Dave Murray

Director of Track and Field

Head Cross Country Coach

33^rd Year

One key to building a productive athletic team at a Division I university is the continuity of coaching over the years. Such is the one of the primary reasons for the success of the University of Arizona men's and women's cross country teams.

Dave Murray will start his 33^rd year on the Wildcat coaching staff at the beginning of the cross country season. Twenty-eight of those years have been spent as the head coach of the men's cross country program, 14 as the women's coach. Murray's tenure at Arizona is the longest running of any current Arizona coach, and is topped only by two legendary Wildcat figures, Fred Enke (36 years) and J.F. "Pop" McKale (35 years).

During his time at Arizona - a tenure that has seen him direct the track and field teams as well - Murray has put together on of the top cross country and track and field programs in the nation. Since Murray has been at the helms of the Arizona programs, Wildcat athletes have been named All-Americans 127 times in cross country and track and field. His coaching has also produced numerous NCAA and Pacific-10 Conference champions, Olympians, World Championship competitors and NCAA and Pac-10 Athletes of the Year.

Individually, Murray has been honored as Pac-10 and District VIII/West Region Cross Country Coach of the Year six times and was the NCAA Coach of the Year in 1984. His commitment to the university was reflected in 1998 when he received the University of Arizona Alumni Association Centennial Award.

One of only two cross country coaches in Arizona history, Murray was named head coach in 1968, succeeding Carl Cooper, who was the coach from 1954-67. Murray's list of duties was increased when he took over the women's cross country program from 1978-81 and when he was later named the men's track and field coach in 1982. The 1990 campaign saw Murray take the reigns for both the men's and women's cross country and track and field programs, pushing them both into the national spotlight.

In his first year at the helm of the men's track and field squad in 1982, Murray guided the Cats to a 20th place finish at the NCAA Championships. That was just the beginning. The 1984 team had, at the time, the finest season in school history, finishing sixth at the NCAA Championships and earning a No. 2 dual meet ranking by Track and Field News. Furthermore, his programs have been ranked as one of the Top 20 dual meet teams almost every year since he has been in Tucson.

During his 28 years as cross country coach, Murray has led his teams to 17 top-20 national finishes, which includes a sixth-place women's finish at the 1996 NCAA championships -- a feat that highlighted by the UA's first-ever women's individual national cross country champion -- Amy Skieresz. Under Murray's tuteledge, Skieresz has become the nation's dominant cross country and long distance runner, evident by her cross country title in 1996, plus three NCAA track championships (indoor 5,000m and the outdoor 5,000m & 10,000m) in both 1997 and 1998.

Other notable cross country seasons for Murray include a fourth place finish on the team's home course at the 1991 NCAA Championships, a fourth place national finish in 1991, a second place men's mark in 1984 and a number-two women's NCAA finish in 1990. Murray led the men's track and field team to its best finish in school history, a tie for fourth place at the 1998 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

His distance runners have amassed 75 All-America awards. Among Murray's roll call of star pupils are NCAA track and cross country champions, Pac-10 cross country and track champions, Olympians, World Junior Cross Country champs and several other successful and well-known runners.

Murray is also recognized as one of the most distinguished coaches at the UA. He is a member of the Drake Relays Hall of Fame, a 1997 inductee to the Pima County Sports Hall of Fame and a 1998 inductee into the University of Arizona Kappa Sigma Fraternity Hall of Fame. He received the Bear Down Award from the University of Arizona Alumni Association in 1995 and the University of Arizona C.A.T.S. Silver Anniversary Award in 1995.

Murray continues to be actively involved in the NCAA community. He is the men's Western Regional representative to the NCAA Division I Track Coaches Executive Committee, the distance events coordinator on the NCAA Division I Track Coaches Executive Committee. He is also the Pacific-10 Conference Track and Field Rules Committee chairman.

After earning All-America honors at San Bernardino Community College in California, Murray distinguished himself on the Arizona track team. In 1964, he set the school record in the 440-yard dash at 47.2 seconds.

Success for Murray and his program is not only seen on the track, but in the classroom as well. His programs annually competes for the top GPA honors among all 18 of Arizona Division I programs, while producing All-Academic award winners on conference, regional and national levels.

Murray taught and coached at Bella Vista High School in Sacramento, Calif. before returning to The University of Arizona as a graduate assistant with the track program in 1967. He received a master's degree in physical education from the UA in 1968.

He is past president (1988-90) of the U.S. Cross Country Coaches Association, the women's association (1981-82) and a member of the men's NCAA Executive Committee and a District VIII representative.

Murray and his wife Nancy have two grown children, James and Terri. He was born July 21, 1942, in Oaks, North Dakota.

