1. UA Track and field and cross country Coaches
2. Derrick Williams
As Arizona won the Pac-10 and reached the Elite Eight, Williams, a sophomore, played so well that he scored 741 points, trailing only Khalid Reeves and Sean Elliott in school history. His end-game heroics, against Washington, Memphis and Texas weren't overlooked; Williams was the second overall selection in the NBA draft.
3. Caitlin Leverenz
Winning the USA national championship in the 400 IM, qualifying for the world championships, the Sahuaro grad was at her best in the NCAA finals, becoming a five-time All-American for the Cal Bears. In December, she swam the eighth-fastest time in history in the 400 IM as part of Team USA in the Duel in the Pool against a European all-star team.
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4. Brigetta Barrett
The UA's junior high jumper won NCAA championships in the indoor and outdoor finals, swept to a gold medal at the World University Games and finished 10th in the world championships.
5. Michael Thompson
In his rookie year on the PGA Tour, the Rincon/University grad earned $935,265 and topped the $1million level in total earnings. He twice finished in the top four in tour events.
6. Greg Foster, Jon Pearlman, Chris Keeney and Rick Schantz
The managing partners of soccer club FC Tucson had a big year: They inaugurated the Desert Cup, a four-team competition of Major League Soccer teams, arranged for six MLS teams to hold spring training at Kino Sports Complex, and this spring will launch a USL Premier Development League team in Tucson.
7. Terrell Stoglin
After making the All-ACC freshman team with an 11.4 scoring average, the Santa Rita grad has become the league's top scorer this year, at 21.5, through the year's first 11 games.
8. Sean Miller
In his second season at Arizona, Miller coached the Wildcats to a 30-8 record, the Pac-10 championship and the Elite Eight, and then headed an effort that saw Arizona produce the nation's top-ranked recruiting class.
9. Lawi Lalang
In his first full year living in America, the Kenya native was an undefeated NCAA cross country champion for the Arizona Wildcats and No. 2 in the NCAA 5,000 meters.
10. Kelly, Mattie and Kenzie Fowler
Tucson's No. 1 softball family had a classic year: Kelly coached CDO to a 35-1 record and the state championship; Mattie was fabulous, hitting .569 with 91 RBIs and a 14-0 pitching record for CDO; and older sister Kenzie won 26 games with 237 strikeouts in her sophomore season at the UA.
11. Marcus Titus
A graduate of the UA and Flowing Wells High School, Titus, who is deaf, won silver and bronze swimming medals at the Pan American Games and was third in the USA nationals in the breast stroke.
12. Jamee Swan
The Marana High School senior produced one of the top all-around athletic seasons in Southern Arizona history: She won the state championship in the shot put, was an honorable mention volleyball All-Star, and, in basketball, averaged 19.6 points, 13.4 rebounds as she became a top-50 prospect before signing with Colorado.
13. Davellyn Whyte
Becoming just the second sophomore ever to score at least 1,000 points in only two seasons, the Wildcat was an All-Pac-10 selection. This year, through Christmas, the junior guard was leading the Wildcats at 18.9 points per game.
14. Julie Labonté
A junior at the UA, Labonté was undefeated against collegiate competition, 12-0 in the shot put, winning the NCAA championship, setting a Canadian national record and finishing 18th in the world championships.
15. Lara Jackson
The UA grad won the gold medal in the 50-meter freestyle at the Pan American Games, qualifying for that competition by becoming the USA national champion in an August swimming competition.
16. Jill Camarena-Williams
The 2008 Olympian, now an assistant coach at Arizona, became the first woman in American history to win a medal in the shot put at the world championships (she won the bronze). She also set or tied U.S. records in the indoor and outdoor shot put competition.
17. Todd Holthaus
In the last three seasons, Holthaus has coached Pima College's women's basketball team to NJCAA finals finishes of third, fifth and second. His 29-7 team of 2010-11, the national runner-up, was his best effort yet.
18. Ian Kinsler and J.J. Hardy
Kinsler, a CDO grad who plays second base for the Texas Rangers, and Hardy, a Sabino grad who is the Baltimore Orioles shortstop, were among the top run producers for their positions. Kinsler hit 32 homers, Hardy hit 30.
