The Mount Rushmore of Arizona Wildcats Olympic sports athletes

When you think of the Arizona men’s tennis program in recent years, a few names and faces probably come to mind, like Colton Smith.

Smith was one of the forces behind the program’s four straight conference championships.

He completed his senior year with an overall 23-2 record and went undefeated, 16-0, in dual matches, going 13-1 against nationally ranked opponents.

In his final collegiate season, he was named Big 12 Player of the Year and the 2025 ITA Division I Men's National Senior Player of the Year. He also earned the Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship Award for embodying the values of the tennis icon, along with taking home the university’s top male athlete award, the Sapphire Award, and the Athletic Director's Leadership Award at the CATSY’s (the UA version of the ESPY’s).

In his junior year, he set a program record of 34 wins in a single season, earning him an All-American title — the program’s first since 2006.

It feels right to say Smith brought new life to Arizona’s tennis program, earning him a spot on the Arizona Daily Star’s Mount Rushmore of Olympic male athletes, along with track and field star Abdi Abdirahman, swimmer Ryk Neethling and golf great Jim Furyk.

But if you were to ask Smith about how he elevated the program during his time there, he would give all the credit to head coach Clancy Shields and players who came before him.

“Clancy is the heart and soul behind it,” Smith says. “But I mean, there's guys like Alejandro Reguant, who Clancy would always talk about, and the impact he made on the team, and Filip Malbasic and Jonas Ziverts, and all those guys that maybe didn't have quite the same result in their careers, but really, I think had maybe even more of an impact than me. If you look at the team and what it was able to come from and become by the time I got there … the guys had made the Sweet 16 for the first time before I got there and so they really made an incredible impact on the team.”

On and off the court, Smith embodies good sportsmanship. It’s just one of the traits he brought with him to Arizona.

During his four years at the university, the Wildcats tennis program helped shape him into the athlete he is today.

“It was tough. Clancy runs a pretty tight ship and there's a lot of discipline,” he says. “You've got to be very, very disciplined to be able to play there and to be successful there. So that was something that really kind of drew me there in the first place. But I think being able to succeed in that environment really can set you up for anything in life, not just tennis. Whether you're going into the workforce or whatever it is that you end up doing.

“So I think that really was the biggest thing, and really just making all the connections that I did with all the guys on the team, a bunch of alumni, supporters of the school and the program, all the staff there, and being around a bunch of athletes, too, whether it's different sports or whatever and just seeing how they approach their sport and what it takes to really just compete at the highest level, regardless of what it is.”

Since graduating last year and leaving the university as one of the most decorated tennis players, Smith has made his way to the professional tennis circuit.

He competed and won the 2025 Cleveland Open, his first Challenger singles title, after defeating Eliot Spizzirri in the final.

He went on to make his ATP Tour Masters 1000 main draw debut in March 2025, taking down Flavio Cobolli (yes, 2026 French Open runner-up Flavio Cobolli) in his first tour-level win.

Smith called it a “life-changing moment” playing against one of the top players he’s looked up to.

This year, Smith continues to compete on the professional circuit. He recently competed in a Challenger in Lincoln, Nebraska, and says he’s trying to balance the tour life as much as he can along with his other interests.

Up next for him? Playing in the Los Cabos Open, a few more tournaments and preparation for the U.S. Open.

But even with all of his new exciting experiences, Smith still calls his time at Arizona “the best four years of my life without a doubt.”

“It wasn't that long ago that I was there, and even just being called an alum almost feels a little weird at times,” he says. “But to realize that I had that sort of impact on the school and the program, it's probably one of the coolest, most special things that anybody could ask for when they enter a program.”

Abdi Abdirahman, track and field

Years at Arizona: 1997-99

What he did: Over the years, it hasn’t been an uncommon occurrence to see Abdihakim Abdirahman on a practice run along Tucson streets.

Abdirahman was always running.

So much so that he ran his way into University of Arizona cross country and track and field history.

As a Wildcat, Abdirahman was a four-time Pac-10 champion, including twice in the outdoor 5k, once in the outdoor 10k and once in cross country.

He was named an All-American multiple times, including three times in outdoor track and field, twice in indoor track and field and twice in cross country.

In 1998, the Pac-10 named him the Conference Athlete of the Year.

Keep in mind, Abdirahman was only at the university for two years, as he was a transfer student from Pima Community College.

His accomplishments earned him a spot in Arizona’s Hall of Fame but also the Pima County Sports Hall of Fame, which he was inducted into in 2019.

Even after his time at Arizona, Abdirahman continued running.

