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C.A.T.S. FOREVER PROGRAM
The first thing you see when you review the five goals and principles of Arizona Athletics is ‘Graduate Student-Athletes.’ We take the student portion of student-athlete very seriously and think that promoting academic progress is a big piece of providing a first-class experience for all the young men and women that compete as Wildcats. To that end, we’re excited to announce an enhancement to the existing C.A.T.S. Forever program.
The mission of the C.A.T.S. Forever program is to assist former student-athletes in fulfilling the goal of graduation for those who left school before receiving their undergraduate degree. Last year, the athletics department evaluated the program and was able to expand it based on deregulation of NCAA policies. Now, the C.A.T.S. Forever Program is able to help former student-athletes with financial assistance for their tuition.
There are three components to the C.A.T.S. Forever Program: academic assistance, personal-development assistance and financial assistance. Through this program, the athletics department helps former student-athletes with admission, registration and course evaluation. Financial assistance is available for fall and spring semesters, however it will not be guaranteed to all student-athletes who apply.
This program serves as an excellent way for Arizona Athletics to better serve former student-athletes and assist them in obtaining their degrees. The department and the A-Club Letterwinners Association continue to develop programming to help our letterwinners with life after college, and this is one of the many programs we are able to offer. For more information, please contact the A-Club Office at (520) 621-9272, email us at letterwinners@arizona.edu or visit the C.A.T.S. Forever website by clicking HERE.
COOKIE BAKING AND DELIVERY TO WILDCAT CLUB MEMBERS
Last week, Regina and I had the pleasure of hosting 14 student-athletes at our house to bake Valentine’s Day cookies for our Wildcat Club members. We randomly selected individuals from each giving level to have the cookies delivered to their home to show our appreciation for their support of our department and its student-athletes. We can’t thank our Wildcat Club members enough for all they do and we hope those of you that received cookies had as much fun eating them as we did baking them. To view the Valentine’s Day video, click on the photo below.
ESPN COLLEGE GAMEDAY COMING TO TUCSON
In case you haven’t heard, ESPN College GameDay is coming to Tucson this Saturday! Rece Davis, Jay Bilas, Jay Williams and Seth Greenberg will all be in the McKale Center this Saturday and all Wildcat fans are invited and encouraged to attend. Doors will open at 7:15 a.m. Enter through the ZonaZoo entrance on the west side of the arena. Admission and parking are free. The ESPNU show will air from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. and the ESPN show will air from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. This is another example of how athletics can bring exposure to the University and the city of Tucson. ClickHERE for more information. Let’s pack McKale and put on a good show for national TV!
BASEBALL HOSTS RICE THIS WEEKEND
Baseball’s home stand continues this weekend vs. ranked opponent Rice University. First pitch on Friday is 3 p.m. The start time is not ideal for most fans, but it was necessary to accommodate the Pac-12 Networks request to show this game live on TV. Saturday’s game starts at noon and make sure you get out to Hi Corbett early as the first 500 fans will receive the Arizona Wildcats sports watch pictured below. The final game of the series will take place on Sunday at 11 a.m. for Sunday Funday where you will find 50% off select concession items and all kids will be able to run the bases after the game. Season tickets, mini-plans and individual game tickets are all still available for the 2015 season. To purchase tickets or for more information, click HERE.
SUPPORT WOMEN’S BASKETBALL IN SEATTLE AT THE PAC-12 TOURNAMENT
As the basketball regular season winds down, now is a good time to remind fans the Pac-12 Women’s Basketball Tournament is set for March 5-8 in Seattle at Key Arena. Tickets for the tournament are now available. All-session passes start at $90 and single-session, flex-books and group tickets are all available. Click HERE for the tournament central webpage where you will find all pertinent information on tickets, schedules, standings, Key Arena and the city of Seattle.
A-CLUB SILVER ANNIVERSARY C.A.T.S. AWARD
The mission of the C.A.T.S. program (Commitment to Athlete's Total Success) at the University of Arizona is the development of the student-athlete as a whole person, encouraging them to lead a healthy and positive lifestyle academically, athletically and personally.
In 1991, Arizona Athletics established the Silver Anniversary C.A.T.S. Award to honor our rich athletic history and the ideals of the C.A.T.S. program. In 2014, the award was renamed the A-Club C.A.T.S. Silver Anniversary Award because it also embodies the mission of the A-Club Letterwinner Association and is given to one male and one female alumni letterwinner who participated in athletics more than 25 years ago. This annual award recognizes University of Arizona alumni letterwinners who have made a significant impact in their local community and chosen profession.
If you would like to nominate a letterwinner for this award, click HERE for the nomination form. Please contact Ray Wells if you have any additional questions. The award recipients will be announced during the C.A.T.S award banquet Monday, April 13.
CATS IN THE COMMUNITY
Arizona’s student-athletes continue to be active in the community. Here is a sample of what they’ve done recently:
Feb. 10 - Women’s cross country members visited Lulu Walker Elementary School’s Girls on The Run program for first to fifth graders. The student-athletes helped the girls prepare for their 5k race by sharing their passion for running and giving tips on how to improve their running technique. The Wildcats also talked about self-esteem, anti-bullying and how to balance school with extracurricular activities.
Feb. 12 - Student-athletes helped with the National Salute to Veteran Patients held at the VA Hospital. Student-athletes helped say thank you to the veterans by visiting with them at their bedsides and in the out-patient clinics.
Feb. 13 - Student-athletes celebrated Love of Reading at Los Ninos Elementary School by reading their favorite books to the classes and sharing some tips and experiences they have learned while in college.
