By Ryan Gray
Arizona Daily Wildcat
The UA track and field teams were flying high this weekend as they beat three opponents in dual meet competition at the 1995 U.S. Direct Track and Field Meet.
The indoor meet was held at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo.
The men shot down Air Force 72-55, Colorado 65-60 and Texas A&M 62-57 in head-to-head competition.
The women routed the Falcons 89-29, topped the Buffalos 64-53 and easily disposed of the Aggies 87-28.
In four-way team results, which are the combined score of all teams against each other, the Wildcats edged out Colorado 63-62 for first place in the women's team compe-
tition.
The men's team finished second with 39, 10 points behind A&M.
Based on the team performance and the fact that the meet was the UA's first real competition, track and field coach Dave Murray was extremely satisfied.
"We did real well," Murray said. "I was real happy."
The other three teams had all competed in two previous meets before the U.S. Direct's.
Murray had two other reasons to rejoice.
"We came out of the meet with no injuries and good individual marks," Murray said.
One individual effort Murray referred to was David Loshonkohl winning the 35-pound weight throw with a toss of 68 feet, 2 1/2 inches, an NCAA provisional distance.
By being provisional, it means the individual mark is considered an NCAA championship qualifier if it remains among the nation's top 16 at the conclusion of the season.
In addition, sprinter Michelle Johnson achieved the same distinction in the 55-meter hurdles, finishing first in her heat with a time of 7.91 seconds. However, Johnson knocked over hurdles in the finals, holding her to fourth place with a time of 8.06 seconds.
Rebecca Butt, a 1994 All-American in the high jump and heptathlon, qualified with a jump of 40-11 in the triple jump.
Sprinter Armon Williams finished third in the 55-meter dash with a time of 6.33 seconds while Felicia Lane won the same race with a meet record of 7.06 seconds.
Murray was also happy with the performances of Suzanne Castruita (first in the mile), Viola Shaffer (first in the 3000m), Bob Keino (third in the mile) and Timur Voitetsky (first in the 800m).
Senior All-America distance runner Martin Keino did not compete because he has already concluded his indoor eligibility.
Said Murray: "Going up to that altitude, I was really pleased with our distance runners."
"Going up to that altitude, I was really pleased with our distance runners."