Arizona's Athletic Legacy: Unmatched Graduation Success

Arizona Sports News: A Season of Excellence and Excitement

Fall has arrived in Arizona, bringing with it a vibrant array of sports activities. College athletic seasons are in full swing, with notable teams like Arizona State (ASU) and Grand Canyon making their mark. Additionally, the Phoenix Suns' NBA G League affiliate, the Valley Suns, have begun their season. Here's a look at some of the latest news and events happening around Arizona sports.

ASU Athletics Maintains All-Time Graduation Success Rate

Arizona State athletics has once again achieved its all-time high of 93% Graduation Success Rate (GSR), marking the third consecutive year of this achievement. This announcement was made by the NCAA on November 19. Thirteen teams at ASU posted GSR scores of 100%, which is tied for the largest number of teams in the nation. These teams include men’s and women’s basketball, beach volleyball, men’s and women’s golf, gymnastics, soccer, softball, women’s swimming and diving, men’s and women’s tennis, water polo, and wrestling.

Since 2008, ASU has either maintained or surpassed its all-time best GSR. The GSR has increased by 24% since the metric was first introduced by the NCAA in 2005. After surpassing its original goal of 80% in 2012, ASU set a new goal of 90%. Among women student-athletes, the GSR is 97%, marking the eighth consecutive year at 95% or better. For men, it's the fifth year at 89% or better.

Arizona Cardinals Host Canned Food Drive

The Arizona Cardinals are encouraging fans to join the holiday spirit by hosting a canned food drive during their game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, November 23. Volunteers from SRP and United Food Bank, along with Cardinals cheerleaders and Big Red, will be stationed at 14 collection points outside the stadium, including all five gates and near the Great Lawn. Fans are encouraged to bring nonperishable food items.

Fans can also donate using a QR code posted in multiple locations at the State Farm Stadium.

Matchroom Boxing Event in Glendale

The Phoenix area's first major boxing event of 2026 is set for Saturday, February 28, when IBF world super featherweight champion Eduardo "Sugar" Nuñez faces WBO world super featherweight champion Emanuel Navarrete at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale.

Nuñez, with a record of 29-1 (27 knockouts), won the IBF crown in 2025 in Japan against Masanori Rikiishi. Navarrete, with a record of 39-2-1 (32 knockouts), has fought at Desert Diamond Arena and the Mortgage Matchup Center three times in his last six fights. Navarrete has won titles in three weight classes over the past seven years. The fight and its yet-to-be-announced undercard can be seen on DAZN with a subscription. A date for ticket sales has not been set.

ASU Volleyball Earns Weekly Honors

Arizona State junior Noemie Glover (offensive) and graduate Colby Neal (defensive) were named the Big 12 Volleyball Players of the Week for matches ending November 16. Glover led ASU to an undefeated week, highlighted by a career-high 31 kills and 10 digs while hitting .411 in the five-set win for her second double-double of her career. Her 31 kills set an ASU rally-scoring era record for kills in a match and are tied for the ninth-most in a match in school history. It is her third Big 12 weekly award this season.

Neal added two more games with nine or more blocks to her season, increasing her total to five on the year. Neal recorded the third most blocks nationally for the week with nine against Arizona and another nine against the 22nd-ranked Buffaloes. She also added 10 kills in each match. This is Neal's second Big 12 weekly honor of the 2025 season.

New Time Slots Added to Chase Field Batting Practice Experience

For the first time, fans can experience batting practice at Chase Field. Due to high demand, two new sessions have been added to the batting practice experience for this weekend. The additional sessions will be on Friday, November 21, from 5-7 p.m. and 7-9 p.m.

The two-hour session invites fans to take hacks at home plate, shag flies and play catch in the outfield, and warm up in the visitors' clubhouse batting tunnel. Guests will also enjoy exclusive behind-the-scenes experiences, including access to the home clubhouse, a guided tour of the ballpark and photo opportunities with Baxter. All fans in attendance will receive a 30% discount at the team shop and a discount at Guy Fieri’s DTPHX Kitchen + Bar, located on Chase Field’s plaza.

Spots are $200 for participants aged 13 and older, $100 for kids aged 5-15. On-field participants must be over the age of 5 to take their swing and over the age of 13 to shag balls. Spectator admission is $25 to join in on the behind-the-scenes experiences, excluding batting practice (on-field and batting tunnel) and outfield grass activities.

ASU Women's Basketball Remains Undefeated

Arizona State forward McKinna Brackens posted a double-double of 23 points and 11 rebounds as the women's basketball team defeated Santa Clara 82-77 on the road on Sunday, November 16. Santa Clara made it interesting in the fourth quarter and trailed ASU (4-0) by one point with 40 seconds remaining. ASU guard Marley Washenitz hit a jumper inside the paint with 15 seconds and guard Gabby Elliott stole Santa Clara's last possession with 3 seconds to seal the win.