Fred Harvey

Associate Head Coach

Sprints - Hurdles - Relays

13^th Year

Fred Harvey enters his 13^th year as the sprints and hurdles coach for the University of Arizona. Harvey is one of the finest sprint coach in the nation, and he has the opportunity this season to mold a quality group of sprinters into some of the best in the nation. His coaching expertise, combined with his enthusiastic recruiting, has helped Arizona bring in top sprinters and hurdlers.

Harvey has coached some of the most successful athletes in school history. Over the past three years, he has been a significant key in helping senior Carolyn Jackson drop her 400m times to that of the national elite. She has qualified for the NCAA Championships in the quarter-mile the past two years, and is among the best in the country this year.

Several of Harvey's former Arizona sprinters have gone on to earn acclaim at the nation and world levels. At last years' World Championships in Spain, two of Harvey's pupils ran with much success. Wildcats junior Patrick Nduwimana advanced to the semifinals of the 800m and former Arizona hurdler Michelle Johnson finished sixth in the 400m hurdles, running 54.23 in the final.

In addition to his work with the Arizona teams, Harvey also works with former Wildcats, preparing them for post-collegiate competition. He coached 1992 Olympic 200m bronze medalist Michael Bates. Bates is now a kick returner for the National Football League's Carolina Panthers and was named to the Pro Bowl at the end of the 1998 season.

In 1993, Harvey was named the 200 meter coordinator for the USA Track and Field Team. He was also an assistant coach for the 1994 Olympic Sports Festival West Team.

Harvey was also the driving force behind the creation of the Tucson Elite Classic, a unique summer event that was televised live by ESPN in 1989. He has also been the West Region TAC development coordinator.

Harvey, originally from San Francisco, came to Arizona from Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo. There, he was the assistant women's coach for seven years and coached 14 NCAA Division II national champions, 52 Division II All-Americans and two Division I All-Americans. Additionally, he coached three Olympians, including 1980 team member Bart Williams. During his seven year stint at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, the Mustangs won four Division II national titles.

Harvey was a fine athlete himself at San Jose City College and Cal Poly-SLO. He was one of the finest sprinters in the nation from 1979 through 1981. In 1979, he ran 5.81 in the indoor 50m, the fifth fastest time in the world that year. In 1981, he was ranked as high as sixth in the world in the same event. During his competitive years, Harvey had personal-best times of 10.1 (100m), 20.78 (200m), 45.7 (400m) and 1:50.2 (800m).

While competing at Cal Poly-SLO, Harvey earned three Division II All-America honors and was a member of the winning 400m relay team at the Division II National Championships.

He received his bachelor's degree in 1982 from Cal Poly-SLO. He is married to Janet Harvey, a former elite hurdler and long jumper. The couple has a son, Lauren, and two daughters, J'Lynn and Imani Lee.

Mike Maynard

Associate Head Coach

Throws

13^th Year

With worldwide connections, Arizona associate head coach Mike Maynard has brought some of the top international throws talent to the Wildcat program. Entering his 13^th year with at UA, Maynard will oversee the throwers and decathletes throughout the season.

Maynard has coached NCAA scorers each year that he has been at Arizona. His student-athletes have also established new school records on a regular basis.

Last season, two of Maynard's javelin pupils qualified for and threw at the NCAA Outdoor Championships for the second straight season. Esko Mikkola and Ola Larsen finished 1-2, respectively at the Pacific-10 Conference meet and then moved on to the NCAA meet in Boise, Idaho. There, throwing into a strong headwind, Mikkola finished second and Larsen finished ninth.

Another Maynard coached athlete scored at the NCAA Championships. Freshman Maureen Griffin finished eighth in the hammer throw at the NCAA meet, and also competed in the 20-lb. weight throw at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Under the direction of Maynard, Griffin won the Pac-10 hammer throw title and the MPSF Indoor 20-lb. title.

A number of Maynard's athletes earned high national honors in 1998, including two national champions. Mikkola won the javelin at the NCAA meet as only a freshman and shattered the school record with a throw of 268-7, an NCAA meet record. Klaus Ambrosch won the national championship for the Wildcats in the decathlon with a score of 7,825 points. Dominic Johnson was also one of the best decathletes in the country last year. He scored a high of 7,764 points early in the season. Larsen and Christian Banken also competed at the NCAA Championships, but did not score..

In addition to Ambrosch and the trio of javelin throwers, Arizona boasted the best 1-2 combination in the discus and shot put with Chima Ugwu and Doug Reynolds. Ugwu finished second in the shot put with a throw of 62-5 1/4 at the NCAA Championships. Reynolds set a new school record earlier in the year in the discus with a throw of 206-11. Both Ugwu and Reynolds won the Pacific-10 Conference titles in their respective best events.

In addition to his work at Arizona, Maynard has served as the USA Track and Field regional decathlon development coordinator and as a committee member for the USA Track and Field regional throws development. He has also been involved with the Elite Decathlon Project as a clinician for the throwing events and as a speaker. He has also worked as a clinician for each of the elite throws projects.

