A changing of the guard at Arizona Desert Swarm

Welcome to Mixed Metaphor Monday, where all good things must come to an end but change is good.

After six years at Arizona Desert Swarm, the last four guiding the ship, Ryan Kelapire is moving on after accepting a position with the Pac-12. Taking over as site manager is yours truly, who joined the AZDS staff in 2018 as deputy editor but now will be running things on a full-time basis.

You’ve been warned.

A few other staff changes: Kim Doss, who has spearheaded our volleyball and women’s basketball coverage, is moving into a deputy editor role and will oversee coverage of all of the UA women’s sports. And Ezra Amacher will be taking on an expanded role, providing content related to various sports.

Also still in the mix is Adam Green, who provides commentary on the top issues related to Arizona teams, while recruiting gurus Brandon Combs and Gabe Encinas will keep everyone updated on UA’s football recruiting efforts under Jedd Fisch and his staff.

What does this mean to you, our valued readers? Not much, really. We’ll still continue to provide you with wall-to-wall coverage of UA sports, doing so without a paywall or any urging to subscribe. We do have ads, though, so feel free to click on those from time to time.

If you have any suggestions for how we can make this site better, hit me up here or on Twitter.

Statement from Ryan Kelapire: “Running AZDesertSwarm.com provided me some of the best years of my life. I was fortunate to cover so many memorable teams and events, including several NCAA Tournaments, a Final Four and the Women’s College World Series (twice!). Most of all, I met so many incredible people along the way. From coaches to student-athletes to readers to fellow media members. Many of them will be friends for life.

While I am ecstatic about my new role as the Pac-12’s digital editorial manager, I will miss AZDS and the community dearly. At the same time, it is easier for me to walk away knowing that Brian and Kim will be taking my place. They were a pleasure to work with and their passion for covering UA athletics is undeniable. I am confident that this site will remain the No. 1 free source of Arizona Wildcats coverage, and I’m excited to see it evolve under new leadership.”