Greg Hansen's Top 100 Sports Figures of 2017: 100-1

As the Tucson Roadrunners won the Pacific Division, Hill, a goalie, was ranked No. 5 in the American Hockey League goalie statistics, and has shuttled between Tucson and the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes this season.

Rincon’s dominating soccer twosome combined to score 35 goals in a 13-4-2 season, and this year had 22 goals combined after a 10-2 start.

As Cienega High School rolled to another state softball championship, Hayward, a freshman with 54 RBI and a .513 batting average, and Anderson, a senior with a .467 batting average and 11 home runs, led the way.

In her junior year at Arizona, the middle blocker was selected to the AVCA All-America honorable mention team.

As The Gregory School rolled to the state boys basketball championship, going 27-4 in Class 1A, Mort averaged 26 points and eight rebounds a game.

The Walden Grove High School twins combined for 4,509 yards from scrimmage in an 8-3 season; Alex, the quarterback, passed for 2,655 yards and 29 touchdowns and rushed for 624 more. Jordan, a junior receiver, caught 54 passes for 1,230 yards and 12 touchdowns.

One of the state’s leading high school soccer players, Kakou helped Salpointe win the 2018 Class 4A state championship and then signed to play collegiately at Eastern Washington.

Altherr was a top two-way player for Catalina Foothills High School's baseball team, hitting .348 with 15 extra-base hits and going 5-1 as a pitcher.

Pima College’s freshman goalkeeper led the NJCAA in goals-against average as the Aztecs won the men’s soccer national title.

Pima College’s standout soccer player, a Sahuaro High School grad, was a first-team All-ACCAC selection.

The four-time Olympic swimming gold medalist, a volunteer coach on the UA swimming staff, finished second in the 100 backstroke at the USA finals.

In her first two seasons at Tucson High, Scupin, a first baseman, has hit 24 home runs; her sophomore softball season was her best, producing a .619 batting average.

Not only did the freshman golfer from Salpointe Catholic qualify to compete in the Drive, Chip and Putt competition on the week of the Masters, she won the state Division II girls golf title.

Flowing Wells’ senior running back gained 1,366 yards, scored 23 touchdowns and made 43 tackles for Mark Brunenkant’s 8-3 Caballeros.

The Cholla High School grad averaged 16.6 points per game on Pima College’s national basketball runnerup team, and is now leading the team with a 20.1 points-per-game average this season.

 Pima College’s veteran track and cross country coaches produced five NJCAA All-Americans at the national finals: 800 meter runner Collin Dylla, pole vaulter Tony Chavez, high jumper Cameron Crandall, long jumper Anahiramar Lopez and high jumper Megan Schiffmacher.

Salpointe Catholic’s senior basketball standout led the Lancers to the state championship game as a junior. Now a senior committed to Pepperdine, Deng averaged 17.9 points per game in his first 11 games. 

Arizona’s sophomore golfer, a vital part of the NCAA championship, was the Pac-12’s November golfer of the month, and finished in the top 20 of six tournaments.

As a junior catcher at Arizona, the Sahuaro High School grad was an All-Pac-12 first-team catcher, hitting .339. 

Abdirahman, who turns 42 on New Year's Day, was 15th in the Boston Marathon and fifth in the Doha Half-Marathon.

Sabino High School grad starred at Wisconsin, where she was an All-Big Ten defensive-team player. She also hit .321 and made the NCAA All-Regional tournament team at second base.

Rosquist finished his career at The Gregory School with a 28-point scoring average, most among all Tucsonans, and more than 2,000 career points.

Tucson High’s outstanding track and field athlete finished second in the state finals in the long jump and in 200 meters. She was also third in the 100 meter finals.

The statistical leaders of CDO’s 30-4 state championship softball season. Kaiser hit .433 with 14 home runs; Bonstrom hit .495 with 11 homers; Acedo hit .485 with 36 RBI.

Cienega’s football coach piloted the Bobcats to a 12-1 season and the Class 5A state semifinals.

As Pima College’s women’s soccer team went 15-5-1 and reached the Region 1 semifinals, Bigelow, a Salpointe Catholic grad, became a first-team All-ACCAC selection.

Coached Cienega to a 28-7 record and its second state softball championship.

Pima College’s sophomore engineering major from University High School was selected to the All-ACCAC first team with nine goals and 12 assists for the ACCAC conference champs.

In his second year as head coach of Division II Maryville-St. Louis’ men’s soccer team, the Canyon del Oro grad went 13-4-2 and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Coach has turned the Tucson Rattlers into a top girls AAU basketball team and, helping 11 of his Rattlers players earn college scholarships in the last three years. Klassen is also an assistant coach for the Pima College women's team

The former Catalina Foothills baseball player was a key part of Cal Tech’s stunning March victory over Pomona-Pitzer, which broke a 29-year conference losing streak dating to 1988. Jacobs, who started 34 games, helped the Beavers win eight games in the season.

Arizona’s starting point guard on Pac-10 championship teams of the late-'80s and early-'90s has blossomed as one of the top TV analysts for the Pac-12 Networks.

