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NCAA MARCH MADNESS COMES TO MCKALE



The NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament returns to McKale Center for the third time as Coach Barnes and the Wildcats will be a No. 4 seed in this year's tournament. Hosting the NCAA Tournament is a tremendous honor and an opportunity to showcase Southern Arizona as a premier college basketball destination. With North Carolina, Stephen F. Austin and UNLV coming to town, it's time to fill McKale Center with that dynamic energy that our storied venue is known for.
 
All session passes for all three games this weekend are just $35 with single session tickets for $20. We've seen historic crowds in McKale throughout this season, and it's time to write some more chapters of the legacy of our program.
 
Fourth seed Arizona will face No. 13 UNLV at 7 p.m. (MST) on Saturday, March 19 on ESPN2 following the North Carolina and Stephen F. Austin game at 4:30 p.m. (MST). The postseason storylines for our team include the younger sister of Sam Thomas, Jade, coming to Tucson as a member of the Lady Rebels. Get your tickets now by clicking here, dialing 520-621-2287 or stopping by the McKale Center Ticket Office. Bear Down and Go Cats!
 
ANOTHER CHAMPIONSHIP AND A TRIP TO SAN DIEGO



Coach Lloyd and the Wildcats' magical season continued in Las Vegas with a dominant week at the Pac-12 Tournament that ended with the program's eighth Pac-12 Tournament championship. Three wins in three days in front of our "McKale North" crowd created a lifetime of memories for our student-athletes, coaches, staff as well as the entire Wildcat Family. Congratulations to our entire program on another championship and for representing the University of Arizona with pride.
 
Arizona Men's Basketball's season continues this week after being selected as the No. 1 seed in the south region of the NCAA Tournament. The Cats are off to San Diego for the first and second rounds, beginning with a 4:27 p.m. (MST) tip-off on Friday, March 17 on truTV as well as Wildcat Radio 1290 with Brian Jeffries on the call.
 
The month of March is a special time in college basketball, and we can't wait to cheer on the team alongside the entire Wildcat Family. Our unwavering support from fans, alumni and Wildcats across the globe is what makes being an Arizona Wildcat special.
 
TANYA HUGHES ENTERS HALL OF HONOR



Part of the celebration in Las Vegas around the Pac-12 Tournament last week was the official induction ceremony for the Pac-12 Hall of Honor's class of 2022. Wildcat legend Tanya Hughes was our representative for this prestigious honor. It was a privilege to be on hand as she received one of our conference's highest honors.
 
Tanya's outstanding legacy as a track and field student-athlete speaks for itself. She won four national championships in the high jump, was a seven-time All-American, named Academic All-American on two occasions, represented Team USA at the 1992 Olympic and was named the 1994 NCAA Woman of the Year. Tanya is a proud representative of our Wildcat Way mission as an athletic, academic and life champion. A Wildcat trail blazer, her induction during the 50^th anniversary of Title IX continued the rich legacy of success of women's sports at the University of Arizona.
 
WOMEN'S SWIMMING AT NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS

We want to wish our women's swimming and diving team the best of luck this week as they compete at the NCAA Championships in Atlanta. Seven outstanding Wildcats will hit the pool in the pursuit of championships and All-America honors. Aria Bernal, Alayna Connor, Lexi Duchsherer, Julia Heimstead, Jade Neser, Alyssa Schwengel and Delaney Schnell will compete in nearly two dozen events over the four days of action in Atlanta. Follow ArizonaWildcats.com and @ArizonaSwimDive on social media for all the updates and results from the pool.
 
TRACK AND FIELD CONTINUES WILDCAT WAY EXCELLENCE



A pair of Wildcat throwers, Jordan Geist and Samantha Noennig, earned All-America honors at the 2022 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in Birmingham, Alabama. Jordan turned in his best shot put performance of the indoor season on the way to his podium finish in third place. Samantha also put on a show from the circle to finish in fourth place in the shot put after her best throw of indoor season at 17.47 meters.
 
Jordan and Samantha wrapped up their final indoor seasons by adding to their careers of excellence and continuing to represent the Block A with pride. Hats off to these two Wildcat All-Americans and we look forward to seeing Arizona Track & Field competing again for championships during the spring.

Arizona Track & Field hosts its annual William Williams Classic this weekend at Roy P. Drachman Stadium. Friday and Saturday are full days of championship track and field action in the program's first outdoor meet of the spring season. Click here for ticket information. You can read schedule information here.
 
BASEBALL WELCOMES STANFORD TO HI CORBETT



Fresh off three wins over an extended weekend, Arizona Baseball returns to the friendly confines of Hi Corbett Field for its Pac-12 opener versus Stanford. The weekend series follows a little bit of a different schedule with Saturday, Sunday and Monday games at 5 p.m., 12 p.m. and 6 p.m. (MST) respectively. The Wildcats have an impressive winning percentage of 70 at home already, and you can cheer on the team by purchasing tickets to a game this weekend.
 
Daniel Susac earned some impressive honors after his performance last week, being named the Pac-12 and Perfect Game National Player of the Week. Daniel hit .526 with two doubles, two home runs and batted in 11 runs over a four-game span. He also posted a perfect fielding percentage during those games from his catcher position. Daniel is the third Wildcat to earn a Pac-12 weekly award this season as the team is off to another strong start.
 
BEAR DOWN COACH WALKER & ARIZONA VOLLEYBALL



We are excited to announce that head coach Steve Walker of Arizona Beach Volleyball has signed an extension to continue leading our program through the 2025 season. Steve has helped build and grow our beach volleyball program since its inaugural season in 2014, and his outstanding leadership has developed the program to national prominence.
 
Arizona Beach Volleyball is a program of excellence in the sand, the classroom and the community. As the sport continues to grow nationally, Steve and the tremendous young women in the program will continue to live the Wildcat Way by fulfilling our mission of becoming athletic, academic and life champions!
 
SPRING FOOTBALL PRACTICES CONTINUE

As Arizona Football returns from spring break, our student-athletes, coaches and staff will hit the field for another week of practices. The Wildcats will practice at 3:25 p.m. (MST) on Thursday, March 17 at the Dick Tomey Practice Field before Saturday's 11:30 a.m. (MST) practice. We want to remind fans that spring practices are open to the public with free admission. You can catch Coach Fisch and the Wildcats in action by entering the practice fields along the eastside near Bear Down Beach, just south of Fred Enke Drive.
 
Have you renewed your Arizona Football season tickets yet? Looking to buy new season tickets for the fall? Now is a great time to lock in your seats for the 2022 season ahead of our May deadline. For more season ticket information, click here.
 
WILDCATS HIT THE LINKS IN TUCSON



Arizona Men's Golf hosts its annual NIT tournament at Omni Tucson National this weekend. The Wildcats will tee off at 8 a.m. (MST) on Friday, March 18 for the first two rounds. Saturday's final round is scheduled to begin at 7:30 a.m. (MST). With two rounds of Friday being played in conflict with Arizona Men's Basketball's NCAA tournament game, Coach Anderson and the Wildcats will have a March Madness Watch Party tent on the property for you to tune into games and enjoy food and beverage. Saturday's action will conclude in the afternoon and allow time for fans to make it to McKale for Arizona Women's Basketball's NCAA tournament game versus UNLV. Come out and Bear Down with the Wildcats on the links this weekend.

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