Greg Hansen's Top 100 sports figures of 2014

No. 100 • Paul Reed

In his final season as Cienega High’s girls basketball coach, Reed took the Bobcats to the state finals, finishing 26-2. 

No. 99 • Julian Gaona

As Tucson High went 24-0-3 to win the state soccer championship, Gaona, a sophomore, scored an impressive 31 goals. 

No. 98 • Nick Wilson

Arizona’s freshman tailback rushed for 1,289 yards and scored 15 touchdowns even though he missed two games with injuries. 

No. 97 • Bill Lang

Ironwood Ridge’s long-standing volleyball coach piloted the Nighthawks to a 30-win season and another berth in the state championship game. 

No. 96 • Justice Summerset

Mounain View High’s junior quarterback passed for 2,742 yards, rushed for 303 more and high-jumped 6-feet, 11 3/4 inches for the track team. 

No. 95 • Rick Waits

In his first season as Seattle Mariners pitching coach, Waits, a longtime Tucsonan, helped the Ms to a 3.17 team ERA, best in the American League. 

No. 94 • Derik Hall

Sahuaro High’s two-way football standout rushed for 1,270 yards, scored 21 touchdowns, caught passes for 215 yards and intercepted three passes. 

No. 93 • Sherry Cervi

In what was probably considered an “off year’’ by the three-time world champion barrel racer from Marana, Cervi finished 10th in the WPRA and earned $122,000 on the pro rodeo circuit. 

No. 92 • Nathan Tyler

The Sabino and UA grad played a full season on the Web.com Tour, earning $71,433 and placing in the top 10 in two events. 

No. 91 • Alex Verdugo

With a .532 batting average, Verdugo led Sahuaro to a 24-7 season, the state semifinals, and was a second-round draft pick of the Dodgers. 

No. 90 • Kirtana Bhat

The Catalina Foothills senior won her third straight state tennis singles championship. 

No. 89 • Kaitlyn Lopez

The UA junior soccer player from Ironwood Ridge played in all 21 games for Arizona’s NCAA tournament team, starting 14, and scoring three goals. 

No. 88 • Calvin Jenkins

Sahuarita High’s senior quarterback passed for 27 touchdowns and ran for 10 more as the Mustangs finished 12-1. 

No. 87 • Austin Nehls

Averaging 19.8 points per game as a Catalina Foothills senior, Nehls led the Falcons to a 23-7 season. His father, Joe, averaged 16.8 points per game in three seasons with the Arizona Wildcats in the late 1970s. 

No. 86 • Scott Kingery

Breaking into the UA baseball lineup, Kingery led the team with a .354 batting average and was selected to the all-Pac-12 first team. 

No. 85 • Kayla Bonstrom

As a sophomore first baseman at Stanford, Bonstrom, a CDO grad, hit .333 and was named to the All-Pac-12 honorable mention team. 

No. 84 • Ricardo Velazco

The FC Tucson forward, who played at the Tucson Soccer Academy, also was a main figure as Louisville reached the NCAA’s Sweet 16, scoring five goals. 

No. 83 • Kristie Stevens

Catalina Foothills’ Pima County Sports Hall of Fame coach directed the Falcons girls tennis team to a state championship for the 13th time in 14 years. 

No. 82 • Anu Solomon

In his redshirt freshman season, the UA quarterback threw for 3,458 yards and 27 touchdowns for a 10-3 team. 

No. 81 • Donny Toia

The former CDO, Pima College and FC Tucson forward became a mainstay in the Chivas USA lineup as a defender this past season. He played in 27 MLS matches, 24 starts. 

No. 80 • Jordan Weatherless

Bound for Illinois State on a volleyball scholarship, Weatherless helped the Nighthawks win 30 games, advance to the state championship game and led the team in service aces.

No. 79 • Tim Derksen

Now a starter for the San Francisco Dons, Derksen, from Amphi High, is averaging 12.3 points as a junior. 

No. 78 • Donovan Moore

In a five-week stretch at Pima College, the Tucson High grad caught 46 passes and ultimately made the All-WSFL first-team. 

No. 77 • Brian Peabody

Rebuilding Pima College men’s basketball team from a 1-21 ACCAC record, Peabody coached the Aztecs to a 15-16 record and is now 8-3 at the holiday break. 

No. 76 • Aaron Vaughn

The Pusch Ridge Christian grad was an all-conference pitcher, 9-4, at Northwest Nazarene University, setting the school record for career victories and then had a 1.69 ERA in 22 games in the Houston Astros farm system. 

