Dear Wildcats: 

What a year it has been!  From thrilling championships to inspiring individual performances, so many of our teams made significant strides in their inaugural Big 12 Conference seasons, showcasing an unwavering spirit that defines Arizona Athletics, and setting a strong foundation for future success. Our most recent point of pride is the Arizona Baseball team…

Omaha! 

The Wildcats advanced to their 19th Men’s College World Series following a stirring run through the Big 12 Tournament, NCAA Eugene Regional and NCAA Chapel Hill Super Regional. The incredible postseason run created lifetime memories for our student-athletes, coaches and fans. Getting back to the Greatest Show on Dirt also brought approximately $64 million of media value for Arizona Athletics with millions of viewers watching throughout the postseason. Congrats to Arizona Baseball and Coach Hale for a tremendous season. 

Coach Hale Extended 

Speaking of Coach Hale … he has signed a four-year contract extension, keeping him in Tucson through at least the 2030 season. 

Coach Hale has led Arizona Baseball to back-to-back conference championships and the return to the Men’s College World Series in 2025 — our first CWS appearance in his tenure. His commitment to student-athlete development, competitive excellence, and the core values of our department continues to elevate the program and our University.  

As a proud Wildcat alum, Coach Hale embodies what it means to Bear Down, and we look forward to the continued momentum he brings to Arizona Baseball. 

Coach Stotland Signs Extension 

We want to share that Head Women’s Tennis Coach Ryan Stotland has signed a contract extension through the 2028 season.  

Since rejoining Arizona in 2018, Coach Stotland has built a culture rooted in competitive growth, academic success, and integrity. His leadership continues to drive progress across all facets of the program, as evidenced by appearances in the NCAA Tournament the past two seasons. We look forward to the impact he will continue to make in the years ahead.  

Coach Court Makes it Three Coaches To Sign Extensions

Head Gymnastics Coach John Court has also signed a contract extension through the 2028 season.  

Coach Court led the GymCats to an impressive 2024–25 season, highlighted by a Sweet 16 finish and his recognition as Big 12 Coach of the Year. His leadership continues to elevate Arizona Gymnastics through competitive consistency, athlete development, and a culture built on integrity and resilience.  

And be on the lookout as we may have more great news to share this week!  

Track & Field Staff Updates

After 38 years as a member of our track and field coaching staff - including the last 23 as head coach - Fred Harvey announced his plans to retire at the end of the 2024-25 season. We thank Coach Harvey for his decades of dedication to our program, he has left a lasting mark on our student-athletes, staff and the sport as a whole. 

As we went through the search process, there was one name that kept coming to the top of the list and that was Andrew Dubs. He has 14 years of coaching experience at the Division I level and has served as the head coach of USA National Track & Field for the past five years. He brings a proven track record of success through examplary preparation along with a vision, energy and commitment to student-athlete success that make him the right leader for the next chapter in Arizona Track & Field/Cross Country. 

On to the Next Level 

We had a couple of members of our men’s basketball team take the next steps in their basketball journey this past week and we are thrilled to continue rooting them on. Carter Bryant was taken with the 14th overall pick in the NBA Draft by the San Antonio Spurs while Caleb Love will be signing a two-way contract with the Portland Trailblazers and Trey Townsend will play in the NBA Summer League with the New Orleans Pelicans. We look forward to following their careers as they write the next chapter of Wildcats in the NBA.  

Did you know – Arizona is one of six schools in the country that had a first round draft pick in the NFL and NBA Drafts this year! The others are North Carolina, Penn State, Michigan, Texas and Georgia 

Another Record-Setting Semester in the Classroom 

In the Spring 2025 semester, Arizona’s student-athletes combined to earn an average 3.389 GPA – the highest semester GPA in school history! It marked the 15th consecutive semester with student-athletes earning at least a 3.0 GPA or higher – the longest streak in department history. 
   
And the records don't stop there. The cumulative GPA for the department was 3.400, which is also the highest in school history, with the semester GPA for women's teams at 3.573 and the men's teams at 3.211, both new records.  

Three Wildcat student-athletes won Big 12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors – Tanvi Narendran (Women's Tennis), Jay Friend (Men's Tennis) and Tony Pluta (Baseball). Friend was also named a First Team Academic All-American by Collegiate Sports Communicators (CSC), becoming the first Arizona men's tennis player to garner First Team honors. Malia Rausch from women's swimming and diving earned Third Team Academic All-American honors. 

Territorial Cup Stays in Tucson 

The Wildcats secured their third consecutive Territorial Cup in 2024-25, and winning six of the past eight years in the rivalry with Arizona State. This year’s six-point victory (14-8) was the largest margin since the series began in the 2009-10. The 14 points are the most one school has scored in a single season in this history of the series! 

