Follow Dave Heeke on Twitter | Sign Up for the Wildcat Wednesday

UPDATE ON FAN ATTENDANCE

We shared some exciting news for the Wildcat Family over the weekend with our announcement of limited, additional fan attendance at home baseball and softball games, starting this week when Arizona Baseball hosts Wichita State.
 
Having our fans cheering on our student-athletes and coaches in person is a pivotal part of our student-athlete experience and the foundation of our fan experience at venues. By offering limited single game tickets for purchase to season ticket holders at Hi Corbett Field and Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium, we are taking the next step in our phased approach to safely welcoming fans back to our facilities.
 
Single game tickets for Arizona Baseball have already gone on sale with Arizona Softball tickets available to purchase beginning Tuesday, March 16. Please click here to read important information on purchasing tickets as well as our health and safety protocols for fan attendance.
 
This is terrific news for everyone associated with Arizona Athletics, and I can't wait to join our fans in cheering on the Wildcats. Bear Down and Go Cats!
 
ARIZONA BASKETBALL PAC-12 AWARDS



We want to congratulate the four members of Arizona Men's Basketball who were recognized with Pac-12 Conference awards yesterday. All-conference accolades are an honor and a sign of excellence for any student-athlete and tip of the cap to Azoulas, Bennedict, James and Jordan for earning these accolades.
 

• Azoulas Tubelis was named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team as well as earning All-Pac-12 Honorable mention after finishing third in the conference in rebounding and winning a pair of Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honors.
• Bennedict Mathurin joined Azoulas on the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team as Wildcats made up two of the five-man team. Bennedict finished the year ranked in the top ten of the conference in free throw and three-point field goal percentage.
• Jordan Brown became the first Wildcat in program history to earn Sixth Man of the Year honors after a season as a valuable contributor off the bench, ranking ninth in the Pac-12 in field goal percentage.
• James Akinjo earned a spot on the All-Pac-12 Team, giving the program a First Team All-Pac-12 honoree in 12 of the last 13 seasons. He also became the first Wildcat since T.J. McConnell in 2015 to lead the conference in assists.

CALENDAR DATES FOR FOOTBALL



We included the 2021 Arizona Football schedule in last week's Wildcat Wednesday as the Pac-12 Conference announced dates and opponents. We want to follow up this week with a pair of key dates to add to your calendar.
 
Family Weekend will be the second weekend of October as the Wildcats host UCLA on Saturday, Oct. 9 at Arizona Stadium. Homecoming has been scheduled for the weekend of Arizona's home game against California on Saturday, Nov. 6.
 
These are important weekends to the Wildcat Family. As we continue to receive more guidance for safely welcoming fans to Arizona Stadium, we will communicate with you all on how to safely celebrate these important key dates.
 
SELECTION MONDAY FOR COACH BARNES AND THE CATS



The NCAA Women's Basketball Selection Show is set for Monday, March 15^th at 4 p.m. (MST) on ESPN before switching to ESPNU an hour later. We are inviting all Wildcat Wednesday subscribers to tune in, cheer on the Wildcats and see where the team will play during the 2021 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament as the program will be participating in March Madness for the first time since 2005. Set those alarms and reminders to record now to Bear Down with Arizona Women's Basketball on Monday.
 
PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT: ARIZONA WOMEN'S TENNIS



Coach Stotland and the Wildcats are off to a strong start this spring with a record of 8-4, including an impressive home record of 6-1. The Wildcats continue Pac-12 play on Friday when they open their Washington trip in Seattle against the Huskies.
 
The Arizona Women's Tennis roster is a fantastic blend of international student-athletes from eight different countries, including the United States, Israel, Canada, Serbia, the Philippines, Belgium, Hungary and England. Senior Gitte Heynemans, from Hofstrade, Belgium, leads the team in singles action with a record of 10-2. She is one of three Wildcats, alongside Khim Igulpas and Jelena Lukic, to have active multiple-game singles win streaks.
 
Coach Stotland and his staff have also signed a pair of decorated recruits to join the program, including five-star American recruit Parker Fry and Midori Castillo Meza. The future will remain bright for Arizona Women's Tennis as they continue to be a point of pride for our University, athletics department and community.
 
ARIZONA VOLLEYBALL THIS WEEKEND



Arizona Volleyball returns to the friendly confines of McKale Center this weekend where the team has won its last five matches, including a pair of wins over No. 7 Stanford. Senior Paige Whipple has returned to the Wildcats rotation where she is joined by two-time Pac-12 Freshman of the Week Sofia Maldonado Diaz.
 
First serve of the weekend against Colorado is set for 6 p.m. (MST) on Friday, March 12 as Arizona looks to improve and add to its three wins in the last four head-to-head meetings. Utilize ArizonaWildcats.com for all your game day information and checkout ArizonaLiveStats.com for all your in-game scoring and statistics on your mobile device. Best of luck to Coach Rubio and the program this weekend against the Buffaloes.
 
CAMPUS RECOGNITION



We want to share a tremendous honor bestowed upon the University of Arizona with our Wildcat Wednesday readers. Our institution was named one of the top producers of Fulbright Scholars in the nation. UArizona made the list in record-setting fashion as its dedication to excellence in the classroom made national headlines. This is a tremendous accomplishment for our entire University community and is an outstanding feather in the cap for the entire Wildcat Family to celebrate.
 
TEACHER OF THE YEAR



Arizona Athletics would like to congratulate the 2020-21 winner of the University of Arizona Online Amazing High School Teacher of the Year, Mr. Jeffrey Mann of Flowing Wells High School. This is a tremendous end to our ongoing recognition of outstanding teachers within Southern Arizona school districts through the University of Arizona Online Amazing High School Teacher of the Year Award program. We believe that the partnership between higher education and public education is an important way to recognize teachers for their outstanding efforts on behalf of students. Click here to watch this great interview with Jeffrey from KGUN 9.
 
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