Arizona guard Aari McDonald gets sent flying in a collision with Pacific guards Jessica Blakeslee, left, and Ameela Li on a drive into the lane during their game in the second round of the WNIT at McKale Center, March 24, 2019.
Top five UA athletes
1. Aari McDonald, basketball. The sophomore broke school records for points scored (890) and scoring average (24.1), which ranked No. 3 in the NCAA, helping the Wildcats go from six victories to 24.
2. Bianca Pagdanganan, golf. Finishing No. 3 overall at the NCAA championships, Pagdanganan’s scoring average of 72.7 helped the Wildcats finish tied for third in the NCAA finals and finish second in the ridiculously tough Pac-12.
3. Jessie Harper, softball. A first-team All-American shortstop, Harper led the NCAA with 29 home runs. She also led the Wildcats with 70 RBIs and hit .333.
4. Jordan Geist, track and field. The first Wildcat ever to win back-to-back Pac-12 shot put titles, Geist finished No. 3 in the NCAA and became the first Wildcat to ever throw the shot put more than 70 feet.
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5. Alyssa Palomino-Cardoza, softball. A first-team All-American outfielder, Palomino-Cardoza hit 19 home runs with 67 RBIs while batting .386.
Top five Pima College athletes
1. Hugo Kametani, soccer. The NJCAA’s player of the year scored 30 goals in 28 games, scoring all the clutch goals as the Aztecs won the national championship.
2. J.J. Nakai, basketball. A first-team NJCAA All-American point guard for the second consecutive year, Nakai averaged 24.1 points and became PCC’s career-scoring leader with 1,397 points.
3. Abram Carrasco, basketball. In his final season at Pima, the point guard from Cholla High School was a first-team NJCAA All-American, averaging 19.8 while becoming Pima’s men’s career scoring leader with 1,310 points.
4. Kate Bruno, track and field. The sophomore won three ACCAC distance running and cross country events and finished fifth in the NJCAA at 1,500 meters, sixth in the steeplechase and ninth in the NJCAA cross country finals.
5. Derik Hall, football. The sophomore was a first-team all-WSFL defensive back, leading the Aztecs with 83 tackles.
Top five high school athletes
1. Manny Quiroz, Sunnyside soccer. Quiroz scored 39 goals, No.1 among players at all big schools in Arizona, as the Blue Devils won the state championship.
2. Marcus Castillo, Mountain View wrestling. The senior 132-pounder went 58-0 to win his third consecutive state championship.
3. Diana Miranda-Montano, Salpointe Catholic softball. As the Lancers won a second straight state championship, Miranda-Montano led the club with a .538 batting average, eight home runs and 44 RBIs.
4. Bijan Robinson, Salpointe Cathoolic football. The Lancers went 13-1 as Robinson, a junior running back, gained exactly 2,400 yards, averaging 14.1 yards per carry with 35 touchdowns.
5. Terrell Hayward, Cienega. Tucson’s top two-sport athlete hit .481 with 18 stolen bases in baseball, and was a football standout, rushing for 636 yards, catching passes for 763 yards, intercepting three passes and becoming a feared punt and kickoff return man.
Top five coaches
1. Dave Cosgrove, Pima College men’s soccer. The Aztecs went 26-2, finishing with 18 consecutive victories to win the NJCAA national championship.
2. Mike Candrea, UA softball. The Wildcats opened the Pac-12 season 16-0 and roared back to the Women’s College World Series with 44 victories.
3. Casey O’Brien, Sunnyside soccer. The Blue Devils went 24-0-2 to win their first boys soccer state championship.
4. Adia Barnes, UA women’s basketball. From a 6-24 record to a 24-13 record, the Wildcats sold more than 40,000 tickets on an epic 6-0 run to the WNIT championship.
5. Mike Urbanski, Salpointe girls cross country. With just one senior in the starting five, Urbanski led the Lancers to their second state championship in three years.