No. 75 • Jamee Swan

Averaging 13.2 points for Colorado, the basketball club’s second leading scorer, a junior starter from Marana who averaged 8.3 a year ago. 

No. 74 • Emily Robinson

Ironwood Ridge High’s senior pitcher went 20-3 with a 1.20 to help the Nighthawks win the state championship. 

No. 73 • Jim Mentz

Long-time Palo Verde High baseball coach broke through and won the state championship, finishing 27-4 with 12 wins in his last 13 games. 

No. 72 • Tom Wilhelmsen

Pitching in relief for the Seattle Mariners, the Tucson High grad struck out 72 batters in 79 innings. 

No. 71 • Dave Rubio

Arizona’s volleyball coach delivered the Pac-12’s No. 3 team in the nation’s most talented volleyball conference, reaching the NCAA tournament second round. 

No. 70 • Alex Bowman

Starting 36 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races in his rookie year on tour, the Ironwood Ridge High grad earned $3.3 million and finished 31st overall. 

No. 69 • Michael Perez

The Pueblo High grad averaged 11.5 points for the Nevada Wolf Pack a year ago, and repeated as a Nevada basketball starter this season, his senior year.

No. 68 • Laura Ianello

Arizona’s women’s golf coach directed her club to a No. 7 finish in the NCAA tournament and a tie for second in the Pac-12 finals. 

No. 67 • Brianna Rodriguez

The Pima College sophomore, a Cienega High grad, won the NJCAA long jump championship with a leap of 18-11 3/4. 

No. 66 • Steve Naemark

Leading Cochise College to the NJCAA baseball World Series, Naemark, a Mountain View High grad, went 11-4 to tie for the most victories in JC baseball. 

No. 65 • Kevin Newman

Arizona’s two-time All-Pac-12 shortstop also won the Cape Cod League batting championship in the summer. 

No. 64 • Pat McCoy

The Sahuaro grad made his major-league debut, pitching 14 games for the Detroit Tigers during the pennant race. 

No. 63 • Suzy Mason

During Arizona’s swift turnaround, a $30 million remake of McKale Center, Mason, an associate athletic director, was the day-to-day supervisor of operations. 

No. 62 • Danny Vega

Ironwood Ridge’s freshman wrestler went 43-0 to win the state championship. 

No. 61 • Daniel Gonzales

Navy’s starting sophomore linebacker made 80 tackles, second highest total for the Midshipmen. 

No. 60 • Grant Hopkins

Desert Christian’s baseball coach produced a second consecutive state title, finishing 29-2. 

No. 59 • Raja Moreno-Ross 

With 12 double-doubles for Pima College’s women’s basketball team, Moreno-Ross was selected a first-team NJCAA All-American. She now plays at Hawaii. 

No. 58 • Lindsey Weaver

A second-team All-American, Weaver, a junior golfer at Arizona, finished second in the Pac-12 finals and 16th in the NCAA championships. 

No. 57 • Blake Martinez

The CDO grad led Stanford with 96 tackles, starting at middle linebacker in his junior season. 

No. 56 • Jeremy Timpf

A sophomore from Sabino, Timpf led Army with 117 tackles as a starting linebacker. 

No. 55 • Zach Malis

Desert Christian’s star baseball player hit .636 and went 11-1 as a pitcher in a state championship season. 

No. 54 • Brad Tandy

In his first season as a UA swimmer, Tandy won the NCAA title in the 50 freestyle and was an All-American in two more events. 

No. 53 • Chip Hale

The Oakland A’s bench coach, a long-time Tucsonan, helped the A’s to the American League playoffs and was then selected as manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks. 

No. 52 • Rod Smith

For the third year in succession, Arizona’s quarterbacks coach helped to produce a bowl team with first-year starter, Anu Solomon, at QB. 

No. 51 • Shakir Smith

The Tucson High grad led the ACCAC and all of NJCAA with a 29.3 basketball scoring average. He now leads Adams State with a 16.8 average. 

No. 50 • Julie Labonte and Elvin Kibet 

The UA track and field standouts both finished fourth at the NCAA finals: Labonte in the shot put and Kibet in the 10,000 meters. 

No. 49 • Chelsea Goodacre

The Pac-12’s all-conference catcher led the league with 22 home runs as an Arizona junior. 

No. 48 • Clark Crist

The longtime Cincinnati Reds scout/coach, a former UA and Palo Verde shortstop, led the Reds Area Code high school team to the national championship and was then hired as a top national scout by the Arizona Diamondbacks. 