19. Cesar de la Cruz
The Desert View High School grad won the regular-season money championship on the Pro Rodeo Tour as the top team roper (heeler). After the National Finals Rodeo, de la Cruz was No. 8 overall with $134,042.
20. Greg Byrne
In addition to getting approval to build a $72 million football plant, Arizona's get-things-done athletic director changed the identity of Arizona's football program by hiring Rich Rodriguez, changed the personality of the baseball program by engineering a move to Hi Corbett Field, and he was able to keep basketball coach Sean Miller from moving to Maryland. Good year, no?
21. Joe Serrano
Salpointe's terrific shortstop established a city record with 69 RBIs, a state record with 26 doubles, and hit .544 before joining the Arkansas Razorbacks.
22. Nick Foles
Becoming the first Arizona Wildcats quarterback to pass for 10,000 yards in a career, Foles produced 4,334 yards, a school passing record, with 28 touchdowns.
23. Brooks Reed
The second-round draft pick of the Houston Texans, Reed, a former Sabino High and UA pass-rusher, became a rookie starter in the NFL, collecting 44 tackles and six sacks with one game remaining.
24. Yvette Alvarez
Leading Chris Fanning's Sahuarita High club to the state softball championship, Alvarez was sizzling: She went 32-4 pitching and hit 19 homers with 81 RBIs. She struck out 305 batters in 191 1/3 innings.
25. Annie Chandler
Named the Pac-10 Woman of the Year in August, the UA grad won two swimming gold medals at the Pan American Games.
26. Kyle Simon and Kurt Heyer
Arizona's 1-2 pitching tandem combined to go 19-8 in 38 starts, helping the Wildcats to the NCAA tournament. Heyer was 8-5 with a 2.41 ERA; Simon was 11-3 with a 2.72 ERA.
27. Dave Cosgrove
Pima College's men's soccer coach guided the Aztecs to the region championship, won 20 games, and finished tied for fifth in the NJCAA. Along the way, Cosgrove won his 200th career game at PCC.
28. Cory Chitwood
Perhaps the top men's swimmer in the Pac-12, Chitwood won his second NCAA championship in the 200 backstroke for Arizona, and added a second-place NCAA finish in the 200 IM and a sixth-place effort in the 100 backstroke.
29. Heather Moore-Martin
In the spring, Moore-Martin led Catalina to a 29-2 boys volleyball season and the club's second consecutive state title. In the fall, she led the Catalina girls team to the state championship game.
30. Bernard Lagat
America's leading distance runner won the USA championship at 5,000 meters and finished second in that distance at the world championships.
31. Minh Vu
The Rincon/University grad had a standout junior soccer season at Penn State. He was the Big Ten tournament's offensive MVP.
32. Sherry Cervi
Last year's No. 1 sports figure in Tucson's Top 100, Cervi finished third in the world barrel racing standings with $183,838. The Marana High grad is a three-time world champion.
33. Ben Hurley, Tim Derksen and Lester Medford
Amphi won its first-ever state basketball championship, finishing 29-2, a Hurley-coached fast-paced team led by Medford's 19.2 average. Derksen, now in his senior season on a team that was 11-2 through Christmas, was averaging 23.8 points.
34. Jennifer Bergman
The Wildcat finished second in the 10,000 meters at the Pac-10 meet, took third in the NCAA 10,000 final and, in the NCAA cross country final, was 26th overall, making the All-America team.
35. Alex Bowman
At 18, the Tucson auto racer won his first two starts on the ARCA circuit and was named the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Rookie of the Year.
36. Shelley Duncan
The former CDO and UA home run champion hit 11 homers and drove in 47 runs for the Cleveland Indians, which included 23 RBIs in September, the second-highest total in the major leagues.
37. Mike Feder
Reprising his 1990s role as GM of the Tucson Toros/Sidewinders, Feder engineered the return of Pacific Coast League baseball to Tucson, leading the Tucson Padres in their first season at Kino Stadium.
38. Tara Erdmann
At Loyola Marymount, Erdmann won her third consecutive West Coast Conference cross country championship and was No. 10 in the NCAA final. In the outdoor track season, the Flowing Wells grad was 12th in the NCAA 5,000-meter final.
