Athletics Director Greg Byrne's weekly email discussing Wildcat Athletics
Athletics Director Greg Byrne
May 11, 2011
DONE DEAL IN THE DESERT
I hope each of you had a relaxing weekend… I know I did. Not much to report other than I was happy to have my mom and dad in Tucson to spend time with me, Regina and the boys for Mother’s Day.
Well, there was that one little issue…
Of course it was an eventful weekend for the Wildcat Nation, concluding with the official announcement that Sean Miller will remain our basketball coach. Although many of you know there was much unfounded speculation shared online, I do appreciate many of the messages I received over the past few days. While not all the messages I received were positive, I fully understand why emotions were running high. I have reasonably thick skin, and sometimes even have a grasp of what the job entails :) What all this clearly illustrates is the loyalty and caring this community and fan base have for the Arizona Wildcats – feelings I share with you.
Now it’s important to refocus our efforts and energy. Our continued work and support of some 500 student-athletes takes continued work and support from you, as well, the many thousands of people in our Wildcat Movement. We genuinely appreciate the passion and support you give our university and athletics department. It is what makes Arizona so special.
PAC-10 TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Please try to attend the final Pac-10 league championship event ever -- the Pac-10 Track & Field Championships this Friday and Saturday at Roy P. Drachman Stadium. I encourage you to stop by and show your support for our teams. The meet scheduleis available online. It’s a great privilege to host the championships for a conference that is as competitive in track and field as the Pac-10. The Conference of Champions annually boasts some of the most talented track and field athletes in the world, and this year is no exception. This is a ticketed event. Tickets areavailable online, through the McKale Ticket Office, or at Drachman Stadium on the day of the event. Check out our video preview!
NATIONAL CONSORTIUM CELEBRATES SOME CATS
The National Consortium for Academics and Sports has recognized a large group of Wildcat student-athletes in honor of National Student-Athlete Day. These people work long and hard for their sports, and also spend considerable time achieving excellence in academics and making significant contributions to the community. The UA citations went to Philip Bagdade, Alicia Banks, Bryson Beirne, Margaret Callahan, Andres Carrasco-Carrasco, Debora Castany Muniente, Aubree Cristello, Emma Darlington, Jonathan Denton-Schneider, Barbara Donaldson, Jake Fischer, Kenzie Fowler, Benjamin Grado, Matte Haack, Hanna Henson, Katherine Howard, Jane Huh, Ashley Jett, Britnie Jones, Ale Llaneza Gomez Palacio, Soana Lucet, Brian MacArthur, Ashley Malaska, Jordan Mara, Natasha Marks, Ariane Masschelein, Melanie McGrath, Megan Meyer, Hannah Moen, Victoria Moore, Ainsley Oliver, Molly Quirk, David Roberts, Ashley Rohweder, Miranda Russell, Shana Sangston, Lauren Schutzler, Chelsea Suitos, Rebecca Tikey, Shannon Tinsley, Paul Vassallo, Paige Weber, Jordan Williams and Alexa Wollach. Hats off to this fine group!
CALIFORNIA EXCURSION COMING UP
We'll hit the road again at the end of next week for a couple of guest stops with alumni in California and we welcome you to join us if you can. In partnership with the UA Alumni Association, Coach Sean Miller and I will be in San Francisco Thursday, May 19, for a visit at the Olympic Club, along with alumni letterwinners Bennett Davison (basketball), Alicia Hollowell (softball), Joe McLean (basketball) and J.T. Snow (baseball). The event, "Bear Down by the Bay," is open to the public ($15) and reservations can be made here. A few days later, I will be in San Diego with Coach Mike Stoops and former UA/major leaguer Trevor Hoffman for "Arizona Night" at L'Auberge Del Mar. Reservations ($20) may be made here. These are two worthy Alumni Association events and we're happy to join in for some informal contact.
YOUNG ALUMNI PROGRAM
Attention graduates! The Wildcat Club’s Young Alumni Program is a chance to have recent UA graduates (within the last five years) sign up and become a part of the Wildcat Club for only $50 – half the normal cost of membership. This $50 donation helps recent graduates stay connected to Arizona Athletics and offers the same benefits as a Red & Blue Circle ($100) member. In addition to this discount for the Wildcat Club, recent graduates of the University of Arizona can also receive 15% off the cost of football season tickets (not including priority amounts). If you are a recent graduate or know someone who is, click here and select the “Young Alumni Program” option to sign up. Once a Wildcat, Always a Wildcat!
TEACHERS PET
Along with a young alumni discount, Arizona also offers a discount for our hard working Faculty and Staff members. Faculty and staff receive 15% off the cost of season tickets (not including priority amounts). Our student-athletes like to know they have the support of the people who support them on a daily basis on campus. Red and Blue begins with you…
2011-12 MEN’S BASKETBALL TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE
Now is the time to secure your own Arizona Basketball season tickets! Tickets are available in most seating areas. Requests are being accepted for new priority seats and deposits are being accepted for new non-priority season tickets. Click here to get new men's basketball season tickets today!
GOING PAPERLESS
As a department, we continually look for ways to improve, and one such way is to further our efforts to go “paperless.” Starting with the men’s basketball season ticket renewal in August, we will be going paperless, with online renewal statements taking the place of the traditional paper mailing. As always, we will send out an email to all accounts to notify you when your season ticket renewal is available. It is important that we have your most current and correct email address, so we need your help to keep your email – and other account contact information – current. Please visit our online “My Account Manager” where you have full control of your account information. Through the My Account Manager tool, you also have the ability to check on other account information, including season ticket purchases, donation history, and priority points, from the convenience of your home computer. Men’s basketball ticket renewals will be available in early August and due September 9th, 2011. We will need everyone’s help in this initiative. We recognize and appreciate that this will be a change in the way many of you have done business with Arizona Athletics, but we feel the cost savings and reduction in paper use are well worth the effort. Thank you in advance for your understanding and cooperation.
IMAGINE GREATER TUCSON
Something we are interested in as a department is the strength of our community. Imagine Greater Tucson is a rapidly growing, community-based effort dedicated to protecting and enhancing our quality of life in the greater Tucson region. Their goal is to involve the people of greater Tucson in creating a shared vision for our region’s future, and catalyze the development of strategies to realize this vision. Imagine Greater Tucson is inviting everyone in the community to literally “chip in” and direct the future of our region by attending one of the three workshops available on their website. If interested in this wonderful opportunity to get involved in the community, please visit their website at www.imaginegreatertucson.org and select the events tab.
NOTES...
Our women's tennis team is off to Gainesville, Fla., this weekend for regional competition in the NCAA Championships. Coach Vicky Maes led the squad to its first regional since 2007... The UA softball team takes on California in the close to the regular season, with a series Thursday through Saturday at Rita Hillenbrand Stadium. Senior Day ceremonies follow the noon game Saturday... The women’s golf team participates in the NCAA Golf Championships next week in College Station, Texas… The men’s golf team was selected for the NCAA Men’s Golf Championships regional that we host May 19-21 at Tucson National… University of Arizona Commencement ceremonies will be held in McKale Center at 7:30 p.m. Friday for graduate students and at 9 a.m. Saturday for undergraduates. We'll have a number of our student-athletes walking in the latter, and it's an important rite of passage for all UA students. Congratulations to all 2010 Arizona graduates!
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