Wildcat Wrap: Arizona tennis programs to compete at Big 12 Championships

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Editor’s note: With several sports going on, Wildcat Wrap serves as a recap that focuses on the Arizona programs that we do not have the time to cover on a regular basis but are certainly worthy of recognition.

The Arizona men’s and women’s tennis programs will be competing at the Big 12 Tournaments this week, and both teams have a realistic shot at bringing home some hardware.

On the men’s side, the Wildcats enter the Big 12 Tournament in Orlando, Fla. as the No. 1 seed after going a perfect 8-0 in conference play and winning the Big 12 regular season title.

As the top seed, Arizona received a bye and will take on the winner of UCF vs. ASU in the semifinals on Friday. TCU, the No. 3 ranked team in the nation, could await the Wildcats in the Big 12 championship match on Saturday.

The Big 12 Tournament carries significant stakes heading into the rest of the postseason.

While Clancy Shields’ team is in safe position to host the NCAA Tournament opening two rounds, the program is seeking a top eight seed, which would ensure hosting privileges through the Sweet 16. Arizona has never hosted beyond the opening two rounds before.

The Wildcats entered the week with the No. 9 ranking in the ITA poll, meaning they’d likely need to jump a spot to secure a top eight national seed and thus be in position to host the Sweet 16.

If Arizona can add a pair of wins to its resume, it will have a good case to included among the top eight seeds in the NCAA Tournament.

Meanwhile, the Arizona women are seeking a conference tournament championship of their own right after finishing the regular season on a nine-match winning streak.

Arizona (19-8, 10-3 Big 12) is the No. 4 seed in the Big 12 Tournament and will face No. 5 seed Kansas in the quarterfinals on Thursday. If Arizona beats KU, it will take on either top seed UCF or the winner of Utah vs. BYU on Friday.

No. 2 seed ASU and No. 3 seed TCU headline the other side of the bracket. The tournament is also being played in Orlando.

Ryan Stotland’s program is ranked No. 26 in this week’s ITA poll and on track for a third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.

Track and field

Arizona put on a clinic over the weekend at the Dual in the Desert against ASU, winning 28 events at the home meet. The men won with a score of 102-46, and the women won with a score of 109-52.

In one of the highlights of the meet, Evans Tanui ran a 3:59.39 time in the mile, becoming the fourth Arizona freshman to run under four minutes this season. Arizona is the first program in NCAA history to achieve that milestone.

Lawi Ngetich, another freshman, won the men’s 800m with a time of 1:46.50, the fourth-best time in the NCAA this season and the No. 2 time in program history.

Arizona travels to California this weekend for a pair of meets: the Bryan Clay Invitational and the Mt. SAC Relays. Both meets begin Thursday.