39. Nemer Hassey and Jay Campos
With a 35-5 record over the last three seasons, Cienega High's football coach went 13-1, piloting the Bobcats to the state championship game. Campos coached Sabino (11-2) to the state semifinals.
40. Estela Piñon
In a breakout softball season, the freshman from Sunnyside led Yavapai College to the NJCAA national title, posting a 30-3 pitching record and hitting 20 home runs with 95 RBIs.
41. Mitch Fischer
Ironwood Ridge's two-way standout scored 29 touchdowns, ran for 2,143 yards and spurred a defense that helped the Nighthawks finish 10-3.
42. Stacy Iveson
After leading Yavapai College to the NJCAA softball title, her second at YC and fourth overall, the ex-UA player and coach returned to her alma mater to become Arizona's pitching coach.
43. Tom Wilhelmsen
In his big-league debut, the former Tucson High right-hander struck out 30 batters in 32 2/3 innings for the Seattle Mariners.
44. Chris Ayer
Playing for the NBA D-League Dakota Wizards, the Flowing Wells grad averaged 12.3 points, which included a 36-point outburst against New Mexico. He now plays for the D-League's Reno Bighorns.
45. Mike Russell
The golf pro from Stone Canyon Club won his second consecutive PGA Southwest Section, Southern Chapter title, shooting rounds of 66-66-65 at Dell Urich Golf Course. On the year, he won two more chapter tournaments and had five runner-up finishes on the state's pro circuit.
46. Bryce Cotton
The Palo Verde grad mostly sat on the bench at Providence last year, but this season Cotton, an off-guard, has averaged 15.1 points per game through the Friars' first 14 games.
47. Nick Ross
Winning the Pac-10 high jump title as a sophomore, the Arizona Wildcats standout then went on to finish third in the NCAA finals.
48. Michael Smith
The Sunnyside High grad completed his college football career with a bang: He rushed for 870 yards, caught passes for 181 yards and scored 11 touchdowns for the first bowl team at Utah State in 14 years.
49. Tim Kish
Arizona's defensive coordinator became the interim head coach in early October, guided the Wildcats to victories over UCLA, Arizona State and Louisiana-Lafayette. He also added a touch of dignity to a program that had lost its way.
50. Tony Gabusi
Coaching at his seventh school in Tucson, and a second term at Catalina High, Gabusi piloted the sixth-seeded Trojans baseball team to the state title even though he had but 11 varsity players available most of the year.
51. Alexandra Balcer
The junior team captain of Long Beach State's women's soccer team, Balcer, a Catalina Foothills grad, was MVP of the Big West tournament, leading the 49ers to the NCAA Elite Eight.
52. Jaide Stepter
Perhaps Tucson's most highly recruited high school athlete, Stepter, a CDO senior, won a trio of titles at the state track meet, winning the 100 and 300 hurdles finals as well as the 200 meter final.
53. Charlie Kendrick and Julie Walters
The Catalina Foothills head soccer coaches swept the state titles again: Kendrick's girls team (22-3) won its fifth title in seven years; Walters won her fourth state title with a 15-2 boys team.
54. Blake Martinez
In his senior season at CDO, Martinez scored 19 touchdowns, rushed for 726 yards and led the Dorados with 10.7 tackles per game while accepting a scholarship to Stanford.
55. Liz Patterson
A year after winning the NCAA indoor high jump title, the UA grad finished second in the USA outdoor championships and then posted four top-10 performances on the European Grand Prix circuit.
56. Karissa Buchanan
The Sabino grad hit .401, second-best on the club for Arizona's softball team, a reliable hitter who also stole 11 bases.
57. Michaela Crunkleton-Wilson and Brianna Rodriguez
Two of the leading girls track performers in America had banner years: Crunkleton-Wilson, a sophomore at Salpointe, won a gold medal at the USATF Junior Olympics at 100 meters; Rodriguez, a senior and a state champion at Cienega, broke the city record for high school girls in the long jump, 19-2, at the national Junior Olympics.
