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.
See Nos. 100-75Â here.
See Nos. 74-50 here.
49. Heather Moore-Martin. In her final season at Salpointe, where she won seven state volleyball championships, Moore-Martin led the Lancers to the state beach volleyball title with a 15-1 record.
48. Jason Hisey. Canyon del Oroâs baseball coach won the state title in 2023, and then went 25-7 last spring, finishing No. 2 in the 4A state finals.
In an attempt to score a layup, Nayeli Nidez-AcuÃąa is fouled in Sunnysideâs home game against Nogales on Jan. 27, 2023.
47. Nayeli Nidez-AcuÃąa. Sunnysideâs girls basketball team went 24-5 and reached the second round of the state playoffs, with Nidez-Acuna leading the way with a 17.1 average.
46. Brian Peabody. After another deep run in the NJCAA national finals, Pima Collegeâs basketball coach finished 29-6, the most victories in school history, and then opened this season 12-0.
45. Shannon Woolridge. Empire Highâs long-time softball coach won a third state championship, going 26-7 to win the 3A title.
44. Jaelyn Hodge. As Arizona rallied to win its last 11 volleyball matches, Hodges became an All-Big 12 first-teamer, finishing second in UA history in kills.
43. Sergio Vega. Sunnysideâs wrestling whiz won a fourth straight state championship, with a 33-1 record.
Mica Mountainâs Jimmy Leon cradles his second touchdown catch of the night in the second quarter against Canyon del Oro on Oct. 18.
42. Jimmy Leon. A big factor in Mica Mountainâs state football championship, Leon had 16 quarterback sacks, 64 tackles and also caught 32 passes for 14 touchdowns.
41. Austin Cohen. The Catalina Foothills senior tennis player won the state tennis singles championship.
40. Caleb Love. Arizonaâs senior shooting guard was the Pac-12 Player of the Year, averaging 18 points a game to become a third-team AP All-American.
39. Chris Rastatter. The Rincon High and UA grad completed his first season as NCAA Coordinator of Officials, the top officiating job in college basketball.
38. Tricia Sztan. Salpointeâs softball coach engineered a 31-4 record, winning the state 4A championship, her third in three seasons as the Lancersâ coach.
37. Anthony Leon. Sunnyside Highâs wrestling coach won his seventh straight state championship, scoring 312 points, the most over the seven-year span.
Arizonaâs right fielder Brendan Summerhill makes the diving catch after a long run to track down the liner from Pimaâs Ramon Martinez in the fifth inning of an exhibition game Oct. 12, 2024, at Hi Corbett Field.
36. Brendan Summerhill. A sophomore outfielder, Summerhill hit .329 with 59 RBIs and became an All-Pac-12 baseball selection as Arizona won the league title.
35. Ken Jacome. Pima Collegeâs baseball coach and athletic director challenged for the NJCAA World Series, finishing 45-18 and reaching the Region finals.
34. Kent Middleton. In his sixth season as the Pusch Ridge Christian Academy football coach, Middleton produced a 3A state championship, finishing 13-1.
33. Jim Henry. Sahuaro Highâs boys basketball coach took the Cougars to the 4A state championship game, finishing second with a 24-5 record.
32. Taliyah Henderson. The leading scorer for Salpointeâs state championship girls basketball team, Henderson averaged 15.1 points and signed to attend North Carolina.
31. Bryce Cotton. The 2024 MVP of Australiaâs National Basketball League, Cotton, from Palo Verde High, is averaging 27.8 points this year, including successive games of 44, 49 and 43 early in December.
30. Kelly Lyn Wetteland. A junior triathlete at the UA, Wetteland finished second overall at the NCAA championships to lead her team to the national title.
29. Todd Holthaus. Pima Collegeâs womenâs basketball coach again made an impact at the NJCAA finals, finishing seventh overall with a 27-9 record.
Arizona outside hitter Carlie Cisneros, right, grabs coach Charita Stubbs as the Wildcats celebrate their 3-2 win in the championship game of the NIVC over Bowling Green on Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024, at McKale Center.
28. Charita Stubbs. Arizonaâs second-year volleyball coach finished the year 24-9, winning the last 11 matches in succession, which led to the National Invitational Volleyball Championship.
27. Joe Luevano. Salpointeâs girls basketball coach won the 4A state championship with a 27-4 record.
26. Steve Potvin. The Tucson Roadrunners coach led his club to second place in the AHLâs Pacific Division with a 43-23-4-2 record.
25. Alex Bowman. The Ironwood Ridge High grad was ranked No. 9 in the NASCAR standings through Dec. 18, with 17 Top-10 finishes and a victory in the Chicago Street Race.
Check out Tucson.com/sports on Tuesday, Dec. 31, for Nos. 24-1.Â
is the longtime sports columnist for the
Arizona Daily Starand
Tucson.com.
