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WELCOME COACH LLOYD

I announced the appointment of Tommy Lloyd as our next head coach, pending approval from the Board of Regents, to open last week's Wildcat Wednesday email. It was my honor and privilege to be a part of Coach Lloyd's official press conference, in person on the floor of McKale Center, as we officially introduced him to the Wildcat Family. You can click here to watch the entire event if you missed it.
 
Coach Lloyd's passion for coaching, developing student-athletes and the legacy of our storied program is apparent within minutes of any conversation you have with him. His pedigree as a key architect for two decades at the Gonzaga program showcased his recruiting acumen, elite championship-level coaching and commitment to his role as a leader at an athletic department and university.


 
His arrival in Southern Arizona to lead our men's basketball program is the beginning of the next exciting chapters in Arizona Basketball history. Please join me in once again welcoming Coach Lloyd and his family to Arizona Athletics and the University of Arizona.
 
I've heard from countless fans since Coach Lloyd's press conference about tickets for next season. Current season ticket holders have until May 1 to renew their seats for the 2021-22 season by clicking here. Fans can also purchase new season tickets today.
 
WNBA DRAFT RECAP



Thursday was a memorable day in the history of Arizona Women's Basketball, Arizona Athletics and the University of Arizona as a pair of Wildcats were selected in the WNBA Draft. Aari McDonald became the program's first player to be selected in the first round when the Atlanta Dream picked her with the third overall pick. Trinity Baptiste was selected by Indiana Fever with the 24^th overall pick and joins Aari in fulfilling a professional dream.


 
Our Wildcat Way student-athlete experience is rooted in the holistic development of our Wildcats in their sport, in the classroom and in our community while they are on campus. Yet, the complete fulfillment of that experience also includes becoming professional Wildcats, leaders in their community and proud alums of this great university. Congratulations to Trinity and Aari on beginning this next chapter of their Wildcat journeys and thank you for being proud ambassadors of the University of Arizona.
 
WRAPPING UP SPRING PRACTICE



We are halfway through the final week of Arizona Football spring practice, culminating with Saturday's spring game at 12 p.m. at Arizona Stadium. With hundreds of alumni returning for the weekend, Saturday's festivities will be a great experience for our student-athletes, coaches and staff as well as our loyal supporters.
 
As we previously announced in Wildcat Wednesday, we will be safely welcoming a limited audience of up to 5,000 fans to Arizona Stadium for Saturday's game. We opened up complimentary spring game tickets for fans to reserve last week and quickly ran out of available tickets. If you were unable to reserve your tickets for Saturday, you can join our wait list by clicking here. We want all our fans to know that we will not have tickets available for reservations on site nor will we be providing tickets on a walk-up basis, so please ensure you have reserved tickets before coming down to the stadium.
 
Running out of available seats for the spring game in a matter of days is a testament to the Wildcat Family who continue to support our programs and student-athletes through these challenging times. It is also a tip of the cap to the excitement generated around the program since Coach Fisch, and his staff, began leading our program. While we quickly ran out of spring game tickets, fans can still lock in their seats for the 2021 season by renewing their season tickets or clicking here to purchase new ones.
 
Our 2021 Arizona Football Spring Game will be broadcasted by the Pac-12 Networks. We can't wait to safely welcome the Wildcat Family to Arizona Stadium on Saturday, and we want to make sure we send a few reminders to you all ahead of time.

• Make sure you add your reserved tickets as mobile tickets to your Apple Wallet or Google Pay before departing for Arizona Stadium.
• Complete your Wildcat WellCheck prior to arriving at Arizona Stadium as Gates 2, 3, 6 and 8 will all be open for fan entry with ticket reservations
• Wear a mask at all times when on the University of Arizona campus
• Please sit in the assigned seats as designated on reserved tickets
• Bathroom and concessions will be open adjacent to seating areas
• Parking in adjacent garages and surrounding lots on campus is free on weekends
• Please adhere to Arizona Athletics' clear bag policy for entry

TRACK AND FIELD'S FANTASTIC YEAR CONTINUES



It was another meet and another weekend of record-setting performances by Arizona Track & Field. The West Coast Classic saw Wildcats competing in Oregon and Tucson with sophomore Kaelyn Shipley highlighting the weekend's success. The Pacific Northwest native broke the school record in the javelin with a monumental throw of 51.02 meters to break Julie DeMarni's record that had stood for 19 years.


