Editor's Note: As the calendar winds down on 2025, longtime Star columnist Greg Hansen has ranked the Top 100 sports figures in Southern Arizona for his 30th annual list. We'll count them down on Tucson.com, revealing No. 1 on Dec. 31.
See Nos. 100-80Â here.
See Nos. 79-60Â here.
See Nos. 59-40Â here.
39. Kendra Veliz. The ACCAC women's soccer coach of the year led Pima College to a 14-2-5 record and a fourth-place finish at the NJCAA finals.
38. Emma Gates. After finishing fourth in the NCAA indoor high jump championships, Gates made Team USA for the World Championships in Tokyo.
37. Seth Doege. Arizona's first-year offensive coordinator improved the UA's scoring average from 22 to 33 points per game, with 4,858 yards.
Arizona's Carolina Melgrati warms up in the practice round before the 2025 Big 12 Women’s Golf Championships at The Clubs at Houston Oaks in Hockley, Texas, on April 14, 2025.Â
36. Carolina Melgrati. Leading Arizona to the Big 12 women's golf championship, Melgrati then went on to earn her LPGA Tour card for 2026.
35. Sergio Vega. The four-time state wrestling champion from Sunnyside completed his high school career with a 33-1 record and title No. 4.
34. Dave Cosgrove. Pima College's men's soccer coach led the Aztecs to an 18-4 record, finishing third in the NJCAA championships.
33. Cohenj Gonzales. Pima College's starting point guard was a first-team NJCAA All-American, averaging 18.7 points for a 35-1 team.
32. Jordan Morgan. The ex-Marana High School and UA offensive lineman had started 11 games for the Green Bay Packers through Dec. 21.
31. Zach Extine. In his senior season at Arizona, Extine finished second in the NCAA championships 110-meter hurdles, running a school-record 13.13 seconds.
30. Anthony Leon. Sunnyside High School's wrestling coach led the Blue Devils to their eighth consecutive state championship in 2025.
29. Jaden Bradley. Arizona's starting point guard became a big-game star, helping the Wildcats beat Top 25 teams Florida, UConn, UCLA, Auburn and Alabama in a remarkable rise to the No. 1 rankings.
28. Lathan Ransom. Becoming a starter in his NFL rookie season, the Salpointe grad from Ohio State has started six games with 49 tackles for the Carolina Panthers.
27. Wes Johnson. Arizona's triathlon coach won a second consecutive national championship.
Arizona’s Jay Friend celebrates after scoring the winning point against Harvard in Round 2 of the NCAA Tournament at LaNelle Robson Tennis Center on May 3, 2025.
26. Jay Friend. In his junior season at Arizona, Friend went 34-4 and was a first-team tennis All-American who climbed into the Top 10 rankings this fall.
25. Giovana Maymon. In her first season as Arizona's women's golf coach, Maymon led the Wildcats to the Big 12 championship.
24. Terry Francona. Coming out of retirement, the two-time World Series champion manager led the long-struggling Cincinnati Reds to the National League playoffs.
23. Wolfgang Weber. Salpointe's enduring boys soccer coach won his fifth consecutive state championship, going 26-2, the 12th state championship of his Salpointe career.
22. Dalton Johnson. Arizona's senior defensive back led the team with 97 tackles and was an All-Big 12 first-team selection.
21. Treydan Stukes. A third-team AP All-American, Stukes had four interceptions and 52 tackles for the Arizona defense.
20. Nick Gonzales. After an early-season injury sidelined the Cienega High School graduate for six weeks, Gonzales became the Pittsburgh Pirates' starting second baseman, hitting .260 in 96 games.
