The Arizona soccer team opens its 2004 home schedule tonight, eager to show its opponents that last weekend’s pair of shutouts is just a sign of things to come.

The Wildcats take the field tonight at 7:30 against UC-Irvine as part of the Arizona Invitational at Murphey Stadium.

Today’s game will be the first ever meeting between the Wildcats (2-0) and the Anteaters (1-1), however both coaches are very familiar with one another. [Read article]

Let’s face it, life isn’t fair.

Case in point: The Arizona volleyball team is spending its Labor Day weekend in Hawaii, while the rest of the UA student population tries to assess the damage caused by two weeks of classes.

Things may not seem completely fair for the No. 17 Wildcats either, though. With a less-than-healthy roster of players available, Arizona will have its work cut out for it as it competes in three matches in three games at the Rainbow Wahine Classic in Honolulu. [Read article]

Cats host NAU to open '04 schedule

Mike Stoops has done plenty for the Arizona football program during his nine months on the job as head coach.

Fan base? Check. Season tickets are selling at a record pace.

Player support? Got it. UA players say they're reenergized and rededicated to excellence on the field.

Bright future? All set. He's already received commitments from 15 recruits for next season's freshman class. [Read article]

An air of excitement lacking in past football seasons has returned to the UA in 2004, thanks to the much-anticipated debut of head coach Mike Stoops.

Zona Zoo athletic pass sales are through the roof, and UA students are abuzz with the prospect of an improved football team.

"I'm looking forward to supporting the team," communications senior Greg Resin said. "I don't expect (it) to go to a bowl game, but I expect (it'll) show a lot of improvement from last year. (It'll) be a lot better and a lot more exciting." [Read article]

Don't let a promising campaign last season (168 carries for 920 yards, 5.5 yards per carry) detract from your focus. Hit the sled after tackling drills, run up and down the bleachers after practice. Do whatever you have to do, Mike, but please, don't let us down.

Do what made us believe in you last year, what makes you the top returning rusher in the Pacific 10 Conference this season and a sleeper candidate for the Doak Walker award, given to the nation's best running back. Hit the frontline and befuddle all the run blockers. Make their ankles twist as our stomachs did throughout 2003, when our poor record was understated by an inconsistent offense and early questions in the backfield. [Read article]

Sorry UA sports fans, Mike Stoops isn't running for president this year, although 2008 hasn't been completely ruled out.

In the meantime, the UA Students in Free Enterprise have taken a new spin on Stoops' first season with the Wildcats, showing support for the head coach by creating T-shirts, buttons and bumper stickers emblazoned with the logo "I Like Mike."

"Basically, what we're really trying to do is just rally support and create really positive feelings about Mike Stoops," said retail and consumer sciences junior Jane Rishel, co-president of SIFE. [Read article]

For most of its existence, the Northern Arizona football program has been the little brother of the state's college football scene. The Lumberjacks were often overlooked and never given the same amount of attention as Arizona and Arizona State.

In 2003, NAU finally grew up.

Reaching the NCAA Division I-AA quarterfinals for the first time in school history last season, the Lumberjacks made a case for themselves as arguably the best college team in the state. [Read article]

Jeffries, Radtke join KCUB 1290 radio team

A new coach may be ready to change the face of Arizona football on the field, but it's a pair of familiar voices that are ready to revolutionize the sound of UA football on the airwaves.

Brian Jeffries, entering his 17th season as lead play-by-play announcer for both UA men's basketball and football, joins Ryan Radtke, a 1998 UA graduate, at the new official home for Wildcat sports, KCUB 1290 AM. [Read article]