 
Our throwers continued their season-long success as Jordan Geist set a personal best in his hammer throw win with the fifth-best throw in the NCAA this year. Samantha Noennig picked up another victory when she won the shotput with a new PR and NCAA leading mark of 18.17 meters.
Arizona also swept the men's and women's high jump as Justice Summerset and Lillian Lowe won the events while setting season and personal bests.
 
Coach Harvey and the Wildcats have one more home meet, the Desert Heat Classic on May 1, before beginning Pac-12 Championship competition in Los Angeles.
 
BEAR DOWN COACH BARNES



As you may have already seen, Arizona Women's Basketball head coach Adia Barnes has spent some time in South Carolina as a member Dawn Staley's Team USA coaching staff for the AmeriCup competition. This experience is another impressive accomplishment for Coach Barnes who has already proven to be one of the best coaches in the country and just guided the team in an amazing run to the national championship game.
 
We also want to celebrate the Arizona Board of Regents' approval of Coach Barnes' new contract that will have her at the helm of our program through 2024. What Coach Barnes has built at the University of Arizona, in a short amount of time, is a true testament to our Wildcat Way approach to everyday life at Arizona Athletics and to her as a tremendous leader, mentor, mother and coach.
 
SOCCER SEASON REFLECTION



Arizona Soccer's season came to an official end but did so on a high note. The Wildcats' 2-0 victory in Tempe marked their sixth consecutive win over our in-state rivals. It was fitting that our two goals in the season-ending win came from the senior duo of Jada Talley and Jill Aguilera as the program closed the spring strong with five victories in the final month of the season. Jada and Jill were named All-Pac-12 performers earlier today.
 
We are extremely proud of how Arizona Soccer competed and overcame adversity to post another excellent season with a record of 9-5-1. The uncertainty of the global pandemic and the delay of the season until the spring were just some of the obstacles topped by our student-athletes and coaching staff, and their determination to persevere through it all is something we can all be proud of.
 
Hats of to all our soccer student-athletes, Coach Amato and his staff for competing for and achieving excellence under unprecedented circumstances. Your resiliency and unity throughout this challenging season will resonate in our memories of this season. We can't wait to see you all take the pitch again and build on everything you accomplished this season.
 
A MEN'S TENNIS SEASON FOR THE RECORD BOOKS



Coach Shields and the Wildcats' continue their memorable run through their banner spring season. Saturday's 4-0 sweep of the Sun Devils marked the program's first win over Arizona State since 2006 and was a spectacular cap to the regular season. With a record of 18-6, Arizona Men's Tennis has completed its winningest season in program history. The team's 5-2 mark in Pac-12 play tied its highest Pac-12 finish in program history, finishing one match behind conference champion Stanford. However, the season isn't over yet.
 
Arizona is off to Ojai, California for the Pac-12 Championships where they will look to continue this magical season in preparation for the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats are sure to have plenty of matches left this postseason, and we are all behind them cheering them on.
 
PAC-12 CHAMPIONSHIP SEASONS

Postseason competition is a key part of the student-athlete experience at Arizona, and Pac-12 Conference championships and tournaments are the foundation of postseason opportunities. There are few greater feelings for Wildcats than competing to be a champion of the Conference of Champions. Postseason Pac-12 competition also provides the opportunity to qualify or enhance positioning for NCAA postseason competition.
 
Over the next 10 days, five our programs will begin their postseason journeys at the Pac-12 Championships. Men's Tennis, Women's Tennis and Women's Golf begin postseason competition on Friday, April 23. Men's Golf will begin the Pac-12 Championships on Tuesday, April 26 before Beach Volleyball begins their quest for a Pac-12 title on Thursday, April 29.
 
We want to wish all of the student-athletes, coaches and staff of these five programs the best of luck as they begin their postseasons. Competing for championships while representing the Block A is a pinnacle moment in any career, so Bear Down and Go Cats!
 
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