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ESPN COLLEGE GAMEDAY COMES TO MCKALE

ESPN College GameDay will make its fourth appearance at McKale Center this weekend ahead of Arizona Men's Basketball's game with Oregon. ESPN's marquee road show will be live from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. (MST) for fans to attend for free. Doors at McKale will open at 7:30 a.m. (MST) and students will enter through the Zona Zoo entrance while all other fans should utilize the Gate A entrance near the McKale Center Ticket Office facing Fred Enke Drive. Parking is complimentary in the garages and surface lots around McKale on Saturday morning, but fans will need to vacate those parking areas after the conclusion of the show.
 
Saturday morning's national broadcast from Lute and Bobbi Olson Court will showcase our program, fans, athletics department and university. Let's fill McKale and show off our Wildcat pride! We can't wait to see you on Saturday morning.

 

This week's games in McKale Center begins with the Oregon State Beavers at 5:30 p.m. (MST) on Thursday, Feb. 17 on Pac-12 Networks and Wildcats Radio 1290 AM. There are tickets still available for Thursday's match-up with OSU, so click here to purchase yours. Saturday's action-packed schedule in McKale Center culminates with our 8 p.m. (MST) tip off against the Ducks on ESPN. Saturday's game, which is already sold out, is a red and white Stripe Out. Please check your section's color choice above  before coming to McKale.
 
REMINDER ON MASKING

We want to remind fans about the University of Arizona's masking guidance for indoor venues, which requires that surgical or higher-grade masks be worn. We will continue to provide masks upon entry to McKale Center for those in need as we all do our part to Bear Down and Mask Up!
 
BLACK HISTORY MONTH CELEBRATION



Arizona Athletics' celebration and recognition of Black History Month continues as we maintain our commitment to the core values of diversity and inclusion. We continue to post inspirational and powerful social media content, don our custom Black History Month clothing and welcome special guests and visitors to campus. You can get your own piece of Black History Month clothing at UA Bookstores.
 
We will host some key programming this week, which includes a screening of the Loyola Project documentary, collaborative community service project with African American Student Affairs and an interactive, augmented reality presentation by Dr. Bryan Carter on Afro-Futurism.
 
ANOTHER HOME SOFTBALL WEEKEND



After hosting the inaugural Mike Candrea Classic last weekend, Arizona Softball is back in action this weekend with the annual Hillenbrand Invitational. Kentucky, Loyola Marymount, Long Beach State and UC Santa Barbara make up this year's tournament field. The Cats will play in 3 p.m. (MST) and 5 p.m. (MST) doubleheaders on Friday and Saturday, beginning with UC Santa Barbara on Friday afternoon.
 
The Caitlin Lowe era began with a bang in a 22-1 season-opening win over Southern Utah, which was the largest margin of victory in a season opener in program history. Arizona collected three wins over the weekend with Allie Skaggs and Sharlize Palacios combining for three home runs and 13 RBI.
 
The crowds at Mike Candrea Field at Rita Hillenbrand Stadium were dynamic as the rich legacy of our home facility continued to write new chapters. Over 8,000 fans attended Arizona's three games of the tournament, following an electric opening night. The atmosphere of Arizona Softball home games is unrivaled, so click here to join us this weekend. The non-Arizona games of the Hillenbrand Invitational will be livestreamed by FloSports.
 
FIRST PITCH OF ARIZONA BASEBALL SEASON



The 2022 Arizona Baseball season officially begins this week when the team participates in the State Farm College Baseball Showdown at the home of the Texas Rangers, Globe Life Field, in Arlington. This is a marquee tournament that features Kansas State, Oklahoma and Texas Tech. The Wildcats will open the season versus Kansas State at 2 p.m. (MST) on Friday, February 18 with FloSports live streaming the entire tournament.
 
Our baseball program is coming off another fantastic season and there is a tremendous amount of enthusiasm surrounding the program going into this season with new head coach, and proud Wildcat alum, Chip Hale. On behalf of the Wildcat Family, I want to wish our baseball student-athletes, coaches and staff the best of luck this season. We all will be cheering you on!
 
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL HITS THE ROAD



After Sunday's win over Arizona State to improve its home record to a perfect 11-0, Arizona Women's Basketball heads to Washington for its final Pac-12 road trip this season. Wildcats open the week at Washington for an 8 p.m. (MST) tip off in Seattle on Friday, Feb. 18. The program continues its record-breaking streak of top-10 rankings for a 13^th consecutive week after being voted No. 8 in the AP poll this week.
 
With only two weeks until the Pac-12 Women's Basketball Tournament in Las Vegas, Coach Barnes and the Wildcats are continuing their historical 2021-22 season. Postseason is just around the corner, and we want all of our fans, alumni and supporters to get ready for even more Arizona Women's Basketball action. You can click here for more information on Pac-12 Women's Basketball Tournament tickets.
 
INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD HIGHLIGHTS



Arizona Track & Field continues to proudly represent the Block A as they compete during indoor season. It's been a busy month for the Wildcats with meets in Spokane, Flagstaff and Chicago. Wherever the Cats have gone, they've posted outstanding results.
 
Shannon Meisberger set a new school record in the 600-meters with an impressive time of 1:28.19 at the Windy City Invitational & Multis before running a personal best and winning the 400-meters a day later. Shannon's championship performances in Chicago highlighted a very successful two days of competition for the entire program.
 
Throwing stars Samantha Noennig and Jordan Geist both won at the WSU Invitational, earning titles in the shotput and weight throw respectively.
 
With less than a month until the NCAA Indoor Championships, Coach Harvey and the Wildcats have the NAU Tune Up this week and the Pac-12 Invitational next week. This indoor season continues to showcase how Arizona Track & Field lives the Wildcat Way by developing academic, athletic and life champions.
 
WOMEN'S AND MEN'S TENNIS ON A ROLL



Arizona Women's and Men's Tennis are off to hot starts this spring with a combined record of 14-3. Lexi Ryngler and Jonas Ziverts each took home Player of the Week honors for their teams.
 
Our programs have three home matches at the LaNelle Robson Tennis Center this weekend where both teams have yet to lose a match this season. Arizona Women's Tennis hosts NAU and San Jose State this weekend, beginning with the Lumberjacks at 2 p.m. (MST) on Friday, Feb. 18. The men's team will play UNLV on Sunday, Feb. 20 at 2 p.m. (MST). Admission is free for all home tennis matches, so come out and enjoy our beautiful campus and Bear Down with the Wildcats.
 
BEARDOWN PODCAST

Have you enjoyed an episode of the BearDown Podcast yet? Our official podcast features the stories of Arizona student-athletes, coaches, alumni and staff. Episodes can be streamed through a variety of platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts. You can also watch the podcast on Arizona Athletics' YouTube channel.
 
Recent episodes include golfers Gile Bite Starkute and Chase Sienkiewicz as well as Koi Love from Arizona Women's Basketball. Visit ArizonaWildcats.com/BearDownPod for more information. Bear Down and Go Cats!
 
LAS VEGAS IS WILDCAT COUNTRY

Are you making the trip to Las Vegas for the Pac-12 Women's and Men's Basketball tournaments? The University of Arizona Alumni Association is hosting tailgate parties for both tournaments on the Las Vegas strip. Join the Wildcat Family throughout both tournaments for great food and entertainment. Please click here for more information and to RSVP for these great events.
 
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