Nov 12- Women's Head Coach Tatum Quimby has led the team through a gradual ramp up to the 2025 season, with several returners and an influx of first-year athletes leading to new competition for places as the season kickoff in January inches closer.

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The Fall began with a scrimmage against local rival Arizona State. The team was fired up and ready to go under the new leadership of Molly Chisholm and Adrienne Emma, selected for the intensity and solid work ethic that they bring on and off the field. On the road in Tempe, the Wildcats kept possession and kept ASU deep in their half for much of the game, with Chisholm scoring after a linebreak and fending off multiple tacklers on her way to the try zone. Kenna Whisenant's pace on a kick chase would result in another score, but it was the Sun Devils who would break the line late, defeating Arizona 22-12 in the friendly.

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After the ASU scrimmage, the focus shifted to Sevens, with a week of prep before traveling to the Pacific Desert Sevens Championship hosted by UC-Irvine. A tournament-opening loss to Claremont created a bounce back opportunity for the Wildcats that they would seize against the tournament hosts, with Melody Chu and Brityn Ward working well on the outside and moving the ball down the field. Lena Boucher's try just before half tied the game but a late lead taken by UC-Irvine in the second half would drop them to 0-2 on the day. The final match against UC-Santa Barbara was the performance Coach Quimby was looking for, with Landry Moore's workrate and two tries by Lex Smith helping the team end the day on a solid note.

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Arizona would continue their Fall with a scrimmage against Old Pueblo Lightning. The veteran Lightning side would start strong, scoring twice before a Chisholm try and conversion narrowed it to 10-7 at the half.  In the second half, Chisholm would score a second time before another Lightning score would make it 15-12 with 20 minutes left. A third Chisholm try and an Adrienne Emma long-distance turnover try would make it 24-15, the first win of the Fall preseason for the Wildcats.​​​​

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For Coach Quimby, the short Fall season and some quality training sessions have set the stage for the team to take that next step in her third season. On the Lightning win: "I was so proud of our forwards for the calls they made in the lineout and reading their opportunities. Grace Uso was a powerful presence in the forwards and Gigi Avila is an up and coming player to watch. Our fitness and running ability allowed us to outlast our opponents and it was a fun game with a big crowd of alumni" said Quimby.

 

The Wildcats will conclude their Fall training before shutting down ahead of final exams. Be on the lookout for the Spring schedule coming soon.