The 1995 Arizona men's and women's cross country squads, led by two talented underclassmen in freshman Amy Skieresz and sophomore Bob Keino, wrapped up another successful season for one of the top programs in the nation.

Skieresz established herself as one of the top UA freshmen ever, following up wins at the Pacific 10 Conference and District VIII championships with a runner-up finish at the NCAA championships.

"Amy just had an exceptional cross country season," UA head coach Dave Murray said. "Nobody has come in here and accomplished what she has as a freshman."

She became the first woman in school history to win the Pac-10, beating her closest competitor by more than 20 seconds on the 5,000-meter course in 16 minutes, 45 seconds. As a team, the Wildcats finished second overall in the Pac-10, just five points behind Oregon.

At the districts, Skieresz dominated once again, running away from the pack after the two-mile mark and finishing in 16:42. Skieresz helped UA finish third, giving it an at-large berth in the NCAAs.

At the NCAAs, Skieresz earned All-American honors, finishing in second place, just four seconds behind the winner, Wisconsin's Kathy Butler, and seven seconds ahead of defending champion Jennifer Rhines of Villanova.

Also turning in fine seasons for the UA women were juniors Ann Colonna and Viola Schaffer. Colonna finished eighth in the Pac-10s and earned All-American honors at the NCAAs with her 27th-place finish.

Although the men's team did not advance to the NCAAs for the first time since 1979 - despite a third-place finish in the strongest district in the nation - Keino received an at-large bid and finished 11th.

The Wildcat men finished third in the Pac-10s and the district championships and were ranked in the top 20 all season long.

Keino was the top UA finisher in every race. He opened up the season with two victories at the Jammin Invitational on Sept. 9 and the University of Illinois Invitational on Sept. 16 and finished second in three other races, including the Pac-10s.

"Of course with Bob just being a sophomore we are looking for better things down the road," Murray said.

On the men's side, Arizona also returns five of seven starters from this year's squad. Along with Keino, Arizona returns junior Margarito Casillas and a talented freshman in Jeff McLarty. Mixed in with them will be two outstanding recruits from California who are expected to provide impact immediately.

"We should have been at the national championships because we thought we were one of the top 10 teams in the country, but with the strong nucleus we return for next season we should be better than last year," Murray said.