The Salponte Catholic and UA grad coached Cochise College’s men’s basketball team to another banner season, 25-7 in the ACCAC, and opened this season 9-1 to reach 497 career wins before Christmas.

In his freshman season at BYU, Bushman, a Sabino High Schoool grad, caught 49 passes at tight end — the most among all freshmen tight ends in NCAA football.

The Empire High School softball coach won his second state championship in three years, going 26-9 to take the 3A title.

Catalina Foothills’ boys basketball coach, a former Mountain View High School and Euro League standout, reached the state 4A semifinals last season.

Oliva hit .321 with 54 RBI for Arizona’s NCAA Tournament baseball team. He was named to the All-Pac-12 first team. 

Pima College’s hard-hitting outfielder from Flowing Wells High School hit .423 with 43 RBI for the Aztecs.

Now in her freshman season at Arizona, the former Tucson High diver made the Team USA World Championship diving team in Budapest, Hungary, finishing 27th overall.

Arizona’s sophomore catcher was selected to the All-Pac-12 first team.

Returning from a long suspension, Trier averaged 17.2 points to help lead Arizona to the Pac-12 conference and tournament championships.

Hit .396 and played shortstop for the Pac-12 champions. Mercado was a second-team All-Pac-12 selection.

Mountain View’s wrestling coach led the Mountain Lions to the big-schools state championship.

Breaking into the starting lineup for the Alabama Crimson Tide, the Tucson High grad was 10th on the team with 39 tackles. He also intercepted three passes and had 4 ½ quarterback sacks.

Arizona’s senior golfer from Salpointe was chosen to the All-Pac-12 team after finishing in the top five in 10 tournaments.

One of Tucson’s finest tennis players ever, Pothoff became an All-American as a freshman at Alabama, reaching the finals of the NCAA tournament and winning 16 doubles matches in the season. Pothoff has since transferred to Santa Clara. 

Tucson High’s girls basketball coach produced a 25-3 record and a No. 4 finish in Class 6A, the state’s highest classification.

In her final softball season at Cienega, Brown led the Bobcats to the state championship, hitting 10 home runs, batting .396 with 50 RBI.

Salpointe’s soccer standout scored 24 goals as a sophomore, leading the Lancers to the boys state championship game and a 20-4-1 record.

Salpointe’s baseball team made its closest bid ever to win the state title, finishing second at 26-8 under Preble’s leadership.

Leading Marana High to a 9-3 football season, the junior quarterback passed for 2,984 yards and 38 touchdowns.

In his first year as chairman of the Pima County Sports Hall of Fame, the former World Series pitcher from Rincon High School, has spear-headed one of the top classes in 27 years of the PCSHF.

Salpointe’s accomplished football coach again reached the state championship game, finishing 12-2.

Possibly the top freshman in college softball, Harper was chosen to the NFCA All-American first team, hitting .333 with 19 home runs for Arizona.

Making his major-league pitching debut for the San Francisco Giants, Slania, of Salpointe Catholic and Notre Dame, also pitched 141 innings in Triple-A and Double-A appearances.

In his final season as Salpointe Catholic’s boys basketball coach, Holstrom reached the state championship game, guiding the Lancers to 21 victories.

Pima College’s women’s basketball coach, whose team was ranked No. 1 part of last season and won 23 games, enters winter break this year at No. 4 nationally.

Winning 30 games again at Canyon del Oro High School, Fowler coached the Dorados to her third state championship, finishing 30-4.

As a UA junior outfielder, Rivas hit .371 with 63 RBI. He returns as one of the top players in college baseball.

Arizona’s stellar soccer player scored two game-winning goals in her senior season for an NCAA Tournament team.

Tucson’s remarkable 40-year-old distance runner was the first American to finish the New York Marathon in November, No. 7 overall, which backed up his impressive No. 6 overall finish at the Boston Marathon in April.

In his first year at Arizona, the Mountain View High School grad finished third in the NCAA finals with a jump of 7-feet 1 ¾ inches to become an All-American.

A first-team All-Pac-12 golfer, Moore won the Sugar Bowl Invitational and placed in the top five in eight tournaments for Arizona.

In three years, Farhang, the chairman, and Young, the executive director, have put the Arizona Bowl on the map and made a serious run at selling out the Utah State-New Mexico State game.

Arizona’s second-team All-Pac-12 soccer goalie allowed just 17 goals in 20 games for the Wildcats. 

As a Cienega High School senior quarterback, Joiner passed for 2,196 yards and ran for 1394 more, combining for 44 touchdowns.

The Fetsis family had a remarkable year in sports: Father Andy was Pusch Ridge’s defensive coordinator in a 13-1 football season and coached the Pusch Ridge’s girls tennis team to a 17-1 record and the state championship. His daughter, Sofia, finished No. 3 in the Division III singles finals, and his son, Christian, rushed for 1,181 yards and passed for 1,296 more, for 32 touchdowns, to lead the Lions to the state finals.

The Catalina Foothills grad hit .381 for Mountain West champion New Mexico and was drafted No. 87 overall by the Chicago White Sox.