No. 47 • Bernard Lagat

The 40-year-old Tucsonan continues to beat Father Time; he won the USA championship at 5,000 meters and the American title in the indoor 3,000 meters. 

No. 46 • Nick Ross

Arizona’s skilled high-jumper broke a 33-year-old school record, clearing 7-feet, 6 1/2 inches outdoors and 7-7 indoors. He was third in the NCAA finals and second in the USA championships. 

No. 45 • Matt Dudek and Mike Parrish

Off the field, Arizona’s commitment to football excellence can be seen in the work and effectiveness of Dudek, director of on-campus recruiting and player personnel, and Parrish, assistant athletic director and director of football operations. 

No. 44 • Drew Riggleman 

Arizona’s junior punter from Sahuaro High was a second-team All-Pac-12 punter, averaging 46.4 yards per punt, with 29 in excess of 50 yards. 

No. 43 • Alexis Dotson 

A first-team NJCAA All-American outfielder at Pima College, Dotson led JC softball with 111 hits and was fourth overall with a .516 batting average. 

No. 42 • Michael Thompson

The Rincon/University grad earned $932,300 on the PGA Tour, with eight top 25 finishes, to keep his playing card for 2015. 

No. 41 • Hallie Wilson 

Arizona’s standout first baseman hit .414 with 17 home runs to make the All-Pac-12 first team. 

No. 40 • Christine Clark

Making the All-Ivy League team for the third consecutive year, the Tucson High grad completed her Harvard basketball career with 1,711 points, No. 4 in school history, and is averaging 17.8 points for Lavezzini Parma in the Italian Pro League. 

No. 39 • Stefen Romero

As a Seattle Mariners rookie outfielder, the Sunnyside and Pima College grad played in 73 MLB games and also hit .358 in 36 games for the Class AAA Tacoma Rainiers. 

No. 38 • Brent Strom

Long-time Tucson pitching coach took over the Houston Astros pitching staff and reduced the team ERA from 4.79 to 4.14, and runs allowed from 848 to 723. 

No. 37 • Tyler Fallwell

Pitching Palo Verde High to its first state championship, Fallwell went 9-0 with a 1.24 ERA and had a .392 batting average. 

No. 36 • Gabi Stoian

One of the top freshmen soccer players in the NCAA, Stoian scored 13 goals, second most in Arizona history, leading the Wildcats to the second round of the NCAA tournament. 

No. 35 • Murphy Gershman

Bidding to become the ACCAC’s men’s basketball player of the year, the former Tucson High Badger is averaging 23.9 points and 12.4 rebounds for the Aztecs. 

No. 34 • David Rodriguez

Sahuarita High’s football coach led the Mustangs to a 12-1 record and the state semifinals. 

No. 33 • Caitlin Leverenz

America’s top women’s finisher in the Grand Prix swimming series, the Sahuaro High grad finished third in the USA Nationals in the 200 IM. 

No. 32 • Shannon Shields

A Sabino grad, Shields was a first-team All-American by the NJCAA and also by the National Soccer Coaches Association. 

No. 31 • Arturo Vega

Pima College’s soccer midfielder, a Salpointe grad, was the ACCAC men’s player of the year and a first-team National Soccer Coaches All-American. 

No. 30 • Kellie Fox

The Pac-12’s defensive Player of the Year, Fox, a UA junior shortstop, hit .389 with 15 homers and 62 RBI to make the all-conference first team. 

No. 29 • Ismael Arce

Tucson High School’s boys soccer coach had the year of his life, going 24-0-3 to win the state championship. 

No. 28 • Ian Kinsler

The Detroit Tigers second baseman, a CDO grad, hit .275 with 17 home runs to make the American League All-Star team. 

No. 27 • Aaron Gordon

In one season at Arizona, Gordon was the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and an all-league defensive player, averaging 12.4 points. 

No. 26 • Alex McMahon

Now a senior at Arizona, the Ironwood Ridge High grad won the 90th Arizona Amateur in August, after averaging 73.03 strokes per round for the Wildcats, with four top 10 finishes. 

No. 25 • Nicco Blank

In 13 starts for ACCAC baseball power Central Arizona, Blank, who helped Catalina High School win the 2011 state title, finished 10-1 and was drafted by the New York Mets upon being named the ACCAC player of the year. 

No. 24 • Jared Tevis

The CDO grad made his senior season at Arizona his best, making 119 tackles, second-most on the team. 

No. 23 • Rich Alday

In his first season as Ironwood Ridge’s softball coach, Alday, former head baseball coach at New Mexico and Pima College, led the Nighthawks to the state championship with a 28-7 record. 

