Wildcat Wrap: Arizona track and field sends 22 athletes to NCAA Outdoor Championships

Editor’s note: With so many sports going on this winter and spring, we are re-introducing the Wildcat Wrap, a weekly recap that will focus on the Arizona programs that we do not have the time to cover on a regular basis but are certainly worthy of recognition.

Arizona track and field will be well represented at this week’s NCAA Outdoor Championships. The Wildcats qualified 22 athletes and three relay teams for the championships, which begin Wednesday in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Five women will compete in multiple events, including Pac-12 champion Talie Bonds who qualified in the 100m hurdles and the high jump. Fellow Pac-12 champion Shannon Meisberger is one of the favorites in the 400m hurdles.

Mackennia Orie and Samantha Noennig will give the UA a strong chance to bring home a podium finish in the shot put.

On the men’s side, Jakob Chamberlin qualified for the hammer throw and discuss while Trayvion White-Austin will compete in the 100m and 200m dash.

The NCAA Outdoor Championships run May 25-28.

Men’s golf

Arizona qualified for the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2011 by winning the Bryan, Texas Regional last week. A full recap of their regional win can be found here.

The Wildcats will be one of 30 teams competing at NCAA Championships in Scottsdale May 27 – June 1. The tournament consists of four rounds of stroke play, then an eight-team match play tournament to decide the national champion.

Arizona is seeking its second-ever national title in men’s golf, having previously won in 1992.

Men’s tennis

Arizona’s Jonas Ziverts and Gustaf Strom both competed in the NCAA Singles Championships in Champaign, Illinois.

Ziverts defeated UNLV’s Christopher Bulus in round one 2-6, 6-1, 6-4 before falling to San Diego’s August Holmgren in round two 6-4, 6-1.

Strom fell to TCU’s Luc Fomba 6-2, 6-4 in round one. This is the second year in a row Strom was knocked out in the opening round.

Beach volleyball

Arizona received some good news last week when Sarah Blacker announced she will return for a fifth year in 2023. Blacker gained an extra year of eligibility in 2020 when Covid-19 canceled the remainder of the beach volleyball season.

The San Diego native ranks 6th in program history with 74 career wins.

Meanwhile, Alex Parkhurst was named All-Pac-12 Second Team, giving the Tucson native back-to-back all-conference honors.

As a junior, Parkhurst went 14-14 as Arizona’s court one player. Parkhurst is the player in program history to win multiple all-conference honors.

Arizona beach volleyball head coach Steve Walker announced that volunteer coach Makenna Martin has been promoted to assistant coach. Martin played three seasons at Arizona before serving as volunteer coach in 2022.

Martin assumes the role of Emily Friesen, who departed the program after five years at Arizona.

Martin played beach volleyball in 2018, 2020 and 2021 and also competed in indoor volleyball 2016-2019.

“First, I have to thank Coach Walker and Emily Friesen for this amazing opportunity to continue to represent my alma mater, the University of Arizona,” Martin said in a statement. “I am grateful and excited to get back in the sand as a coach and continue working with the special student-athletes that make up this amazing program.”