Beyond the scoreboard: How the C.A.T.S. Program keeps the Cats on track in the classroom
Sofia Read and Women's Soccer players Olivia Ramey and Whitney Reinhardt work on their art skills during their Halloween visit to the Diamond Children's Medical Center.
Arizona Athletics
The recent success of Arizona Athletics extends far beyond the field, court or gym.
In November, they announced a 92% Graduation Success Rate (GSR), setting a department record for the fourth consecutive year.
Supporting that success are the members of the University of Arizona C.A.T.S. Program – or Commitment to an Athlete's Total Success. While not in uniform, they operate as a coordinated team, just like the athletes they support.
Jennifer Mewes embraces former Wildcat football player Syndric Steptoe at the department's "Catsys" event.
Arizona Athletics
It's all about practice
Marisol Quiroz, associate athletic director for C.A.T.S. Academics, has worked in athletics since 2003, witnessing the steady increase in student-athlete success. She said connecting with student-athletes as soon as they step on campus is crucial to the C.A.T.S. Program support model.
"Making early connections is what helps our student-athletes succeed and gain confidence," Quiroz said. "We are very proactive with every student in their first year here at Arizona, including transfers."
Different sports and different position groups within the teams have different schedules. This means there needs to be a plan for every type of student.
"We have a very individualized approach. We look at what their needs are and come up with a support plan," Mewes said. "It's not cookie-cutter like it was 30 years ago where everybody just had a study hall."
Preparation for success after graduation
Helping student-athletes reach graduation is a major milestone, but that isn't where support from the C.A.T.S. Program stops.
The Ginny L. Clements Academic Center provides a home for the academic support staff who help Arizona's student athletes thrive off the field, court, or track just as much as they do on it.
Arizona Athletics
Sofia Read, the Tyler Family Endowed Assistant Athletics Director for C.A.T.S. Student-Athlete Development, oversees the program that helps student-athletes make an impact on their communities and boost their future careers through skill development.
Some of these services include identifying internship opportunities, interview and resume preparation, and financial literacy resources. Read said her team focuses on student-athletes' interests to connect them with opportunities, often within the Tucson community – reflecting the university's strategic imperative of Engagement with Our Communities to Create Opportunity.
"We build internship programs, networking events and career nights that complement their interests and align with the unique day-to-day experiences as a student-athlete," Read said.
Read feels that sometimes she learns just as much from the student-athletes as they do from her and her team.
"It's such an honor to be a part of a student's process," she said. "I learn from them from a career standpoint and I'm glad we get to provide opportunities by partnering with the community."
While breaking department records for GSR and GPA provides a visual indicator of the C.A.T.S. Program's success, the team feels its biggest win comes from making sure that student-athletes are ready to excel in their careers, communities and lives beyond Arizona Athletics.
The statistics of student success
Marisol Quiroz, Vice President and R. Ken Coit Director of Athletics Desireé Reed-Francois, and Senior Associate Athletics Director for Strategic Operations Rachel Blunt congratulate Arizona Athletics valedictorian Diego Marquez during the Spring 2025 Student-Athlete Graduation Celebration.
Arizona Athletics
The statistics speak for themselves – the continued hard work of today's student-athletes coupled with ongoing support from the C.A.T.S. Program team is leading to academic success.
The recently released GSR number reflects the four-year cohort of student-athletes who were admitted to the university from 2015 to 2018.
Athletics reported a 3.412 cumulative GPA for student-athletes across all sports for fall 2025 – the highest in department history. This marks the 16th consecutive semester with a department-wide GPA of 3.0 or better, and 66 Wildcats were named to the All-Big 12 Conference Academic Team.
However, the stats aren't what drives the C.A.T.S. Program.
"We are proud of those numbers, but we are not necessarily chasing them," Quiroz said. "We are more focused on the process, working with the students, our relationships with them, and the environment that we create here."
Jennifer Mewes, senior associate director for C.A.T.S. Academics, helps gather all the academic data to submit to the NCAA, the Big 12 Conference and the Arizona Board of Regents to ensure compliance. She also coordinates academic support programs for baseball, softball, men's and women's golf, and quarterbacks on the football team.
Mewes enjoys seeing the development of her students and learning more about what they want to do once they graduate.
"I'm always excited about students' success, what they're doing, what their plans are and helping them achieve those goals."