Cats still looking for season's 2nd win

If the UA football team hopes to end its six-game losing streak tomorrow against Oregon State, a little homecoming déjà vu may be all the Wildcats need.

Entering the 2003 homecoming game last November at Arizona Stadium, the Wildcats were just 1-8, riding an eight-game losing streak against Washington.

After 222 rushing yards and three touchdowns from then-sophomore running back Mike Bell, the Wildcats had their second win of the season, a 27-22 victory over the visiting Huskies. [Read article]

It's fitting that Oregon State quarterback Derek Anderson is the first player profiled in the OSU football media guide this season.

The list may be compiled alphabetically, but this week, Anderson needs just 54 passing yards and 147 all-purpose yards to become the Beavers' career leader in both categories, solidifying his place atop the list as the most prolific passer in Oregon State history.

"I'm excited for him," Oregon State head coach Mike Riley told local media earlier this week in Corvallis, Ore. "I think when we look back, he will have a very productive winning legacy and, obviously, most all the records." [Read article]

There is a reason the Pacific 10 Conference is called the Conference of Champions, and its not just because a few marketing people came up with the catchy slogan.

Last year, the Pac-10 won 11 team national championships, more than twice as many as the next closest conference.

In the last decade, the Pac-10 has won 336 national titles, an impressive 139 more than the next-closest conference during that time. [Read article]

After Midnight Madness' mini-scrimmage, the Arizona basketball team is ready to go all out for the Pepsi Red-Blue game Sunday at 2 p.m at McKale Center.

"The most important thing we're looking for is to see carry over from the drill work and different practice situations," said assistant men's basketball coach Josh Pastner.

The practices thus far have been the more competitive than Pastner has seen in his three seasons as an assistant coach. Senior center Channing Frye and sophomore point guard Mustafa Shakur have been the two standouts, but everyone has stepped up their work ethic. [Read article]

A season removed from the program's first Pac-10 conference championship, the UA women's basketball team took to McKale Center last night for its annual Red-Blue intrasquad game.

If the 76-75 final score is any indicator, the Wildcats could have a team deep and balanced enough to make 2004-'05 another banner year.

Head coach Joan Bonvicini said the returning players' chemistry should blend well with the team's newcomers. [Read article]

The UA soccer team looks to rebound from their two-game losing streak tonight at 7 against Southern California in the 'Cats' final homestand of 2004.

"We just came out with a whole new mentality," senior forward Vanesha Bailey said about this week's practices, following a disappointing 1-0 loss to ASU on Friday. "We got the weekend off to clear our minds."

Before facing USC, the Wildcats will have a pre-game ceremony to honor their four seniors: Bailey, forward Candice Wilks, defender Lindsey Peeples, and forward Kamaya Damwijk. [Read article]

Dan Hicks, 1984 UA graduate and native Tucsonan, as well as a former Wildcat sports editor, has been NBC Sports' lead golf anchor for the past four years, covering everything from the U.S. Open to the Ryder Cup while traveling the globe. While UA students were at home glued to their televisions this past summer as Arizona swimmers Amanda Beard of the United States and Ryk Neethling, Roland Schoeman and Lyndon Ferns of South Africa were winning gold at the Olympic Games, Hicks was poolside calling the action as NBC's top voice for its coverage of swimming events at the games. [Read article]

The No. 24-ranked Arizona volleyball team will seek revenge this weekend as it travels to Southern California to take on No. 5 USC and No. 12 UCLA to open the second half of the Pacific 10 Conference season.

Action begins today at 7 p.m., as the Wildcats (12-7, 4-5 Pac-10) face reigning NCAA champion Southern California, and continues tomorrow night at 7 when Arizona faces UCLA.

The Trojans (12-3) swept both Oregon State and Oregon on the road last weekend to improve their record to seven wins and two losses in the Pac-10. The Bruins (13-5, 6-3) are also coming off of two consecutive victories as they swept the Ducks and managed to defeat the Beavers in five games. [Read article]

The Arizona swim and dive team will host its first meet of the season today, when the Wisconsin Badgers visit Tucson for a duel in the desert at Hillenbrand Aquatic Center.

Wisconsin comes in already having two meets under their belt so far this season, with impressive showings in each.

UA Head Coach Frank Busch said the Wildcats are anxious to start their season and get things underway.

"Wisconsin had a very good team and a strong program; the women were 10th in the country last year, and the men's team should prove to be slightly weaker this year because they just graduated some All-American swimmers," Busch said, who added that the Wildcats have never lost a meet to Wisconsin. [Read article]

The UA Icecats aim for the win column this weekend with a pair of home games against Lehigh University at the Tucson Convention Center.

The two-game set caps a busy opening week for Arizona. The Icecats dropped a pair Monday and Tuesday to ninth-ranked Arizona State.

UA, ranked No. 16 in the last American Collegiate Hockey Association poll, showed marked improvement in its second game after they were blown out in the opener. Head coach Leo Golembiewski said he wants the team to build on its play from the second night. [Read article]

UA men's tennis freshman Francois Vandermerwe will travel across the country this weekend for the Crimson Tide Fall Championships fresh off a consolation singles runner-up finish at the Wilson/ITA Fall West Regional Championships last week.

Vandermerwe will be joined by fellow freshman Luka Cerenko and junior Tim Mullane today through Sunday on Alabama's campus in Tuscaloosa.

In last week's consolation finals, Vandermerwe fell to freshman teammate Bruno Alcala 6-0, 6-2. [Read article]