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BEAR DOWN TO OKC
The magical run of Arizona Softball through postseason play continues as the Wildcats have advanced to the Women's College World Series for a 25th time in program history. Making it to Oklahoma City for the WCWS is the pinnacle of any softball season, and our program did it in exciting fashion by sweeping its way through NCAA Regionals and Super Regionals. This team has showcased our Bear Down spirit of determination on national television all month, and I am extremely proud and honored to have this outstanding group of young women representing our university, athletics department and community. As Arizona Softball likes to say, "tradition lives here". New chapters are being added to the storied history of Arizona Softball in Caitlin Lowe's first season as head coach, and we want to congratulate all our student-athletes, coaches and staff for this tremendous achievement.
Coach Lowe and the Wildcats open the WCWS at 6:30 p.m. (MST) on Thursday, June 2 versus Oklahoma State on ESPN. I know the Wildcat Family will be loud and proud in Oklahoma City as well as in living rooms across the globe, cheering on the team. Bear Down and Go Cats!
BASEBALL OFF TO NCAA TOURNAMENT
Monday was the NCAA Baseball Selection Show, and the Arizona Wildcats are off to the NCAA Tournament for the 41st time in program history. Coach Hale and the Cats are off to Southern Florida as part of the NCAA Coral Gables Regional, hosted by Miami. Arizona Baseball will look to build on a successful week in Scottsdale at the Pac-12 Baseball Tournament that saw the team pick up wins over Oregon and Arizona State.
The Wildcats will face a familiar opponent in Ole Miss who they hosted for Super Regionals at Hi Corbett during last year's NCAA Tournament. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. (MST) on Friday, June 3 versus the Rebels with ESPNU broadcasting the game. We are very excited to see Arizona Baseball representing the Block A on the big stage of NCAA postseason, and we will be tuning in to cheer them on.
WILLIAM M. "BILL" CLEMENTS GOLF CENTER
We have made the exciting announcement of the new home of our golf programs coming to Tucson Country Club. The William M. "Bill" Clements Golf Center will be one of the top facilities in all of college golf, and it will enhance both our golf programs in every way. The new official home of Arizona's golf programs would not be possible without the extraordinary generosity and support of Ginny L. Clements and other key donors who believed in this project and helped make it a reality.
This state-of-the-art golf facility and partnership with TCC will raise the profile of Southern Arizona as one of the preeminent golf communities in the country. We hope to break ground on the project this summer and will continue to raise funds towards completion. If you would like to contribute to the new home of Arizona Men's and Women's Golf, you can support this project by clicking here.
BLACK STUDENT-ATHLETE SUMMIT
Arizona Athletics was excited have five staff members and two student-athletes attend the 2022 Black Student-Athlete Summit in Houston, Texas last week. The three-day summit was hosted by Rice University. C.A.T.S. Student-Athlete Development has been fortunate to support student-athletes attending the summit for the past several years, and the Black Student-Athlete Summit is the only event of its kind that caters to the holistic development of the black student-athlete.
Throughout the three days, there were town hall sessions, conversations with greatness, student-athlete panels, and presentations on the topics of mental health, NIL, the transfer portal, Black student-athlete experiences, and the continuous transformation of college athletics. Alayna Johnson from Arizona Volleyball and DJ Warnell of Arizona Football engaged in half-day programs with peers and attended a career fair with potential employers. Both DJ and Alayna admitted to liking one of the Town Hall discussions most - "Has Hip-Hop Failed Black America?" where artist Dee-1 spoke about the intersections of sport and music, his career journey, and his hope for the future of hip-hop.
The Pac-12 also hosted a dinner for student-athletes and staff representatives from the conference. The group discussed how to make an impact on their respective campuses as well as across the conference. Associate Head Coach for Volleyball, Rita Stubbs said, "It was so powerful seeing all the schools come together for one cause. We set aside rivalries and started working together to become agents of change." C.A.T.S. Academics Counselor Corey Talley added, "Looking at all the Power 5 schools that were represented at the Black Student Athlete Summit and knowing that our conference was the only one to put something like this together just speaks volumes. I believe that the Pac-12 is a leader in our industry and has paved the way for future success for our students and staff."
Alayna used one word to describe the experience, "enlightening", with a recommendation for others to go in the future.
"I learned so much about Black culture and about things that I thought I already knew," she said. "I was shocked to go to this conference and hear about things going on in the world, and I believe that everyone should hear the things taught at this summit. Programs like this one are important because it teaches people about their history and about other people's history so that they can be educated in worldwide problems." DJ also agreed, "I would definitely recommend all student athletes, coaches and administrators attend this important summit in the future".
EVERLASTING GENEROSITY
Earlier today we announced a powerful gift from alumnus and football letterwinner, Doug Allred, to support program enhancements at Arizona Athletics. The gifts, totaling nearly $5 million, exemplify the everlasting generosity of the Wildcat Family, and how it powers our first-class student-athlete experience that allows our athletics department to fulfill its "Wildcat Way" mission to help develop academic, athletic and life champions.
