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WILDCAT HIGHLIGHT



We will begin highlighting our outstanding Wildcats in a new section in our weekly emails as we focus on the excellence of our student-athletes on the field, in the classroom and in the community. Freshman Daniel Susac has become a fixture in the Arizona Baseball lineup as the team's everyday catcher. Daniel was named Pac-12 Player of the Week as well as the Perfect Game/Rawlings National Player of the Week after hitting 10 for 18 with four home runs and 10 RBI in the Wildcats' four-game series versus Oregon.

The California native is hitting .313 this season and ranks second on the team in home runs (five) and RBI (24). Daniel was a two-sport star at Jesuit High School where he also shined as a quarterback on the football field. An avid bowler, with a career high of 246, Daniel is from a baseball family that includes an older brother, Andrew, who played six seasons in the major leagues and was a member of the San Francisco Giants' 2014 World Series team.

Hats off to Daniel and the rest of the Arizona Baseball program on the series win over No. 16 Oregon in its Pac-12 home opener. The Wildcats travel north for a four-game series at Arizona State starting on Thursday at 6 p.m. (MST).

HISTORIC RUN CONTINUES IN TEXAS



Arizona Women's Basketball historic run continues after Monday night's impressive win over Indiana to advance to the Final Four for the first time in program history. Coach Barnes and the Wildcats have been electric in all four of their victories in San Antonio as they continue to reach new heights.

Aari McDonald has demonstrated her greatness under the bright lights of the postseason by eclipsing 30 points in both the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight victories. Prior to those two outings, Arizona had only had one 30-point scorer in NCAA Tournament history, which was Coach Barnes during her run as a student-athlete in the 1998 NCAA Tournament.

It's been a tremendous opportunity to watch history in the making in person, and I know the Wildcat Family is beaming with pride each time the outstanding women in our program take the court. All of the program's coaches, student-athletes and support staff have truly demonstrated excellence each and every day of their two-week stay in Texas, and they are not done yet!

This incredible journey continues when Arizona faces UConn in the Final Four on Friday, April 2 at 6:30 p.m. (MST) on ESPN as well as on the radio on 1400 AM in Tucson. For those inquiring about getting your 2021-22 season tickets, click here to lock in your seats now.

SPRING GAME ANNOUNCEMENT



I am excited to announce in this week's Wildcat Wednesday that as part of our ongoing, phased-in approach to safely welcoming fans at home events, we have been approved to welcome up to 5,000 fans to attend this year's spring game. Kickoff at Arizona Stadium is set for 12 p.m. (MST) on Saturday, April 24.

We have worked with the Pima County Health Department, the state of Arizona and campus partners throughout this important process that began with a very limited amount of player and coach guests at baseball and softball games. We progressed to allowing a limited amount of additional fans in recent weeks, hosted the public with limited attendance at football practices and have continued to take all the appropriate steps in collaboration with local health authorities and campus leadership. Our intent is to safely host fans for the spring game, and we will continue to plan while monitoring the health and safety of our community.

I believe welcoming up to 5,000 fans into Arizona Stadium, which accounts for less than 10 percent of the venue's capacity, is the next step in this important process. As we continue to follow health and safety guidelines, we will continue to move towards a return to our game day atmosphere that is a fundamental touchstone of the fan and student-athlete experiences at Arizona Athletics.

We will be providing more detailed information, including how to reserve your free ticket, in addition to other updates on the Spring Game in future Wildcat Wednesdays as well as other direct emails to fans. Our ticketing plans for the spring game also include reserved tickets for ZonaZoo members. Please click here to sign up for Arizona Football emails and utilize this webpage for more information on the 2021 Arizona Football Spring Game and season tickets.

PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT: ARIZONA TRACK & FIELD



With the home stretch on the horizon of our outdoor season, Arizona Track & Field has already posted a banner season of awards and achievements. The Wildcats have already completed Top-20 NCAA performances a dozen times, including seven in the 400 meters and high jump alone.

Senior Justice Summerset posted the second-best NCAA finish on the men's side while Alexa Porpaczy cleared the top height in the NCAA earlier this year with her jump of six feet at the Willie Williams Classic. Porpaczy was followed by teammates Karla Teran (third) and Diana Ramos (19^th) who also cleared top-20 collegiate marks.

Freshman Johnnie Blockburger is a member of Arizona's run of Top-20 NCAA finishes, including his 400-meter time of 45.83 at the Willie Williams Classic to break the Wildcats' freshman record to earn Pac-12 Men's Track Athlete of the Week.

