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Campus Guide: Who to Know

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Cecilia Alvarez

Arizona redshirt senior receiver Austin Hill (29) talks to Arizona redshirt sophomore receiver Cayleb Jones (1) in between drills during practice at Jimenez Practice Facility on March 10. Hill is one of five UA athletes to watch this upcoming season.

Editor’s note: This article is part of the Arizona Summer Wildcat’s 2014 Campus Guide. The Campus Guide is a special issue that runs every year to help introduce incoming students to the UA and campus life.

Austin Hill

Arizona football redshirt senior wide receiver Austin Hill is coming off a season where he sat out the entire season due to an ACL injury he suffered in the 2013 spring game.

As a redshirt senior, Hill will have his work cut out for him, considering NFL scouts are eager to see how his season plays out.

The last time Hill played was when the Wildcats defeated Nevada in the 2012 Gildan New Mexico Bowl where he caught eight passes for 175 and made two touchdowns. Both of those touchdowns came in the late fourth-quarter push Arizona had to defeat the Wolf Pack.

The 6-foot-3 receiver finished his 2012 campaign second in the Pac-12 in receiving yards with 1,364 yards and 11 touchdowns, which earned Hill a spot with the second team All-Pac-12.

Hill was named to the Biletnikoff Award watch list, which goes to the nation’s top receiver in college football.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson is entering his sophomore season as one of the top players for a 2014-15 Arizona team.

Hollis-Jefferson quickly became a fan favorite in McKale Center due to his hustle and energy off the bench for the 33-5 Arizona squad that was one point away from the Final Four.

The 6-foot-7 forward played in all 38 games and put up per-game averages of 9.1 points and 5.7 rebounds. He also earned a spot on the 2013-14 Pac-12 All-Freshman team.

His defensive versatility and improved offensive game should allow UA men’s basketball head coach Sean Miller to tinker with his lineups, as Hollis-Jefferson fits either off the bench or in the starting lineup.

One thing is certain: Hollis-Jefferson is in for a big season.

Madi Kingdon

Arizona Athletics implemented a sand volleyball team this past season for the first time in school history. Senior outside hitter Madi Kingdon is one of the key players and leaders for both the sand volleyball and indoor volleyball teams.

The Phoenix native was named to the All-Pac-12 team and was an AVCA All-American honorable mention while gathering the most points in the conference this past season.

Kingdon recorded 508 kills as a junior for the indoor team, which happened to be sixth most all-time in Arizona history.

Her run with the sand volleyball team saw Kingdon secure a team-leading 19 individual wins and 19 total wins in pairs.

As Kingdon enters her senior season, she has a chance to finish among the best in program history in kills, attempts, kills per game and digs per game.

Hallie Wilson

The senior outfielder/first baseman is fresh off an outstanding season and is poised for a huge senior campaign.

The utility player had a batting average of .414. and was first with 72 hits, 73 runs scored and an on-base percentage of .535.

After leading Arizona to a 44-16 record, she was named to the 2014 NFCA All-American team. Wilson has also been awarded a first team All-Pac-12 selection for two consecutive seasons.

The Wildcats bounced back from a disappointing 2013 to get to the super regionals in 2014, before falling to Louisiana-Lafayette 2-0 in the best of three series.

Behind players like Wilson, outfielder Katiyana Mauga and catcher Chelsea Goodacre, UA head coach Mike Candrea will have the Wildcats back on track for another strong season and make a run for the ninth championship in school history.

Kevin Newman

Though the team struggled as a whole, finishing just 22-33, Kevin Newman is coming off a great sophomore season for head coach Andy Lopez.

Newman emerged as a leader for Lopez. Newman has a batting average of .341 over the past two seasons and finished second on the 2014 team in RBIs with 34.

The two-time All-Pac-12 selection is looking to make it three consecutive selections in the 2015 season.

Newman has also spent his summers on the east coast the past two seasons, earning a spot on the 2013 and 2014 Cape Cod All-Star teams while playing for the Falmouth Commodores. The shortstop’s batting average with the Commodores was .375 as a freshman, and he was the first freshman ever to lead the Cape Cod baseball league in batting average.

If Arizona baseball is to get back on track in 2015, look for Kevin Newman to play an instrumental role in the turnaround.

—Follow Justin Spears @Hercules_52

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