58. Sam Portillo
Amphi's wrestling coach led his team to fifth place in the state championships, and then became part of the USA coaching staff, invited to be part of the instructional crew at the Olympic Training Center.
59. Adam Small
After becoming a five-time All-American in the NCAA swimming finals, Small, a UA senior, won a silver medal at the World University Games in the 50 freestyle.
60. Sara Brown
Carrying dual membership to the LPGA and Ladies European golf tours, the Salpointe grad became just the second girl from a Tucson high school to play regularly on a pro tour.
61. Rick Glider
CDO's veteran track/cross country coach had a career year: He took the Dorados girls team to the state track and field title, and then, coaching the CDO boys, produced a state title in cross country.
62. Krystal Quihuis
After winning the state golf championship by six strokes and helping Salpointe win the team championship, the Lancers sophomore won the Tucson City Women's Amateur by 16 strokes.
63. Robbie Pearson and Nicco Blank
The senior pitchers at Catalina High both won two games in the state tournament as the sixth-seeded Trojans won it all. Pearson also hit .542 at shortstop, and Blank (10-3 overall) stole 20 bases when not pitching.
64. Armando Quiroz
Pima College's softball coach directed the Aztecs to a 51-14 record, the ACCAC regular-season title and a runner-up finish in the NJCAA regionals.
65. Haley Stenquist
As a senior at Sabino, Stenquist won the state championship at 1,600 meters, was third at 3,200 meters and then became a regular in the UA's lineup, winning the NAU cross country invitational, becoming a key freshman as the Wildcats rose as high as No. 5 in the NCAA rankings.
66. Anthony Rizzo
In 93 games for the Tucson Padres, Rizzo drove in 101 runs, batted .331 and hit 26 homers. Baseball America selected Rizzo to the Class AAA All-Star second team.
67. Maddie Pothoff
One of America's leading girls junior tennis players, Pothoff was sixth in the Nike Masters girls 16U and second in the girls 16U USTA National Open, among other top finishes.
68. Logan Hall
A Sahuaro grad, Hall was a strong part of Texas Tech's NCAA tournament softball team, hitting .366 with 55 RBIs as a junior second baseman.
69. Matt Korcheck
A sophomore center at Cochise College, Korcheck is the second-leading scorer in ACCAC basketball. The Sabino grad has received scholarship offers from Michigan State, Oklahoma, Georgia Tech and North Carolina State, among others.
70. Book Richardson and James Whitford
In their third recruiting season on the UA basketball staff, Richardson and Whitford helped to land the nation's top-ranked recruiting class.
71. Robb Salant
Winning his ninth state championship as a tennis coach, Salant took the Catalina Foothills boys team to its seventh straight team title.
72. Tim Wood
Pitching 13 games in relief for the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Sabino grad earned that promotion by registering 24 saves in Class AAA for both Pittsburgh and Florida.
73. Tim Berrier
The Ironwood Ridge wrestling coach led his team to its first state championship, aided greatly by four individual state champs: Joseph Bracamonte, Walker Slaughter, Tate Sandifer and Connor Buette.
74. Cursty Jackson
A standout senior on Arizona's volleyball team, Jackson was the club's lone All-Pac-12 selection on a team that reached the NCAA tournament.
75. Pam Reed
America's leading women's ultra-distance runner won two 100-mile events: the Florida Keys 100 and the Run With the Buffaloes 100 that began in West Yellowstone.
76. Nick Mossberg
A Rincon/University and UA grad, Mossberg emerged as an international-level pole vaulter, finishing third at the USA championships in June, regularly clearing 18 feet and becoming a contender for the 2012 London Olympics.
77. Mike Perez
After averaging just 1.5 points as a UTEP freshman, Perez, a Pueblo grad, became the Miners' leading scorer through this year's first 14 games, at 12 points per game.
78. Dan Moore
A junior fullback at Montana, Moore, a Mountain View grad, rushed for 430 yards and scored seven touchdowns, and he caught 12 passes for 111 yards, helping the Grizzlies go 11-3 and reach the FCS national semifinals.
79. Alyssa Anderson
The UA senior swimmer was a five-time All-American during her junior season, finishing third in the NCAA 500 freestyle and third in the 200 butterfly.
