Greg Hansen's Top 100 Sports Figures of 2017: 40-21
Star columnist Greg Hansen counts down the most prominent sports figures in Southern Arizona from 2017. Find out who makes the cut!
By Greg Hansen / Arizona Daily Star
40. Abdi Abdirahman
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Abdi Abdirahman of the United States crosses the finish line in third place in the men's division at the 2016 New York City Marathon in New York in 2016.
Tucson’s remarkable 40-year-old distance runner was the first American to finish the New York Marathon in November, No. 7 overall, which backed up his impressive No. 6 overall finish at the Boston Marathon in April.
39. Justice Summerset
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Tucson Mountain View's Justice Summerset attempts to clear the bar at 7 feet 1 inches during the Boy's Division II High Jump Final at the State Track and Field Championships in Mesa on Saturday, May 7, 2016. Summers won the event with a jump of 6 foot 9 inches.
In his first year at Arizona, the Mountain View High School grad finished third in the NCAA finals with a jump of 7-feet 1 ¾ inches to become an All-American.
38. Haley Moore
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Amateur player Haley Moore reacts to her putt on the 18th hole during the third round of the LPGA Tour ANA Inspiration golf tournament at Mission Hills Country Club in 2015 in Rancho Mirage, Calif.
A first-team All-Pac-12 golfer, Moore won the Sugar Bowl Invitational and placed in the top five in eight tournaments for Arizona.
37. Ali Farhang and Alan Young
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Attorney Ali Farhang, the Arizona Bowl local organizing commissioner chairman, talks about the inaugural Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl scheduled for Dec. 29, 2015 at Arizona Stadium. A.E. Araiza / Arizona Daily Star
In three years, Farhang, the chairman, and Young, the executive director, have put the Arizona Bowl on the map and made a serious run at selling out the Utah State-New Mexico State game.
36. Lainey Burdett
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Freshman goalkeeper Lainey Burdett focuses a shot coming her way during University of Arizona Soccer practice in 2015.
Arizona’s second-team All-Pac-12 soccer goalie allowed just 17 goals in 20 games for the Wildcats.
35. Jamarye Joiner
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Cienega quarterback Jamarye Joiner (11) fires a pass during the first quarter of the No. 1 Cienega vs. No. 9 Marana high school 5A quarterfinal football game at Cienega High School in 2017.
As a Cienega High School senior quarterback, Joiner passed for 2,196 yards and ran for 1394 more, combining for 44 touchdowns.
34. Andy, Sofia and Christian Fetsis
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Pusch Ridge Christian quarterback Christian Fetsis (10) looks back as he streaks downfield during the third quarter of the Pusch Ridge Christian vs. Empire high school football game at Empire High School in 2017.
The Fetsis family had a remarkable year in sports: Father Andy was Pusch Ridge’s defensive coordinator in a 13-1 football season and coached the Pusch Ridge’s girls tennis team to a 17-1 record and the state championship. His daughter, Sofia, finished No. 3 in the Division III singles finals, and his son, Christian, rushed for 1,181 yards and passed for 1,296 more, for 32 touchdowns, to lead the Lions to the state finals.
33. Luis Gonzalez
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Center fielder Luis Gonzalez (6) of the Kannapolis Intimidators bats in a game against the Greenville Drive on Wednesday, July 12, 2017, at Fluor Field at the West End in Greenville, South Carolina. Greenville won, 12-2.
The Catalina Foothills grad hit .381 for Mountain West champion New Mexico and was drafted No. 87 overall by the Chicago White Sox.
32. Jesse Mermuys
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Los Angeles Lakers center Timofey Mozgov, right, of Russia, enjoys a moment with assistant coach Jesse Mermuys, left, during warmups before an NBA preseason basketball game against the Portland Trail Blazers in Los Angeles, Oct. 11, 2016.
The Salpointe Catholic graduate worked his way up from low-level jobs at Southern Utah, New Mexico State and Arizona to the Los Angeles Lakers, where he's Luke Walton's No. 1 assistant.
31. Carlie Scupin
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Tucson High’s power-hitting first baseman hit .551 with 13 home runs as a freshman. She verbally committed to play for Arizona as an eighth-grader.
30. Sydni Stallworth
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Guard Sydni Stallworth pulls up for a jumper in a shooting drill during practice for the Pima Community College basketball team in 2015.
A first-team NJCAA All-American point guard at Pima College, Stallworth averaged 17 points per game for the Aztecs.
29. Lauri Markkanen
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Chicago Bulls' Lauri Markkanen, center, drives between Philadelphia 76ers' Richaun Holmes, left, and Robert Covington during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Dec. 18, 2017, in Chicago.
The Pac-12 Freshman of the Year averaged 15.6 points and 7.2 rebounds before becoming the seventh overall selection in the NBA draft. He immediately became a double-figure scorer for the Chicago Bulls.
28. Bijan Robinson
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Salpointe's Bijan Robinson (5) right, finds some room to run around the end and by Saguaro's Antonio Cuevas (5) in their 4A state championship game at Arizona Stadium on December 2, 2017.
Salpointe’s star running back gained a city-record 2,023 yards as a sophomore, and scored 26 touchdowns for the state’s Class 4A runner-up team.
27. Colin Schooler
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Arizona Wildcats linebacker Colin Schooler (7) roars after sacking Arizona State Sun Devils quarterback Manny Wilkins (5) during the second quarter of the University of Arizona Wildcats vs. Arizona State University Sun Devils in the Territorial Cup college football game on Nov. 25, 2017, in Tempe, Ariz.
Arizona’s freshman linebacker made 13½ tackles for loss and was chosen the Pac-12 defensive Freshman of the Year.
26. Julian Gaona
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Tucson's Julian Gaona, Arizona Daily Star All Star, in camera double exposure in 2016.
A first-team NJCAA All-American in men’s soccer at Pima College, the Tucson High grad scored a team-high 16 goals for the nation’s No. 3 team.
25. Bryce Cotton
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Utah Jazz guard Bryce Cotton, left, drives for a shot past Denver Nuggets guard Jameer Nelson in the fourth quarter of an NBA basketball game in 2015.
The Palo Verde High School grad scored 45 points in the Australian National Basketball League championship game, and was named the league's MVP. He is averaging 19 points for Perth this season.
24. Heather Moore-Martin
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Salpointe's head coach Heather Moore-Martin directs her squad in the second game against Mesquite in their DII quarterfinal playoff match at Salpointe Catholic High School in 2015.
Won her second straight state girls volleyball championships at Salpointe Catholic High School. She now has four state titles in her career.
23. Jon Pearlman
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FC Tucson coach Jon Pearlman has won with the Men in Black before, and will now attempt to turn around the team’s season.
In his first season as head coach of FC Tucson, Pearlman won the franchise’s fourth straight division title, went 9-2-3 and put together a 10-match undefeated string.
22. Mike Candrea
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University of Arizona head coach Mike Candrea talks with the media about bringing in Taryne Mowatt as the new softball pitching coach in 2017.
Arizona’s softball coach won another Pac-12 championship with a 52-9 record, reaching the regional finals.
21. Donny Toia
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D.C. United's Patrick Nyarko, right, grabs Orlando City's Donny Toia by the arm as they try to get possession of the ball during the second half of an MLS soccer game, Wednesday, May 31, 2017, in Orlando, Fla. Orlando Won 2-0.
Four years into his Major League Soccer career, the CDO and Pima College veteran started 29 games for the Orlando City SC.
