumnus Nate Lashley finished in a tie for third in the Waste Management Phoenix Open at 14 strokes under par. It was a great finish for Nate back in the state of Arizona after his memorable first career PGA victory in June at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit. Tip of the cap to Nate on his most recent strong finish and best of luck as he continues his career on the PGA Tour.
 
ARIZONA VOLLEYBALL WELCOMES NEW WILDCATS



On behalf of the University of Arizona, Arizona Athletics and Arizona Volleyball, we want to officially welcome two new Wildcats to our athletics department. Dilara Gedikoglu, the American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year, joins the team from Tulsa as an outside hitter where she led the team in kills at 4.10 per set.
 
Merle Weidt arrives at Arizona following two seasons at Rutgers as a middle blocker. A native of Germany, Merle was among the Big Ten leaders in blocks per set. She also posted the second most blocks in a match in school history with 11 versus Towson.
 
We look forward to seeing Dilara and Merle as well as the rest of the team in action when Coach Rubio and the Wildcats start the 2020 season in August.
 
COMPLIANCE CORNER

NCAA rules prohibit institutions from providing financial support that benefits a high school athletics program. However, donors and other representatives of University of Arizona's athletics interests may provide funding to benefit a high school athletics program provided the donor acts independently, the funds are distributed through channels established by the high school (or organization conducting the fundraising activity), and the funds are not earmarked for a specific prospect or recruit. Please contact the Compliance Office at (520) 621-4796 or ica-compliance @email.arizona.edu with any questions.
   
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