No. 22 • Juaquin and William Olivas

The Sunnyside High wrestling brothers both won state championships. William, a senior, was 39-0 and selected as the state wrestler of the year. Juaquin, a junior, went 29-1. 

No. 21 • Kendra Veliz

The ACCAC women’s soccer coach of the year took the Pima Aztecs to the NJCAA national tournament and went 16-6-2. 

No. 20 • Bryanna Caldwell

The Canyon del Oro grad tied the all-time U.S. Bowling Congress women’s record with an 879 series in September, with games of 300, 279, 300, as she buffed her reputation as America’s leading female bowler. 

No. 19 • Madi Kingdon

Arizona’s senior volleyball standout was named a third-team AVCA All-American and a first-team All-Pac-12 selection; she led the NCAA in attacks per set.

No. 18 • J.J. Hardy

The Baltimore Orioles shortstop, a Sabino High grad, won his third American League Gold Glove Award and signed a $40 million contract extension with the Orioles. 

No. 17 • Maddie Pothoff

A 16-year-old tennis player from Tucson, ranked No. 1 in Arizona, Pothoff is ranked No. 17 among USTA girls 16-under, earning a scholarship to Alabama and going 43-15 against national USTA competition. 

No. 16 • Tony Amato

Arizona’s second-year soccer coach led the Wildcats to their third NCAA tournament in school history, winning 11 games, the second highest total in UA history. 

No. 15 • Delaney Schnell

One of America’s top young divers, Schnell, a sophomore at Tucson High, finished fourth in the World Junior Diving Championships in Russia. Before that, she was second in the USA Nationals, both in platform diving. 

No. 14 • Dave Cosgrove

During a season in which Pima College men’s soccer team went 22-5-1 and reached the NJCAA’s national championship tournament, Cosgrove coached the Aztecs to a 15-4-1 ACCAC record. 

No. 13 • Margo Geer

As a senior at Arizona, Geer won the NCAA title in the 100 freestyle and was selected as the Pac-12 women’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year. 

No. 12 • Greg Byrne

Arizona’s fifth-year athletic director successfully completed a seven-month, $30-million renovation of McKale Center and put into place a $16.7 million financial plan to help keep Sean Miller and Rich Rodriguez at the school. 

No. 11 • Terry Francona

In his second season as manager of the Cleveland Indians, Francona, a longtime Tucsonan, led the Indians to an 85-77 record. 

No. 10 • Bryce Cotton

A Palo Verde High School grad, Cotton was the Big East Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, a first-team All-Big East selection after scoring 21.8 points per game. 

No. 9 • Nick Johnson

As an Arizona junior, Johnson was the Pac-12 basketball Player of the Year, averaging 16.3 points for the 33-5 Wildcats. 

No. 8 • Chris Meyers

In his senior year at Canyon del Oro, Meyers won the state golf championship a month after winning the amateur portion of the Champion Tour’s Nature Valley First Tee Open at Pebble Beach, making a double-eagle two at the 18th hole to win the team title with ex-U.S. Open champ Lee Jansen. 

No. 7 • Matt Grevers

Considered America’s top male swimmer, Grevers, a volunteer coach at the UA, won USA titles in the 100 backstroke and 50 butterfly and led Team USA to a gold medal in the 4x100 relay at the Pan Pacific Games. 

No. 6 • Lawi Lalang

In his final UA season, Lalang won the NCAA title at 5,000 meters and was named the Pac-12’s men’s Track and Field Athlete of the Year and top scholar-athlete for track and field. 

No. 5 • Rick Schantz and Jon Pearlman 

Schantz, head coach of FC Tucson in the U.S. Premier Developmental League, and Pearlman, the general manager, led the club to an 11-2-1 record and within one victory of the PDL’s final four. They were also selected the PDL Organization of the Year. 

No. 4 • Sean Miller

Arizona’s basketball coach reached the Elite Eight, went 33-5, posted the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class and has the Wildcats ranked No. 3. 

No. 3 • Scooby Wright

UA sophomore linebacker was a consensus All-American, the Pac-12 defensive Player of the Year who won the Lombardi, Butkus and Bednarik awards. 

No. 2 • Kevin Cordes

A repeat winner as NCAA male Swimmer of the Year, undefeated, winning the 100 and 200 breast stroke national titles in American and NCAA record times. 

No. 1 • Rich Rodriguez

Rich Rodriguez became Arizona’s first Pac-12 Coach of the Year since 1992, and only its second since the school joined the league in 1978.