1. Rich Rodriguez
2. Kevin Cordes. A repeat winner as NCAA male Swimmer of the Year, undefeated, winning the 100- and 200-yard breast-
stroke national titles in American and NCAA record times.
3. Scooby Wright. UA sophomore linebacker was a consensus All-American, the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year who won the Lombardi, Nagurski and Bednarik awards.
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.
5. Rick Schantz and Jon Pearlman. Schantz, coach of FC Tucson in the USL Premier Development League, and Pearlman, the general manager, led the club to an 11-2-1 regular-season record and within one victory of the PDL’s final four. The club was selected the PDL Organization of the Year.
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 Athlete of the Year and top scholar-athlete in the sport.
7. Matt Grevers. Considered America’s top male swimmer, Grevers, a volunteer coach at the UA, won USA titles in the 100-meter backstroke and 50 butterfly and led the U.S. to a gold medal in the 4x100 medley relay at the Pan Pacific Games.
8. Chris Meyers. As a senior at Canyon del Oro, Meyers won the state golf championship a month after winning the junior portion of the Champions 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 Janzen.
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.
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 for Providence.
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.
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.
13. Margo Geer. As a senior at Arizona, Geer won the NCAA title in the 100 freestyle and was selected the Pac-12 women’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the sport.
14. Dave Cosgrove. During a season in which the Pima College men’s soccer team went 21-5-1 and reached the NJCAA’s national tournament, Cosgrove coached the Aztecs to a 15-4-1 ACCAC record.
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.
16. Tony Amato. UA’s second-year soccer coach led the Cats to their third NCAA tournament in school history, winning 11 games, tied for the second-highest total in UA history.
17. Maddie Pothoff. A 17-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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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. As a junior, Juaquin went 29-1.
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.
24. Jared Tevis. The CDO grad made his senior season at Arizona his best, making 119 tackles, second highest on the Wildcats, as a starting safety.
25. Nicco Blank. In 13 starts for baseball power Central Arizona, Blank, who helped Catalina High 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.
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.
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.
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.
29. Ismael Arce. Tucson High’s boys soccer coach had the year of his life, going 21-0-3 to win the state championship.
30. Kellie Fox. The Pac-12’s Defensive Player of the Year, Fox, a UA junior shortstop, hit .389 with 15 homers and 62 RBIs to make the all-conference first team.
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 Association of America All-American.
32. Shannon Shields. Shields, a Pima College soccer player who graduated from Sabino High, was a first-team All-American by the NJCAA and earned second-team honors from the NSCAA.
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.
34. David Rodriguez. Sahuarita High’s football coach led the Mustangs to a 12-1 record and the state semifinals.
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.
36. Gabi Stoian. One of the top freshmen soccer players in the NCAA, Stoian scored 13 goals, tied for second-most in Arizona history, leading the Wildcats to the second round of the NCAA tournament.
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.
38. Brent Strom. Longtime 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.
39. Stefen Romero. As a Seattle Mariners rookie outfielder, the Sunnyside and Pima College grad played in 72 MLB games and also hit .358 in 36 games for the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers.
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.
41. Hallie Wilson. Arizona’s standout first baseman hit .414 with 17 home runs to make the All-Pac-12 first team.
42. Michael Thompson. The former Rincon/University golfer earned $932,300 on the PGA Tour, with seven top-25 finishes, to keep his playing card for 2015.
43. Alexis Dotson. A first-team NJCAA All-America outfielder at Pima College, Dotson led JC softball with 111 hits and was fourth overall with a .516 batting average.
44. Drew Riggleman. The Arizona junior from Sahuaro High was a second-team All-Pac-12 punter, averaging 46.4 yards per punt, with 29 in excess of 50 yards.
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.
46. Nick Ross. Arizona’s skilled high-jumper broke a 33-year-old school record, clearing 7 feet 6½ inches outdoors and 7-7 indoors. He was third in the NCAA finals and second in the USA championships.
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.
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.
49. Chelsea Goodacre. The Pac-12’s all-conference catcher led the league with 22 home runs as an Arizona junior.
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.
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 17.9 average.