Maynard was also the United States head coach at the U. S. vs. Germany decathlon in July 1996 - a team that set a new world decathlon team score.

Maynard came to Arizona after competing at Azusa Pacific University outside Los Angeles and coaching at Mesa Community College. As an athlete at APU, Maynard earned four NAIA All-American honors and won the NAIA hammer throw. He graduated in 1986 with a degree in philosophy and was named the College of Philosophy's Outstanding Senior Graduate. He also earned NAIA Academic All-America honors in 1986.

Maynard was a coach at Mesa (Ariz.) Community College from 1982-84. While at MCC, Maynard coached four JUCO All-Americans and a JUCO national champion.

Maynard was ranked among the top 10 in the United States in the hammer throw for five years (84-88). In 1988, he was ranked as high as fourth in the nation. He finished ninth at the 1988 U.S. Olympic Trials, despite suffering a broken ankle two weeks prior to the event he was one of only four Americans to reach the Olympic standard that year.

In 1987, he represented the United States in the World University Games and later finished sixth at the Athletic Congress Meet. As a competitor, Maynard owned a personal best of 238-6 in the hammer throw, 60-11 in the shot put and 181-4 in the discus.

Tom Hays

Assistant Coach

Jumps - Pole Vault

Third Year

The University of Arizona track and field coaching staff has an advantage over many school with the experience of a renowned vault and jumps coach on its staff. Tom Hays came to Arizona before the 1998 season after seven years at Wichita State University in Kansas

In two years at Arizona, Hays has helped his pole vaulters earn three All-America honors, and one of his jumpers earned All-America accolades. Last year, Jeff Dutoit earned NCAA Indoor and Outdoor All-America honors under the direction of Hays.

At the NCAA Indoor Championships, Dutoit cleared 18-2 and finished third, a new personal best that tied the indoor school record set in 1998 by Dominic Johnson. Dutoit later finished tied for seventh at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

Hays work with the Arizona jumpers has also payed dividends in the past two years. Brianna Glenn finished fourth in both the long and triple jumps at the Pac-10 Championships as a freshman last year. TaKisha Morgan improved her triple jump best by almost a foot during her sophomore season last year.

In Hays' first year at Arizona, senior Dominic Johnson set school records in both the indoor and outdoor pole vault. Johnson, who competed at the NCAA Championships, cleared 18-6 to set the new school outdoor mark at the 1998 Drake Relays.

While at Wichita State, Hays coached Phil Holden to the Missouri Valley Conference pole vault title in 1993, as well as Angela Isaac to the indoor long jump and outdoor triple jump titles. Also while coaching the Shockers, Ryan Barkdull acheived All-American status and finished second at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in 1996 under Hays' tutelage.

Barkdull and fellow Olympic hopeful Eric Boxley currently train with Hays in Tucson.

Hays came to Wichita State from Nevada-Reno, where he was the assistant track and cross country coach in 1990. Prior to his stint at UNR, Hays was the head jump coach and assistant cross country coach at Johnson Community College in 1988-89, and was an assistant with the Kansas women's program in 1988.

At Johnson Community College, Hays coached the national champion in the pole vault, and guided the national runner-up in the long and high jump. At UNR, Hays coached three national qualifiers in the triple jump, while fielding the top jump program in the Big Sky Conference.

A native of McLouth, Kan., Hays earned a B.A. in physical education from Kansas in 1989. While at Kansas, he was a six-time All-Big Eight Conference pole vaulter. He ans his wife, Rebecca, have four children - Amanda, Ryan, Kevin and Kara.

Dawn Mortensen

Assistant Coach

Sprints - Hurdles

3^rd Year

Dawn Mortensen, a former sprinter for the Wildcats, joined the Arizona coaching staff in the fall of 1997 and assists in the training of the sprinters and hurdlers. Mortensen, 26, graduated from Arizona in the summer of 1996 with a degree in exercise and sports sciences and was a four-year competitor for Dave Murray in the 100m and 200m.

Mortensen worked two years ago as a personal trainer at a local health club. She was also a volunteer assistant coach with the Wildcat program under the direction of associate head coach Fred Harvey.

As an athlete at Arizona, Mortensen was one of the Wildcats' top sprinters in 1993-96. She has the fifth-fastest 100m time in school history, 11.77, which she ran at the Jim Click Wildcat Shootout in 1996. Mortensen's time of 24.33 in the 200m at the Pac-10 Championships in Seattle in May 1995 is the No. 11 time in school history. She was a team captain her junior year for the Wildcats.

Mortensen won the Mary P. Roby Academic Award for excellence and was also named to the Academic All-Pac-10 team during her career at Arizona.

During her high school days at Santa Rita H.S. in Tucson, Ariz., where she earned four letters in both track and field and cross country, Mortensen was an all-state performer in the 400m during her final three years.

Mortensen was born May 24, 1973 in Tucson and is currently single.