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HAPPY HOLIDAYS

I want to open this final Wildcat Wednesday email of 2021 by wishing you all a safe and healthy holiday season. This has been a banner year for Arizona Athletics as our student-athletes have fulfilled our Wildcat Way mission by becoming academic, athletic and life champions. Our athletics department and university have accomplished greatness while continuing to focus on the health and safety of all during this global pandemic.
 
The holiday season is an opportunity to reflect, honor and reminisce with family, friends and loved ones. We hope you enjoy the holidays and some time away from work. Happy New Year Wildcat Family! We can't wait to see you in 2022 for another amazing year for all Wildcats. Bear Down and Go Cats!
 
STUDENT-ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT



Did you know Jackson Norwich, a freshman on our men's golf team, is a fourth generation Wildcat? He followed in his family's footsteps by becoming a Wildcat, and Jackson used his Bear Down spirit of determination to make the team and compete in tournaments during his first semester of college. Read our Arizona Athletics' profile on Jackson as he lives the Wildcat Way.
 
MEN'S HOOPS ROAD WIN & AWARDS



It was another banner week for Arizona Men's Basketball as the team picked up a pair of wins over Wyoming and Illinois. The victory in Champaign, Illinois was especially sweet as the Wildcats battled in a frenzied environment on national television and in front of a contingency of Wildcats in attendance. The resiliency and competitiveness displayed by our student-athletes was awe-inspiring to witness as they showed the nation what it means to Bear Down.
 
Coach Lloyd and the Wildcats are now 9-0 and ranked eighth in this week's Associated Press poll. The pair of victories also earned Bennedict Mathurin a Pac-12 Player of the Week award for a second consecutive week as well as USBWA National Player of the Week honors. Benn averaged 27.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists for the week while shooting an impressive 60.6 percent from the field. He became the first Wildcat since Hassan Adams in 2005-06 to earn back-to-back weekly honors as well as Arizona's first national player of the week since Lauri Markkanen in 2016-17.
 
In addition to tonight's game against Northern Colorado, Arizona welcomes Cal Baptist to McKale Center on Saturday, Dec. 18 for a 4 p.m. (MST) tip for the final home game of 2021. If you haven't already made your plans to join us for Saturday's game, click here to get your tickets.
 
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL BREAKING RECORDS



Arizona Women's Hoops record-breaking start to the season continues after defeating North Dakota State and New Mexico last week. The Wildcats received their highest ranking in program history, opening this week fourth in the nation in the AP poll. Coach Barnes and company, fresh off their first-ever ranking in the top five, will hit the road for a pair of road games this week.
 
Arizona faces Northern Arizona at 4 p.m. (MST) on Friday afternoon in Flagstaff before taking on No. 11 Texas in the Coast-To-Coast Challenge at 3:30 p.m. (MST) on Sunday, Dec. 19. The battle with the Longhorns will be broadcasted by ESPN and on 1400 AM on the radio dial in Tucson. Sunday's marquee match-up will be played in T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas with tickets available.
 
SOFTBALL SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED



Arizona Softball has released its 2022 schedule with television selections, so get those calendars out and reminders ready. The Cats will play their first nine games of the season inside the friendly confines of Hillenbrand Stadium, beginning with the season opener versus Southern Utah in the Candrea Classic on Thursday, Feb. 10.
 
The home schedule during conference play will see Arizona State, Washington, Oregon and Stanford all visit Tucson. The team will have 19 of its regular season games broadcasted nationally on the Pac-12 Networks in addition to the top-notch home schedule.
 
Year one of the Caitlin Lowe era of Arizona Softball will be another exciting chapter in the rich history of our program, and we can't wait to see the Wildcats take the field. Season tickets are now on sale, and you can purchase yours today. We will see you at Hillenbrand Stadium in February. Bear Down and Go Cats!
 
BEAR DOWN WITH ARIZONA FOOTBALL



Arizona Football has taken home some postseason hardware after receiving numerous Pac-12 awards. Stanley Berryhill III and Kyle Ostendorp were both named to the All-Pac-12 First Team while Kyon Barrs was a Second Team selection. Lucas Havrisik, Trevon Mason, Josh McCauley and Anthony Pandy all earned honorable mention from the conference. Kyle also earned First Team All-Conference honors from the Associated Press.
 
Coach Fisch has welcomed a pair of new coaches to his staff for 2022, and on behalf of the Wildcat Family, I would like to officially welcome defensive coordinator Johnny Nansen and defensive assistant coach Jason Kaufusi to town. These key additions to our coaching staff will continue our program's momentum for excellence on the field, in the classroom and in the community.
 
We've heard from fans about tickets for next season. You can put your deposit down now for your 2022 Arizona Football season tickets to Bear Down with Coach Fisch and the Wildcats. Click here to lock in your seats at Arizona Stadium.
 
CAT CRUISER

Our friends at Bon Voyage Travel are once again providing a Cat Cruiser bus trip for Arizona Men's Basketball's game at Arizona State on Saturday, Jan. 8. The game will tip off at either 12 p.m. or 2 p.m. (MST), and you can ride up to Tempe and back in our private, chartered bus with a meal for just $69 dollars. Click here for more information and to register for the Cat Cruiser.
 
LPGA CATS



LPGA Qualifying School wrapped up over the weekend in Alabama, and a trio of Wildcats successfully earned LPGA status for the 2022 season. Congratulations to Yu-Sang Hou, Vivian Hou and Bianca Pagdanganan on achieving your dreams of becoming a professional golfer. Watching Arizona Wildcats on the LPGA Tour makes the entire Wildcat Family proud, and we can't wait to see you all represent the Block A as professionals.
 
RED, WHITE AND BLUE MEET



Arizona Track & Field closed out the year with the Red, White and Blue intrasquad meet. All-American thrower Jordan Geist won the hammer throw and shot put competitions. The freshman duo of Reinaldo Rodrigues and Jenica Bosko swept the long jump events. There were a number of outstanding performances by a variety of student-athletes, and you can click here to read more.
 
The Wildcats will officially open the 2022 season on Friday, Jan. 14th at the Corky Classic, hosted by Texas Tech. A complete recap of the meet will be posted to ArizonaWildcats.com. You can also follow @ArizonaTrack on twitter throughout the day for live updates.
 
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