Greg Hansen's Top 100 Sports Figures of 2017: 80-61
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
80. Kelsey Jenkins
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Kelsey Jenkins takes a swing at the ball during batting practice at Sabino High School in 2014.
Sabino High School grad starred at Wisconsin, where she was an All-Big Ten defensive-team player. She also hit .321 and made the NCAA All-Regional tournament team at second base.
79. Nick Rosquist
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Nick Rosquist of the Gregory School jumps for a shot over Bisbee defenders during a game on February 02, 2017.
Rosquist finished his career at The Gregory School with a 28-point scoring average, most among all Tucsonans, and more than 2,000 career points.
78. Neysia Howard
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Tucson High’s outstanding track and field athlete finished second in the state finals in the long jump and in 200 meters. She was also third in the 100 meter finals.
77. Alexis Kaiser, Ellessa Bonstrom and Arianna Acedo
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Canyon del Oro's Arianna Acedo (14) yells at teammate Anya Gonzalez after scoring the second run on Gonzalez's two RBI single that made it 5-0 in the fifth inning against Salpointe in the state 4A softball semifinal at Hillenbrand Stadium in 2015.
The statistical leaders of CDO’s 30-4 state championship softball season. Kaiser hit .433 with 14 home runs; Bonstrom hit .495 with 11 homers; Acedo hit .485 with 36 RBI.
76. Pat Nugent
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Cienega's head coach Pat Nugent tries to get a play into the offense as the Bobcats line up against Shadow Ridge in the third quarter of their game at Cienega High School, Friday, September 1, 2017.
Cienega’s football coach piloted the Bobcats to a 12-1 season and the Class 5A state semifinals.
75. Taylor Bigelow
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Salpointe defender Taylor Bigelow (9) and Ironwood Ridge forward Kaylee Wallentine (8) jump for a corner kick during the second half of the Ironwood Ridge vs. Salpointe Catholic girl's high school soccer match at Salpointe Catholic High School in 2016.
As Pima College’s women’s soccer team went 15-5-1 and reached the Region 1 semifinals, Bigelow, a Salpointe Catholic grad, became a first-team All-ACCAC selection.
74. Eric Tatham
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Cienega head coach Eric Tatham, right, high-fives the players and staff after the Bobcats won on the final out of the state Division II softball championship game between Salpointe and Cienega in 2015.
Coached Cienega to a 28-7 record and its second state softball championship.
73. Chris Cooper
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Midfielder Chris Cooper, left, races a teammate to the ball as the Rangers run through some light drills at the Rincon High School soccer practice in 2016.
Pima College’s sophomore engineering major from University High School was selected to the All-ACCAC first team with nine goals and 12 assists for the ACCAC conference champs.
72. David Korn
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David Korn
In his second year as head coach of Division II Maryville-St. Louis’ men’s soccer team, the Canyon del Oro grad went 13-4-2 and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
71. Chris Klassen
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Lauren Green poses with her mom, Rochelle, left, and Rattlers club team coach Chris Klassen during National Letter-of-Intent signing day at Cienega High School on Nov. 8, 2017.
Coach has turned the Tucson Rattlers into a top girls AAU basketball team and, helping 11 of his Rattlers players earn college scholarships in the last three years. Klassen is also an assistant coach for the Pima College women's team
70. Harrison Jacobs
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Harrison Jacobs. Photo courtesy of Cal Tech athletics
The former Catalina Foothills baseball player was a key part of Cal Tech’s stunning March victory over Pomona-Pitzer, which broke a 29-year conference losing streak dating to 1988. Jacobs, who started 34 games, helped the Beavers win eight games in the season.
69. Matt Muehlebach
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Arizona’s starting point guard on Pac-10 championship teams of the late-'80s and early-'90s has blossomed as one of the top TV analysts for the Pac-12 Networks.
68. Jerry Carrillo
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The Salponte Catholic and UA grad coached Cochise College’s men’s basketball team to another banner season, 25-7 in the ACCAC, and opened this season 9-1 to reach 497 career wins before Christmas.
67. Matt Bushman
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BYU tight end Matt Bushman left runs with the football while Hawaii linebacker Russell Williams Jr. (44) gives chase during the third quarter of an NCAA college football game, Nov. 25, 2017, in Honolulu.
In his freshman season at BYU, Bushman, a Sabino High Schoool grad, caught 49 passes at tight end — the most among all freshmen tight ends in NCAA football.
66. Shannon Woolridge
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The Empire High School softball coach won his second state championship in three years, going 26-9 to take the 3A title.
65. Doug D’Amore
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Catalina Foothills' head coach Doug D'Amore shouts out instructions to his players from the bench during the second half of their Division II state basketball playoff game against Agua Fria in 2016.
Catalina Foothills’ boys basketball coach, a former Mountain View High School and Euro League standout, reached the state 4A semifinals last season.
64. Jared Oliva
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Arizona center fielder Jared Oliva (42) tracks down a sinking liner by Washington's Willie MacIver (9) in the fifth inning of their Pac-12 game at Hi Corbett Field in 2017.
Oliva hit .321 with 54 RBI for Arizona’s NCAA Tournament baseball team. He was named to the All-Pac-12 first team.
63. Courtney Brown
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Pima Community College softball player Courtney Brown. Photo courtesy of Pima athletics
Pima College’s hard-hitting outfielder from Flowing Wells High School hit .423 with 43 RBI for the Aztecs.
62. Delaney Schnell
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Delaney Schnell, 18, works on her form before falling into the water during a workout at Hillenbrand Aquatic Center on June 28, 2017. Schnell says she started diving when she was 10 years old. She is now one of the best in the nation.
Now in her freshman season at Arizona, the former Tucson High diver made the Team USA World Championship diving team in Budapest, Hungary, finishing 27th overall.
61. Cesar Salazar
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Arizona's Cesar Salazar (12) singles in the seventh inning against Coastal Carolina and would eventually come around to score in their final series game at TD Ameritrade Park in the College World Series, June 27, 2016, Omaha, Neb.
Arizona’s sophomore catcher was selected to the All-Pac-12 first team.
