By Arlie Rahn
Arizona Daily Wildcat
The UA track team will take on the big dogs when it heads east this weekend for the 86th annual Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa. The competition starts early this morning with the final event scheduled for 5 p.m. tomorrow.
Instead of Martin Keino or Viola Schaffer stealing the show, the limelight will belong to UA head coach Dave Murray. Murray will be inducted into the Drake Relays Coaches Hall of Fame during an April 27 banquet. During his 28-year career in Tucson, Murray has claimed a combined 15 track and field and cross country coach of the year awards.
"The (Drake Relays') only drawback has been the weather the last couple of years Ä it has been cold and wet. So we figure that the law of averages has to eventually catch up, so hopefully this year we will have good conditions to compete in."
The Wildcats will be competing in the 4x400 meter relay, the 4x800, the distance medley and the 4x100. Topping this list will be Arizona's 4x800 relay team consisting of brothers Martin and Bob Keino, Luther Kopf and Tim Smoak.
"We will have our best team running in the men's 4x800," Murray said. "We think that team can open some eyes."
The Drake Relays, as the name suggests, will consist mostly of relays with only a few individual events. Schaffer will try to continue her success in the 5,000 meters, and Rebecca Butt will again test her stamina as she will compete in the high jump, triple jump and long jump for her second straight meet.
On the men's side, Jon Pillow will be running in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and Anson Watts will compete in the 400-meter hurdles.
"Basically, this meet gives us a chance to meet with some outstanding competition," Murray said. "These will be schools that we would usually not see until the NCAA Championships."