The Salpointe Catholic graduate worked his way up from low-level jobs at Southern Utah, New Mexico State and Arizona to the Los Angeles Lakers, where he's Luke Walton's No. 1 assistant.

Tucson High’s power-hitting first baseman hit .551 with 13 home runs as a freshman. She verbally committed to play for Arizona as an eighth-grader.

A first-team NJCAA All-American point guard at Pima College, Stallworth averaged 17 points per game for the Aztecs.

The Pac-12 Freshman of the Year averaged 15.6 points and 7.2 rebounds before becoming the seventh overall selection in the NBA draft. He immediately became a double-figure scorer for the Chicago Bulls.

Salpointe’s star running back gained a city-record 2,023 yards as a sophomore, and scored 26 touchdowns for the state’s Class 4A runner-up team.

Arizona’s freshman linebacker made 13½ tackles for loss and was chosen the Pac-12 defensive Freshman of the Year.

A first-team NJCAA All-American in men’s soccer at Pima College, the Tucson High grad scored a team-high 16 goals for the nation’s No. 3 team.

The Palo Verde High School grad scored 45 points in the Australian National Basketball League championship game, and was named the league's MVP. He is averaging 19 points for Perth this season.

Won her second straight state girls volleyball championships at Salpointe Catholic High School. She now has four state titles in her career.

In his first season as head coach of FC Tucson, Pearlman won the franchise’s fourth straight division title, went 9-2-3 and put together a 10-match undefeated string.

Arizona’s softball coach won another Pac-12 championship with a 52-9 record, reaching the regional finals.

Four years into his Major League Soccer career, the CDO and Pima College veteran started 29 games for the Orlando City SC.

Not only did the former Catalina Foothills High School and UA basketball player coach the NBA G League Rio Grande Valley Vipers to the 2016-17 championship finals, his team opened this season with a 13-game winning streak

Pima's Valenzuela was the ACCAC Player of the Year in men’s soccer, and was then named a first-team All-American twice, by the soccer coaches of America and the NJCAA.

The Marana team-roper finished No.2 in the 2017 Pro Rodeo Association standings, earning $133,000 en route to the National Finals Rodeo.

The top prep distance thrower in Arizona history, Washington won the national championship in the summer and claimed another state championship with a throw of 227 feet 4 inches, the fourth-best distance in high school history.

Mauga, a third baseman, hit 25 homers and drove in 61 runs for the Pac-12 softball champs and was the league’s co-Player of the Year. Along the way, she became the Pac-12’s career home run leader.

Arizona’s soccer coach won seven Pac-12 games, tops in school history, and finished 11-5-4 overall after leading his team to the NCAA Tournament's second round. 

The Empire High School grad led Pima College to a No. 7 overall finish nationally, averaging 20.6 points and 9.7 rebounds, and was named NJCAA Division II men’s basketball player of the year. He now is a starter at Colorado State.

In his second season as Green Bay’s starting inside linebacker, the CDO and Stanford grad had 119 tackles in his first 13 games, including 16 against New Orleans and 15 against Pittsburgh.

One of the leading offensive players in the NCAA, Matijevic led the Pac-12 with a .383 batting average and hit 10 home runs with 65 RBIs for the Wildcats. He was a first-team all-conference selection.

Winning 30 games and pitching nine shutouts with a 1.21 ERA, O’Toole was a first-team All-America pitcher for Arizona.

The top female hurdler in college track and field, Watson, an Arizona senior, won the NCAA championship and then finished sixth at the World Championships in August.

Tucson’s leading sister-and-brother athletic tandem: Kristiana hit an astonishing .753 with 17 home runs and 54 RBI as an Amphi High School freshman softball player. David, who accepted a football scholarship to Arizona, was a two-way lineman starter for the Panthers.

Not only did Peabody win his 500th career game as a coach, he guided Pima College’s men’s basketball team to 22 victories, a Region 1 championship and seventh place in the NCAA national championships.

After hitting .309 at Triple-A Oklahoma City, the Sahuaro High School grad was promoted to the Los Angeles Dodgers in September, where he played in 15 games for the National League champions.

At 43-0 as a junior, the Sunnyside High School wrestler, oft ranked No. 1 nationally in his weight class, won a third consecutive state championship and remains undefeated in his amazing prep career.

Pima College’s men’s soccer coach led the Aztecs to their first-ever conference championship, a 15-2-3 record and a No. 3 finish in the NJCAA finals.

Mr. October came to Arizona’s rescue, winning a record four consecutive Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week awards. The sophomore quarterback rushed for 327 yards, an NCAA record for quarterbacks, against Colorado and completed the regular season with 1,353 rushing yards.

A Pueblo High School grad, Ramirez is the Astros' Spanish-language radio play-by-play man and holds similar duties for UA football and basketball.

The bullpen coach of the World Champion Astros, Bjornson —  a Tucson High grad — was hired away by the Boston Red Sox last month.

The Houston Astros pitching coach, who has lived in Tucson since 1990, won it all against Dodgers in the World Series.