One of the drawbacks to the school year ending in mid-May is that we leave some sports unfinished. Will softball win another national title? Will baseball win another game? How far can tennis star Vicky Maes go?

But we won't let that stop us from handing out the first (and last) annual "Patties" to celebrate accomplishments (dubious and otherwise) from the year gone by.

Catch of the Year: Sure, Richard Dice pulled in a beauty for a touchdown against Cal, but the hands-down winner this year is former UA golfer Brenna Cepelak. You remember Brenna - she landed professional golfer Nick Faldo after the two met at a PGA Tour event in Tucson last January. Because of the media pressure, Cepelak dropped out of school last semester and joined Faldo on tour. With Cepelak at his side, Faldo took home his third green jacket with a Masters win earlier this month. Anthropology 101 to a multi-million dollar Florida estate - not bad.

Play of the Year: Feb. 11. Arizona vs. Cincinnati. Phoenix's Veterans' Memorial Coliseum. Three seconds to go. Miles Simon from 70 feet. Enough said.

Game of the Year: Arizona vs. Arizona State in football. I stopped watching when UA fell behind 28-17 with eight minutes to go. But the Swarm started swarming and the Wildcats made amends for a mediocre season with a startling comeback to win 31-28. Not a bad way for the best defense in the school's history to go out.

Heartbreak of the Year: Swimmer Chad Carvin is the overwhelming choice here. A 12-time All-American who was by almost all accounts a lock for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team, Carvin was diagnosed with viral cardiomyopathy in December and was forced to retire from swimming and miss his chance at Olympic gold. Thankfully, he has since been cleared to resume swimming.

Coach of the Year: At first this was a tough one to call. Becky Bell has taken the women's tennis team to its best season ever, Jim Gault had the gymnastics team in the NCAAs again and women's basketball coach Joan Bonvicini had the Wildcats in the postseason for the first time ever. But after I though about it - while all the above accomplishments are certainly worthy - I give the nod to a coach who missed a game. Football coach Dick Tomey left his assistant coaches in charge against Illinois to attend the funeral of tight end Damon Terrell. For all the fuss about wins and losses, this is a man who knows what's important.

Freshman of the Year: Tough call. The finalists are Amy Skieresz, who finished second in the NCAA cross country championships and has qualified for the Olympic Trials in the 3,000 meters; Heidi Hornbeek, who placed third in the all-around at the NCAA gymnastics championship and tied for first on the floor exercise with a perfect 10; Maria Baena, who won four golf tournaments this season, inlcuding the Pacific 10 Conference title.

The winner is Hornbeek. Not only did this freshman single-handedly pull the Wildcats to the NCAAs, she never seemed to have a bad meet despite the pressure she was under each night out.

Athlete of the Year: The big one - athletes are, after all, what sports are all about. Football's Tedy Bruschi is the first to come to mind, with his ability as a pass rusher and passion for the game. Point guard Reggie Geary cannot be overlooked (what will McKale Center be like next season without his presence?). Brenda Pantoja proved she was a premier point guard in the nation, and led the country in assists, and Maes has likewise shown herself to be one of the top tennis players in the nation as a sophomore.

The athlete of the year, though, leads the nation in home runs and RBIs, has set NCAA records for walks and runs scored this season, and is currently fifth in the country in batting average. Jenny Dalton is the best softball player in the nation, bar none. She has been the firepower for the Wildcats, and has put up amazing numbers despite being the marked player on the team - which usually translates into intentional walks. There is no more worthier a candidate for athlete of the year in my opinion.

Patrick Klein is the sports editor of the Arizona Daily Wildcat.