Athletics Director Greg Byrne's weekly email discussing Wildcat Athletics
Jan. 16, 2013
SAND VOLLEYBALL
We were pleased to announce yesterday the addition of women's sand volleyball as the newest sport for the department of athletics starting in 2014. This is a fast growing sport that is competing at the high school level in Arizona. We named Steve Walker, our indoor volleyball assistant coach, as the new head coach for sand volleyball. We were fortunate because Steve has a strong sand background and will be able to immediately hit the ground running to build our program and give us the opportunity to compete for national championships. If you watched sand volleyball during this past Olympics you noticed a festive environment that we will look to capture over time with our program. That can once again separate us from our competition because of the passion of the Arizona fan base. We will offer more information as the program develops in the future.
LOWELL-STEVENS FOOTBALL FACILITY
Some of you may have seen the photos I tweeted last week of the Lowell-Stevens Football Facility. Construction is really coming along, and you can see from the photos the facility is going to be outstanding. The construction crews are doing a great job and I want to thank them for their hard work and effort.
At the beginning of this year I wrote about the positive economic impact our athletics department can have on our community. We are very proud that through our contract with Mortenson Construction this project is currently employing a weekly average of approximately 285-300 workers on site. This weekly average is projected to be maintained through the end of February; and 85% of all workers employed on the project are local Tucson residents.
In addition to the local workforce utilization, 66% of the dollars it's taking to build the Lowell-Stevens Football Facility have been contracted out to local Tucson businesses. We will continue to strive to be a positive force in driving our local economy. Invest in Success for Tucson through Arizona Athletics and purchase tickets andjoin the Wildcat Club.
TEMPE IS WILDCAT COUNTRY
It's time for another Territorial Cup Series matchup. On Saturday men's basketball travels to Tempe to face our rivals from up north. Historically we've always had a strong showing from our fans at Wells Fargo Arena and it sounds like once gain there will be a large contingent cheering for the Wildcats. The game starts at 12:30 p.m. and will be televised nationally on FSN (Fox Sports Net). If you're going to the game remember to wear the colors and Bear Down with pride.
PAC-12 TOURNAMENT UPDATE
Yesterday was the deadline to submit ticket requests for the Pac-12 men's basketball tournament. The ticket office is in the process of fulfilling the orders we've received. The response from our fans has been outstanding. To put it in perspective, the most all-session tickets we ever sold to a neutral site conference basketball tournament was 600 in 2002, the first year the Pac-10 brought back the postseason tournament. This year was have over 1,300 ticket requests and we have heard from several who are purchasing tickets through other Pac-12 schools, hint hint.
We've sold out of our allotment of all-session tickets. Though we aren't anticipating receiving any more from the conference, we have set up a waiting list for those interested in getting all-session tickets in the Arizona sections in case they become available. There are still tickets available if you're interested through the Pac-12 website, including all-session (just not in the Arizona sections) and Flex Books. Click here for more information.
Lastly, our friends at Bon Voyage Travel have put together some hotel packages for Wildcat fans. These packages are for the MGM Grand, the same hotel where the team is staying and the location of the tournament. Call 520-797-CATS or click here for details. Note that game tickets are not included in this package.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL'S PAC-12 TOURNAMENT IN SEATTLE
Women's basketball will also have a new home for the Pac-12 conference tournament. In a new format, the men's and women's tournaments have been separated to give each sport its time in the spotlight. The women's tournament, held in Seattle, is actually a week before the men's (March 7-10). The McKale Ticket Office is now taking ticket requests online or over the phone by calling 520-621-CATS.
Speaking of women's basketball road trips.... as we all know, Phoenix is wildcat country. On Sunday, Feb. 24 we want that to be well known when we play at ASU. Our marketing office is organizing a fan bus to fans who are interested in attending the game in enemy territory and for $30 you can r reserve a seat on the Arizona Bus and receive a ticket for the game against ASU. Click here for more information.
TENNIS LETTERWINNERS REUNIONS
Arizona's men's and women's tennis teams will kickoff the 2013 season by hosting a letterwinners reunion on Friday, Jan. 18 and Saturday, Jan. 19. Letterwinners, click here for more information. Both teams will start their seasons by hosting Northern Arizona on Friday. The women will play at 10 a.m. and the men at 1 p.m at the LaNelle Robson Tennis Center.