Thank you Doug for your everlasting generosity and support of our student-athletes. Your career after graduation is an inspiration to our current generation of Wildcat student-athletes, and your gift is an impactful reminder of what the "Wildcat Way" means to our student-athletes after leaving campus.
TRACK & FIELD TO NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
We want to wish our Wildcats traveling to Eugene, Oregon next week for the NCAA Track & Field Championships the best of luck! You have reached the highest level of collegiate track and field acheivement, and it means so much to our university and athletics department to have you competing under the bright lights and representing the Block A. Thrower Jared O'Riley will compete in the javelin on Wednesday, June 8 around 5:45 p.m. (MST) just before Reinaldo Rodrigues is set to begin the long jump competition. Hurdlers Talie Bonds and Shannon Meisberger will run their first races during the three o'clock hour on the following day, which is Friday, June 9. The ESPN Family of Networks will broadcast the championships on a variety of channels, so check @ArizonaTrack on social media and visit ArizonaWildcats.com for more information. Bear Down Jared, Reinaldo, Shannon and Talie in Eugene! We can't wait to see you compete for championships.
ARIZONA MEN'S BASKETBALL IN NBA FINALS
Watching former Wildcats compete for professional championships is one of the many points of pride we have, and the NBA Finals will once again see numerous Wildcats competing and coaching for a title. Four Wildcats will look to add to the championship legacy of our program when the Golden State Warriors face the Boston Celtics. The Warrior coaching duo of Steve Kerr and Bruce Fraser are joined by three-time NBA champion Andre Iguodala with Damon Stoudamire making his NBA Finals debut as part of the Celtics' coaching staff.
The series begins on Thursday, June 2 at 6 p.m. (MST) on ABC as our men's basketball programs claims its 42nd, 43rd, 44th and 45th appearances in the NBA Finals. We hope you will tune in and cheer on your former Wildcats.
WILDCATS FACE OFF IN WNBA
It was a proud moment on Sunday for Arizona Women's Basketball when the Atlanta Dream and Phoenix Mercury faced off. It was a head-to-head WNBA meeting for two recent alumni of our program as Aari McDonald and the Dream defeated Sam Thomas and the Mercury in Atlanta. The two Wildcat legends posed for a tremendous photo after the game.
We love to see our alumni continue their professional playing careers and fulfill their dreams. It's even more special when they meet up against other alums. Sunday was also a great testament to Coach Barnes and the program for developing student-athletes into WNBA players and proud ambassadors of the University of Arizona.
SEE YOU ON JUNE 23
While this week's Wildcat Wednesday email is the final one of the 2021-22 academic year, we want to encourage the Wildcat Family to attend our Title IX Anniversary event on Thursday, June 23 at the Cole and Jeannie Davis Sports Center. You can click here for more information and to make your complimentary reservation for the day.
We will begin the day with Field Day activities for youngsters before a tremendous panel on the power of women's sports and its impact on Arizona Athletics with a variety of key speakers. Our special iconic Wildcats that are a part of the day's festivities include Hall of Fame administrator Rocky LaRose, head women's basketball coach Adia Barnes, former Arizona softball All-American and ESPN analyst Jenny Dalton-Hill as well as NCAA Woman of the Year award winners Tanya Hughes and Lacey John.
HATS OFF TO ARIZONA MEN'S GOLF
The season came to an end in Scottsdale for Arizona Men's Golf after advancing to the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2011. It was a banner season for Coach Anderson and the Wildcats who won the NCAA Bryan Regional to give the program its first NCAA Regional championship since 2006. The team also won its home tournament, the Arizona Intercollegiate, for a fifth consecutive season with graduate senior Christian Banke winning the individual title by one stroke.
Winning its first Pac-12 championship in nearly two decades in 2021 to a run to the NCAA Championships in 2022, Arizona Men's Golf continues to establish itself as a program of excellence on the course, in the classroom and in the community. Congratulations to the entire program on a terrific season, and we can't wait to see you back out on the course in a few months.
COMPLIANCE CORNER
With the spring semester officially wrapped up, many of our student-athletes will take advantage of the additional time for employment opportunities to improve their resumes and gain valuable work experience. If a student-athlete is going to work for you or your business absent of some form of an NIL deal, NCAA rules regarding employment will apply. NCAA rules specify that a student-athlete must be paid the local going rate for their job and must perform the duties of the job for which they were hired. Furthermore, student-athletes must have all employment approved by the Compliance Office. If you're thinking about hiring a student-athlete, please contact the Compliance Office with any questions you may have.
WEAR THE COLORS – SHARE THE PHOTOS
Send us your photos of you wearing the colors!
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.
Bear Down and Go Cats!
Dave Heeke
Vice President and Director of Athletics
University of Arizona
uofaad@arizona.edu