By DAVE HERSAM
At the Mountain States Games in Pocatello, Idaho this weekend, team scores were not kept, but BYU men's track and field team won three events, came in second in two and had two team members qualify provisionally for the NCAA championships.
Felix Andam won the 55-meter dash in 6.27 and won the 200-meter run with an NCAA provisional time of 21.54. Marek Samseli won the triple jump with a distance of 49-11 1/2, Neil Jensen came in second in the pole vault at 16-08 and freshman Daniel Arrhenius earned second place in the shot put with a throw of 53-07 1/4. Fikre Wondafrash came in fifth in the mile, but qualified provisionally for the NCAA's with a time of 4:10.16.
BYU head coach Willard Hirschi said the team is making good progress in preparation for the WAC indoor championships Feb. 26 to Feb. 28.
'We're still missing a lot of our best distance runners because of injury,' Hirschi said, 'but we hope to have them back for the WAC's.'
Triple jump winner Samseli is a four-time Czechoslovakian national champion in that event, and had a jump of about 52-5 Saturday that was not counted because he scratched.
'Now I know that I'm in good shape and can jump that far,' said Samseli, who will travel to Lincoln, Neb. for the Husker Invitational this weekend.
Samseli has come in second and third at the Husker Invitational and said it's a special meet for him.
'This is my senior year, so it's my last try,' Samseli said. 'I'd really like to win, but my first goal is to qualify for the national tournament.'
Wondafrash, who qualified provisionally in the mile, said he doesn't think his time is good enough to assure him a place in the NCAA's.
'I hope that there will be good competition this weekend,' Wondafrash said, 'so that I can run faster and get a better qualifying time.'
With only 10 team members travelling to the Husker Invitational this weekend, the rest of the team will return to Pocatello, Idaho for a three-team meet with Weber State and host Idaho State.