Seniors Anderson, Gardner, Walton guide young Wildcat squad into battle

The most eye-opening stat in the box score is usually the point total. However, for the three senior starters on the Arizona men's basketball team, success is measured not by their own line, but by the team result.

So far, so good ÷ the Wildcats are ranked No. 1 and have one blemish on their record.

"We have to have a senior presence on this team," said Jason Gardner, one of the team's three starting upperclassmen. "The big thing is that the three of us know what it takes to win. We can all score, and when the time comes we will step up our scoring. We know we are capable of doing it." [Read article]

Sophomore guard Dee-Dee Wheeler picked a pretty good weekend to light up the scoreboard.

Going into Saturday's game against UCLA (11-5,6-1), Wheeler and the Arizona Wildcats (12-4, 6-2) faced an undefeated conference record and the Pac-10's leading scorer Michelle Greco.

The Wildcats emerged with the victory, and Wheeler earned her first ever Pacific-10 Conference Player of the Week award as her team ascended to No. 19 in the Associated Press poll. [Read article]

Lute Olson's response to regaining the No.1 ranking yesterday was the same as it was when the team had it just four weeks ago.

"Frankly, we're not even close to number one yet in terms of how we're playing," the Hall of Fame UA head coach said about receiving all but five first place votes yesterday.

But after a 35-point win, completing a sweep of the Los Angeles schools for the first time in 10 years, a perfect 6-0 record in the Pacific 10 Conference, and its only loss by one point without one of its All-American candidates, this team is still not happy with the way it's playing? [Read article]

Last week the Arizona athletics department announced that junior Leneah Manuma would not be playing softball for head coach Mike Candrea's squad this season for academic reasons. This obviously means Arizona softball will be dealt a huge blow. Manuma's experience and skills, along with the departures of Jennie Finch (graduation) and Jenny Gladding (transfer) could leave the Wildcats in a position to lose many more games than their fans are used to. [Read article]

After a broken Zamboni machine, an hour-long delay to start the game, and a dominating shutout on the heels of a hat trick by senior captain Dave Loftus, UA Icecats head coach Leo Golembiewski finally had his moment in time on Friday öö 500 career victories.

The opening faceoff did not occur until after 8:35 p.m., more than one hour after the scheduled start time for the game, and the No. 7 Icecats and visiting No. 20 Robert Morris College both started sluggish. The Icecats turned up the heat after the first intermission, coasting to an 8-0 victory. [Read article]

Powered by sophomore Monica Bisordi's second straight all-around title, the No. 11 UA women's gymnastics team (2-0, 1-0) defeated No. 10 Oregon State (2-2, 0-2) in its home and Pac-10 opener on Friday by a score of 195.775 to 194.800. Oregon State's only previous loss came to top ranked UCLA.

Bisordi, who also won the all-around title during the Gymcats' victory over then-No. 11 Minnesota, won with a score of 39.350, followed by sophomore Jamie Schell, who scored a personal best 39.325. OSU juniors Lindsay Nelson and Tanya Ricioli tied for third at 38.600. [Read article]

The Arizona women's tennis team had a successful fall season, but endured mixed results at the Indoor Pacific 10 Conference Championship this past weekend.

The event marked the last individual contest before the spring team season begins.

It also marked the first time the Wildcats have competed since the middle of November.

UA head coach Vicky Maes said the players were a bit rusty, but she was pleased with the way her team competed. [Read article]

The Arizona track and field season is just underway, and already many Wildcats are headed to the post season.

Sophomore Amy Linnen, who holds the NCAA indoor pole vault record with a mark of 14 feet 10 and one quarter inches, qualified for the NCAA post-season with a jump of 13 feet 9 inches. She was one of 20 Wildcats with post-season earning performances.

Linnen competed in the Northwest Pole Vault Summit in Reno, Nevada, while other members of the team were in action in Flagstaff at the Northern Arizona University Invitational. [Read article]