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.
53. Chip Hale. The Oakland A’s bench coach, a longtime Tucsonan, helped the A’s to the American League playoffs and was then selected as manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
54. Brad Tandy. In his first season as a UA swimmer, Tandy earned a share of an NCAA title in the 50 freestyle and was an All-American in two more events.
55. Zach Malis. Desert Christian’s star baseball player hit .636 and went 11-1 as a pitcher in a state championship season.
56. Jeremy Timpf. A sophomore from Sabino, Timpf led Army with 117 tackles as a starting linebacker.
57. Blake Martinez. The CDO grad led Stanford with 96 tackles, starting at middle linebacker in his junior season.
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.
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.
60. Grant Hopkins. Desert Christian’s baseball coach produced a second consecutive state title, finishing 29-2.
61. Daniel Gonzales. Navy’s starting sophomore linebacker made 80 tackles, second-highest total for the Midshipmen.
62. Danny Vega. Ironwood Ridge sophomore wrestler went 43-0 to win the state championship.
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.
64. Pat McCoy. The Sahuaro grad made his major-league debut, pitching 14 games for the Detroit Tigers during the pennant race.
65. Kevin Newman. Arizona’s two-time All-Pac-12 shortstop also won the Cape Cod League batting championship in the summer.
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.
67. Brianna Rodriguez. The Pima College sophomore, a Cienega High grad, won the NJCAA long jump championship with a leap of 18-11¾.
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.
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.
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 35th overall.
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.
72. Tom Wilhelmsen. Pitching in relief for the Seattle Mariners, the Tucson High grad struck out 72 batters in 79 innings.
73. Jim Mentz. Longtime Palo Verde High baseball coach broke through and won the state championship, finishing 26-4 with 12 wins in his last 13 games.
74. Emily Robinson. Ironwood Ridge High’s senior pitcher went 20-3 with a 1.20 ERA to help the Nighthawks win the state championship.
75. Jamee Swan. Averaging 13.5 points for Colorado, Swan is the basketball team’s second-leading scorer, a junior starter from Marana who averaged 8.3 points a year ago.
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.
77. Brian Peabody. Rebuilding Pima College men’s basketball team from a 1-21 ACCAC record, Peabody coached the Aztecs to a 13-18 record last year and is now 8-3 at the holiday break.
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.
79. Tim Derksen. Now a starter in basketball for the San Francisco Dons, Derksen, from Amphi High, is averaging 11.9 points as a junior.
80. Jordan Weatherless. Bound for Illinois State on a volleyball scholarship, Weatherless helped the Nighthawks win 30 matches and advance to the state championship match, and she led the team in service aces.
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, with 24 starts.
82. Anu Solomon. In his redshirt freshman season, the UA quarterback threw for 3,458 yards and 27 touchdowns for a 10-3 team.
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 15 years.
84. Ricardo Velazco. The FC Tucson forward, who played at Tucson Soccer Academy, also was a main figure as Louisville reached the NCAA’s Sweet 16, scoring six goals.
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.
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.
87. Austin Nehls. Averaging 19.8 points per game as a Catalina Foothills senior, Nehls led the Falcons to a 23-7 season in basketball.
88. Calvin Jenkins. Sahuarita High’s senior quarterback passed for 27 touchdowns and ran for 10 more as the Mustangs finished 12-1.
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 two goals.
90. Kirtana Bhat. The Catalina Foothills junior won her third straight state tennis singles championship.
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.
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.
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.
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.
95. Rick Waits. In his first season as Seattle Mariners pitching coach, Waits, a longtime Tucsonan, helped the M’s to a 3.17 team ERA, best in the American League.
96. Justice Summerset. Mountain View High’s junior quarterback passed for 2,742 yards, rushed for 303 more and high-jumped 6 feet 11¾ inches for the track team.
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.
98. Nick Wilson. Arizona’s freshman tailback rushed for 1,289 yards and scored 15 touchdowns even though he missed two games with injuries.
99. Julian Gaona. As Tucson High went 21-0-3 to win the state soccer championship, Gaona, a sophomore, scored an impressive 31 goals.
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.
