Editor's Note: As the calendar winds down on 2024, longtime Star columnist Greg Hansen has ranked the Top 100 sports figures in Southern Arizona for his 29th annual list. We'll count them down on Tucson.com, revealing No. 1 on Dec. 31.
Tucson Sugar Skulls quarterback Ramone Atkins (10) outruns the tackle attempt from Jericho Flowers of the Vegas Knight Hawks in the second quarter of Vegas’ 40-34 win on July 1, 2023, in Tucson Arena.
100. Ramone Atkins. Although his team went 2-14, Atkins, the Tucson Sugar Skulls’ starting quarterback, threw for 37 touchdowns and also rushed for 692 yards.
99. Josiah Thornwell. During Mica Mountain’s burst to the state football championship, Thornwell, a senior running back, gained 1,056 yards and scored 17 touchdowns.
98. Alexandra Johnson. Daughter of the UA’s three-time Olympic pole vaulter Dominic Johnson, Alexandra finished second in the state in the high jump for Tucson High and is now on the UA track team.
97. Aissa Silva. Arizona’s top starting softball pitcher in 2024, Silva, now a junior, went 22-6 and threw 155 innings.
96. Zach Neveleff. In his second season as Tucson High’s football coach, Neveleff ended a long THS playoff drought, leading the Badgers to a 9-3 finish.
95. Ian Mejia. The former Sahuarita High and UA baseball pitcher went 8-8 in Double-A baseball for the Atlanta Braves’ affiliate in Jackson, Mississippi.
94. Nathaniel Curtiss. Pima College’s high jumper from Rincon/University High finished third in the NJCAA championships with a jump of 6 feet, 9 inches. Earlier, he won the ACCAC title with a school-record jump of 7-1.
Kansas midfielder Kate Langfelder (8), left, and Arizona midfielder Gianna Christiansen (2) jostle in pursuit of a 50-50 ball in the first half of their Big 12 match in Tucson on Oct. 17.
93. Gianna Christiansen. Leading the Big 12 women’s soccer statistics with four game-winning goals, the Arizona senior team captain was named second-team All-Big 12.
92. Beyah Rasool. The former Rincon/University High football player, who spent three years on Jedd Fisch’s Arizona staff, helped to coach (secondary) the Florida Gators to the Gasparilla Bowl.
91. Kendall Freidinger. In her junior year at Empire High, winning the state 3A championship, Freidinger went 20-1 as a pitcher with 224 strikeouts in 110 innings.
90. Molly Herman. As Canyon del Oro went 33-3 and finished second in the 4A state softball championships, Herman led the club with a .425 batting average and in runs and hits.
89. Kym Adair. The executive director of the Arizona Bowl has kept Tucson’s football game relevant in a changing world of college football bowl games.
Salpointe’s Nicholas Soto (16) celebrates with the fans along the fence after the Lancers dropped Mica Mountain 4-1 in their 4A state championship game at Marana High School, Feb. 22, 2024.
88. Nicholas Soto. As Salpointe won a fourth straight state boys soccer championship, Soto was named the 4A Defensive Player of the Year.
87. Jacob Newborn. Overcoming a serious injury, Newborn led Pusch Ridge to the 3A state football championship, passing for 2,111 yards and 26 touchdowns, and rushing for 722 yards and 12 touchdowns.
86. Jim Anderson. Arizona’s men’s golf coach reached the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years, winning three tournaments during the season.
85. Brandon Sanchez. Pima College’s talented sophomore soccer player from Canyon del Oro was named a third-team NJCAA All-American and first-team All-ACCAC player.
84. Michael Jones. CDO’s hard-hitting baseball standout led the state’s No. 2 4A team with a .351 batting average and 35 RBIs.
83. Jerry Wood. The coach of Mica Mountain’s boys soccer team went 17-6, finishing second in the 4A state championships.
82. Jesse Mermuys. In his fourth season as the NBA Orlando Magic’s lead assistant coach, Mermuys, from Salpointe and the UA, has helped Orlando surge to fourth place in the Eastern Conference.
81. Dan Bithell. Pima College’s women’s volleyball coach won 17 matches, the most at the school since 2015, finishing third in the rugged ACCAC.
Arizona guard Jada Williams (2) makes a break for the basket as she’s defended by Weber State forward Mata Peaus (44) in the first half during on Dec. 16, 2024.
80. Jada Williams. Arizona’s sophomore point guard has become the club’s floor leader, averaging 11.6 points and three assists per game.
79. Doug McCoy. Forty-two years after he helped coach Sahuaro High to the state boys swimming championship, McCoy this year coached Catalina Foothills’ boys swim team to No. 2 in the state finals.
78. Cisco Llamas. As Sahuaro raced to a second-place finish in the 4A state basketball tournament, Llamas, a sophomore, led the team with a 17-point scoring average. He is averaging 16 points this season.
77. Oumar Ballo. Arizona’s All-Pac-12 center averaged 12.9 points and 10.1 rebounds before transferring to Indiana.
76. Lathan Ransom. An Ohio State senior safety from Salpointe, Ransom was named to the All-Big Ten first team and was a third-team AP All-American.
75. Kayden Luke. CDO’s 2023 football all-star won the 2024 state wrestling championship at 215 pounds, and then made the UA football team as a walk-on fullback.
Check out Tucson.com/sports on Sunday, Dec. 29, for Nos. 74-50.
is the longtime sports columnist for the
Arizona Daily Starand
Tucson.com.