80. Kristie Stevens
Catalina Foothills' girls tennis coach has reached legendary status; she coached the Falcons to a state title for the 11th time.
81. Matt Grevers
The 2008 Olympic gold medalist, who swims for Tucson Ford Dealers Aquatics, won the 100 and 200 backstroke finals at the USA national championships in August.
82. Jerry Carrillo
Cochise College's men's basketball coach, a Salpointe grad, led the Apaches to 22 victories and the ACCAC playoffs championship, one game from the NJCAA finals. His current team was 9-2 through Christmas.
83. Brian Prouty
After another productive year on the Canadian and Gateway pro golf tours, the Salpointe and UA grad bolted into the final stage of the PGA Qualifying School, shooting a course-record 61 in the first of three stages (and 14 rounds) of Q-School.
84. Perri Touche
As coach of the Salpointe girls tennis team, Touche won her third consecutive team state title, and her fifth in six years.
85. Donny Toia
After two years of soccer excellence at CDO and Pima College, Toia joined the Real Salt Lake organization in Major League Soccer.
86. Christine Clark
In her sophomore basketball season at Harvard, the Tucson High grad averaged 16.1 points through Christmas, improving on her 12.1 average as a freshman starter.
87. Wolfgang Weber
Tucson's "Father of Soccer" is at it again this year. His Salpointe Catholic boys were 14-1-1 through Christmas and ranked No.48 nationally among all high school boys soccer teams.
88. Aaron Tevis
As a senior linebacker at Boise State, the CDO grad made 46 tackles, broke up six passes and completed his college career as a three-year starter with a 38-2 record.
89. John Condes
At Salpointe Catholic, Condes directed the Lancers boys tennis team to the state championship, his sixth state title in eight years.
90. Margo Geer
Arizona's female Freshman Athlete of the Year, Geer was third at the NCAA finals in the 50 freestyle and in the 100 freestyle.
91. Stephen Sambu
Although he redshirted during the NCAA cross country season, the UA junior made his mark in the track season, finishing third in the NCAA 5,000 meters indoors and third in the NCAA 10,000 meters outdoors. He also set a school record of 27:28.64 in the 10,000 meters.
92. Mari Contreras
Pima College's leading softball pitcher won 29 games and struck out 278 batters in 205 innings, helping the Aztecs to the ACCAC title.
93. Bobby DeBerry
Before resigning at Sunnyside, DeBerry led the Blue Devils to their 14th consecutive wrestling state championship.
94. Randy Anway
Winning a school-record 30 games and advancing to the softball state title game, the Ironwood Ridge coach had a powerful lineup in which five players - Robin Landrith, Dani Colwill, Erin Satterfield, Alexis Clinton and Sarah Rodriguez - all hit .396 or better.
95. David Korn
After coaching men's soccer at Lafayette and Denver, Korn, a CDO grad, became the lead assistant at Wright State, helping the Raiders to the Horizon League title game with an 11-7-2 record, improving on last year's 4-13-1.
96. Rita Bermudez, Zaina Sufi, Sam Ruth and Marissa Baca
Bermudez, of CDO, won the state tennis singles championship. Sufi and Ruth, of Catalina Foothills, combined to win the state doubles title, edging the Ironwood Ridge team of Baca and Katrina Domingo; Baca was the defending state champion.
97. Molly Johnson
Now an assistant softball coach at Kentucky, the Sabino grad, a shortstop, helped Team USA win a gold medal at the Pam American Games.
98. Shaun Cooper
The former Catalina High and Pima College baseball player, now a senior outfielder at Utah, was named the collegiate Summer Player of the Year after hitting .335 with a league-record 20 home runs in the Northwoods League. He also hit .332 for the Utes.
99. Polly Campbell and Stephanie Wenneborg
Campbell won the women's division of the Mount Lemmon Marathon and the women's title in the Tucson Marathon; Wenneborg was the Grand Prix women's yearly points leader for the Southern Arizona Roadrunners club.
100. Ryan Perry
Pitching for the Detroit Tigers, the former Marana High and UA right-hander made 36 relief appearances. In Class AAA Toledo, he registered seven saves in eight chances.
