DB Brooks earns All-Pac-10 nod
UA co-captain and junior free safety Darrell Brooks capped off a stellar junior campaign earning second-team All-Pac-10 honors, the Pacific 10 Conference announced yesterday.
Brooks, of Moreno Valley, Calif., was the only Wildcat football player named to the first or second team, but UA senior tight end Steve Fleming, senior center Keoki Fraser, junior running back Mike Bell, sophomore wide receiver Syndric Steptoe and freshman cornerback Antoine Cason each earned honorable mention recognition for their efforts.
"It's always great to receive any honor, considering the guys we play against in the Pac-10," Brooks said in a press release. "It's always a group honor, too; one that reflects on your teammates. We'll all be working to make first-team honors next year."
Brooks led Arizona during the Wildcats 3-8 campaign, the team's first under head coach Mike Stoops, with 73 total tackles, including 4.5 for a loss. Brooks notched 48 solo stops, capping his third year as a starter with a season-high nine in the Wildcats' 34-27 victory over rival Arizona State Friday. Brooks also tallied a team high nine deflected passes, one forced fumble, one interception and a sack on the season.
Southern California's Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush were named the conferences' co-Offensive Players of the Year, while Oregon State's Bill Swancutt and USC's Shawn Cody were honored as the Pat Tillman Pac-10 Defensive Players of the Year.
ASU tight end Zach Miller, who caught eight balls for 76 yards in the Sun Devils' loss to the Wildcats, earned the Pac-10's Freshman of the Year nod, while California head coach Jeff Tedford was named Coach of the Year for the second time in his three seasons in Berkeley, Calif.
Killough, Glass earn All-Pac-10 honors
UA senior middle blocker Jolene Killough and junior outside hitter Kim Glass were named to the 14-member All-Pac-10 volleyball team, the Pac-10 announced yesterday.
Heading into the first round of the NCAA Tournament Friday against UC Irvine in San Diego, Killough ranks eighth nationally and third in the Pac-10 in hitting percentage, while standing eighth in the conference in blocks per game.
The Canyon Country, Calif., native and Academic All-Pac-10 honorable mention recipient leads Arizona in hitting percentage, block assists, total blocks and blocks per game while completing seven errorless matches on the season, including a string of five in a row.
Killough's .404 season hitting percentage ranks third all-time at Arizona, while her career mark of .353 places second on the all-time list.
Glass, a three-time all-conference honoree, leads the team in kills, kills per game, service aces per game and solo blocks, despite missing the season's first 10 matches with a shoulder injury. The Lancaster, Pa., native stands second in service aces and digs per game and fourth in digs and blocks per game.
UA junior middle blocker Bre Ladd earned All-Pac-10 honorable mention consideration, after finishing the regular season ranked second on the Wildcats in solo blocks, block assists, total blocks and blocks per game.
Cats' TD among ESPN top plays of week
UA redshirt freshman Richard Kovalcheck's 47-yard touchdown strike to wideout Mike Jefferson, the last of four Wildcat touchdowns with 9:32 remaining in the Arizona football team's 34-27 victory over in-state rival ASU Friday, was selected as one of four finalists for this week's "Pontiac Game Changing Performance" and is available to view on ESPN.com.
Fans can vote for Jefferson's catch until tonight at midnight at espn.com/pontiac. The play with the most votes will earn the represented school a $5,000 contribution from Pontiac to the school's general scholarship fund and be eligible for a $100,000 general scholarship fund contribution from Pontiac to the school with the best play of the year.