Feb. 18 - Volleyball is doing a morning academic talk to several seventh-grade classrooms at Marana Middle School. Then, team members are going back to the school during lunch to talk to only female students about positive body image and self-esteem.
Our student-athletes are looking to continue volunteering in the Tucson Community. If you know of a non-profit that would benefit from the helping hands of our student-athletes, please let us know by submitting an online request by clicking HERE. We won’t be able to fulfill every request, but we try to get to as many as we can.
TWITTER TRIVIA
Congrats to Ben Rosenfield (@ben_rosenfield) for answering the last question correctly. Here was the last edition:
Q: How many College World Series appearances has Arizona baseball made in program history?
A: 16
With Jason Terry’s jersey being officially retired on Thursday, here is this week’s question:
Q: Jason Terry is Arizona’s all-time leader in what statistical category?
In order to be eligible for the weekly prize, you must respond with your answer by tweeting to me @Greg_Byrne using the hashtag #ByrneTwitterTrivia. We’ll choose a winner randomly out of the group that answers the question correctly. Once you’ve won, you’ll have to wait at least six months to win again, but that doesn’t mean you can’t play along. I really enjoy awarding prizes so good luck.
COMPLIANCE CORNER
The NCAA requires institutions to analyze the relationship and permissibility of the exchange of benefits between a booster and a prospective, current, or former student-athlete using the four part test below. The questions below will help you determine whether you have an established relationship with a prospect or student-athlete. If an established relationship is determined to exist, then the University of Arizona must analyze the types of benefits that were provided prior to the athlete becoming a prospective, current, or former student-athlete.
- Did the relationship between the athlete (or the athlete's parents) and the individual providing the benefit(s) develop as a result of the athlete's participation in athletics or the athlete’s notoriety related to his/her participation in athletics?
- Did the relationship between the athlete (or the athlete's parents) and the individual providing the benefit(s) predate the athlete's status as a prospective student-athlete?
- Did the relationship between the athlete (or the athlete's parents) and the individual providing the benefit(s) predate the athlete's status achieved as a result of his or her athletics ability or reputation?
- Was the pattern of benefits provided by the individual to the athlete (or the athlete's parents) prior to the athlete attaining notoriety as a skilled athlete similar in nature to those provided after attaining such stature?
The origin and duration of a relationship and the consistency of benefits provided during the relationship are key factors in determining whether the benefits provided are contrary to the spirit and intent of NCAA legislation. If the answer is “no” to any of these questions, the benefit may not be provided by the booster to the prospective, current, or former student-athlete.
For more information, you can check out our website by clicking HERE or contact the Compliance Office at (520) 621-4796.
ARIZONA NUGGETS
Gymnastics picked up a Territorial Cup point by defeating our rivals to the north with a season-best score of 196.625 … Lauren Marker, Briar Preston and Devin Chypyha from Women’s Tennis have all started 4-0 in singles play this spring … Freshman Krystal Quihuis finished tied for sixth at two over par, helping Women’s Golf to a third-place finish at the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Here is a look at the upcoming events for Arizona Athletics (Home events in BOLD). All times are listed as Mountain Standard Time. To purchase tickets for home events, click here. To access live stats from your desktop or mobile device, visit ArizonaLiveStats.com.
Thursday
11:30 a.m.: Men’s Golf at John Burns Invitational (in Lihue, Hawaii)
11:30 a.m.: Softball vs. Kentucky (at Mary Nutter Classic in Palm Springs, Calif.)
2:00 p.m.: Softball vs. Oklahoma (at Mary Nutter Classic in Palm Springs, Calif.)
7:00 p.m.: Men’s Basketball vs. USC (TV: Pac-12 Networks) (Radio: TuneIn)
Friday
11:30 a.m.: Men’s Golf at John Burns Invitational (in Lihue, Hawaii)
1:00 p.m.: Women’s Tennis at San Diego St.
3:00 p.m.: Baseball vs. Rice (TV: Pac-12 Networks)
4:30 p.m.: Softball vs. LSU (at Mary Nutter Classic in Palm Springs, Calif.)
7:00 p.m.: Softball vs. Northwestern (at Mary Nutter Classic in Palm Springs, Calif.)
8:00 p.m.: Women’s Basketball at USC (Radio: KTUC AM 1400)
Saturday
10:00 a.m.: Women’s Tennis at San Diego
12:00 p.m.: Baseball vs. Rice (TV: Pac-12 Networks)
3:30 p.m.: Softball vs. Missouri (at Mary Nutter Classic in Palm Springs, Calif.)
7:00 p.m.: Men’s Basketball vs. UCLA (TV: ESPN) (Radio: TuneIn)
Sunday
6:00 a.m.: Women’s Golf at Allstate Sugar Bowl Invitational (in New Orleans, La.)
11:00 a.m.: Baseball vs. Rice (TV: Pac-12 Networks)
2:00 p.m.: Women’s Basketball at UCLA (TV: Pac-12 Networks) (Radio: KTUC AM 1400)
Monday
6:00 a.m.: Women’s Golf at Allstate Sugar Bowl Invitational (in New Orleans, La.)
Tuesday
6:00 a.m.: Women’s Golf at Allstate Sugar Bowl Invitational (in New Orleans, La.)
6:00 p.m.: Baseball vs. Oakland (Live Stream)
Wednesday
All Day: Women’s Swimming & Diving at Pac-12 Championships (in Federal Way, Wash.)
3:00 p.m.: Baseball vs. Oakland (Live Stream)
WEAR THE COLORS – SHARE THE PHOTOS
Thank you for wearing the colors and sharing your Arizona pride! If your photo submission did not make this week’s edition of the Wildcat Wednesday, please check our “Wildcat Wednesday” album at facebook.com/ArizonaAthletics.
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.
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