Bear Down Blueprint Released 

Arizona Athletics released The Bear Down Blueprint last week, a bold and comprehensive five-year strategic plan that will guide the department through 2030. Built through a collaborative, data-informed process, the plan reflects Arizona’s core values and outlines clear priorities that will drive continued excellence on the field, in the classroom, and throughout the community. 

Rooted in the values of Respect, Integrity, Community, Excellence, and Resilience, The Bear Down Blueprint is organized around four strategic pillars: 

Graduating Leaders – Elevating the holistic student-athlete experience through academic support, career readiness and performance development. 

Winning Championships – Achieving sustained success in the Big 12 Conference and nationally through excellence in performance and preparation. 

Galvanizing Community – Strengthening relationships with alumni, fans, and partners across the state and beyond. 

Organizational Strength – Enhancing operations, financial sustainability, and professional development through a values-based culture. 

To view the full plan, please click here: Bear Down Blueprint 

House Settlement Approved 

Federal Judge Claudia Wilken issued her final approval of the House Settlement on Friday, June 6.  

Arizona Athletics is ready. 

Thanks to the support of President Garimella and our campus colleagues, we are prepared to implement the necessary steps to fully participate with the settlement terms. This is a transformational time for Arizona Athletics, and we are committed to embracing change and innovation in the evolving landscape. This is a powerful opportunity to strengthen our support for student-athletes and build on our championship tradition as we compete at the highest level.  

For more information on the Settlement and what this means for the Wildcats, visit our FAQ page here. 

Wildcats Among the Elite in Community Service 

Arizona’s C.A.T.S. Student-Athlete Development unit capped off another fantastic year, finishing as one of five finalists for NACDA’s Fiesta Bowl Community Service Award, an honor that recognizes department-wide community impact over the course of the 2024-25 school year. It is a great accomplishment for our student-athletes and staff and is indicative of the department’s effort to establish a culture of impact, service and heart. 

Football, Soccer and Volleyball Season Tickets are LIVE! 

For those still looking to lock up 2025-26 season tickets for the Wildcats’ football, soccer and volleyball seasons, doing so is just a click away! 

Check Out Wildcat Wednesday from Bear Down Podcast 

The "Wildcat Wednesday", produced by Arizona Athletics, is a weekly episode on the Bear Down Podcast that highlights the stories of Arizona student-athletes, coaches, and letterwinners. 

Last week's episode included:

• Motiejus Krivas (Men's Basketball) talking about his return to the court from injury and the one thing he's looking to do while back home in Lithuania for a couple weeks
• Lydia Russell (Triathlon) discusses winning an Ironman competition recently
• Zach Extine (Track & Field) talks about finishing second at the NCAA Championships
   
  Each episode delves into the personal journeys of Wildcats across various sports, offering listeners behind-the-scenes access into their experiences and achievements. The episodes serve as a platform to celebrate the dedication and hard work of Arizona's athletic community.  
   
  Episodes are available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and ArizonaWildcats.com by clicking here! 

Stay in Touch with the Wildcat Club! 

Just a reminder that you can always stay up-to-date with all Wildcat Club happenings by visiting us online here, emailing us at wildcatclub@arizona.edu or by calling 520-621-CLUB! 

We sincerely appreciate your steadfast support and dedication to Arizona Athletics. Your generosity drives our programs forward and enables our student-athletes to achieve excellence both academically and athletically, inspiring them to reach new heights, on and off the field. 

Thank you for supporting our 504 student-athletes.  We wish you and your loved ones a Happy Fourth of July and a wonderful summer.  We look forward to seeing you back in Tucson this Fall! 

Bear Down. 

 Go Cats. 

 One Arizona! 

Desiree Reed-Francois

Vice President and Director of Athletics

University of Arizona

PS - The “KidsCats Club" is Back!

After reviewing fan surveys and listening to your feedback during the Bear Down Takeover Tour, we heard you—The KidsCats Club is back! 

Memberships include: 

• -Invitations to exclusive events 
• -Free admission to most sporting events 
• -Discounted season tickets for family members for select sports 
• -Discounted admission to events for up to four people for select non-conference football games  
• -An official Club Goodie Bag. 

Important links including registration for The Kids Club are here:  

KidCats Website 

KidCats Membership Sign-Up 

Hughes Federal Credit Union Sign-Up 

If you have any questions, please contact KidCats headquarters at ICA-KidCatsClub@arizona.edu. 

We hope to see you at the fun events we have planned for this upcoming year!