WOMEN'S FINAL FOUR

Four Arizona schools honored for reading challenge ahead of Women’s Final Four

Texas guard Ashton Judd dribbles the ball during practice prior to the national semifinals Women’s Final Four of the NCAA college basketball tournament April 2, 2026, in Phoenix. (Associated Press/Ross D. Franklin)

Ross D. Franklin

Four Arizona schools were honored Thursday at the Read to the Final Four championship celebration at Tourney Town inside the Phoenix Convention Center.

This was the culmination of a statewide reading challenge that engaged thousands of third-graders in the lead-up to the 2026 NCAA Women’s Final Four.

Mary C. O’Brien Elementary School of Casa Grande claimed this year’s Read to the Final Four title, finishing with 10,433 average minutes read per student over the course of the challenge.

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