Editor’s note: With several sports going on, Wildcat Wrap serves as a recap that focuses on the Arizona programs that we do not have the time to cover on a regular basis but are certainly worthy of recognition.
For a fifth straight season, the Arizona men’s tennis program has won a conference championship.
The No. 10 Wildcats took down No. 15 UCF 4-1 on Thursday in Tucson to clinch a share of the Big 12 regular season title. Arizona is 7-0 in Big 12 play with tiebreaker wins over one-loss TCU and Baylor.
The UA plays at Oklahoma State on Sunday to conclude the regular season.
Clancy Shields has now led Arizona to back-to-back Big 12 titles in the program’s first two years in the conference. Last season Arizona won the Big 12 tournament championship after defeating UCF in the final.
Arizona won the 2022, 2023 and 2024 Pac-12 regular season titles as well as the 2024 Pac-12 Tournament championship.
Prior to 2022, Arizona had never won a conference championship.
This year’s Wildcats team is in the running for a top eight national seed in the NCAA Tournament, having won their last 14 matches. Arizona is 19-3 overall.
Jay Friend, the No. 5 ranked player in the country, wrapped up his final regular season home match with a 6-2, 6-3 win on the top singles court. Arizona also received singles points from Filip Gustafsson and Zoran Ludoski. Arizona opened the match by sweeping doubles play.
Arizona will be the No. 1 seed at Big 12 Championship, which runs April 15-18 in Orlando, Fla.
Swimming and diving
A pair of Arizona swimming and diving coaches earned Big 12 Coach of the Year honors.
Head coach Ben Loorz was named the Women’s Swimming Coach of the Year after guiding the Wildcats women to a second-place finish at Big 12 Championships. Nine Arizona swimmers were named All Big 12 First Team.
Arizona finished the year ranked in the top 25 nationally.
Dwight Dumais was named the Men’s Diving Coach of the Year. Under Dumais’ watch, the Arizona men placed in the top three of every meet this season, including a pair of first-place finishes at the Big 12 Championships.
Additionally, diver Luke Hernandez was named the Men’s Freshman of the Year after winning the Big 12 title in the 1-meter and platform events.
Hernandez was one of three male divers to compete at the NCAA Championships.
Women’s golf
Arizona concluded the regular season with a seventh place finish at the Huntington Bank Collegiate in Dallas. The Wildcats finished the tournament 1-over par.
Nena Wongthanavimok led Arizona with a 6-under across three rounds. She finished in a tie for sixth.
Arizona has a few weeks off before it competes at the Big 12 Championship April 23-25 in Dallas.
