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BEAR DOWN WITH COACH LLOYD AND THE WILDCATS



Saturday was a terrific day of celebration after the Senior Day win over California as we celebrated the 17^th conference championship in Arizona Men's Basketball history. We recognized the excellence of the program in front of our fifth sold-out crowd of the season and marked the continuation of an impressive record. Arizona Men's Basketball, with an average attendance of 13,414 for the season, has now led the Pac-12 Conference in attendance for a 37^th consecutive season. This is a tremendous accomplishment for our program, and it represents a point of pride for the Wildcat Family. Thank you all for continuing to make McKale Center the storied venue that it is as well as the best environment in college basketball.
 
On Tuesday, the program dominated the Pac-12's postseason awards as Bennedict Mathurin was named Pac-12 Player of the Year, Christian Koloko earned Most Improved and Defensive Player of the Year, Pelle Larson was the league's Sixth Man of the Year and Coach Lloyd earned the John R. Wooden Pac-12 Coach of the Year award. Those three student-athletes, alongside Dalen Terry and Azoulas Tubelis, earned spots on various all-conference teams.
 
The historic season for Coach Lloyd and the Wildcats continues this week in Las Vegas at the Pac-12 Tournament. The conference tournament in Las Vegas has become a second home to all our fans, alumni and supporters as we turn Southern Nevada into McKale North. The Cats will hit the hardwood in T-Mobile Arena for a 1 p.m. (MST) tip off on Thursday, March 10 against the winner of the Arizona State-Stanford game. The Pac-12 Networks and FOX will carry all tournament games in Las Vegas. You can click here to view the tournament bracket and get ticket information here.
 
2022 PAC-12 HALL OF HONOR



On behalf of the entire Wildcat Family, I want to congratulate Tanya Hughes on entering the Pac-12 Hall of Honor. Tanya is one of our great champions, and her career as a track and field student-athlete epitomized our Wildcat Way standard of championship excellence. She was a four-time NCAA champion in the high jump, a seven-time All-American, two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American and our school's first NCAA Woman of the Year honoree. Tanya went on to compete in the 1992 Olympic Games and competed at the highest international levels of track and field.
 
As part of the 2022 class of honorees, Tanya is joining prestigious company in the Conference of Champions. Her induction in the Pac-12 Hall of Honor is a recognition and acknowledgment of the greatness she displayed while living the Wildcat Way as an athletic, academic and life champion. Bear Down Tanya!
 
NCAA SELECTION SUNDAY



We want to remind fans that the NCAA Tournament Selection Show for both men and women hoops will be on Sunday, March 13. The postseason destination and matchups for our basketball programs will be revealed, beginning with the men's tournament selection show at 3 p.m. (MST) on CBS. ESPN will carry the women's tournament selection show beginning at 5 p.m. (MST). ArizonaWildcats.com will be your home for all your NCAA Tournament gameday information, press conferences and content as soon as Selection Sunday begins.
 
LUTE OLSON ENDOWMENT



Men's Basketball's win over Stanford on Thursday came on our Coach Olson Tribute Night as we paid tribute to our iconic coach. Coach Olson's legacy at the University of Arizona was one of true excellence on and off the court as he impacted generations of student-athletes while putting our university, athletics department and community on the map.
 
The Lute Olson Endowment for Excellence was established to continue his passion for developing student-athletes on the court, in the classroom and as part of our Southern Arizona community. The University of Arizona Foundation presented a check for $250,000 at halftime of the Stanford game as a matching donation to the endowment. You can support this important cause by donating at ArizonaWildcats.com/LuteEndowment.
 
BEAR DOWN FIESTA WITH ARIZONA SOFTBALL



The Wildcats will wrap up their non-conference schedule with this weekend's Bear Down Fiesta Tournament, which will feature nine games at Mike Candrea Field at Rita Hillenbrand Stadium over Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Arizona Softball, ranked eighth in this week's NFCA poll, will get things started with a 6 p.m. (MST) first pitch versus Yale on Friday, March 11.
 
The Cats will have a doubleheader versus UNLV and Marist at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. (MST) on Saturday before their weekend finale at 12 p.m. (MST) against Marist on Sunday, March 13. With an average crowd of just under 2,000 fans this season, the gameday environment at softball games continues the rich tradition and legacy of our venue. Be a part of this weekend's games by purchasing tickets.
 
NCAA INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON



Coach Harvey and the Wildcats of Arizona Track & Field are off with a pair of star throwers competing for more hardware. Seniors Samantha Noennig and Jordan Geist will take to the circle in the shotput on Saturday where they will look to add more podium finishes to their illustrious careers.
 
Our program has achieved championship success at the NCAA Indoor Championships in recent history with 12 Wildcats earning All-American honors since 2018. Visit ArizonaWildcats.com and @ArizonaTrack to follow this Wildcat duo's quest for more championships. Good luck Samantha and Jordan! We will be cheering you on.
 
GYMCATS BACK IN MCKALE



Arizona Gymnastics is hosting its final home meet of the season on Thursday with a non-conference matchup against Sacramento State at 2 p.m. (MST) in McKale Center. Last week, the Wildcats celebrated senior MacKinzie Kane for all her hard work and dedication she has given to this program. The GymCats continue to post season and career high scores every meet, including a team score of 49.425 on the floor against Oregon State. This also ranked in the top 10 in program history.
 
The GymCats will then head to BYU on Saturday, March 12 at 12 p.m. (MST) for their final regular season meet before preparing for the Pac-12 Championships. You don't want to miss your final opportunity to catch Coach Court and the Wildcats in McKale this Thursday afternoon. Tickets begin at $5 for seniors, youth, and veterans and $8 for the general public.
 
MEN'S SWIMMING AT PAC-12'S



Championships were won and personal bests were set by the men's swimming team at the Pac-12 Championships in Federal Way, Washington. A whole pack of Wildcats made NCAA qualifying times as Brooks Fail led the way with the Pac-12 title in the 1,650-meter freestyle with an impressive time of 14:41.22. He also finished second in the 500-meter freestyle. Our 200-meter freestyle relay team also earned a podium finish and earned a NCAA A cut time of 1:16:57.
 
Arizona closed the championships out with 51 A and B cuts for NCAA Championships, which begin on Wednesday, March 23 in Atlanta. Hats off to our student-athletes, coaches and staff for proudly representing the University of Arizona in postseason. Bear Down and Go Cats!
 
SPRING FOOTBALL PRACTICES AND GAME

March marks the beginning of spring football, and Coach Fisch and the Wildcats want to see you at a practice! Our next spring practice will be Tuesday, March 15 at 3:25 p.m. (MST) at the Dick Tomey Practice Fields. All spring practices are open to the public and free to attend. Arizona Football's practices will culminate with the Spring Game, which is scheduled for 12 p.m. (MST) on Saturday, April 9. Admission for the Spring Game is free and you can reserve your seat now by clicking here. We can't wait to see you at practices this spring as we prepare for an exciting season of Arizona Football.
 
BEARDOWN PODCAST

Enjoying the official podcast of Arizona Athletics? The BearDown Podcast is 16 episodes into its first season as we continue to tell the story of our student-athletes, coaches and staff. Our most recent interview was with Arizona Diving star, and Olympic silver medalist, Delaney Schnell who discusses her surreal run to the Tokyo Olympic Games, storied Arizona career and life after diving.
 
The podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube for you to enjoy. You can find out more information by following @BearDownPodcast on Twitter as well.

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