Senior Ranne prepares for final home game with redefined role

Jason Ranne may not hit double digits in scoring while wearing an Arizona uniform. He'll probably never know the feeling of hitting a game-winner, let alone spend enough time on the court during a game to get into any kind of groove.

But a player who averages less than a point per game and under four minutes each time out for the UA men's basketball team has never meant so much to a team's success. [Read article]

Arizona swimmer Jessica Hayes is this week's Wildcat Athlete of the Week after the junior took home the 200-meter backstroke title at the Pacific 10 Conference Championships last weekend. Hayes took fourth in the 100 backstroke and fifth in the 200 freestyle, and helped the Wildcats to top-3 team finishes in the 400 medley, 200 free and 800 free. Yesterday, the Wildcat caught up with Hayes at practice to discuss hair care, whether anteaters can swim and what it's like being the most famous Jessica Hayes in the world. [Read article]

On your mark, get set, grow! A January study performed at the Georgia Institute of Technology and UC Irvine linked the effects of smoking marijuana with those of running or biking about an hour. Scientists, eggheads and sprinters alike are calling this the "runner's high."

Had this report come out about 40 years earlier ÷ say, in the Î60s ÷ an entire generation may have been shaped (literally) much differently. What do you think Jerry Garcia would have looked like in a tie-dyed jogging suit? Jimi Hendrix could have played the National Anthem for the opening of the first annual Woodstock Marathon. [Read article]

Salim Stoudamire will need to go perfect from the charity stripe for the remainder of the season to avoid a dubious distinction.

The junior guard entered the 2003-04 campaign 173-of-195 from the foul line in his career with the UA men's basketball team, good enough for a .887 percentage and No. 1 all-time in school history. This year may be considered an off year for the Portland, Ore., native who, despite shooting .471 from the floor, has missed 21 times from the line. [Read article]

Three days after clinching its first Pac-10 title in school history, it was time for the Wildcat women's hoops team to get its head out of the clouds and back onto the court.

"We know that's one goal accomplished, but there are many more ahead of us," said sophomore center Shawntinice Polk. "As a team, we have a list of our goals and we check them off as we go. This is just one and there's many more to come." [Read article]

The UA synchronized swim team continued its pursuit of a return trip to the U.S. Nationals competition with its Pac-10 Regional meet Sunday.

The Splashcats and conference foes Stanford and Washington jockeyed for a Nationals berth at the Student Recreation Center.

Arizona overcame injuries and gave a strong all-around performance, finishing in second place with an overall score of 70.5.

The Wildcats easily topped Washington, which finished with a mark of 42. [Read article]

Pac-10 Men's Hoops
Arizona State vs. No. 22 Arizona
As journalists, we're really supposed to be impartial. It's not that hard when the UA's playing, say, Stanford, a classy program with classy fans. Then there's ASU, a school known only for being a bastion of utter and abject mediocrity. It's like the Paris Hilton of public universities ÷ average-looking, vapid, easy to get into and most famous for making porn videos. [Read article]