Junior Israel Oloyede, fresh off his Indoor NCAA runner-up finish in the weight throw, has continued his streak of excellence outdoors. Israel won the event at the Aztec Invite earlier this month with a throw of 69.20 meters.

Coach Harvey and the Wildcats will look to capture more NCAA marks and Arizona records when they return to the track this weekend at the Antelope Invitational, hosted by Grand Canyon University.

A MEN'S TENNIS WEEKEND TO REMEMBER



In case you missed it over the weekend, Arizona Men's Tennis posted a record-breaking sweep of the Los Angeles schools. The Cats downed No. 15 USC on Friday afternoon for the first time in over 20 years before posting the 4-1 victory over No. 22 on UCLA. Arizona entered their Sunday match-up with the Bruins with a 1-72 all-timer record against UCLA before capturing the victory.

The Wildcats enter this week with an undefeated mark of 4-0 in conference play and sit alone atop the Pac-12 standings. Gustaf Strom and Jonas Ziverts are ranked 15^th and 63^rd respectively in the ITA singles national rankings as Arizona begins the week ranked 17^th as a team. The Cats travel to the Bay Area this weekend as they look to add to their impressive Pac-12 record. Tip of the cap to Coach Shields and the program on a fantastic season and for being a point of pride for all of us.

SWIMMING & DIVING ALL-AMERICAN ACCOLADES



After highlighting the honors and accolades earned by Arizona Women's Swimming & Diving in last week's Wildcat Wednesday, our men's team brought home some more hardware from the NCAA Championships in North Carolina. Brooks Fail, a Tucson native, opened the championships by finishing third and earning All-American honors in the 500-meter freestyle. Brooks would go on to break the school record in the 1,650-meter freestyle to earn another All-America honor before tallying a third All-America title in the 200-meter butterfly.

Sophomore David Schlicht also earned multiple All-America nods, with a sixth-place finish in the 200-meter and fourth-place finish 400-meter individual medley race.

Tai Combs, Marin Ercegovic, Sam Iida, Hunter Ingram, Ognjen Maric, Daniel Namir, Ryan Perham and Noah Reid helped the Wildcats earn All-America honors in five of Arizona's relay teams as well.
Congratulations to Arizona Men's Swimming on the third place finish in the Pac-12 and 12^th place finish at the NCAA's in addition to these outstanding individual achievements in the pool as the Arizona Swimming & Diving record book continues to add chapters of competitive excellence.

BEAR DOWN AT AUGUSTA NATIONAL

Arizona Women's Golf duo of Yu-Sang and Vivian Hou are participating in the prestigious Augusta National Women's Amateur this week for a second time in their careers. The event, which started in 2019, is one of the top amateur events in the world and held at one of the most hallowed grounds in the game of golf.

Yu-Sang and Vivian will be proudly representing Arizona among a field of the best golfers in the world. They will tee off first thing in the morning on Wednesday on the Champions Retreat course for two rounds to try and make the cut for the third and final round, which is played on Augusta National and broadcasted on the Golf Channel.

You can follow along at @ArizonaWGolf on social media and check in on ArizonaWildcats.com as the Hou sisters compete with the Wildcat pride! Bear Down and Go Cats!

ARIZONA VOLLEYBALL

Unfortunately our final home volleyball match of the season was cancelled due to injuries on our opponent's roster, but Coach Rubio and the Wildcats were still able to honor their senior duo of Paige Whipple and Akia Warrior with a ceremony on Sunday on the floor of McKale Center. Click here to watch Paige and Akia's special senior sendoff.

Arizona Volleyball wraps up the regular season this weekend at Washington State, beginning on Thursday, April 1 at 6 p.m. (MST). Get your live stream and live stat information at ArizonaWildcats.com or on @ArizonaVBall on Twitter.

ARIZONA SOCCER



Coach Amato and the Wildcats return to the friendly confines of Mulcahy Stadium where they defeated Arizona State in their last home match on Friday, March 19. This weekend's matches versus Stanford and California are the home finales of the regular season and will both be broadcasted on the Pac-12 Networks.

The senior quartet of Hannah Clifford, Jill Aguilera, Sabrina Enciso and Jada Talley will be recognized for Senior Day against the Golden Bears in Sunday's 12 p.m. (MST) match. These four Wildcats have been an instrumental part of the growth and development of Arizona Soccer into the national program and a perennial power in the west.
 
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