He became a four-time USATF champion in the 10,000m, with first-place finishes in 2001, 2005, 2007 and 2008.

He went on to compete in numerous World Championships and World Marathon Majors, even coming in third at the New York City Marathon in 2016.

However, one of his biggest accomplishments is making the United States Olympic team … five times.

Abdirahman is actually the first American distance runner to qualify for five Olympic Games. He competed in the 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2020 (2021) Summer Games.

During the 2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, he placed first in the marathon segment at 43 years old.

Abdirahman has remained in Tucson long after his days as a Wildcat, becoming a major sports figure in the community and rightfully earning a spot on this Mount Rushmore.

Ryk Neethling, swim

Years at Arizona: 1996-2000

What he did: South African native Ryk Neethling made a splash for the Arizona swim program in the late ‘90s. During his time with the Wildcats, he was a 17-time All-American, nine-time NCAA champion, seven-time Pac-10 champion and four-time Pac-10 Athlete of the Year.

In 1999, he was named the NCAA Division I Swimmer of the Year.

Did we mention that he was already an Olympian by the time he started at Arizona?

Neethling earned a spot on the South African Olympic swim team for the 1996 Olympic Games. He would later go on to win gold in the 2004 Summer Olympics.

While at Arizona, he set the 1,650-yard freestyle record with a time of 14:32.50 at the 1998 NCAAs. The record stood until 2021.

When Neethling was inducted into the UA Hall of Fame in 2005, his “nine career individual NCAA titles were the most by any student-athlete in the 100-plus-year history of Wildcat Athletics,” according to Arizona Athletics.

In a video posted by Arizona Athletics three years ago, they called Neethling the “UA Athlete of the Century.”

“After the ‘99 NCAA finals, a lot of people recommended that I leave and get started on my Olympic training,” Neethling told the Arizona Daily Star in 2000. “People told me all about the money I could make, but I also knew that completing my education and getting a scholarship for a fifth year would be of greater value to my future. Plus, everyone wants to have a little immortality if it’s within reach.”

Outside of Arizona, Neethling once held the South African record in the 200-, 400-, 800- and 1500-meter freestyles.

Because of his accomplishments during his time at Arizona and beyond, he’s earned a spot on our Mount Rushmore.

Jim Furyk, golf

Years at Arizona: 1989-92

What he did: This one might take some convincing for non-golf fans, but the golf fans get it. Jim Furyk wasn’t the No. 1 golfer with the Arizona golf team during his time at the university, but we believe his time as a Wildcat was a stepping stone into greatness.

At the UA, he competed in 176 tournament rounds, which is a feat in itself.

Furyk was a member of the Wildcats’ 1992 championship team. As an individual, he was a two-time All-American.

After completing his time at Arizona, he went pro and qualified for the PGA Tour in 1995.

Since then, he's won 17 PGA Tour events, the U.S. Open (2003), and was captain of the USA Ryder Cup team (2018), the Star previously reported.

He also placed in the Top 10 of the world rankings for 441 weeks.

Furyk was inducted into the UA Hall of Fame in 1997, only a few years after his time at the university.

In 2016, he set the lowest single-round score in PGA Tour history with a score of 58. The record still stands today.

After capping his pro golf career, he went on to become an analyst for USA Network during the U.S. Open and a studio analyst for the Golf Channel..

While Furyk didn’t win championships as an individual at Arizona, his Wildcat era helped shape him into the prominent golf figure he is today.

Colton Smith, tennis

Years at Arizona: 2021-25

What he did: Maybe it’s a little bit of recency bias, but when we think of the players who have impacted the Arizona men’s tennis program, Colton Smith comes to mind.

At Arizona, Smith was a leader on and off the court.

He helped lead the Wildcats to four straight conference championships, all while working closely with a Team IMPACT child with a life-altering illness, supporting them through building confidence and creating a sense of belonging in the sports world.

Back on the court, Smith’s actions earned him first-team and All-American nods. He was the program’s first All-American since 2006, according to Arizona Athletics.

In singles, Smith went 24-9 in his freshman year and 26-12 in his sophomore year. He only improved from there.

As a junior, he set a program record for singles wins in a single season with 34.

By the time his senior year ended, Smith finished out the season with a 23-2 overall record and went 16-0 in dual matches.

Smith capped his remarkable career at Arizona in 2025 with two prestigious tennis awards: the ITA Division I Men's National Senior Player of the Year award and the Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship Award.

There may have been great players before him, and there will surely be great players after him, but Smith took the Arizona men’s tennis program to new heights, securing his legacy as one of the best to do it at Arizona.