Elliott posted a double-double of 20 points and 16 rebounds, while Washenitz added 11 points and six rebounds. Guard Last-Tear Poa returned after missing two games with a hand injury. Poa contributed 14 points and five assists in 31 minutes off the bench. The Sun Devils shot 30 of 65 (46.0%) from the field and outrebounded Santa Clara, 59-29.

ASU will return home to host UNLV on Saturday, November 22, at Desert Financial Arena at 2 p.m. MST.

ASU Hockey Splits Road Series vs. North Dakota

The Arizona State hockey team (4-7-1, 2-3-1 NCHC) split the two-game series at North Dakota after a 4-2 win over the No. 6 Fighting Hawks on November 15. ASU fell to UND 5-2 in the first game despite forward Bennett Schimek posting two assists for his 20th career multi-point game.

In the second game, goaltender Connor Hasley recorded 39 saves on 41 shots, the fourth-most saves for ASU this season. Goaltending and Sean McGurn’s go-ahead goal in the second period lifted ASU to its second conference win of the season as ASU is tied for fifth place in the NCHC.

Forward Cruz Lucius posted three points in the series (1 goal, 2 assists), including two in the second game. ASU is 22-1-1 when he records two-plus points in a contest. ASU will return to Mullett Arena for the first of two straight home weekends, hosting a series against No. 4 Denver beginning on November 21, with puck drop scheduled for 7 p.m. MST on NCHC.tv, and airing locally on Fox 10 Xtra.

No. 8 ASU Volleyball Outlasts No. 22 Colorado

No. 8 Arizona State volleyball withstood the third and fourth set wins from No. 22 Colorado to ultimately win the match in five sets (25-19, 25-22, 18-25, 21-25, 15-12) on the road on November 15. Opposite hitter Noemie Glover set a career high in kills and digs with 31 and 10, respectively, while hitting .411. Her 31 kills set an Arizona State rally-scoring era record for kills in a match and broke Marta Levinska's record set in 2023.

Outside hitter Bailey Miller had 14 kills to reach double-digit kills for the 10th match in a row. She added six digs and three blocks. Libero Faith Frame had a team-high 11 digs, her 14th match this year in double figures. ASU (22-3, 13-1 Big 12) remains firmly in first place in the Big 12 after earning a big win over Colorado (21-6, 11-4 Big 12). The Sun Devils will remain on the road for their next two games, traveling to UCF on November 15, before heading to Houston on November 17.

ASU Women's Basketball Rout San Diego

The Arizona State women’s basketball team made a big splash as coach Molly Miller earned her 300th win as an NCAA coach. The Sun Devils tied a single-game school record with 14 3-pointers, earning a 79-47 win at San Diego on Thursday, November 13. Fifth-year guard Gabby Elliott led ASU's scoring barrage from the 3-pointer, making six 3s and leading the team with a season-high 24 points. She was one 3-pointer away from tying the school's single-game record.

Guard Marley Washenitz followed Elliott with 19 points and six assists. Freshman Amaya Williams had another solid performance as she's taken over the injured Last-Tear Poa's spot in the starting lineup. Williams led ASU with 11 assists, while adding six points and a team-high four steals. ASU closes out its two-game road trip with Santa Clara on Sunday, November 16, at 2 p.m. MST. The game can be seen on ESPN+ and heard on KDUS AM 1060.

ASU Volleyball Defeats Arizona for Season Sweep

No. 8 Arizona State volleyball beat Arizona in four sets (25-11, 20-25, 25-18, 25-22) on Thursday, November 13, at Desert Financial Arena. Under coach JJ Van Niel, the Sun Devils (21-3, 12-1 Big 12) have now won six in a row against Arizona (14-10, 8-6 Big 12).

Graduate middle blocker Colby Neal neared a double-double with 10 kills and nine blocks in the win, including a solo block on match point. Junior opposite hitter Noemie Glover led in kills with 13, which was her 13th match in a row with double-digit kills. She also had four blocks. ASU posted a season-high 17 blocks against the Wildcats, which was the 15th match with double-digit blocks this season. The Sun Devils have had double-digit blocks in 10 of the 13 Big 12 matches.

ASU drew 7,703 fans to Tempe, which is the most since 2013. However, ASU's all-time record remains 8,516 against Stanford in 1986. The Sun Devils will head to Boulder to take on No. 22 Colorado on November 15 at 1 p.m. MST and will be streamed live on ESPN+.