From Desireé’s Desk - September 7, 2026
09/07/2026 | General
Dear Wildcats,
We kicked off the 2026 football season over the holiday weekend and what a start to the season it was!
The Wildcats got the win – our fifth straight in a season opener – and the gameday atmosphere was fantastic. Our student section was packed and made their presence known behind the visiting sideline throughout the game. The light show between the third and fourth quarters was a sight to behold; Coach Brennan said during his postgame press conference that it adds to the experience for both our players and our fans.
Thank you to everyone who attended the opener and we hope to see you at Casino Del Sol Stadium all season long!
Opening Night
The Wildcats led from start to finish in our 35-7 win over Northern Arizona. Noah Fifita threw for two touchdowns and moved to second on Arizona’s career passing yards list. Kedrick Reescano rushed for two touchdowns and Gio Richardson paced the team with eight catches. But the defense was the star of the night as we held NAU without an offensive touchdown, racked up five sacks and 11 tackles for loss, and limited the Lumberjacks to minus-seven yards rushing – the first time our defense has held an opponent to negative rushing yards in 20 years.
We have six more home games to go so if you haven’t yet purchased your season tickets, click here or call 520-621-CATS. We have a terrific slate of Big 12 home games, including Cincinnati, Iowa State, TCU, Utah and the 100th edition of the Territorial Cup against Arizona State.
But next up the Wildcats hit the road for the first time, heading to Provo to face No. 14 BYU Saturday in the Big 12 opener for both teams. Kickoff is 12:30 p.m. on FOX. Tune in!
Fall Sports Roundup
Cross country opened its 2026 campaign with a strong performance at the Dave Murray Invitational in Tucson. Both the men and women placed first in the team standings with the men’s squad sweeping the top five spots, led by Vincent Gwachi.
Our top-ranked triathlon team opened defense of its national championship with a dominant performance at the Duquesne Cup in Beaver Falls, Pa. The Wildcats swept the top seven spots in the race, led by Kelly Wetteland, who finished in a time of 1:00:44.35.
Volleyball (2-4) dropped two tough five-set matches to Creighton and Pepperdine this past weekend at the Bluejay Invitational in Omaha, Neb.
Soccer (2-3-1) fell to Dartmouth 1-0 at home Sunday. Earlier in the week, the Wildcats hosted ninth-ranked North Carolina and we set a program record with a crowd of 1,753 fans at Mulcahy Stadium at Murphey Field. Thank you to all the fans who helped us break that mark!
Our women’s golf team started its fall campaign Monday at the Folds of Honor Collegiate hosted by Michigan State. Golf Channel has full coverage of the event through Wednesday. Make sure to tune in and get your first look at Giovana Maymon’s squad!
Basketball Overseas
Our men’s basketball team traveled to Lithuania last month, playing three games over a 10-day stretch.
The Wildcats won two of their three games, defeating both the Lithuanian and Ukrainian National Teams after opening with a loss to Lithuania’s B Team. Ivan Kharchenkov turned in an impressive performance, averaging 26.3 points and shooting 58.5 percent from the floor over the three games.
In addition to facing tough competition on the court, the team had the opportunity to explore Vilnius and Kaunas during their 10-day excursion. Ugnius Jarusevicius and Motiejus Krivas got to compete in front of family and friends and show their teammates their home country. It was a bonding experience that our student-athletes and staff won’t soon forget.
Mark Your Calendars
Our men’s and women’s basketball teams have unveiled their non-conference schedules and once again both programs will be testing themselves against some of the nation’s best.
Becky Burke’s squad opens against Stanford on November 2 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, and travels to Pauley Pavilion to take on defending national champion UCLA on November 12. The Wildcats also host Oregon State on November 15 and head to Jacksonville, Fla., to face Vanderbilt and George Washington during Thanksgiving Week.
Tommy Lloyd’s team also tips off its season in Las Vegas on November 2, taking on UCLA. The Wildcats travel to Auburn on November 13, host UConn on November 18, compete in the Maui Classic during Thanksgiving Week, play at St. John’s on December 5 and venture up I-10 to face Arkansas in Phoenix on December 19.
Our Big 12 schedules will be announced later this month. We’re looking forward to another memorable season at McKale Center at ALKEME Arena!
Cats Corner
- Our honorary football captains for the season opener were three of our 2026 NFL Draft picks -- Dalton Johnson, Treydan Stukes and Genesis Smith. It was great to see them back on campus and we wish them all the best this coming Sunday as they kick off their rookie seasons!
- Our gymnastics team tied a school record by placing 20 student-athletes on the WCGA’s Scholastic All-American Team. Overall, the team posted an impressive 3.76 GPA last year. Congratulations to the GymCats!
- Tucson’s KOLD-13 broadcast live from campus on the first day of classes on August 24 and several of our student-athletes were featured. Soccer’s Marissa Arnst, an optical engineering major, shared insight on her recent internship at the National Security Engineering Division. Football’s Grayson Stovall, an aerospace engineering major, talked about his work with wave lasers and carbon fiber polymers. His teammate Noah Fifita joined Brent Brennan to preview the football season and our national champion triathlon team was interviewed at the Hillenbrand Aquatic Center. What a great showcase for our campus and student-athletes!
- Grammy-award winning musical artist Diplo will headline the annual Post/Move Concert on Saturday, Sept. 26 at Bear Down Field following the Red-Blue Showcase presented by First Watch. We will also be honoring the 1997 men’s basketball national champions on the 30th anniversary of their historic NCAA Tournament run. Click here for ticket information.
- We met with our 2026-27 Fan Council recently and they suggested a terrific idea which we implanted immediately for football – a 15 percent off voucher for season ticket holder accounts to be used for one home game this season. We value the ideas and feedback our Fan Council provides and more than anything appreciate their willingness to devote time to improving our fan experience.
We hope to see you on campus supporting our student-athletes throughout the fall. Thank you again for your continued support.
Bear Down and Go Cats!
Desireé Reed-Francois
R. Ken Coit Director of Athletics
University of Arizona