The A-Club has some exciting events lined up for the 2013 spring season. Stay up-to-date with event details on our calendar of events posted on the A-Club website, www.azaclub.com. Additionally you can follow this link to register to become an active A-Club member and receive exclusive A-Club benefits! Here is an update of upcoming A-Club events:
I often hear people ask, "When is the best time for me to join the Wildcat Club?" The answer is right away! But the fact of the matter is that not only do we want you to join right away because your tax-deductible donation will help our nearly 500 student-athletes, but you will also start to accrue priority points which helps you to secure seats for the post-season and away games.
The Pac-12 men's basketball tournament is a perfect example of how we use priority points. Yesterday was the ticket request deadline, and in this instance, individuals who are current Wildcat Club members and season ticket holders have the best opportunity to receive tickets. Those tickets will be assigned based on the priority point system and the best seats will go to the individuals with the most points. Moving forward, here are a few ways you can start building your points today:
- 2 points for every year as a season ticket holder (football beginning in 1946, Men's Basketball beginning in 1972, Baseball, Women's Basketball, Gymnastics, Soccer, Softball, and Volleyball)
- 2 points for every year of charitable giving (non-priority seating)
- 2 points for every $100 of charitable gifts since 1985 (non-priority seating)
- 1 point for every $100 given for the purchase of priority seating
Rafael Quintero finished first in the 1m, 3m and platform last weekend at the Bruin Diving Invitational. Samantha Pickens won the 1m competition on the women's side ... Women's basketball split their home series last week against the Oregon schools, defeating Oregon 100-68, and losing to Oregon State 57-48 ... Track and field opened their season last weekend in Flagstaff at the Lumberjack Invitational where Alyssa Hasslen placed first in the women's shot put, Edgar Rivera-Morales won the men's high jump, Shakayla McEaddy won the women's high jump, Shapri Romero won the 200 meters and Lezo Urreiztieta won the 60 meter hurdles ...Gymnastics placed second in their first quad home meet of the season with senior Aubree Cristello placing first in the all-around. A record crowd of 1,890 attended the meet. Thank you to everyone who attended!
MEET THE CHAMPS
Mark your calendars for Saturday, Feb. 2 as Arizona baseball will host a Meet the Team event at Hi Corbett Field. The event will be open to the public and there will be no charge for admission. The team will take part in an intrasquad scrimmage followed by an autograph session. It's a great opportunity to meet head coach Andy Lopez and the defending national champs. Our ticket sales team will be on hand to answer questions and assist those looking to purchase season tickets or the new mini-plan, which just went on sale last week. This seven-game mini-plan allows the fan to select the seven home games they wish to attend. Click here to purchase baseball season tickets or mini-plans. More information to come on Meet the Team Day.
COLOR-OUTS AT MCKALE
A week from tomorrow is the third annual "WHITEOUT" game vs. UCLA. The Bruins were highly ranked at the beginning of the season, but struggled early and dropped out of the polls. Riding a nine-game winning streak, they are back in the top 25. The "WHITEOUT" game will have huge Pac-12 Championship implications. We need everyone to arrive early, cheer loudly and wear white! You can get the official t-shirt for only $10 at the UA Bookstore.
There is also another upcoming color-out promotion approaching. On Wednesday, Feb. 6 vs. Stanford, we will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the McKale Center. As part of the celebration we are teaming with Blakewell Worldwide Panoramas for a commemorative panorama photo and interactive gigapixel. Fans will be able to purchase the photo and share the gigapixel via e-mail and/or social media. To make the photo really stand out, we're asking fans to "Wear Your Color." Each section will have a specific color designated for fans to wear, either red, blue or white. There are a limited amount of tickets remaining for this game. Get your tickets onlineat ArizonaWildcats.com.
Click here for online map of McKale and see what color you're supposed to wear.
WEEKLY SCHEDULE
Check out our weekly schedule graphic at the bottom of this email. Right click, save and share!
VOTE FOR COACH MILLER
Coach Miller is participating in the Infiniti Coaches' Charity Challenge, which runs for the next eight weeks and features coaches from all over the country competing to win money for a charity of their choice. Coach Miller has chosen the Tucson Ronald McDonald House. Fans are able to vote each day for their favorite coach atwww.espn.com/Infiniti.The coach who accumulates the most votes will earn a $100,000 donation to his respective charity.
HAPPIEST COLORS ON EARTH
Below, Darlene, Hank and Ashton Rowe designated an Arizona day while visiting the happiest place on earth, Disneyland Resort, while at bottom, a very happy moment for swimming and diving letterman Tom Hawke ('98) and his wife Abigail. On Jan. 4 they welcomed daughter Emma to Wildcat Country. Congratulations!
Continue to do what you can to help Arizona Athletics and:
Tickets
Roster
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