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STUDENT-ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT



This week's student-athlete spotlight segment features Tyler Casagrande of Arizona Baseball who is making an impact in Southern Arizona through his Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL). Tyler created and sold his own "Big House" t-shirts and donated the proceeds to the Diamond Children's Medical Center for patient and family resources. He, alongside the Arizona Baseball staff, presented a check to the hospital for $10,000 earlier this week.
 
Hats off to Tyler for this incredible charitable work. His donation to make a difference in our community is just one way he fulfills our "Wildcat Way" mission, which is to provide opportunities for student-athletes to become athletic, academic and life champions. NIL, and our Arizona EDGE program, also mark a new initiative to our strategic plan, which includes driving success in student-athletes' journeys as Wildcats.
 
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL'S RETURN TO MCKALE



Arizona Women's Basketball will play its first home game in front of fans since March 1, 2020 when it welcomes Eastern New Mexico for a Thursday night exhibition at 6 p.m. (MST) in McKale Center this week. We are excited to see our tremendous fans and supporters fill up the building and bring that dynamic energy to the stands. Anticipation is high for another exciting season of Arizona Women's Basketball, and we'd like to remind Wildcat Wednesday readers of a few important items for the season.
 
 In conjunction with the University of Arizona's campus guidance regarding masks and face coverings, we will have the following requirements for fans:

• Fans are required to wear a mask to enter and at all times while in McKale Center
• Fans are required to wear a mask while in restrooms on the concourse level
• Fans are required to wear a mask while circulating the facility and concourse areas
• Fans are permitted to take their mask off only when eating or drinking while in their seats
• Fans can visit ArizonaWildcats.com/GameDayHealth for more information

We've made the transition to mobile ticketing this year, and we recommend you have your tickets and mobile parking passes pulled up on your smart device prior to arriving at McKale Center. For more information on this efficient process, click here. McKale Center Ticket Office staff will be on hand to assist any fans loading their mobile tickets on their smart device. Concessions in the facility have also gone cash-less with Google Pay, Apple Wallet and credit cards accepted.
 
If you haven't purchased your season tickets yet, please click here to secure them now. If you're looking at single game tickets for Thursday's exhibition, you can buy them here. We will see you Thursday evening in McKale!
 
VOLLEYBALL BACK HOME



After earning a hard-fought road split last week, Arizona Volleyball returns to the friendly confines of McKale Center. The Wildcats picked up a win at Colorado on their mountain trip as Sofia Maldonado Diaz tallied a career-high 26 kills in the victory over the Buffaloes.
 
Coach Rubio and company host Stanford and Cal this week, beginning with the Cardinal at 7 p.m. (MST) on Friday, Oct. 29.  If you haven't already purchased your tickets for the Stanford match, you can click here to get yours. Visit ArizonaWildcats.com and @ArizonaVBall on social media for all your game day information and links. Bear Down and Go Cats!
 
POSTSEASON COMPETITION



Our first conference championship competition of the year is this week as Arizona Cross Country runs in the Pac-12 Championships on Friday morning in Salt Lake City. Pac-12 Networks will provide coverage of Friday's races as well as ArizonaWildcats.com. Our men's and women's programs have had strong seasons thus far, which includes Grace Driskill winning the women's race at the Dave Murray Invitational.
 
Head Coach Bernard Lagat previewed this week's race during his appearance on the BearDown Podcast, which is the official podcast of Arizona Athletics. You can subscribe, download and listen to the podcast on Spotify, Apple iTunes and YouTube. On behalf of the entire Wildcat Family, we want to wish Arizona Cross County good luck at Pac-12 Championships.
 
BEAR DOWN WITH ARIZONA FOOTBALL

The Wildcats have an afternoon kickoff this Saturday at USC with a 4 p.m. (MST) start time on ESPNU. Our SoCal Cats in the area can enjoy our Los Angeles tailgate with the University of Arizona Alumni Association. Sign up by clicking here to make your pregame plans on Saturday.
 
The Pac-12 announced our kickoff time for our Homecoming game versus California on Saturday, Nov. 6, which will be at 12 p.m. (MST). Homecoming is always a fun-filled weekend for the Wildcat Family, and we wanted to communicate this game time to you as soon as we could to help you with your planning.
 
We have also launched our Tickets for Troops program for our November 13 home game versus Utah, which is our annual Military Appreciation Game. You can purchase $15 tickets to be donated to members of the military and their families stationed at Davis Monthan Air Force Base and Fort Huachuca. Donated tickets to local servicemen and women are part of our annual programming centered around this key game.
 
SOCCER'S FINAL HOMESTAND



Soccer season has begun to wind down, and Arizona Soccer begins a three-match homestand to close out the regular season. The Wildcats host Utah and Colorado this week, opening with the Utes at 7 p.m. (MST) on Thursday, Oct. 28 on the Pac-12 Networks. After facing the Mountain schools, Arizona Soccer will host Arizona State in the regular season finale on Friday, Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. (MST).
 
Don't miss out on any of the action at Mulcahy Stadium and get your tickets for Thursday now. Please utilize ArizonaWildcats.com and @ArizonaSoccer on social media for your gameday information and links.
 
UPDATING RING OF HONOR

Fans attending events in McKale Center in the next few weeks may see some upgrades and enhancements made to the Ring of Honor, which represents the great Wildcats from our programs that compete in our storied venue. We are improving the display with higher quality banners throughout the rafters of our building as we continue to recognize the legacies of outstanding student-athletes who became athletic, academic and life champions.
 
EAST LAKE CUP RECAP



Our women's golf program ended their run at the prestigious East Lake Cup by defeating the defending national champions, Ole Miss, on the final day of match play in a rematch of the semifinals of the 2021 NCAA Championships. Arizona got its three points by match wins from Ya Chun Chang, Carolina Melgrati and Lilas Pinthier.
 
Arizona Women's Golf also saw a pair of current Wildcats and a former Cat punch their tickets to the third stage of LPGA qualifying school. Yu-Sang and Vivian Hou, alongside Gigi Stoll, were among the top 40 players over the weekend after four rounds of qualifying in Venice, Florida. Best of luck to these outstanding Wildcats as they move on to the third stage of qualifying at the end of November.
 
EXHIBITION PLAY



Coach Lloyd and the Wildcats will also host an exhibition in McKale Center with a tip off against Eastern New Mexico at 7 p.m. (MST) on Monday, Nov. 1. McKale Center is a storied venue with a tremendous legacy of excellence, and our men's basketball program has led the Pac-12 Conference in attendance in every season since 1984-85.
 
Monday's exhibition is a great appetizer for the regular season, which begins with Northern Arizona on Tuesday, Nov. 9.  The schedule has seven non-conference home games and one Pac-12 home date before the new year, so lock in your seats for the season now. We do have single game tickets available for the November 1 exhibition versus ENMU.
 
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